British couple from tying the knot on a South Shore beach this week.

But a rain-soaked register of the event left them wondering whether they were really married.

Mr. Phillip Stallwood and his bride, the former Miss Zoe Bernard, of North Devon, England, wed at Warwick Long Bay during a short break in Tuesday's thunderstorms.

The couple were at the beach and scheduled to be married at 11 a.m. that day.

But the thunderstorm, and accompanying tornadoes and water spouts, did not subside until an hour later.

Between noon and 12.30 p.m., the couple managed to exchange vows, kiss, and pop the cork on the champagne bottle before they were again pelted by hailstones that covered many lawns like snow in the Southampton area.

But Mr. and Mrs. Stallwood yesterday said they had no regrets and would have had it no other way.

"It was quite fun,'' Mr. Stallwood said. "Most people who come here expect nice sand, lovely weather and lapping waves.

"We were on the beach from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Not everybody can have hail the size of golf balls falling on them during a wedding ceremony.'' And both Mr. Stallwood and his wife, who met while working at Edgehill College in Bideford four months ago, said the wedding was well worth the journey.

"We even managed to video the part leading up to the service and part of the service,'' Mr. Stallwood added.

Mr. Allister Simmons, co-owner of The Bridal Suite which organised and catered the entire event, said 90 percent of The Bridal Suite's weddings take place outdoors. And most couples request a beach wedding despite the time of year.

"Many people like the beach setting -- the solitude,'' he added.

But Mr. Simmons admitted that carrying out a wedding ceremony in Tuesday's weather was not easy.

"Nothing was easy that day,'' he said. "We were scheduled to begin at 11 a.m. But because of the thunderstorms, we did not start until noon.

"And the longer we were there, the worse it got. I've never seen so many large hailstones.

"But there was a slight break and we took advantage of that.'' The couple, who arrived in Bermuda last Wednesday and are enjoying the Island, are due to leave next Thursday.

NEITHER WIND NOR RAIN could keep visiting British couple Mr. Phillip Stallwood and his bride, Zoe, from tying the knot on the beach this week. (See story below).