On Christmas Day, AS THE WORLD TURNS' Lesli Kay (Molly) and Keith Coulouris (ex-David) exchanged vows instead of presents

Way back in August of 2003, Lesli Kay (Molly, AS THE WORLD TURNS) surprised longtime beau Keith Coulouris (ex-David) with a trip to Barbados during their holiday vacation.  But it was Coulouris who had a bigger surprise for her.  "He said, 'Let's get married while we're in Barbados,'" she reveals.  "But we didn't tell anybody."  So it was also a surprise for family and friends when the newlyweds shared the happy news afterward.

David tormented Molly on ATWT, but in real-life, the couple found love.
 

The False Start
Of course, their romantic trip hit a snag when Kay and Coulouris arrived at the airport to discover that they didn't have the birth certificate required to get their 3-year-old son, Jackson, onto the plane.  "I was bawling my eyes out," admits Kay.  "But Keith was great.  He was like, 'We'll figure it out.  Don't worry about it.'"

But because they arrived a day late, Kay feared their nuptials also would have to be postponed.  "I'd already resigned myself to the fact that it wasn't going to happen on Christmas," she sighs.  "But when we got there, Joyce, our nanny, had arranged for all the court people to come meet us at the hotel to do the paperwork."

With a cousin who's a magistrate and could officiate, and a niece who is a wedding planner and arranged for flowers, Joyce proved to be the lifesaver that the couple needed, and the ceremony went off right on schedule.

The Ceremony
"We did it right around sunset outside our hotel room on the beach," recalls Kay.  "Keith and Jackson had on matching white linen outfits, and I got an actual dress.  I didn't tell Keith.  He thought I was just wearing a little sarong or something, and I came out in a wedding dress.  He was very excited.

"It was sunny and beautiful as we did the vows," she continues, "And the second we got done, it started pouring rain."

But while that would spoil your average wedding, for this pair, it was a thrill.  "No, it was great!" the actress insists.  "Because my dad and I had this thing that we loved the rain.  So it was just really magical, because there was this huge rainbow."

Plus, it gave everyone the opportunity to cool off with a dip in the water.  "We'd been wanting to get in the ocean anyway," Kay chuckles.  "Then the rain stopped, and there was this beautiful, breathtaking sunset."

The happy couple were joined for a quick dip in the ocean by their nanny, Joyce.  "It made for great wedding pictures!" laughs Kay.

"It couldn't have been better," says the bride of her perfect, glorious wedding day.

The Honeymoon
Conveniently, since the couple tied the knot on a tropical island, they didn't have to go far to reach an ideal destination.  "We got married the first day we were there, and then we were there 11 days, so it was truly a honeymoon," Kay relates.

And with their nanny along, the newlyweds were guaranteed private time as well as family time.  "We had Joyce, so we got to be alone together on New Year's Eve," Mrs. Coulouris explains.  "But we had Jackson with us all day!"

Plus, there was a cameo appearance by an ATWT co-star.  "Scott Holmes (Tom) and [his wife] Pamela have a place down there at the most beautiful resort in the world," Kay reveals.  "We called him one day to say hi, and he said 'Come on over.'  So we went there and stayed all day."  Then she laughs and adds, "We were like the guests who wouldn't leave!"

The Future
Although their families and friends were thrilled by the news of the surprise wedding, the blushing bride continues to insists that she doesn't want anyone to throw any parties.  "I don't want one," she declares.  "That's the whole point.  That's why we did it the way we did it.  We wanted it to really be for us, because it is."

And it wasn't just the bride and groom who were getting hitched.  "Jackson was telling complete strangers at the airport: 'We're going to Barbados and we're getting married!'" Kay says.  "Like we were all getting married.  It was very cute."

"You just feel like 'This is it.  This is the way it's supposed to be,'" she muses.  "It was really wonderful.  It was spiritual and magical, and the whole thing just felt like utter fun."

Which bodes well for the many anniversaries to come!