Although The Bahamas’ exciting “16 Weddings, 16 Islands, One Priceless Wedding Promotion” ended earlier this month, officials have revealed that the promotion has exceeded their expectations in the number of couples registering for the once-in-a-lifetime event.

The promotion was launched on Valentines Day and since then couples from all 50 states in the US have registered.

While the goal for Ministry of Tourism was a mere 2,000 couples, the total number of couples registered ballooned to 3,030.

Director of Weddings and Honeymoons in the Ministry of Tourism Freda Malcolm said officials are thrilled with the results.

“We knew we had a very successful campaign when we surpassed that figure to 2,500 and only hours before close out time on the 13th we hit the 3,000 mark; as a matter of fact we received 3,024 entries by 11:57p.m. on Friday 13th,” she said.“In sharing the great news with our partners and sponsors, it was confirmed that these numbers for this type of sweepstakes was unprecedented. Romance is truly better in The Islands of The Bahamas.”

MarryCaribbean.com, a site dedicated to destination weddings, has also touted The Bahamas’ success.

CEO of MarryCarribbean.com, Jacqueline Johnson, lauded The Bahamas for its efforts.

“In the history of Bridal Promotions, the Islands Of The Bahamas’ bridal marketing campaign "16 Islands, 16 Weddings - One Priceless Day" has set the benchmark for any and all future bridal promotions, worldwide,” she said. “This campaign has significantly surpassed all objectives and industry expectations- setting new trends in how to successfully market engaged couples.”

The promotion ended on June 14.

Judges now have the daunting task of sifting through the applicants to find 16 special couples.

Those couples will be married on January 16, 2015 on 16 islands in The Bahamas at 16:00 (4:00p.m.).