Beautiful Virgin Islands

Sunday, Oct 19, 2025

Vogue magazine reports of same-sex wedding on Necker Island

Vogue magazine reports of same-sex wedding on Necker Island

Same-sex marriages may be illegal in the Virgin Islands; however, it has not stopped same-sex wedding ceremonies from taking place on Richard C.N. Branson’s private Necker Island.

According to the American monthly fashion and lifestyle magazine, Vogue, in a September 15, 2022, publication, a wedding ceremony between two men took place on Necker Island in May 2022.

The magazine, which published several photos of the wedding and events surrounding it on Necker Island, named the couple as Wesley Vultaggio and Michael McCarty of the United States of America.

Wedding reportedly took place in May


According to Vogue, the couple wanted an intimate destination wedding near the beach, and following plenty of research, they landed on Sir Richard Branson’s private islands Necker and Moskito in the [British] Virgin Islands.

It said the year prior, Wesley had booked a 40th birthday trip to Moskito Island, but because of COVID, had to cancel—so the location was already on the couple’s radar.

“We did a deep dive on islands around the world, from Brando Island in Tahiti to Capri in the Amalfi Coast, but were always pulled towards Necker,” Michael says. “We had a couple of conversations with them and the best dates they could offer us were November 2023, which was too far off for us. Three days later, they called and said they had a cancellation in May, and did we want it? Obviously, the answer was a resounding ‘Yes!’” Vogue quoted Michael McCarty as saying.

He also shared to Vogue that three containers’ worth of decor were shipped to the VI in order to pull off four days of events, including a Slim Aarons–inspired beach party, a jazz-club-meets-the-tropics night, “and of course, our incredible ceremony and after-party. In the end, Chris and his team—along with the incredible Necker and Moskito staff—did the impossible. We were blown away.”

First kiss as ‘husbands’


McCarty also said he and his partner had their two friends, Elena Scott and Todd Hawkins, officiate the ceremony.

“I recited my vows and promises to him, and there was not a dry eye in the house—even our friends who didn’t think it was possible for them to shed a tear were in sobs. After our vows, we exchanged our rings, were announced as Mr and Mr McCarty Vultaggio, and had our first kiss as husbands. As soon as our lips touched, a gospel choir burst into their rendition of ‘I Say a Little Prayer.’” After a few cheers, the couple processed out for pictures, while a gospel choir performed a rendition of Taylor Swift’s “Out of the Woods”—in Michael’s words, “the first Taylor Swift song I was able to get Wesley to love.”

‘Wedding of the century’


According to Vogue, the couple described their wedding as the “wedding of the century”.

It was also shared that local entertainers performed during the 4-day event and Mr Branson was also on island during that time.

Our newsroom reached out to the Attorney General, Hon Dawn J. Smith; Hon Sharie B. de Castro, who held the portfolio of Junior Minister of Tourism at the time; and Director of the BVI Tourist Board, Mr Clive McCoy for a comment; however, no response was received up to time of publication.

In 2019, a report by the UK House of Commons’ Foreign Affairs Committee advised the United Kingdom (UK) government to force the 14 British Overseas Territories (OTs) to legalise same-sex marriages.

But the UK government responded by saying it had no plans to do so, instead pledging to continue encouraging OTs to “recognise and protect same-sex relationships.”

Left: Gay couple Wesley Vultaggio and Michael McCarty getting up close and personal with the lemurs on Necker Island. Right: The couple kissing on the beach before a swim.

Two musicians from the Virgin Islands perform on Necker Island as part of the same-sex wedding event.

Michael McCarty told Vogue he got married to Wesley Vultaggio on the precipice of heaven on Necker Island in the [British] Virgin Islands.

Same-sex couple Wesley Vultaggio and Michael McCarty strike a pose on the beach at Necker Island.

Newsletter

Related Articles

Beautiful Virgin Islands
0:00
0:00
Close
Windows’ Own ‘Siri’ Has Arrived: You Can Now Talk to Your Computer
Thailand and Singapore Investigate Cambodian-Based Prince Group as U.S. and U.K. Sanctions Unfold
‘No Kings’ Protests Inflate Numbers — But History Shows Nations Collapse Without Strong Executive Power
Chinese Tech Giants Halt Stablecoin Launches After Beijing’s Regulatory Intervention
Manhattan Jury Holds BNP Paribas Liable for Enabling Sudanese Government Abuses
Trump Orders Immediate Release of Former Congressman George Santos After Commuting Prison Sentence
S&P Downgrades France’s Credit Rating, Citing Soaring Debt and Political Instability
Ofcom Rules BBC’s Gaza Documentary ‘Materially Misleading’ Over Narrator’s Hamas Ties
Diane Keaton’s Cause of Death Revealed as Pneumonia, Family Confirms
Former Lostprophets Frontman Ian Watkins Stabbed to Death in British Prison
"The Tsunami Is Coming, and It’s Massive": The World’s Richest Man Unveils a New AI Vision
Outsider, Heroine, Trailblazer: Diane Keaton Was Always a Little Strange — and Forever One of a Kind
Dramatic Development in the Death of 'Mango' Founder: Billionaire's Son Suspected of Murder
Two Years of Darkness: The Harrowing Testimonies of Israeli Hostages Emerging From Gaza Captivity
EU Moves to Use Frozen Russian Assets to Buy U.S. Weapons for Ukraine
Europe Emerges as the Biggest Casualty in U.S.-China Rare Earth Rivalry
HSBC Confronts Strategic Crossroads as NAB Seeks Only Retail Arm in Australia Exit
U.S. Chamber Sues Trump Over $100,000 H-1B Visa Fee
Shenzhen Expo Spotlights China’s Quantum Step in Semiconductor Self-Reliance
China Accelerates to the Forefront in Global Nuclear Fusion Race
Yachts, Private Jets, and a Picasso Painting: Exposed as 'One of the Largest Frauds in History'
Australia’s Wedgetail Spies Aid NATO Response as Russian MiGs Breach Estonian Airspace
McGowan Urges Chalmers to Cut Spending Over Tax Hike to Close $20 Billion Budget Gap
Victoria Orders Review of Transgender Prison Placement Amid Safety Concerns for Female Inmates
U.S. Treasury Mobilises New $20 Billion Debt Facility to Stabilise Argentina
French Business Leaders Decry Budget as Macron’s Pro-Enterprise Promise Undermined
Trump Claims Modi Pledged India Would End Russian Oil Imports Amid U.S. Tariff Pressure
Surging AI Startup Valuations Fuel Bubble Concerns Among Top Investors
Australian Punter Archie Wilson Tears Up During Nebraska Press Conference, Sparking Conversation on Male Vulnerability
Australia Confirms U.S. Access to Upgraded Submarine Shipyard Under AUKUS Deal
“Firepower” Promised for Ukraine as NATO Ministers Meet — But U.S. Tomahawks Remain Undecided
Brands Confront New Dilemma as Extremists Adopt Fashion Labels
The Sydney Sweeney and Jeans Storm: “The Outcome Surpassed Our Wildest Dreams”
Erika Kirk Delivers Moving Tribute at White House as Trump Awards Charlie Presidential Medal of Freedom
British Food Influencer ‘Big John’ Detained in Australia After Visa Dispute
ScamBodia: The Chinese Fraud Empire Shielded by Cambodia’s Ruling Elite
French PM Suspends Macron’s Pension Reform Until After 2027 in Bid to Stabilize Government
Orange, Bouygues and Free Make €17 Billion Bid for Drahi’s Altice France Telecom Assets
Dutch Government Seizes Chipmaker After U.S. Presses for Removal of Chinese CEO
Bessent Accuses China of Dragging Down Global Economy Amid New Trade Curbs
U.S. Revokes Visas of Foreign Nationals Who ‘Celebrated’ Charlie Kirk’s Assassination
AI and Cybersecurity at Forefront as GITEX Global 2025 Kicks Off in Dubai
DJI Loses Appeal to Remove Pentagon’s ‘Chinese Military Company’ Label
EU Deploys New Biometric Entry/Exit System: What Non-EU Travelers Must Know
Australian Prime Minister’s Private Number Exposed Through AI Contact Scraper
Ex-Microsoft Engineer Confirms Famous Windows XP Key Was Leaked Corporate License, Not a Hack
China’s lesson for the US: it takes more than chips to win the AI race
Australia Faces Demographic Risk as Fertility Falls to Record Low
California County Reinstates Mask Mandate in Health Facilities as Respiratory Illness Risk Rises
Israel and Hamas Agree to First Phase of Trump-Brokered Gaza Truce, Hostages to Be Freed
×