N
I
WINTER 2016
Cris
YOLAN
EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW
Ceremonial Songs TRADITION? A BREAK WITH
Your
Suppliers
WHAT TO ASK THEM
WEDDING
Traditions& Superstitions
10 MINS with PHILIP
ARMSTRONG Spain, Gibraltar and The Balearics’ dedicated wedding bible
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Winter 2016
N
I
WINTER 2016
Features, advice, tips, ideas and suggestions to help arrange THE PERFECT WEDDING IN SPAIN AND GIBRALTAR
10 Fashion Confeti Loves
We bring you wonderful wedding inspiration for this season
14 Trend Alert!
Take a look at some of CONFETI’s favourite Bridal Jumpsuits!
16 It’s all in the Details
Berta Bridal’s latest collections
26 10 minutes with Philip Armstrong
We meet up with fashion designers Philip Armstrong and Tony Burke
30 Designer Profile
Exclusive interview with spanish sensationl sisters YolanCris
38 Beauty The Ultimate Tip Off
Reflections Nail Technician, Jeannine Leja, explains the do’s and dont’s for making ring fingers look their best on the big day.
44 Real Weddings
Inspiration from CONFETI brides.
80 Details What to ask your Supplier
CONFETI’s checklist with the important questions you should be asking
Spain, Gibraltar and The Balearics’ dedicated wedding bible
Cover Photo: Christos Costarellos, costarellos.com
Staff PUBLISHER Andy Clark andy@iconpublishing.es FEATURES EDITOR Sinead Blairs sinead@iconpublishing.es CREATIVE TEAM Constanza Martínez constanza@iconpublishing.es Alma Roda Ros alma@iconpublishing.es HEAD OF COMMERCIAL Irene Moreno irene@iconpublishing.es EDITORIAL TEAM Eleanor McKenzie, KJ Elsdon India Baltran. CONTRIBUITORS Natasha Johnson, Padre Peter, Nicola McGeorge, Jeannine Leja
82 Signature Cocktails
Take a look at some of CONFETI’s favourite Wedding beverage ideas!
90 You make my Heart Sing
Natasha Johnson explains how to put a modern spin on traditional wedding hymns
96 CONFETI’s
Address Book
The best professionals, specialists and services
98 Love, Love,
Love This
Our favourite ideas for wedding entertainment
All enquiries, please call: +34 600 812 418 or email enquiries@iconpublishing.es The views and opinions expressed by contributors to CONFETI may not represent the views and opinions of the publishers. Icon Publishing takes no responsibility for claims made in advertisements or advertorials in this magazine. No part of CONFETI may be reproduced or copied in any way without the prior written consent of Icon Publishing.
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Baby, it’s cold outside
W
inter wedding season is upon us and here at CONFETI we believe weddings in winter can be just as delightful as those in the spring and summer. Sure, maybe most brides may want to tie the knot in the warmer months of the year, but there are many perks to having a winter wedding date. Firstly, they’re usually more budget-friendly since fewer brides are choosing to marry during the colder months (even in Spain!) Plus, guests most likely won’t have to choose between your celebration and another wedding. But mainly at CONFETI we LOVE the unique style. Frosty details and hints of sparkle make for cosy, festive wintry nuptials. In this winter issue, we are brimming with bridal trends. We have sourced bridal fashion from the most sought after designers, including world renowned designer Berta Bridal and the breathtaking designs from a snowy, whimsical runway from Paolo Sebastian. An exclusive interview from Spain’s very own bridal fashion house, Yolan Cris is sure to give you all the wedding dress inspiration necessary. As always, CONFETI has all the latest beauty trends from industry professionals to help you decide the perfect bridal look for your special day. With the lowdown on wedding traditions and more unique real weddings than ever, this issue ensures you have as much advice and inspiration as possible when planning your big day here on the Costa del Sol. What better way to stay out of the cold and be crafty this season? If you’re stuck for creativity or quirky ideas, look no further as CONFETI shares its top tips for DIY décor and even some inventive ways to serve up wedding day beverages. To our lovely readers and brides-to-be, we hope you enjoy this issue. So, sit back, get comfortable, maybe even grab a hot chocolate and enjoy our festive winter CONFETI!
The Confeti Team
8 CONFETI
www.berta.com CONFETI 9
C
ONFETI loves...
With stunning décor and cakes from talented wedding suppliers based in the south of Spain, down to the smallest detail, we bring you some fresh and unique ideas for your special day.
Shimmering bridesmaids’ dresses are right on trend this season. This subtle gold trio is from British designer, Kelsey Rose, a brand born out of a desire to provide a bridal party look that ladies have always dreamed of.
1001 Remedies Goodnight Balm is the perfect way to relax an anxious bride-to-be, a rich relaxing balm created from 99.8 per cent Melissa essential oil to help a bride-to-be sleep through 1001 Nights. 1001remedies.com
Name in Lights is a fantastic company providing light-up letters for weddings and events right here in southern Spain. nameinlights.eu
Marble effect cakes are currently all the rage. This incredible cake from Alyson’s Cakes based in the south of Spain is spot on with its beautiful marble effect tier, complete with unique burgundy flowers. weddingcakesmarbella.com
Famed designer Jimmy Choo, a winning choice for several brides when it comes to bridal shoes, has created a new bespoke ‘Made to Order’ service where you can order your wedding heels personalised on the soles. Go to jimmychoo.com to start your bespoke shoe process. 10 CONFETI
A beautiful floral arrangement from Flor Valentin. CONFETI adores the fresh greenery and popping pink flowers creating the perfect rustic, chic wedding flower arrangement. florvalentin.es Photo by Mireia Cordomi
Larger than life balloons are really taking over the wedding scene. Cost efficient, statement making and available in an array of different colours, balloons are the way forward - or up!
Cupcakes by Alyson’s Cakes weddingcakesmarbella.com
Attention to detail like this is sure to make your wedding day stand out from the rest when your guests receive a personalised coffee. notonthehighstreet.com What a great way to incorporate travel into your wedding décor. The ‘We Love the World’ map seating plan will be a sure-fire winner with your wedding guests. Creative décor by Rachael Rose Weddings. .
CONFETI 11
1
Theme Your Day
1. Stunning floral arrangement from Marbella’s own Flor Valentin. We love the festive red berries! florvalentin.es Photo by: evenpic.es. Organization and design: ConMuchoGusto Wedding Planner
3. Sparkle pine cones are a great way to jazz up your wedding. Add them to centrepieces or name place cards. This is a cost efficient and easy way to add a seasonal flavour to your dĂŠcor. 4. Fur or feather shrugs add
something special to your winter bridal look, as well as keeping you warm.
2. Mini mulled wine wedding favours are the ideal winter warmers for your guests.
5. Badgley Mischka heels. The bling frosty detail against the crisp white is perfect for winter wedding shoes.
8. Serve mince pies for the ultimate winter wonderland wedding.
6.Economically friendly snow
confetti from Save on Crafts.
7. Tasty hot chocolate station to keep your guests toasty and warm.
2
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5 3
6
8 7 12 CONFETI
For a Royal Wedding
Make your special day unforgeeable Widely praised cuisine & stylish rooms for you and your guests Breathtaking views all the way to the coast Perfeccon ll the last detail
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CONFETI 13
Trend Alert! BRIDAL JUMPSUITS
E
Nurit Hen
ver since Solange Knowles (yes, sister of Queen B!) wore a cutting edge jumpsuit to her wedding day in 2014, the bridal jumpsuit has been a huge hit. Year after year design houses have been creating some outstanding and fashion forward bridal jumpsuits. Not only do they look amazing, they’re practical too, easy to dance in and capable of keeping the pins of those winter wedding brides warm. If you’re still stuck on the idea of your dream wedding dress, bridal jumpsuits are a fab option for the evening reception. Let your hair down and dance the night away - who says you can’t have more than one wedding outfit? Take a look at some of CONFETI’s favourite Bridal Jumpsuits! Pnina Tornai
14 CONFETI
Solange Knowles in Stephane Rolland’s Jumpsuit
Abed Mahfouz
Riki Dalal
Naeem Khan Azzi and Osta
CONFETI 15
Its all in the
Details BERTA BRIDAL has fast become one of the leading bridal fashion houses in the world. Known for its avantgarde design style, it constantly tests the barriers and boundaries of the modern world of fashion. It’s hardly surprising that brides who want a showstopping, statement-making wedding dress are all turning to Berta. Bold and sexy with wedding gowns that incorporate vintage materials and retro styles, the CONFETI team has just fallen in love. With something to suit everyone, see some of our favourites from one Berta Bridal’s latest collections.
16 CONFETI
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18 CONFETI
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Parisienne Gown 20 CONFETI
www.boandluca.com Available at: Wild At Heart Bridal wildatheartbridal.nl See page 40 CONFETI 21
22 CONFETI
www.berta.com Catherine Deane CONFETI 23
Aisle Style
PAOLO SEBASTIAN
P
aul Vasileff, a designer from Adelaide, launched the Paolo Sebastian brand at the age of just 17. Since then he and his team have transformed the label into a luxury international couture house. With high profile clients such as Kim Kardashian and Dannii Minogue, his whimsical and detailed designs have graced runways and the most high profile red carpets all over the world, such as the Oscars and the Golden Globes. The fashion house is known for its signature expression of a story through couture with strong feminine themes, a dress you won’t easily forget. Although Paolo Sebastian is a couture label, many of Paul’s exquisite gowns are being chosen by brides around
24 CONFETI
the globe and we can see why! Impeccably tailored and detailed, the fashion house specialises in custom-made couture tailored to accentuate the beauty of the individual. Capturing the boldness of high fashion yet keeping the delicate innocence of beauty. What more could a modern day bride want? The designs are all handmade in South Australia using only the finest craftsmanship. There are two couture lines released per year and Paul often launches a new collection to sold out runway shows at the Adelaide Fashion Festival. CONFETI in particular loves the AW 2015 ‘Snow Maiden Couture’ Collection shown here on the snow covered catwalk, the perfect winter bridal dress to get you in the seasonal spirit.
“
“
Capturing the boldness of high fashion yet keeping the delicate innocence of beauty. What more could a modern day bride want?
CONFETI 25
10
Minutes with
PHILIP ARMSTRONG
Recently we were lucky enough to have the chance to meet up with fashion designers Philip Armstrong and Tony Burke, whose Philip Armstrong label incorporates a highly successful bridal line. We know how popular Philip Armstrong gowns are with all of our CONFETI brides-to-be, so we were delighted to be able to quiz this talented twosome on their fashion ideas and inspirations.
26 CONFETI
CONFETI: Philip and Tony, you have created a huge British fashion label that has now expanded into exquisite bridal gowns. How would you describe your fashion label as a whole? TONY: The Philip Armstrong label is all about fit and flattering the female form. Our look is glamorous, but in a fresh and edgy way. CONFETI: You are known for making fabulous dresses seen on many A list celebrities, such as Lady Gaga and Katy Perry. What made you decide to start a bridal range? PHILIP: We were producing bridal gowns for our regular clients without having a collection! Gradually we became a destination for many brides, so we started to build a range. CONFETI: What advice would you give to a bride-to-be, unsure of what style of dress she wants? TONY:You must try a few different styles but never try every dress in the showroom, as this becomes overwhelming. Most brides deliberate over two dresses until deciding on which is the favourite. We always advise our brides to come back and try their favourites a second time to ensure they make the right choice. CONFETI: We love that you recently not only designed a dress for the bride, but a suit for the groom! What would you say is trending right now for grooms? PHILIP: At the moment we love a hint of ‘black tie’ for grooms: peak lapels and horseshoe waistcoats with a bow tie. Colours should always remain classic: black, navy, grey, ivory. CONFETI 27
CONFETI: Do you see any big trends for brides arriving in 2017? TONY: Sexy and semi-sheer looks will remain popular, but we expect to see just as many classic, ball gown, ‘Grace Kelly’ shapes as well. We love a separate lace and tulle long sleeved top that can be removed in the evening to reveal a strapless gown.
PHILIP:Rosie HuntingtonWhiteley. She would be a dream to dress and would look a vision in any of our gowns! CONFETI: If you weren’t fashion designers, what do you think you would both be doing? TONY: Either interior designers or the proud owners of a doggy sanctuary!
CONFETI: What is the main inspiration for the latest Bridal Collection?
CONFETI: Other than create stunning designs, what do you like to do in your free time?
PHILIP: Italian actresses from the 1960s and 1970s such as Sophia Loren and Ava Gardner and the vision of a magical wedding at the Villa Cimbrone on the Amalfi coast.
PHILIP: We like to take long walks with our two puppies, visit art galleries and exhibitions and we love to cook too.
CONFETI: Do you have a personal favourite style of dress or bridal gown you’ve created? TONY: That’s like choosing your favourite child! Every dress becomes a favourite when you see a delighted bride comfortable in her dress and thrilled with her choice. Our personal favourites are usually the most labour intensive, where weeks of embroidery or beadwork have been involved, a real showstopper. CONFETI: If you could create a wedding gown for any celebrity, who would it be and why? 28 CONFETI
CONFETI: Finally, what advice would you give to our readers that are planning a destination wedding somewhere hot like here in Spain with regards to their wedding day attire? TONY: Dress with your venue in mind, whether it be a castle or ultra-modern hotel. Stay out of the midday sun and wear something lightweight that doesn’t call for a large underskirt – but, at the same time, nothing too tight and restricting. We usually offer either a backless lace mermaid style or a stretch crepe fishtail dress with a guipure and illusion bodice. philiparmstrong.com
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PERSONALISE YOUR WEDDING WITH OUR ILLUMINATED WORDS & LETTERS NEW F
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esignerP rofile DDesigner rofile
Yc YolanCris 30 CONFETI
B
arcelona based haute couture company, YolanCris was founded in 2005 by two sisters, Yolanda and Cristina. The sisters’ obsession with bridal fashion was inherited from their mother who imparted her creative talent and commercial wisdom to them from a very young age. In 2005 YolanCris created its brand, which is primarily aimed at natural women. Since then, the label has gone from strength to strength, presenting its first collection at Pasarela Gaudi Novias during Barcelona Bridal Week. These days YolanCris is a presence in more than 40 countries. The sisters attribute their brand’s success to the fact that, despite its global success, every creation is still lovingly handcrafted in their Barcelona atelier. CONFETI 31 CONFETI 31
32 CONFETI
I knew that being a fashion designer was my calling when…I
was eight years old and won a national drawing competition. The brief was to design a collection of high fashion clothes for an all-girl music band. I knew then that I wanted to do something with music and fashion.
I specialised in bridal gowns because…when
I was a child I used to visit my mother’s couture boutique and I was mesmerised by watching her designing and working. She’s a pioneer in the bridal business and taught us the value of finely finished work. The interest we have in haute couture and bridal fashion is most definitely a family heritage.
My personal style is...
Bohemian yet elegant, very ‘couture’ and heavily influenced by the Modernism characteristic of Barcelona. We are also inspired by floral motifs from that era, Antoni Gaudí – of course - and the detailed precision of Gustav Klimt’s paintings.
My biggest achievement to date is...recently dressing top
model, Nicole Trunfio for her wedding in Coachella. She was stuning in a 70s tunic-shaped wedding gown. We also dressed Kim Kardashian’s sisters, Khloe and Kourtney as well as her halfsisters, Kendall and Kylie Jenner. Otherwise, the only thing that motivates us is thrilling bridesto-be and fulfilling their dreams. That’s our main aim!
CONFETI 33
Trends that I feel will be popular in 2016...
The 1970s will be the main inspiration, so expect to see clever adaptations of cowboy fringes in ivory silk, which will work well with the existing popularity of Boho Folk. We also anticipate that patchwork will once again become a main couture technique. We include handmade patchworks, applying a pleated soleil made by artisans from Barcelona as an innovation in bridal fashion. We also predict that oversized coats will be popular – ours mix silk organzas, feathers and faux fur to make another Boho classic. Other things that brides-to-be can expect to see are dual tone creations, white silk with floral patterns on fine silk tulle in nude shades, two-pieces in the shape of lace loop blouses and teardrop necklines combined with western style skirts and skirts slit down the front in a homage to 70s fashion. We can also confidently predict the arrival of the mermaid wedding dress with geometric patterns inspired by orientalism. Long sleeves and fine silver beading completes the look. We will also be relying on silk tulle to create charming silhouettes. Finally, we have designed wedding gowns in a nude colour, which denotes sensuality and elegance and have mixed different fabrics and textures, such as chantilly and lace silk tulle, to create a line of lingerieinspired wedding dresses.
“Other things that brides-to-be can expect to see are dual tone creations, white silk with floral patterns on fine silk tulle in nude shades” 34 CONFETI CONFETI 34
Celebs List
Anne Marie
BeyoncĂŠ
Raquel del Rosario
Kendall Jenner - Bridesmaids
Khloe Kardashian Bridesmaids
Nicole Trunfio
Sara Carbonero CONFETI 35 35 CONFETI
I find the inspiration for my gowns from...
everywhere! It can be anything - a journey, a movie, an art exhibition, a personality; even a street. However, we find that our summer vacations are usually the best source. There’s something really special and inspiring about travelling. There’s nothing like having a little time for yourself away from the daily stress to let your imagination, senses, and creativity fly away. We try to enrich our inner worlds through different cultures and local art. Summer is far and away our favorite season because it allows you to dream, discover, enjoy friends, sun and nature. Then, when you return to work, everything that you have experienced emerges as creative inspiration.
My average working day is...busy! Couture fashion
and bridal design requires all of you, so we’re working pretty much 24/7 in our atelier.
At the moment I’m working on...our new SS17
couture fashion and evening gown collection.
What brides can expect from my gowns…High
quality couture fashion wedding dresses for strong, confident and independent 21st century women.
My designs stand out from other labels because...we stand for real
couture made from European fabrics and local production to create sustainable and ecoconscious fashion. We also have a great team working in our atelier, who we love!
Destination wedding dresses must be...stylish,
modern and very chic. They have to represent the personal style of each bride.
36 CONFETI
yolancris.es
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Av. Ramon y Cajal, 7 - 29600 Marbella 0034 951 775 518 - Mob : 670 770 455 info@oceanclinic.net - www. oceanclinic.net CONFETI 37
Reflections Nail Technician, Jeannine Leja, has been taming talons for over two decades. In this issue she explains the do’s and dont’s for making ring fingers look their best on the big day.
THE ULTIMATE
Tip-Off
HOW TO NAIL IT Nails will only be as photogenic as the level of groundwork you put in, so keep nails in tip top condition by allowing enough time to rectify any nail care sins. I love trends but for me the priority is the health of the nails. Brides-to-be should focus on getting their nails in the best possible condition before even thinking about the shape and colour they want on the day. BUFF IT UP Depending on your current nail condition it can take up to six months of regular manicures to repair and strengthen the nail plate (the nail plate takes six months to grow from root to tip). Fortnightly manicures will condition and treat the nails as well as reshape and smooth the cuticle line. For nails that are in great shape, one or two sessions before the big day manicure should be enough to keep nails and cuticles in check. I would advise you to have your final manicure the day before your wedding ceremony. ALL DRIED OUT Many people believe that when their nails constantly break or peel they need to use a strengthener, but this
38 CONFETI
can actually make them worse as it dries the nail out. What the nails really need is a good cuticle oil to hydrate them. Nails and cuticles tend to get very dry here in Spain, not only because of the heat but also because we tend to be in and out of the water so often. This is another reason why you need to make sure the nail is well-conditioned and apply a cuticle oil to the base of the nail two to three times a day, especially if you have gelish or a nail system as it is the only way to keep the nail hydrated. This will also prevent any problems when you remove them. WELL GEL If you don’t have the time or patience for regular manicures before your wedding then acrylic, gel or gelish nails are a great way to have beautiful nails for your special day. As long as they are applied and removed correctly by an expert, they won’t cause damage. Acrylic nails have a bad reputation, as nail techs used to use industrial acrylic which did damage the nail. Now all systems are made specifically for nails and it is really all about how you apply and remove them, as when done correctly you do not have to touch the natural nail at all.
DO YOUR RESEARCH If you are looking for a new nail technician you want to make sure they are experienced. These popup nail bars are, of course, very convenient and well priced, but sometimes it comes at a cost to your nails. Ask for a consultation so that the nail tech can advise which system would best suit you and, if they do not want to give you a consultation, walk away.
POLISHED TO PERFECTION For me, everything about a wedding and the resultant photos should be timeless. I know it’s all about the stiletto nail shape at the moment but, ten years down the line, it may look outdated in your photos. I think nothing looks better than a French manicure on your wedding day; it’s classic, clean and so pretty.
My latest bridal nails.
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Upda
your Share ent m e engag h us! it w y r sto ils ll the deta Mail us a otos to: and ph s@ ie enquir ing.es h s li b u p icon
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Costa del Sol’s
PROPOSAL
Stories
Elle and Jack Sinead and Josh
With less than a year to go now until our wedding day here in Marbella, we have started to get some final arrangements together. With help and inspiration from Confeti and our wedding co-ordinators Fiesta Sol, we believe we have some fantastic ideas. As mentioned in previous Issues we already had what, for us, was the most important aspects secured, such as the venue, the church, photographer (Nani de Perez), wedding planner etc. So now is the time for some of the fine detail. Having already found most of our entertainment, we were searching for band that we loved and would get the party started. We went to see the Costa del Sol based band, Cool Fire and booked them straight away. Probably one of our favourite things so far was the menu tasting, which we combined with our alcohol tasting! We have chosen Fiesta Sol Catering for our menus and Pepi Montes will supply the alcohol.
40 CONFETI
The menu tasting was a brilliant day, with so much gorgeous food to select, I’m glad we skipped breakfast! Everything was so delicious we couldn’t decide. Thankfully with Fiesta Sol our guests are allowed to decide between two options beforehand, so there is something to suit everyone. We chose our favourite wines to complement the meals and we can’t wait for our guests to try everything. We took some members of our family along with us and it was a great laugh, a very successful day. We have some ideas for decoration and have ordered some fantastic pieces from Pink Party Shoppe (see page ….) Our ‘save the dates’ have been sent out to family and friends from all over the world; to Sweden, Paris, London, Ireland, Spain and even New Zealand. My advice for couples currently planning their wedding would be to try to get ahead to ensure an enjoyable planning process and to remember that you can’t always please everyone. It is your day so, even though the decision making on certain aspects of the wedding can be hard, remember to have fun and choose what suits you best as a couple.
In the last issue of CONFETI we met Elle and Jack, who had just announced their engagement. A few months on, Elle shares the latest wedmin progress. Planning is going fine; not much to catch up on, really. We came to Spain to meet our caterers (Sana Catering) and sampled their wine, canapés and meat. The food was amazing and we’re having a tough time choosing what we want! Bridesmaids’ dresses have been bought and I’m really happy with them. I went for different colours for each bridesmaid but they go beautifully together, which is a massive relief. We have six bridesmaids - my two closest friends, my two sisters and Jack’s sisters. We’ve chosen pastel colours for our bridesmaids and we will be having a vintage/whimsical theme for the day. The groomsmen will be Jack’s closest friends.
We have a Motown singer for the evening and a Spanish guitarist for the daytime. We’ve chosen Sweet Things By Fi as our cake supplier, but the cake flavours and theme haven’t been decided yet, though. Everything has been great so far. Our wedding planner Rachel responds quickly to any questions we have and keeps us up to date with what is going on. Nothing has been stressful so far and I haven’t came across any obstacles. I feel we have a very professional team. As for advice, I think research is really important as, at times, it can be tricky to decide which suppliers to choose and it’s important to find a competent wedding planner who can make the whole wedding planning experience a stress-free joy.
CONFETI 41
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Spain, Gibraltar and The Balea rics’ dedicated wedding bible Spain, Gibraltar and The Balearics’ dedicated wedding bible ed wedding The Balearics’ dedicat Spain, Gibraltar and
Elegant Asian Affair
davidtoms-weddings.com
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and then he asked me to marry him - my response was a mixture of laughter and tears, and of course, I said ‘Yes!’.
Real Weddings
Bhavesh and Rajvi enjoyed a magical
MEANT TO BE…
We were young, crazy and care free at 17 years old. We knew of each other through friends and in the few times we would bump into each other I would sometimes get a wink and a smile and he would get a little wave back. Who would have known that 17 years later, I would be married to him! Bhavesh and I met again after some years at a fitness centre and we recognised each other straight away. We started to meet up as friends and realised that we shared the same interests however our friendship drifted slowly
Jake and Laufey
when Jake Our love story began in a queue struck up a conversation Sadly for the cashpoint in London! had as he the timing was terrible, ‘Boys just booked a three-month HowOnly’ trip to South America. complete with ever we kept in touch, bills until Jake astronomical phone (much to send me a plane ticket friends on the the annoyance of his America trip,) and suddenly South holiday became our own romantic
celebrated
fun, family and friendship.
went to Cuba and that was where Bhavesh proposed to me. We were on a tiny island off the south coast of Cuba and on our last night on the island (we were due to fly to Varadero the next day to continue our holiday), Bhavesh had booked us a table at a restaurant. When we arrived, I was surprised to see that he had arranged for us to dine in a private cabana that was beautifully decorated with candles, flowers and white curtains that were softly blowing in the breeze. During our meal, we were serenaded with beautiful Spanish love songs. At this point he told me that he did this for me
Real Wedd
Two years later, we had been well acquainted with each other’s family and friends and we had been on a few holidays together and we were definitely ready to take the next step in our relationship. It was just a case of him popping the question. Last September we
Address Book
At the Water’s Edge at the eternally their timeless nuptials
three day celebration filled with
apart and we became quite busy in our own lives but we would call each other now and again over the years just to catch up until one day we decided to meet, enjoying each others company so greatly we began to spend more and more time together before falling completely and utterly in love.
ings
Wedding Dress: Caroline Castigliano
Bridesmaid Dresses:
Reiss
Suit: Reiss Venue: Villa del Mar, Marbella Club Hotel
stylish Villa del Mar.
Photographer: beckysharpe.co.uk
the rest of our and the beginning of in a restaurant lives. Jake proposed a few months in Paris in 2010 then twins hence later I fell pregnant with put on hold our wedding plans got for a little while.
davidtoms-weddings.com 60 CONFETI
davidtoms-weddings.com
because he loved me and he just wanted to say thank you for being such an amazing girlfriend and so I still had no clue what he was about to do. It was after dinner when Bhavesh suggested that we go for a walk on the beach. As we walked towards the sea, I was holding on to him and walking with precaution as it was dark with only the moonlight to guide us, and the deck that led to the rocks above the shore had large enough gaps for my stilettos to become wedged in! When we arrived at the beach, the moonlight hit the waves that were rolling onto the sand - we just stood there in awe of the scenery. We held each other tight and reminisced about the amazing times we had been through together over all the years we had known each other. He then suddenly said, ‘Can you see that?’ I turned around to see what he was pointing at, and as I looked down, a light shone on to the rocks where there was a sign that read, ‘Marry Me?’. I then turned back around to see that Bhavesh had got down on one knee! He told me that he wanted to spend the rest of his life and more with me
was sun, My vision for our wedding I really sea, flowers and glamour. outside, either wanted to get married suron a beach or somewhere in the blooms rounded by beautiful
idea of Initially I had a very different thought years earlier I sunshine. About three how I wanted my wedding, were relaxed Jake and I (newly engaged) I wanted more of a hippy beach as soon as I walking down the Marbella drink at feel to everything but go for a changed. front and decided to saw the venue everything restaurant. perfect but The Marbella Club beach The entire wedding was through the most sentiWe then had a little walk I would have to say the knew the speeches hotel grounds and I instantly of mental moments were that I had found the destination villa, and, of course, the ceremony. private and friends my dreams. The hotel’s Seeing all of our family and holds all that they had Villa del Mar is beautiful together and knowing 1950’s. I could the world of its charm from the all flown in from across parties that they all visualise all the glamorous was amazing. The fact in the past and as much as we that took place there enjoyed themselves my wedding; on the cake. that’s how I visualised did was truly the icing timeless. classic, glamorous and
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Would you like
We went back to our table where we finished off our champagne, when Bhavesh told me he had another surprise for me! What could possibly be better than this? I thought he may have booked us in for a spa day or he would take me shopping… No. He had booked us both in for a skydive! Fancy being proposed to and then kicked out of a helicopter at 12000 ft... romantic at first, daringly devilish to end.
ALL I EVER WANTED AND MORE…
The wedding planning begun almost immediately after we had returned back to the UK. I had always dreamt of an outdoors wedding, with beautiful scenery and romance. I already knew that this would be the theme throughout. We decided to marry in Spain as we both travelled there often. Spain has always been a destination close to home and close to my heart... the ambience, the people, the laidback attitude, the weather and climate.... we had to get married in Spain!
True Blue
davidtoms-weddings.com morning, the blessing ceremony in the afternoon followed by cocktails and the reception party into the night. All were outdoors, the weather was amazing and all this infused with the surroundings and the ‘buzz’ our guests came with made it truly the best wedding, I myself, had ever been to, and I still can’t believe that it was my own. I knew I wanted a traditional Hindu wedding with a twist of vintage and regal attire. Dianna from Party People and the team at Beau Rivaaaj ensured that the setting was just that and the planning was impeccable. The mandap was decorated with beautiful fabrics and hanging ornaments. It looked exquisite with traditional but subtle colours. The large pillars surrounding the amphitheatre were draped with beautiful images of Lord Ganesh. For the blessing ceremony, Dianna had stripped away the colours and left a beautiful plain white chuppah that was complemented by the surroundings of the Roman Stone amphitheatre. The ivory and soft pink flowers paired with our outfits made a perfect combination against the sunlight and the greenery.
I wanted a wedding with a difAfter the sounds of the Spanference and I loved the idea of ish guitar and a few champagne davidtoms-weddings.com our closest friends and family all cocktails later, guests were coming to celebrate our wedding ushered to the reception on the davidtoms-weddings.com abroad and also enjoying a holioutdoor terrace surrounded by day at the same time. We decided olive trees with suspended Chito have a three day event, with the nese lanterns and wicker hearts. Michael and Melan first being the Surprises for our guests, and our night. The two day mendhi ie marri celeb second day ed in a elega was a selves, leisure ration were ‘wow’ factors starting day at family, friend surrounde nt the Crowne Plaza s with flamenco dancing, speeches Estepona d by their and son, with Dexter. golf and spa in the morning, and performances from our loved a pool party in the afternoon and ones to large glow sticks on our a dinner in the evening and the entrance, a live bongo player over last day wasOUR our big a UK DJ spinning the best beats dayY… STOR - with the Vedic Hindu Micha ceremony and then a firework finale. el and I in the met throug ing and h workliving in Marbe the Real Estate secto lla, in years ago. r about 8 CONFETI 61 property I was working for developer a for a renow and Micha el company. ned Real Estate He was professiona charming, polite and l, kind way about him, had a very of misch with a hint ief After a few in those blue eyes. each other, years of not seeing each other we bumped into again and meet up decided for coffee to tea, and or hence forth in my case good friend became s. We were ing for differe worknt comp then and anies by we chat, laugh would meet up to woes over , tell each other our a ner. Micha bit of lunch or dinel board and was my sound ing confid ante. enjoyed each others We really everything company, plicated. was easy and uncom OUR VISIO One day shortly after one of my Spain holdsN… birthdays, my age and the in our hearts a very special (not telling of cours wedd as we have place e) we met normal and all the ladies ing date, given lived here up both to for many turned out kissed’ and things changed, as real treat our son to be ‘we Dexter was years and and also was born. Michael and Melan proved to a an excell Costa del born in the ent be ie Sol Hospi friends and memento for our sion was tal. Our vito share family. Michael our and this proposed special time wedding 2 month later, on OUR MOST with our s the last loved ones. in our lives TREASURE day of an amazing MOM we We knew wanted to D ENTS cruise holida get everyo beautiful It is hard … together ne all ring. It was y, with a to select and for our ful surpri just one moment a and wond neare deare se erst from our st to be wedding even start and before we could as each a initiation day and every planning into marrie part of our I was pregn perfect. the wedd minute was addition, d life and However ing, for some ant. when the churc , who had in yet had the h and Julie- I entered not soprano our darlin pleasure, to meet singer beganAnn our g son. Ave Maria singing my heart also dedic melted. We chose She ated Villa Tiberi ing the recep a song to us location o as our duras tion dinne created such wond it is decorated with a very speci r, which for Micha fountains. erful gardens and al memo el ry A simple the funnie and myself. I think scheme colour of st mome nt when my pale blue just off-white and mother was had to be was select Flamenco perfectly complemened, which dance and doing her cided he simple and Dexter deted our could elegant grandmothe n´t be withou adorned vision. We t his the main r, ‘Abu’ for moment table with crystals even one so and blue her on the he decided to join place cards chose invitations, dance floor! and a stunn all, having seating Above ing plan in the everyone cherish The pale same hues. we love together and blue Spani for two whole days ultima embellished sh fans, with our ding everyt tely made our wednames ever wishe hing we could have d for and more.
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Online Indian Romance Many people meet at parties and social events but what if you don’t find the love of your life via the usual channels? Poonam and Amrit’s love story truly is a modern romance, as the pair turned to the internet to find true love where, fortunately, they discovered each other.
“Amrit and I are an online success story,” laughs Poonam, while Amrit says, “When I first laid eyes on Poonam, I knew she was the one. A quick call led to endless hours on the phone.” Poonam adds, “On our first meeting, a drink and a chat led to Amrit meeting my whole family on our first date totally crazy, but it felt so right and from that night on our bond just grew stronger and stronger.” With a story like that, the proposal needed to be a memorable occasion and fortunately Amrit was on hand to organise something out of this world. “It was New Year’s Eve 2014,” explains Poonam “and Amrit told me that we were having a fun day of activities but I needed to wear a dress as we were going to enjoy a fancy lunch first. So, after arriving at Shoreham, I was greeted by a helicopter! Of course, I was impressed but I still didn’t have any idea of what was about to happen. Once we boarded the helicopter, we flew over the Brighton coast and our destination turned out to be the South Lodge Hotel in Horsham, which was stunning. Being distracted by the gorgeous views, I still had no idea until Amrit took me to the perfect spot, got down on one knee like a true gent and popped the question. Of course, I said yes and this was the beginning of our journey.” The perfect spot “We spoke about a destination wedding but never gave it much thought. However, not long after 44 CONFETI
attending a friend’s wedding in Spain, our feelings completely changed,” says Amrit. Poonam adds, “It was amazing and our hearts were set on a destination wedding - at least we knew that fantastic weather was pretty much guaranteed.” “We planned four days of events – yes, we went all out. The mehndi night and Hindu wedding were both at Tikitano in Estepona, surrounded by beautiful gardens and breathtaking views of the Mediterranean. The Sikh wedding was held at the Gurdwara (Sikh temple) in Fuengirola where the ceremony was performed in a traditional setting. The grand finale was held at Puro Beach in Estepona where we had a cocktail and canapé reception on the beachfront with entertainment from a live Spanish band. The guests were then escorted upstairs to enjoy more bubbly at the beach club overlooking an enormous lit pool and a sparkling dance floor. Both venues that we had chosen in Estepona were quite different from each other but at the
same time equally extravagant” Amrit says, “It was just perfect and we wouldn’t have had it any other way. Our families love a good party and these venues gave us complete exclusivity so everyone could just dance the night away, regardless of the time. I might add that our reception didn’t finish until 4am and the staff at the venue were still highly professional and accommodating throughout the whole evening and into the early hours of the morning.” Grand Plans Poonam takes up the story of the meticulous planning: “We hired
Dyana Simmons from Optimum Weddings by the Weddings Company
as our wedding planner. We had a brief discussion while we were in Spain at our friends’ wedding that she had also planned and
exchanged contact details. Dyana then came to London a month later and we decided to meet for a few drinks so that she could get to know more about us as individuals. This gave her an insight into what an ideal wedding would be for us. In early December we flew out to Spain to look at potential venues and by the new year we had booked! With Dyana having so much expertise in Indian weddings, we knew that we were in safe hands and, most importantly, she was committed to making sure everything was up to scratch. After numerous
meetings, Face-Time sessions and endless discussions, she was more like a friend than just a wedding planner. Both Dyana and Sara have been brilliant and attentive from day one.
“Having decided on four events for our wedding, we decided on a theme for each day comprising both traditional and western/ contemporary. I opted for a mixture of red, gold and silver wedding outfits which were decorated with diamanté embroidery and Amrit had matching Sherwanis. Just when I thought that I had nailed it with the outfits, Amrit outdid it once again by surprising me with a pair of Jimmy
Choos as a birthday gift just before our wedding. The boy did more than just good!” Poonam explains, “Of course, I needed to ensure that my hair and make-up complimented my outfits for all four events. On the mendhi night, I chose a contemporary braid with a simple and natural yet flawless look as this was more of a casual evening. With both weddings, I decided to go
all out with much more of a traditional Asian bridal look including high buns, tons of hairs grips to hold my dupatta up and hair jewellery to finish off the look. For the reception, this was an event where I could let my hair down literally. I chose to have loose curls and smoky eyes which gave it that extra elegance and class.
All of these looks were executed perfectly by my make-up artist, Nicola McGeorge.” Stylish Celebrations “For the mendhi night we wanted a fusion of an Asian and Arabic setting. The venue consisted of lots of cultural references, colour and lights - the perfect setting to welcome our wedding guests. The mandap that was set up for the Hindu ceremony was simple and elegant, as this took place in the gardens of Tikitano which was surrounded by amazing scenery. There was no need for any extras as the views were breathtaking. For the reception, we had a black and white party where immediate families were coordinated in coloured bow ties and dinner jackets, while the rest reflected the black and white theme.”
“We chose not to have much in the way of décor and flowers as the venues themselves were elegant and more than lived up to expectations, opting for candlelit lanterns, water vases filled with white rose petals and crystals for the table settings. The mandap was white with gold ribbons and crystals cascading down with a red rose petal.
Choosing a destination wedding did not prevent us from having the full, traditional ceremonies. The Sikh temple was able to provide all the amenities that were required and we also had a priest who conducted all the traditional elements for both weddings.” Partying in style “For the first event we decided to have a barbecue, along with a selection of salads, baked potatoes and pizzas. As simple as this sounds, it was presented to a very high standard. For the remaining events, we wanted to ensure that we had catered for all our wedding parties and opted for authentic Gujarati and Punjabi menus. We were very
impressed to have been able to book top caterers who were easily able to accommodate our requests and taste buds! As far as wedding favours went, we gave our guests personalised flip-flop key rings which reflected a destination wedding - not forgetting our personalised fans which helped our guests endure the heat. The wedding cake was simple with a topper of ourselves, custom made with our actual wedding outfits. We flew our DJs from the UK and they stayed throughout the entire duration of the wedding, which kept our guests entertained and on their feet.”
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Real Weddings
“We chose Gary and Rebecca from Your Wedding Moments for our video and photography. We loved their unique style of work and they managed to capture all of our special moments. They also used a drone during the events, which also contributed to the thorough way in which our destination wedding was recorded.” Favourite Moments “Where do we start? One of our favourite moments was when we surprised our guests by finishing off the wedding ceremony by releasing lit balloons into the clear dark night. The surprises for our guests also continued when we arrived at the reception in style on a boat. In all honesty, the entire wedding was an event to remember, not only by us but also knowing that the guests were genuinely honoured to be a part of a celebration of a lifetime.” Our Advice for other couples “We would recommend to any young, Asian couples who want a traditional but modern destination wedding to book Dyana and Sara from Optimum Weddings by The Weddings Company!”
Address Book: Wedding planner: Dyana Dessar Simmons and Sara Beyer; Optimum Weddings by The Weddings Company, theweddingscompany.co.uk Photography and Filming: Your Wedding Moments; yourweddingmoments.com Music: DJ Jas @ Calibar Roadshow Lighting and starlight dance floor: Entire Occasions; entireoccasions.com/costa-del-solgibraltar Indian food: Jaipur Purple by Dev; jaipurpurple.com Make-up: Nicola McGeorge Hair: Dom @ Goldentarts.com Venues: Mendhi/ and Hindu Ceremony: Tikitano Estepona, tikitano.com. Gala reception night: Puro Beach Estepona Cocktail flame thrower and fire dancers: proshakers.com Flowers and decorations: Silvia at Marbella Parties; marbellaparties.com Boat to take Bride and Groom from Estepona to Puro Beach: Rob @ ExperienceBox.com
46 CONFETI
Whether you dream of your wedding on the beach at the sunset, high in the mountains, or overlooking a valley dotted with vineyards, we will help you make your wedding dreams reality. Our team of professionals will handle every detail to ensure your day runs seamlessly and is one to be remembered. -
Passion for Perfection
info@theweddingscompany.co.uk · www.theweddingscompany.co.uk f TheWeddingsCompany · Instagram @TheWeddingsCompany · Pinterest.com/TheWeddingsComp CONFETI 47
Real Weddings
The Wedding
TEAM
Romance can be hard to define; occasionally it’s sparked by a glance across a crowded room. Less often it involves a lot of mud, a touch of sweat and an oval ball. When Jeni met Andrew they found that they had a lot more in common than a passion for rugby!
48 CONFETI
Andrew and I met playing tag rugby at Malone Rugby Club in Belfast. The teams are mixed, male and female and they didn’t have enough female players. I was asked if I could help them out by my friend, Greg. We then played a number of other tournaments together, playing on the same team, until the end of season
awards night when Andrew asked for my number. He was sneaky though; I was leaving the event early for a friend’s birthday and he claimed he needed my number so he could bring the rest of the team and meet up with me later. I didn’t realise at that stage that he had an ulterior motive. Making Plans We originally had booked a wedding at home but quickly realised that this was not for us and started to investigate the possibility of getting married abroad. We really wanted an intimate wedding with our closest friends and family, along with a holiday! My best friend and bridesmaid, Annette Kelly had been to a wedding in Spain before and she was able to supply the details of the planner, Rachel Rose Weddings. We immediately contacted Rachel, as when you have a friend’s recommendation it really makes a difference and gives you confidence. We loved the area and how close the venues were to the airport. We also had friends coming from many different places in the UK and Málaga airport was easy for everyone to reach. Rachel Rose Weddings offers a range of venues catering for different needs and number of guests. We asked Rachel what the availability was for May 2016 and when she sent through the details of Cortijo Pedro Jimenez, we knew it was perfect for us. The views from the
venue are breathtaking and its intimacy was amazing. It seemed like something you would see in the movies - when
you live in Belfast, all you see all year round is rain! We visited the
venue at Easter, just ahead of the wedding, so we could visualise how the day would look. There were different areas for each part of the day which would allow it to flow perfectly. I could not keep the smile off my face, it was so much bigger and better than I could ever have imagined. I couldn’t believe how lucky we were. Then I saw the view overlooking the sea and I knew we could not have chosen a more perfect place. Additionally, it was a private venue, which meant we didn’t have any timing restraints on how late we partied into the night! Dress to Impress As far as my dress went, I wanted something lightweight that wasn’t going to cause too much trouble to transport and that wasn’t heavy. I saw a dress online that I thought would suit me, ordered it, tried it on for the bridesmaids and they all loved it so I kept it! The dress was from Phase Eight’s Bridal range, which is a high street shop. I was lucky, because it fitted me perfectly and the detail on it sparkled beautifully in the sun. I spoke to the girls in relation to bridesmaids’ clothing and we all agreed that shorter dresses would be lovely in the sun. To make them stand out from other guests we went for a really bright turquoise blue and they had a dipped hem. I really loved the colour and it looks great in all the photos. I have to be very honest and say that my amazing wedding planner took care of the colours, flowers and décor from the tables to the personalised signs. I honestly could not have done it without Rachel and her team. No
girl should be without a wedding planner when organising a wedding!
We decided on a vintage travel theme as Andrew loves to travel and see the world and I love all things vintage and I like to upcycle furniture. This theme felt like it combined a bit of both of us. We tried to keep the colours similar to that of the world map to tie in with our travel theme, so pale pastels were our aim. My flowers contained a lot of pale pink which also complimented the bridesmaids’ dresses so well. We had little pastel painted jam jars filled with beautiful flowers on the tables, along with maps, globes, miniature planes, and even a suitcase for the cards, thanks to the lovely Claire. Claire is part of Rachel’s Wedding team and her attention to detail is amazing, she is truly talented. I provided a few ideas on a piece of paper and Claire made it all come to life and it was way beyond my expectations. Fit to Travel?
The food was provided by Toni of Sana catering. It was absolutely amazing, cooked to perfection and we most definitely would not have changed a thing.
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Real Weddings All of our guests loved the menu and thought the food was the best wedding meal they have ever had. We had a selection of food options to choose from - in fact they were so good that is was very hard to narrow it down! We offered guests Lobster Salad or Duck and Pork Terrine as a starter, then Sea Bream or Argentinian Beef Fillet as a main, then a small trio of desserts to finish. I had the Argentinian Beef Fillet and it was surely the best meal I have ever had. The presentation, also, was fantastic. Our cake was provided by Costa Cake Design. We went with a plain white cake, one layer of chocolate and the other vanilla and it was lovely. I also ordered a cake topper from Mudcards on Etsy. com. It was personalised to look like Andrew and me and we were able to add extras like a rugby ball (how we met) and a Spanish flag (where we got married), a map (Andrew likes to travel) and our little guinea pig, Sammy. Anoulka from Nulkinulks created all of our wedding stationary. She was so professional and worked with us on the travel theme; we had a world map as the table plan, luggage tags as name cards and even paper aeroplanes as menus on the tables.
Photo Finish
Radka Horvath was our official wedding photographer and she was absolutely fantastic. Her
pictures were so natural and she was able to catch the moment perfectly. We had seen her work online, and we instantly fell in love with her style. All through the day she was able to make us and our guests feel at ease.
She wasn’t intrusive at all, in fact I don’t know how she managed to get some of her photos - she must have been hiding behind plant pots. Since we have come home people have said that they are the best wedding photos they have ever seen. In fact, we have had some tears when people have looked at them! Favourite Moments Jeni says: “When my dad arrived at our room to walk me round to the ceremony. I knew it was going to be an emotional moment. I knew that he was taking me to begin the start of my life with Andrew and I couldn’t have been happier. When my dad looked at me, it felt like my heart skipped, I kissed him on the cheek, I could feel the tears starting to develop, but thankfully
I held back not wanting to ruin all Ella’s hard work as she did an amazing job with my eye make-up. When we turned the corner and I could see Andrew I couldn’t wait to be beside him. I also loved the speeches, my dad, Andrew’s dad, Andrew and the best man all made a speech. They were all brilliant and I have never laughed and cried so much in the space of 30 minutes! Although I can honestly say the one thing that will always stick with me is just how much fun everyone had on the day. I remember just standing still at one point, looking around me and everyone I could see was either laughing, smiling or dancing. It was just such a lovely feeling to see everyone so happy.” Andrew says: “My favourite moment was standing at the top of the aisle when Jeni turned the corner. She looked absolutely stunning. It’s moments like that where it sinks in and you think to yourself, ‘Wow! This amazing girl is going to marry me!’ I would normally never be nervous but I definitely had a serious case of butterflies. I also loved the music on the night. Rob was brilliant and although we had sent through a number of songs he really was able to sense
the atmosphere and played music that ensured the dance floor was never empty. Everyone was in brilliant spirits and the photos are testament to that!” “If I had to do it again I would change…”? Jeni says: “The day seemed
to go so quickly, so if I could change anything I would definitely take more time to appreciate the little things. It was only
when I looked back on some photographs that I spotted some of the additional details that I missed on the day. I should have taken some time with Andrew away from everyone, to just enjoy the moment as you do feel overwhelmed and emotional.” Andrew says: “I decided that I must have a three-piece suit for the wedding despite everyone’s heat related protestations. I must say it did get a little toasty as it was clearly designed for Belfast’s Arctic climate. But still we did look great if I do say so myself! Really, aside from that I can’t think of anything as it really was an outstanding day.” What would be your advice for future couples getting married? Make sure you choose a day for you and not for everyone else. It’s your day so your focus should be to make sure that you have the best day of your life. Also enjoy every moment, smile until
your face hurts (which it will!) and celebrate in style as it
goes by so quickly.
Address Book: Venue: Cortijo Pedro Jimenez Wedding Planner: Rachel Rose Weddings weddingvenueinspain.com Caterer: Toni at Sana Catering sanacateringmarbella.com Wedding Cake: Costa Cake Design, Marbella costacakedesign.com Flowers: Janne at florvalentin.es Wedding Dress: Phase Eight Hair & Make-up: Ella Megan ellameganmakeup.com Photographer: Radka Horvath Music: DJ Rob Humphries Stationary: Anoulka; nulkinulks.com 50 CONFETI
Flor ValentĂn C.C. Centro Idea Ctra. de Mijas km 3,6 ES - 29650 Mijas - SPAIN
Let Flor Valentin design the bouquet you always dreamt of!
Photos by Anna Gazda - limelight.pl
www.florvalentin.es
janne@florvalentin.es
T: +34 951 311 086 M: +34 669 061 234
Real Weddings
When Irish Eyes Are Smiling...
When Paul and Mark decided to marry they wanted to find something that could provide the kind of relaxed ambience that their working life in Northern Ireland lacked. Fortunately Marbella Wedding Angels provided the perfect solution for the pair. Paul and I met over eight years ago in a bar on a night out in Derry in Northern Ireland. We had known each other through friends but it wasn’t until that night that we exchanged numbers and planned a date the following week. Paul is from Eglinton a small village outside Derry City and I am from Fahan in County Donegal. We had been living together for more than six years when we purchased our first home in Ballykelly, County Derry. I work for L’Oreal Professional as their Northern Ireland accounts manager and Paul works for the civil service in Derry. Absolutely Marbellous! In September 2014, after a night out, we decided to make honest men out of each other and that is when our planning commenced. We have been holidaying in Marbella together for eight years or more and Spain means so much to us, having both spent so much time there together and having created so many memories that it only made sense to celebrate the special day there. 52 CONFETI
So, after deciding on Spain, I logged on and found the Marbella Wedding Angels. After meeting Jenny from the company and explaining what we were both looking for in a venue, Jenny brought us to Puro Beach. Paul and I were both blown away by the venue when we visited; it was exactly want we wanted, being right by the sea, relaxed and totally chilled out.
wanted something masculine, not flowery. When we saw the picture online it was exactly what we wanted and it matched our colours perfectly. We sent the picture down to Lou’s Cakealicious showing what we wanted. On the
Sharp Dressed Men On the day we wanted to look sharp - not matching but complementing one another. We both chose white trousers and navy jackets and contrasting shirts; Paul decided to wear a waistcoat but I went without one. The groomsmaids’ dresses were bought from a local bridal shop near our home. Once we saw the dresses and the girls tried them on they were exactly what we wanted and they matched our outfits very well. So our theme was complete - white and navy.
send a picture of a cake you are never sure how it is going to turn out but they did an amazing job, just what we wanted.
We wanted our cake to stand out, so we both searched the internet finding ideas, as we
day when we saw the cake at the venue we were both amazed. It was perfect. When you
Seaside Celebrations For our big day we chose the wonderful Lizzie Marriage as our celebrant. Jenny introduced us to Lizzie in 2015 and we both fell in love with her. We adored the way she conducted the ceremony with so much love - there wasn’t a dry
eye in the house! The wedding singer was Julianna, a friend of ours from home. She has an amazing voice and we chose ‘A Thousand Years From Now’ as our entrance song. Julianna sang it beautifully.
Our photographer was Julia Roder and she did a fantastic job. We wanted relaxed rather than formal photos, capturing all the special moments and somehow she managed to do exactly that. No Regrets My favourite moments from the day were seeing our guests’ faces as we walked up the aisle, to having the people that mean so much to both Paul and me there to share in our special day. We invited 68 guests who travelled from Ireland, England and Jersey and they couldn’t believe how amazing the venue was. Even now they are still singing the praises of Puro Beach and the wonderful staff who did such a fantastic job on the day. Once the music started all the guests were on the floor dancing. We hired Leo on the sax and Yura on the drums and they really made the night, along with DJ Mark Antony. There is nothing I would have changed about the day. Everything was perfect with no hitches and all ran smoothly and on time. I have to admit that before the wedding I was nervous, but on the day those nerves disappeared. The one thing I would say is: Enjoy every minute of it, because the day goes by so fast and is over in a flash. You
Address Book Wedding Planner: Marbella Wedding Angels Celebrant: Lizzie Marriage Photographer: Julia Roder Flowers: Zoe at Flowers Inc Decoration: Gorgeous Event DJ: Mark Antony Sax & Drums: Leo Sax & Yura Cake: Lou’s Cakealicious
spend two years planning and looking forward to that special day and, before you know it, it’s all over.
For future couples getting married in Marbella... We both would recommend the help of a wedding planner. The Marbella Wedding Angels took all the stress out of organising for both Paul and me, nothing was too much trouble for the girls. I know we could not have married in Marbella without their support and assistance in finding suppliers and liaising with them for us. Wedding Planner: Marbella CONFETI 53
Real Weddings
A usi c al arriage
M
Helen-Marie and Kenny’s relationship got off to a very tuneful start. Not only is Helen-Marie the daughter of legenday singer-songwriter, Gilbert O’Sullivan but they met at a record company in London where Kenny was working. Was music going to be an important component of their wedding? Of course it was! “We met at the music company where we worked back in 2004,” reveals Kenny. “Helen-Marie walked in and I was sure she was a new artist we were trying to sign - she looked amazing. To say I was excited was an understatement! We went our separate ways for a few years but then I won her back with a little pug called Gilbert, who later formed a big part of my wedding speech. We got engaged in Nashville in May 2014, which is a special place for us. The
sun was rising across Old Hickory Lake and we were like Johnny and June Cash!” Helen-Marie was equally impressed: “When Kenny proposed with the most beautiful heart-shaped diamond I had ever seen I was just speechless - only 54 CONFETI
for a minute or two, mind you and then I said ‘Yes!’ It was absolutely magical and all of it happened because of Gilbert the pug.” Spanish setting “Marbella is such a special place for my family and me as we have been coming here since I was a baby,” says Helen-Marie. “I went to Swans for pre-school and my younger sister and I grew up here over the summers. It was a dream to think we could get married here and I can’t believe it’s come true! Also, the weather is a lot more predictable than it is in Scotland. The Marbella Club in particular holds many memories - when we saw the venue we both knew it was the place we wanted to celebrate our wedding. We also love the church, attending mass there when we are on holiday and just knew that was a beautiful place for the ceremony.
Once we had decided that Marbella was the right place for us we knew that we needed to find a wedding planner. Fortunately
we were able to find the wonderful Aimee Cekuta, from Marbella Club - or ‘Amazing Aimee’ as she is now known! We couldn’t have done it without her; nothing was a problem and her time, dedication, patience, friendliness and help were outstanding. If you have the privilege of working with her on your wedding you are extremely lucky. Also the staff at Marbella Club were just fantastic.” Looking good “I wanted to be traditional for the ceremony with a veil then add my bohemian festival touch for the reception and party,” says Helen-Marie. “My sister helped
me find my dress - I couldn’t have decided anything without her! It was from a boutique in Jersey called Anna Trigg and my dad chose the veil. My shoes were from Charlotte Mills, a gift from my mother-in-law, I love hearts and they had gold hearts on the front, with a real silver sixpence in the shoe. I had six beautiful bridesmaids, who came from Australia, Jersey, Leeds and London for the big day. I let them choose their own dresses, asking them just to keep to the same colour theme and unbelievably they chose matching dresses. They were all nude pink and looked absolutely beautiful - I will never forget coming out that morning in my dress and seeing those angel girls standing there; in fact it’s making me cry, just thinking of that memory!”
Proud Scot Kenny also wanted to embrace tradition for the wedding ceremony. “I wore my traditional Scottish kilt complete with Celtic tie and my ushers had traditional thistle and heather and Celtic ties too, of course. My Dad wore his tartan trews,” he recalls. Helen-Marie adds, “My Mum, being from Norway, wore her traditional Norwegian costume called a bunad and she looked so beautiful.” “I wanted to keep my make-up simple, beautiful and elegant and my make-up artist, Nicola made this happen - she was amazing,” says Helen-Marie.
“I had never had my make-up done professionally and now wish I had Nicola there every day; she made me look flawless and it lasted all day and night. I wanted my hair to be laidback, with beachy waves and Maite, my hairdresser was just amazing too. She even managed to finish the six bridesmaids before making me look like a movie star! Both Nicola
and Maite helped me so much that wedding morning. I call them The Glamsquad because they gave me the confidence every bride needs.”
CONFETI 55
Love in bloom “We worked with Holland Flowers who were unbelievable,” reveals Helen-Marie. “Laura and
Carmen just seemed to get my ideas and style and they created the most stunning flower arrangements I have ever seen. My mother-in-
law was a florist and she was extremely impressed! We mixed pink and cream roses with green hydrangeas and rose petals. The finishing touch was the rose flower headband, complete with baby tiara, for Jeannie. When I saw these and the stunning rose bouquets arriving that morning, it was a surreal feeling. So much work and care had gone into achieving this look that I had dreamed of.” “It was also a privilege to be married in the Iglesia de Nuestra Señora de la Encarnación de Marbella. We could not have done it without the help of Franz and Diane from the parish, to whom we are so grateful. The warmth of the church with the lights coming through the stained glass windows as we stood at the altar was magnificent. We kept the ceremony brief, with readings, meaningfully chosen to be read by friends and family closest to us. We will never forget
walking out with our little daughter to Elbow’s ‘One
Day Like This’ and then being greeted by confetti canons - it was like a scene from a movie!” Food and favours “The Marbella Club team helped us put together an exquisite menu,” says Helen-Marie. “We had tapas style canapés for the reception followed by a four-course dinner followed by red velvet wedding cake that tasting was the best! Dad chose Spanish wines, which are personal favourites. Guests
commented very positively on the food, which was lovely to hear and a big compliment to Marbella Club. Their service, class and elegance were outstanding.” Kenny takes up the story of the themes behind the day: “Being Scottish I wanted a piper and he was there to greet the guests as they walked past flags of our native countries: Scotland, Ireland and Norway. The car that we chose was a pink Cadillac. The cake looked absolutely amazing - hats off to the chef for making it. It was a three-tier red velvet heart cake with a ‘Mr & Mrs Pug’ on the top!
We had the coolest DJ in town - Carlos Lipera, who tailored our playlist to the day - we chose each and every song to reflect our
passion for music and each song was a memory of our life together. Favours
were Scottish whiskey for the boys and a customised fan for the girls.” “Aimee recommended we speak to photographers Nani and Antonio De Perez and, from our first meeting, we knew they were the ones for the day.
We have never met such a passionate, warm and kind couple. We felt that they genuinely cared about us, our family and the significance to us of our wedding. The shots Nani
achieved are unreal - even looking back now we can’t believe that was us!” Favourite Moments Kenny says, “There are so many to choose from, it was such an amazing day. Without a doubt, seeing Helen-Marie at the church door in her dress with the sun beaming in and then walking up to me at the altar with her dad was very special. Holding our daughter Jeannie after we tied the knot and walking out of the church was amazing. I was very proud to be Scottish when the piper marched us in to ‘Scotland The Brave’ in front of all our guests before an amazing meal! Dancing to ‘500 Miles’ by The Proclaimers, with all my ushers in their kilts.”
Helen-Marie recalls, “Driving to the church, in the pink Cadillac with my mum and dad was a very special moment. Such a mix of emotions: excitement, nerves, then walking up the aisle with my dad to join Kenny, standing there so handsome in his kilt, was such an overwhelming feeling and extremely emotional. Coming out of the church with all the most special people in the world, standing there, smiling, holding confetti canons and cheering. Driving to the Marbella Club in our pink Cadillac, just us, smiling and knowing that we had done it! Arriving at the venue, with the piper and the flags and seeing what Marbella Club and Holland Flowers had put together was breathtaking. Walking on the pier to have our photos taken. Changing into the floral headband, with the matching one for Jeannie and then going out to meet the guests at cocktail hour to a huge cheer. Most important of all, my dad’s incredible speech,
Kenny’s beautiful speech which touched my heart and Dad’s friend, Bobby Davro serenading us, then the fireworks and our first dance to dad’s hit song, ‘Matrimony’. Also my dance
with my dad to ‘In My Life’ by The Beatles and my bridesmaids’ dance to ‘Everywhere’ by Fleetwood Mac.”
Address Book Wedding Planner: Aimee Cekuta Photographers: Nani and Antonio de Perez; nanideperez.com/blog/ Dress: Anna Trigg, Jersey, annatrigg.com Make-up: Nicola McGeorge Hair: Maite at Glamorous Marbella glamorous-hair-marbella.com Religious Assistance: Franz and Diane Flowers: Holland Flowers hollandflowers-marbella.com Music: Carlos Lipera Cake: Marbella Club Venue: Villa del Mar Marbella Club
56 CONFETI
Over 20 years of experience in the floristry trade
Photo by Nani de Perez
31b Avenida Miguel Cervantes, Nva. Andalucía. Marbella www.marbellaflowers.com
zoe@flowersinconline.com | M: +34 606 278 765 Специализируемся на оформлении свадеб и других мероприятий.
Real Weddings
PALABRAS
Amor DE
Gabriela and Victor didn’t let a piffling problem like not speaking the same language stand in the way of their romance. The road to the altar took time – and a few Spanish lessons! - but they got there in the end. Victor starts the story: “The first time I saw Gabi back in 1994 I was blown away by how beautiful she was and, at the time, not being able to speak Spanish made the thought of approaching her impossible. After a year or so she left Marbella and at the time I didn’t know, but it would take me 12 years before I saw her again. Time went by, as it does and now it’s 2006 and Gabi has returned to Marbella and is working in a shop in Puerto Banús. At the same time I was there with some friends and was waiting for one of them to open the car. He seemed to be taking forever, so I went to the shop where he was and I see him talking to this hot girl. When I looked over at them I made eye contact with her and, in that second, some magnetic energy happened to both of us and it’s a moment we will never forget. Later on that day I realised that it was the same girl that had blown me away back in the day when I was 14! My Spanish at this point was just about okay, not great, but this time I wasn’t going to let that hold me back. I did my best and, luckily for me, my Spanish finally started improving and now, 10 years later with our beautiful daughter we couldn’t be happier and more in love!” Getting away from it all Gabriela picks up the story of the wedding: “We spent a lot of time on the internet looking at different sites. We were quite fussy because we knew the style we wanted and it was hard to find. Luckily for us we have a good friend who recommended Rancho del Inglés and, upon viewing it, we instantly
loved the place and the vibe from the owners. It was exactly what we were looking for; something
58 CONFETI
far enough away to make it feel like ‘getting away’ without having to travel too far. The venue has a cool, vintage feel to it, with antique pieces from old London train stations strategically placed to capture a point in time that no longer exists. There is an incredibly green backdrop and everywhere you look you see vegetation and it feels as if you’re on some Andalusian finca far away from everything. So basically we were sold from very early on.” Style Bible “I’ve been collecting CONFETI magazines since we got engaged, so I had some idea of venues and suppliers. My wedding dress came from Santos & Eva in Marbella; the owner, Eva was extremely helpful and attended to all my requests with total professionalism. My husband used them as well for his suit and he would recommend them to absolutely anyone.
Zoe at Flowers Inc. in Nueva Andalucía was responsible
for our gorgeous flowers and decorations and was absolutely great. She has impeccable taste and loads of experience so we trusted her with everything after reaching a state of perfect understanding from our first meeting. We went with roses in pastel colours, which looked amazing. Apart from her beautiful range of flowers and vast knowledge, Zoe also decorated the altar and did an amazing job working throughout an extremely hot day. The table centrepieces were also the work of Zoe and her team and they couldn’t have looked better. Flowers Inc.
was a great company to deal with and we would recommend them to anyone getting married or feeling romantic.”
That’s entertainment! “As far as the food choices went we wanted to opt for what we know people like and, as half of us like fish, we chose Tuna and for the others we chose Fillet of Beef. For starters we chose a deliciously light Salmon Salad and, for dessert, we went with a White Chocolate and Mango Mousse which, needless to say, was heavenly. The food was all prepared on-site by the chefs, who provided a flawless service.
CONFETI 59
Real Weddings They managed to get the temperature right on every fillet and, coming from a restaurant background, I know how difficult that was with so many guests. The timing of the food was perfect and the table service was impeccable, so hats off to them! For music we had our good old friend, Nick Helm who would DJ at parties I used to organise back in the day and he did a great job helping us all get our groove on! Sergio from the sound company Sinfonía, brought a state-ofthe-art sound system and crazy lighting, which added a glitzy nightclub feel. We also had one of my oldest friends, guitar legend Nader Hamid play his guitar to accompany some of the banging tunes Nick was playing. He’s such a good guitarist that, even though he hates electronic music, he still did a really good job. Favourite moments Gabriela says: “My favourite moment, without a shadow of a doubt, was the ceremony. It meant so much to me as it was orchestrated by my brother and brother-in-law. They made the moment very special, as they knew us, it made everything more intimate and personal. I really couldn’t have found anyone better to speak about us and the love we share. Feeling the love from the people marrying us was a special moment and I would recommend
60 CONFETI
that to anyone. Their ability to mix humour with more heartfelt statements showed on the faces of the guests. Also my niece read a beautiful poem written by my father and I had to try really hard not to cry as that would have ruined all the make-up. I really could not have
been happier and would not have changed a single thing.”
I loved it all. It was great from start to finish the only thing I hated was how fast the time went even when I was trying so hard to slow it down!
“If I had to do it again, I would change…” “We would have changed very little except, maybe, the date as the 3rd of September proved to be pretty scorching!”
Address Book Wedding planner: Cameron from Rancho del Inglés Videographer: Save the Robots Films Photographer: Javi Nuño Music: Nick Helm (DJ) & Nader Hamid (guitar) Venue: Rancho del Inglés (Alhaurin de la Torre) Flowers: Zoe at Flowers Inc. Dress: Santos y Eva Make-up: Nicola McGeorge Hair: Peluqueria & Estetica Fussion Tel: 951 968 839 & Peluqueria Josele Tel: 952 777 912
Photo by Save the Robots Films Our advice for future couples getting married “One of the most important tips that we can offer is NOT to stress out. Start your preparations well in advance and try to stick to some kind of schedule. For the most part we were quite diligent but we were also last minute on a lot of stuff. The wedding dress kept being adjusted up until 24 hours before the wedding and the wedding rings were purchased only a week before. With hindsight, the rings should have been organised with more time as normally they custom design each ring according to size and taste, which takes between three and five weeks. Needless to say we had to go to several different jewellers to find a ring that we liked and that was the correct size. We still refused to stress and eventually we got lucky and found exactly what we were looking for.
We recommend that you put yourselves in the hands of professionals.
Watch their video! by Save the Robots Films
CONFETI helped us a lot since we found inspiration, ideas and, most importantly, local information. Its in-depth material really helped us throughout the entire process. Once you select your team, just trust them and let them guide you. For me, my make-up artist was a number one priority and I have to say that Nicola McGeorge
went far beyond my expectations. She was so attentive and stayed with me during the whole day, doing fast touch-ups which I hardly even noticed. I was so impressed by her work ethic and her incredible abilities with make-up, a true artist and also such a nice person!
“In conclusion we really wanted to give a huge massive thanks to everyone that helped in making this wedding so special and to all the guests that took the time in coming and sharing this very special moment with us!” CONFETI 61
Real Weddings
TOGETHER Forever
A twist of fate brought Norwegians Camilla and Christian together when they were very young, so they had plenty of time to plan their wedding. In the end they chose one of Marbella’s most reputable venues for a day that combined the best of European cultures. The first time Christian and I met was at a party in August 2004 that my friend had arranged to celebrate moving in with her boyfriend. Her dream was that all of her close friends would fall in love with her boyfriend’s close friends. Christian was the one she pointed out to me. He would be perfect, she said, so funny and nice, but I should know that he had just come out of a relationship and that he had a one year-old son. I was just 22 at the time. I met him at the party and thought he was very pleasant and that was it. I wasn’t looking for a boyfriend at the time and, for the first time in many years, I felt okay about being single. He later told me that he couldn’t stop thinking about me after that party and in November he manned up and invited me to his moving in party, which was a poor excuse, since he had moved back to his father’s basement after he split up with his girlfriend in May! When I agreed he asked me if I wanted to go out with him that night. I had been working so hard I was too tired to meet a new person, so I invited him to eat pizza and see a movie with my friends and me. I opened the door to him wearing baggy Nike sweatpants, so definitely not dressed to impress. He had bought flowers and I felt embarrassed; noone had ever bought me flowers before. He turned out to be the sweetest guy I had ever met and he always had my best interests at heart - a true gentleman, but
62 CONFETI
also a very manly man. His personality matched mine perfectly and the next year I was pregnant with our first child and now, 12 years later, we have three. True Romance? We didn’t bother with a romantic proposal; I just told Christian that I didn’t want to give birth without a ring on my finger and then we both decided to get engaged. We bought rings and went to McDonald’s and celebrated. In Norway many people are buying wedding rings as engagement rings and I think that is perfect. I think it is crazy spending one, two or even three months’ salary on a ring when there are many more important things to spend money on. I think that the important thing is love, not money. We chose to have the same rings when we got married and we both love them. I wanted my dress to be pretty, but not to cost too much. I ordered some dresses on eBay, but they didn’t feel right. My sister then invited me to try on dresses in a bridal shop when I suddenly felt it, the feeling people say you will have when you find the right dress. I had found it and the eBay dresses were discarded. Sometimes I have to go with my heart and not my economic head! I loved my dress so much, and I am so glad I took the right decision.
The bridal gown is more important than I thought, so my advice is to say YES to the right dress.
chose Orange Beach Club at the Hotel Don Carlos, a decision that I haven’t regretted for a minute. I
wanted a place that could organise everything for me so that my only part in the wedding was to show up. The Hotel Don Carlos is perfect in every way: the
location is breathtaking, from the lovely gardens to the stunning beach club. The wedding planner at Don Carlos took care of the food, décor, flowers and seating plan after we chose everything some months before. I found our photographer by Googling “best photographers on the Costa del Sol” and one of the names that came up was Agata Jensen. She was also the person who gave me ideas about which florist and cake decorator we should employ. I
thought she was perfect, so easy to be around. A good photographer is vitally important and must capture all of your special moments, so you can treasure them for the rest of your life. I am very happy with how the photos turned out.
The next step was to find the perfect people to organise my hair and make-up, so my friend Google and I started the search for the perfect people.
I read through every recommendation and I booked Reflections in Marbella for my hair and Nicola McGeorge for make-up. They are both so
talented and lovely and made me look very pretty for my wedding day. I didn’t have any ideas for my make-up, preferring to leave that to the professionals and the same went for my hair. I sent pictures of my dress and me so they could think up some ideas for my look. When it came to my hair I just wanted some of it to be down. I am pleased that I decided to invite Reflections and Nicola to come to my hotel and get my bridesmaid and me ready. That was very relaxing because they were so easy to be around. I got loads of compliments for my make-up and hair and I would recommend Reflections and Nicola to anyone. I danced for almost three hours
without a break and my hair and make-up stood up to it brilliantly, which is proof of their talent. Coastal Connections Since we were engaged for 10 years before our wedding, I had plenty of time to think about it and plan. My mum has lived in Spain for many years, so it has an important place in my heart. I also wanted to go away with all of our family and closest friends so we could spend some time together without kids - even though we had four children with us and, of course, the sun. We live in the rainiest part of Norway and this summer it rained almost every day, so it was a great decision. It was easier to plan a wedding in Spain than I thought and Google was definitely my best friend during this time. I knew I wanted a beachside venue and was searching for a place which also had a great menu. Food and good wine was very important to me, not to mention great value for money! For these reasons I
International Traditions The ceremony took place at the Norwegian Church in Calahonda. I wanted an intimate wedding with just our closest friends and family. I also wanted a personal ceremony and wanted us so say more in the wedding than just, “I do”. I have always dreamed about an American wedding with vows, and I managed to talk Christian into that (he hates to talk in public!) The moment when
we said our vows was one of the most special moments for both of us.
Our guests were surprised and there were hardly any dry eyes in the church. Even our oldest children were wiping away tears. I also wanted all the songs in the church to represent the love that we feel for each other, so I went through many lyrics to find the perfect ones. We had known what would be the entrance song would be for many years: ‘I Believe in You’ by Celine Dion and Il Divo. I then chose ‘Endless Love’ by Lionel Richie and Diana Ross and ‘From This Moment On’ by Shania Twain. Our singer, Laura Elen, sang so beautifully and the ceremony was absolutely perfect. After the ceremony our guests met in the garden at the Don Carlos for appetizers and drinks. It’s lovely there and the food was just perfection. We had a ham station, mojito and caipirinha station and 16 different appetisers,while our wedding singer entertained us.
Beach Party After that we went down to the beach club for dinner. We had a four-course dinner served with different wines. My brother-in-law, who helps to organise weddings in a hotel in Norway, was very impressed with everything at Don Carlos - and he is incredibly critical. I couldn’t have dreamed of a better wedding. The thing
that I will remember the most, is when our seven year-old daughter and her cousin sat on a sun-bed and sang so beautifully to us (it was not planned) and everyone held their lighters in the air. So
touching. I will also always remember our first dance, to ‘Unbreakable’ by Westlife. The lyrics in that song describes our love so well. Our guests were holding helium balloons and they let go of them after the song was finished, which was a very emotional moment. I am very happy that I chose to have our kids with us, so they could take part in our special day. They have wanted us to get married for a long time, so it was a very special day for them as well. I think it is important to listen to your heart when it comes to your wedding and think about how you want to celebrate it. It is your big day, after all. I
started by thinking that it was okay for me to get married at City Hall and ended up with a perfect dream wedding in Spain. I will never, ever regret that decision.
Address Book Photographer: Agata Jensen agatajensen.com Music: Laura Elen; lauraelen.com Cake: Cake Couture Marbella cakecouturemarbella.com Make-up: Nicola McGeorge Hair: Reflections Marbella reflectionsmarbella.com Venue: Orange Beach Club, Don Carlos doncarlosresort. expohotels.com Minister: Ruth Ingeborg Sveinsdotter at the Norwegian Church in Calahonda. Flowers: Flor Valentin florvalentin.es Dress: Pronovias, Ledurne pronovias.com
CONFETI 63
Real Weddings
Join THE (MARBELLA) CLUB
The magical day Mark and I met was just before Christmas 10 years ago at a friend’s home. I walked into the kitchen and saw the man of my dreams sitting there. Sparks flew instantly and it was love at first sight. Mark proposed on my birthday on November the 2nd. It actually came as a complete surprise as he always takes me out on my birthday and this year I thought would be no different. How wrong I was! Like a true gentleman he dropped down on one knee and proposed at Kensington Roof Gardens by the pink flamingos; we had the rooftop garden all to ourselves! Then we moved on to lunch that he had booked at a restaurant. When we arrived the table was beautifully set up with amazing floral decorations and champagne that his sister had come in and set up earlier in the day. I was so overwhelmed I couldn’t eat! I just wanted to share our amazing news with all the family and friends.
64 CONFETI
Mark might have proposed to Francesca in swanky Kensington, but when it came to the wedding, they were looking for somewhere warmer. Fortunately Francesca knew a place that would be just perfect and could accommodate their every requirement.
Familiar surroundings
enjoyable experience. It was like planning a wedding with friends! Everybody at the Marbella Club made our stay truly memorable and, as for the wedding, it was just like being home.
parents have been going there for more than 30 years and Mark and I have been visiting together ever since our relationship began. It has always been a home-from-home for us and not only is the hotel one of the most beautiful in all of Europe, but the wonderful service it provides means that is has been listed as one of the leading hotels in the world. This is why we love the venue so much and always will do.
Dressing up My dress was from Pronovias. I always knew that I would probably end up buying something from that brand. It was all lace with a fishtail and very much me. My shoes were Jimmy Choo in off-white satin. My bridesmaids’ dresses were the Eliza and Ethan wrap dress which I ordered in coral to blend in with the flowers. The two younger bridesmaids were in silver grey dresses for which I employed the services of a dressmaker.
We always knew we wanted to marry in Spain and, if possible, at the Marbella Club Hotel because it’s been a very special place for us. My
From start to finish the Marbella Club staff looked after us brilliantly and consistently. Thanks to Alvaro Sanchez and Aimee Cekuta, everything ran smoothly from start to finish. Aimee, who planned our wedding, made it such a happy
Mark got his suit in Marbella from Dolce & Gabbana; he loved the grey and was always going for that look.
I wanted my hairstyle to be as simple as possible, so opted to wear it down and bought a hairband from Pronovias. I managed to find a fantastic local hairdresser in Daniel Boardman, he was wonderful during the trial and on the day. My hair was exactly what I wanted and he did it so perfectly. My make-up looked amazing all thanks to the incredible Nicola McGeorge. It was exactly the look I wanted, in other words slightly more than simple - just perfect! Nicola was amazing from start to finish. We didn’t have a particular theme for the wedding; the aim
was elegant yet modern at the same time, while maintaining a traditional Spanish vibe. The beautiful flowers came from Holland Flowers. All the arrangements were tailored to our exact requirements and looked better than we could ever have imagined.
The big day We wanted a Jewish ceremony so we flew in our rabbi from England. He was great and did a brilliant job including just the right amount of humour. Our guests loved
the ceremony, which was very emotional as I walked down the aisle with my dad while the guitarist played. That was a very special
moment for me. Mr. Hall, the rabbi, was fantastic, as he made the whole ceremony funny and touching.
We served canapés at the reception but for our main meal we had Cheese Soufflé as a starter, the Marbella Club’s amazing Beef as a main course, followed by a trio of exotic deserts. We also had a late night food station, which contained everything from sandwiches to pasta to tortilla española to sweets, wedding cake and much more. The wedding cake I found originally in London, but I wanted the same look but different ingredients. I took a photo, sent it to Aimee and the amazing head chef at the Marbella Club made my cake. It was stunning. We were also given a sword to cut the cake with our names and the date of the wedding on it which was also a gift to us from the Marbella Club management and staff.
CONFETI 65
Address Book Wedding Planner: Aimee Cekuta Photographer: Paul Toeman Videographers: Denee Motion (Denis and Dovydas) Cake: Marbella Club DJ: Tristan Harper Toastmaster: Jamie Paskin Hair: Daniel Boardman Musical accompaniment The music all night was just fantastic. We hired a local DJ called Tristan Harper. From the first time I spoke to him to the meetups in between to the wedding he made it so easy and knew exactly what we liked. He played to our crowd and everyone at the wedding commented on how good the DJ and the music were. Paul Toeman was our photographer. We knew Paul from London and wanted him to capture our day, along with Denee Motion who organised our videography. They were both incredible, from start to finish and captured every moment so beautifully, Paul with photographs and Denis and Dovydas on video. As a final touch we also had a toastmaster. Jamie Paskin flew in from London and made our day so easy. He is amazing and we couldn’t have done it without him. Favourite moments We can’t actually pick a favourite part of the day. It was all so special and we wish we could relive it! The most magical
moment was the time that the fireworks exploded from the pier after we cut our cake. That we will never forget. 66 CONFETI
Make-up: Nicola McGeorge Rabbi: Rabbi Guy Hall Flowers: Holland Flowers Dress: Pronovias
Photo by Nani de Perez
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Real Weddings
Poolside Perfection
When planning a destination wedding, most brides are keen to embrace a completely different way of organising their day and this was certainly true of Lizzi when she sat down to plan her perfect wedding. One thing at least was clear; she wanted to marry Mark in a setting that was a world away from rainy UK.
It was always our dream to get married under a chuppah against a backdrop of sun, sea and all things natural. With the weather being so unpredictable in England, we didn’t want to risk planning an outdoor wedding and then having to move it indoors. We love Spain and the setting of the Mediterranean, mountains and perfect weather made it a no-brainer. Plus, the most
me and I fell in love with my dress there - I instantly knew it was the one when I tried it on. I loved the ivory colour and the soft, flowing princess tulle felt perfect for a beach wedding in Spain. Plus, Jesse, who owns the shop, provided the most wonderful personal service. I had a lot of dress fittings and no request was too much.
special thing about the destination wedding as far as we were concerned was that every single guest would have truly made a big effort to be there. So, we would be celebrating with all of our favourite people.
She’s got the look I have always loved the idea of an ivory, gold and light pink wedding theme. I spent a lot of time looking at different colour themes on Pinterest, but I always came back to ivory, gold and pink.
An optimum wedding
recommended a wonderful hairdresser, Alex Harrocks. I had two hair trials
Once we had decided on Marbella for our wedding the search was on for a thoroughly professional and experienced wedding planner. Fortunately someone recommended Dyana Dessar Simmons at Optimum Weddings by The Weddings Company Marbella. She took us to see a number of venues, but we instantly fell in love with La Cabane at the Los Monteros Hotel. It was the pool and setting overlooking the beach that sold it to us. Dyana also did a sterling job in helping us to negotiate prices with all the various vendors – venue, caterers, photographers, hair and make up, flowers and so on. I bought my dress at a gorgeous wedding dress shop in Marylebone, London called JS Couture. I went to numerous wedding dress shops but JS Couture was recommended to 68 CONFETI
As far as the rest of my wedding look went, Dyana
with Alex and we tried about three different styles in each session until we found the perfect one. We chose plaits to keep my hair off my face in the heat and soft curls to continue the feminine flowing beach feel. Dyana also recommended my make-up artist, Nicola McGeorge. I instantly clicked with Nicola and explained that I wanted my makeup to look as natural as possible. I showed her some pictures and she got it 100 per cent right.
Our venue was stunning in its own right with its beach backdrop setting. However, we decorated it with flowers that suited our light pink, ivory and gold colour theme. Party Central We had 200 guests at our wedding and they stayed in a number of different places. The majority of our family and friends stayed at Los Monteros. We had an events coordinator there who booked our guests’ accommodation and gave them a 10 per cent discount. However, a lot of people stayed in surrounding locations for even cheaper prices in a combination of Airbnb apartments and hotels. We set up a
wedding website with accommodation options so guests were able to choose their rooms from our suggestions and book themselves in.
The main challenge was the difference between English and Mediterranean cultures when explaining what we wanted to some of our goods and service providers. However, Dyana was the perfect go-between on every challenge or negotiation. Our top tips for a destination wedding
Our foremost recommendation is definitely to ensure
you have a wonderful wedding planner like our lovely Dyana. We went to Spain twice before the wedding and Dyana set up meetings with all the various vendors. This made everything hassle free and we actually found it easier having a destination meeting as it meant that all vendor meetings were confined to one weekend, rather than having to have lots of sporadic meetings at different times. Also, give your guests a reasonable amount of notice so that they can benefit from good prices on flights and accommodation!
Address Book: Wedding Planner: Dyana Dessar Simmons Optimum Weddings by The Weddings Company. theweddingscompany.co.uk Wedding venue: La Cabane, Hotel Los Monteros Wedding reception: La Cabane, Hotel Los Monteros Photographer & Video: Your Wedding Moments Marbella yourweddingmoments.com Bride’s Dress: JS Couture ,Enzoani Bride’s Accessories: Swarovski earrings and hair pieces Flowers: Virginia Marbella virginiaflorista.com Make-up: Nicola McGeorge Hair: Alex Harrocks Catering: Hotel Los Monteros Entertainment: Band – legal aliens.Marbella thelegalaliens.com DJ: Aryell Moussaioff from London
CONFETI 69
Real Weddings
21st CENTURY
Romance
Anastasia and Andrew met in a very modern way – on Tinder! Anastasia confesses that she was initially drawn to Andrew because he had posted a picture of him with Frank, his French Bulldog and as a fellow lover of French Bulldogs she had no option but to “swipe right”! They messaged each other for a few weeks and then, as a first date in true British style, Andrew took Anastasia out for a curry. Anastasia recalls the moment that the wedding plans truly started. “Andrew proposed in Tulum, a smallish town south of Cancun in Mexico. We had a lovely dinner on the beach at our hotel and by the end of the meal all the other guests had left their tables and it was just us alone with the sound of the sea and the full moon above us. Andrew got down on
one knee and proposed with a French Bulldog shaped ring, it was an immediate yes and, since that time, the French Bulldog has become the symbol of our growing family. We have two of them at home now.”
Rocky decision? “We wanted to get married somewhere different to where we are both from,” says Anastasia, “so we decided on a destination wedding. Andrew had been going on holiday to Marbella with his family since he was a child and so knew that area of the world well. Gibraltar made sense for us as it is very easy to get married there with not too much paperwork, which made life easier for us. “In the end we chose Mons Calpe Suites at the top of the Rock of Gibraltar. Neither of us had been to the venue before, but they have a very good virtual tour on their website and having looked at that and the amazing views we thought it would be a great venue for us. We didn’t want a huge wedding so also liked the fact that the venue isn’t too big and the fact that there are wild monkeys there sounded really interesting.
70 CONFETI
We initially tried to plan the wedding ourselves but only got as far as booking the venue and entertainment before realising we needed some help. It was actually while meeting Malcolm from the entertainment supplier, Entire Occasions for the first time that we were introduced to Dyana Dessar Simmons who we were very impressed by. Following that meeting we decided that we would like her company, Optimum Weddings by The Wedding Company, to help plan our wedding. It was definitely the right decision; Dyana and her team were very helpful with all
the planning and, in particular, we benefited from her contacts with other suppliers in the region and the co-ordination and management on the day itself, which was invaluable” Dressing up Anastasia wanted something light and comfortable and was lucky enough to find the perfect dress in Pronovias in Moscow, the first shop she visited. She wore light blue suede shoes from Gucci which she picked up while on holiday in Singapore. “The bridesmaids were in pink transformer dresses, tailor made in
Moscow,” she recalls. “This turned out to be a very good choice as two of them got pregnant in the run up to the wedding but, due to the nature of the dresses, they didn’t need to be altered. I was also very lucky and bought the first suit I tried on, a blue three-piece from Reiss with a pink tie in the same colour as the bridesmaids’ dresses. Both the best men wore matching pink ties and blue twopiece suits. My bridal make-up was designed and applied by Nicola McGeorge. It was very natural with an accent on the eyes and for my hair I chose a casual up do to match the style of the dress. Both hairstylist Alex Harrocks and Nicola managed to nail the look I was after with zero fuss and it was just what I wanted. We tried to keep the wedding simple and elegant. Considering the temperature and location we decided that the wedding should be less formal than traditional English weddings, yet less casual than traditional Russian weddings.
We used the main colours of this year ‘Pink Quartz’ and ‘Blue Serenity’ as our main colours and asked the guests to dress in pastel colours.
The venue itself definitely has a theme - monkeys! We decided to use this in our decorations and had soft toy monkeys on all the tables. Lastly, we could not miss our family symbol and since we could not have our dogs at the wedding we decided to print them on the logo that we used for the favours, flower boxes, name cards, table names and even the cake topper.”
Flowers, décor, the ceremony - and the food... “We were lucky enough to have an amazing panoramic view from the venue,” says Anastasia, “so we decided we didn’t need to decorate it too much further. Apart from what was on the tables, we only had a photo gallery in the hallway leading in to the venue with picture of our adventures and a wishing tree where guests could post notes and advice to us. Our flowers were in pink, blue and white, matching the colours that we were dressed in. As guests had to get the cable car up to the wedding venue they arrived over an hour early, so we decided to have cocktails and canapés before the ceremony with a live Spanish guitar player in the background. We held the civil ceremony in a side room of the venue so the guests were looking out to the bay. The side room has glass walls and ceiling so the views were amazing. There was a funny moment when Andrew got confused reciting the vowels kept on repeating, “...why I...” as if he had forgotten his name and most of the guests were crying - with laughter - at this point! After the ceremony we had an amazing three-course dinner for the wedding breakfast. It was a Goat’s Cheese Tart for starters, Beef Steak with Vegetables for the main and the wedding cake for dessert. We also provided some snacks of Mini Beef Burgers and Mini Curry Pots later on in the evening. The food was all
created by Filo Catering who did an excellent job, with a lot of guests commenting how good it was.”
Friends, favours and photographs “We ordered some Spanish fans decorated with our logo which we gave to the guests as favours, along with a fridge magnet. After the meal we asked all the guests to go up to the roof for a surprise, as we had arranged for a flamenco group to perform up there. This took place just as the sun was
setting and was a special moment that we will remember forever. “We had one last surprise
for our guests and that was our first dance. We had been taking salsa classes every week for the previous six months and all that hard work paid off as we blew the guests away with our routine, particularly as Andrew normally dances as if he has two left feet!
Our best men and bridesmaids gave us some very good advice when we started planning the wedding: ‘Get the best possible photographer! Memories can blur, but the photos stay forever!’ And we did, choosing Owen Farrell photography.
Owen was amazing on the day, somehow managing to be everywhere at once, catching every moment but at the same time we never really realised he was there, the mark of highly professional photographer. He is
Address Book
very artistic and creative, as well as being highly organised and punctual. We could not have had a better pho-tographer and are over the moon with the results!” Favourite moments “Apart from the ceremony itself, we both agree that the flamenco
performance on the roof of the venue was our favourite moment. It had been
quite cloudy for most of the day, thanks to the famous Levante, but just as we got up on the roof for the start of the performance the clouds started to clear and we were treated to an amazing sunset with gorgeous panoramic views along with the live flamenco music and dancing, which we couldn’t resist joining in with!”
Wedding Planner: Dyana Dessar Simmons and Sara Beyer, Optimum Weddings by The Weddings Company; theweddingscompany.co.uk Photographer: Owen Farrell Photography owenfarrellphotography.com Music & Entertainment: Entire Occasions Make-up: Nicola McGeorge Hair: Alex Harrocks Venue: Mons Calpe Suites Gibraltar Minister: Gibraltar Registry Office Flowers: Stephanie’s Simply Bridal stephanieflorist.com Dress: Pronovias in Moscow Shoes: Gucci CONFETI 71
Real Weddings
Destination:
MARBELLA
Michelle and Adam’s first date was at a bar in south London, which they revisited on the night Adam proposed. They went for tapas at the same bar and then on to a table at The Shard overlooking the Thames and the glittering lights of London. It was a very British start to a destination wedding.
Perhaps the happy couple had enjoyed just a few glasses of champagne too many because Michelle somehow managed to lose the engagement ring a few hours later. Adam was relieved that this was always intended to be a token ring until the pair chose a proper replacement, so fortunately this wasn’t as much of a disaster as it could have been! Spanish character
From the moment that Adam popped the question Michelle knew that she wanted a Spanish wedding.
“My parents used to live in Marbella and still spend a lot of time there,” she says. “We wanted a destination wedding which gave our friends and family the opportunity not only to enjoy the wedding but to combine it with a long weekend or holiday, to relax and make the most of it. We wanted our venue
to have some character, as well as some traditional Spanish aspects. Finca La Concepción is a stunning picturesque venue with beautiful gardens and ticked all the boxes. The
musical part of the day was very important to Adam and this venue allowed us to play music until the early hours of the morning which 72 CONFETI
was a great added benefit, as it allowed everybody to dance into the early hours!” “A family friend had used FiestaSol for her wedding a few years ago and recommended the company to me when she heard that I was looking for a wedding planner. As soon
as we met Tara I knew she would create a day unique and personal to us; she was a huge help in coordinating all the different aspects of the wedding and bringing them together perfectly on the day.” Miles of style “I chose a Mira Zwillinger dress because it was simple, elegant, comfortable and also unique. The fact that it didn’t crease meant that it was also great for travelling to Spain. The groom wore a three-piece suit by Reiss, while the groomsmen were more relaxed in chinos and blazers also by Reiss, which worked well on the day with the heat. It’s difficult to find a bridesmaid’s dress which suits everybody, so in the end we went with quite a simple design by Joanna August which wouldn’t be too hot and the colour was flattering. Tara recommended Sophie and Luna for the girls’ flower crowns as they are dried and could be easily transported to Spain.
“I wanted to wear my hair down with some loose waves; I didn’t want it to look too ‘done’ or styled.
Jonathan at Reflections in Marbella put me at ease straight away and seemed to know exactly what I wanted and it stayed all night. Nader looked after my
bridal party, giving everyone perfect blowdries. I also didn’t want anything too heavy for my make-up. Liza was great and built it up gradually and she also did a beautiful job on my mum and bridesmaids.
“We went for a bit of a Cuban theme on the day, which complemented the tropical surroundings. Latino Turner played for the welcome drinks and cocktail hour and we also had a mojito bar and cigar bar. We also
organised a classic Cadillac to take my dad and me to the venue which was a unique experience. We wanted the décor to be more fun than formal, so Virginia Florista made
a few different mock-ups for the table centrepieces and I absolutely loved the final design. The bridal
and bridesmaids’ bouquets were gorgeous, with a mix of tropical leaves, flowers and mini pineapples. The pineapple theme continued on the tables with gold sequinned table runners and gold cutlery. We showed Fi at Sweet Things some
Pinterest boards of cake ideas we liked and the cake on the day was perfect and tasted amazing with a different flavour in each tier.” The wedding party “We chose Vicki as our minister because she was fun, engaging and made us feel relaxed, especially during the ceremony. Adam’s best friend, Anna wrote a beautiful piece which was read during the ceremony and my brother also agreed to read for us, which helped to make the ceremony much more personal.
Address Book Venue: Finca La Concepción “For dinner we chose to sit down under a large tree which formed the basis of a great setting for speeches and food. It was decorated with lots of tea lights displayed in glass bulbs, which came to life and looked beautiful in the evening. The menu at the food tasting was so good we couldn’t decide on one meal so we decided to give our guests a choice. The starter was an option of Lobster or Bruschetta with a Spanish Meat Platter, followed by a Vodka Lemon Sorbet palette cleanser and the main was Fillet of Beef or Sea Bass, followed by a trio of desserts. We also provided Mini Pizzas at midnight, which went down well with everybody. FiestaSol also prepared a barbecue the next day at the Marbella hideaway where we were staying, which was a great way of continuing the party and catching up with wedding guests. My brother had some cigars made in Miami with Adam’s face printed on them as a logo, which looked great on the cigar bar! Hermione
de Paula designed my veil using swatches from my dress with a tropical theme in mind. The embroidery
included some lovely personal touches, such as our initials, the date of our wedding and a few hidden aeroplanes, as my dad has an aerospace company. We had favours of Scottish tablet as my family are Scottish. Tara recommended
a children’s marquee with some entertainment, together with a couple of childminders, which was a great idea, as the parents had a chance to relax and the kids had a great time.
Wedding Planner: Tara Chapman at FiestaSol, fiestasol.com
Adam’s friend Hannah, a vocalist who has collaborated with him on a few of his house tracks, kindly agreed to perform a short set of 80s and 90s classics, as well as some of their own tracks, which got everyone up on the dance floor and set the evening entertainment off with a bang. We also hired a saxophonist who played a great live set in the evening.
Dress : Mira Zwillinger at Browns Bride
We chose Jeremy Standley as our photographer because we had seen some of his previous work and liked the way he caught the essence of the day in a natural and unobtrusive way. Jeremy has captured
great memories from the day in some beautiful and creative pictures.”
Photographer : Jeremy Standley jeremystandley.com
Shoes: Alaïa Veil: Hermione de Paula Bespoke Hair: Bride - Jonathan at Reflections. Bridal Party – Nader at reflectionsmarbella.com Make-up: Liza Mayne Minister: Vicki Rhodes Cake : Sweet Things by Fi Flowers : Virginia Florista Car: Betsy Rose from Coast Classics Music : Rob DJ, Leonardo (sax), Hannah Talbot (vocals), Latino Turner
Favourite moments “I loved getting ready in the morning with my mum and bridesmaids and obviously seeing Adam after walking up the aisle with my dad. I will always remember the ceremony as a highlight, it was amazing to be able to share such a personal moment with the ones we love most. It was especially lovely seeing all our friends and family who had travelled from all over the world to spend our day with us, most of whom were still on the dance floor at 3am!”
CONFETI 73
Real Weddings
A Right
ROYAL
Time
Kristian proposed on the 31st of October 2015 on London’s famous Albert Bridge, Nadia’s favourite landmark. Kristian had actually bought the ring in June and asked Nadia’s parents, Tina and Robin, for permission and had planned the proposal for one evening early July but Nadia didn’t feel up to it and said, “No, I don’t fancy going for a walk along the Thames.” It took Kristian almost four months to get Nadia to the bridge so he could propose! Decisions, decisions... Nadia’s parents have lived in Spain since she was a baby and it had always been her dream to get married where she grew up.
Since she met Kristian they had spent every summer in Marbella and both knew from very early on that they would definitely get married in sunny Spain. Nadia’s mother, Tina had mentioned Finca La Concepción to Nadia a couple of years before she got engaged and, as soon as she saw it she fell in love with it, saying that it reminded her of an enchanted garden, with a beautiful big tree and the fountain in the centre. The plan was to invite a large number of guests, as the couple has many friends and family members, so a small venue was never an option. Nadia and Kristian decided not to employ the services of a wedding planner because they knew that Tina would want to be involved 74 CONFETI
Nadia and Kristian met on the 29th of April 2011, the day that Prince William married Kate Middleton, at a friends’ party in London. They had a mutual friend, Tash who played cupid and introduced the two of them and, as they say, the rest is history!
with the project from beginning to end. Even prior to the moment that Kristian asked Nadia to marry him she was planning and every single detail was taken care of, from the food, to the flowers, to the lights. She held endless meetings with Fiestasol to help the couple achieve the dream wedding and both claim that it would have been impossible without her and Nadia’s stepfather, Amado. As both Kristian and Nadia live in London they needed someone on the ground there to take the reins. The look she loves Nadia takes up the story of the wedding day look. “For those who know me, my hair is stacked on top of my head in a topknot every single day of my life, so wearing my hair up was always what I knew I would do. I don’t have particularly long hair so I knew an up do is how I would wear my hair on my wedding day. Emma Zee worked her magic and created a messy bun with a braid going through it which was stunning. I love make-up but I am not very good at applying it - most days it’s just lipstick, mascara and blusher so I knew I wanted my wedding make-up to look quite different to my daily look, but I didn’t want anything too heavy. Nicola advised wonderful skin care products and a fantastic regime prior to the day itself, which helped to ensure that my skin was glowing on the day. My make-up was beautiful. “We didn’t have a theme really, just no bright colours! We decided
to have a black tie wedding and keep all the flowers white and green, very rustic and natural. All the flowers inside the pagoda were white and the flowers on the tables were white and green too. We had white petals down the aisle, on the steps and around the fountain leading to the ceremony. We
wanted the whole wedding to feel very different to a UK wedding, making it all “al aire libre” as they say in Spain. We wanted the big tree to
be the main focus during dinner, so we lit it beautifully and had lots of candles everywhere – it was like a fairy-tale. It was wonderful eating under the stars – in fact one group of my friends, colleagues from London, spotted a shooting star as they were boogying on the dance floor. We turned the pagoda
where the ceremony had been held earlier in the day into a shisha and smoking area with two shisha men
continuously preparing people’s shishas for them and this went down a treat! The whole day had a real sense of occasion, as everyone was formally dressed.”
A sense of occasion Kristian adds. “We asked the
famous Padre Peter to undertake our ceremony and he was a scream! He made us feel completely at ease and relaxed during the part of the wedding when most brides and grooms are nervous. In fact, we were the opposite and spent it giggling, hand in hand at the altar! We had
two readings, the first by Nadia’s two sisters, Saskia and Imani and the second by Tasha, our very dear friend who introduced us. We had butterflies flying around our heads as we said our vows – it was as if they had been planned. Tina must have been even busier than usual!
Fiestasol were our caterers and they provided all the food and décor. The food was unbelievable. We
decided to go for a lavish buffet style dinner with King Prawns, Steak, a full Hog Roast, delicious salads and our dream desserts. Both of us are real banana lovers and Fiestasol’s head chef, Alex, kindly spent time perfecting our very own Banana and Peanut Butter Mini Cheesecake to complement the Mini Chocolate Fudge Cake and Mini Raspberry Sorbet. Our wedding cake was a tower of cheese with grapes cascading down – it was stunning. We still have guests talking about how good the food was at our wedding.” Nadia continues, “The music was an extremely important part of the day for Kristian and both he and my stepfather, Amado spent hours and hours searching for a band. The date was drawing nearer and we still didn’t have one until Amado got in touch with the legendary Thomas Henry and we were in luck as he was available on the 9th of July! He and the seven-piece band were incredible. Thomas and the band learned our
first dance song, which was an Arctic Monkeys cover of Drake’s ‘Hold On, We’re Going Home’. They did it so well; we genuinely thought it was the Arctic Monkeys playing! The first dance was such a highlight, with every single guest standing round us under the stars, waving sparklers. It was like a dream come true! We had the
incredible Anna Sargeant play the harp for us as I walked down the aisle, while singing ‘Ave Maria’.
It was beautiful and quite a few of the female guests had tears in their eyes. Our favours were stunning: little glass bottles filled with the famous Spanish liqueur, Pacharán, tied with brown string and a label with our very own ‘N&K’ stamp on it. These were a hit during the speeches as most tables toasted with them and then downed them.
“We chose Salvador Blanco from Evergreen Photography. Salvador was
the photographer at our friends, Will and Vic’s wedding last June in Sotogrande and we really loved his attitude and the photos he took. When it came to our big day we thought it made sense to use someone we knew and who knew us. We had Salvador and two other photographers so we were able to capture my bridesmaids and me getting ready at home as well as Kristian and his ushers getting ready at the Finca. We were
adamant that we wanted a videographer and we were lucky enough to have two as well as a drone on the day. We are waiting anxiously for the wedding video. Lots of our guests are excited to see the drone footage; we’ve had quite a few people ask us if it’s ready yet – mainly the guys. Men and technology!”
What were your favourite moments? The whole day massively exceeded expectations. We never thought for one moment everything would go so perfectly. With 150 guests flying in from around the world there were bound to be hiccups but it really was perfect. Nadia’s favourite
moment without doubt was the first dance. We were
dancing together to our favourite song surrounded by all the people who mean the most to us, waving sparklers. It was honestly like being in a dream. Kristian’s
favourite moment was seeing Nadia walking down the aisle towards him.
He was very excited to see ‘the dress’ which had been kept secret and, with the few red herrings sent his way, it was amazing to finally see it. He said it exceeded expectations and his bride was a vision!”
Address Book Photographer: Salvador Blanco, Evergreen Photography evergreenmalaga.com Music: Anna Sargeant (Harpist) / Thomas Henry & seven-piece band thomasjohnhenry.com Food/Decor/Cake: Fiestasol fiestasol.com Hair: Emma Zamboglou Makeup: Nicola McGeorge Venue: Finca La Concepcion fincalaconcepcion.com Minister: Padre Peter Flowers: Juan Cereto juancereto.com Bride’s Dress: Tarik Ediz tarikedizwhite.com/ Bride’s Wedding Shoes: Jimmy Choo
CONFETI 75
Real Weddings
fit
for Marriage!
Spain had something of a leading role in Janey and Scott’s romance, so when they decided to tie the knot and realised that a destination wedding was on the cards, none of their family members or friends were remotely surprised when they announced that their chosen venue would be in Estepona. We met in Spain in what was then the Plaza Gym, years before we got together. We had mutual friends and hung out a couple of times and that was about it. It wasn’t until I had decided to move back to the UK that Scott made a move on me and asked me out for a drink. About six weeks later I moved to England and kept up a long distance relationship for months before Scott moved back too. He proposed in Spain on the terrace of my mum and dad’s home when we were visiting on holiday last September. His parents still lived in Spain at the time and he had planned a whole weekend of celebration with our family and friends. It just made
sense that we should get married in Marbella. There was no other choice for me, so I basically didn’t give Scott a choice either! The perfect spot That same holiday when Scott proposed I stayed on a couple of extra days and on one of these I talked my poor mum and dad into driving up and down the Coast, scouting for venues. I didn’t have anywhere specific in mind, all I knew is that I wanted to get 76 CONFETI
married on a beach. We looked at almost every beach venue between La Cala and Estepona, then my mum’s friend, who just happens to be a wedding planner with Wedding Angels, suggested Salduna Beach. I had never heard of it but as soon as we walked in I loved it. After speaking to the events planners there I was relieved to hear it was in budget now all I had to do was convince Scott and set a date!
We chose Jenny from Wedding Angels as our wedding planner and she was amazing. To keep
costs down and since I had my trusty parents based in Spain I found that I could do a lot of the ground work myself, which is exactly what I had wanted. Jenny recommended the venue, florist, DJ and venue dresser and they all turned out to be fabulous. Boho babe To make life easier I described the style of the wedding to all my suppliers as Boho Chic, although I made it clear that I didn’t want anything too rustic or blingy. I work in fashion so, from the beginning, I had a very clear idea of what
I wanted myself, bridesmaids, groomsman and venue to look like. The main problem was that I struggled to find an appropriate dress for a beach wedding in the UK. I knew it was going to be hot so didn’t want anything too heavy and traditional. After trying on countless dresses I described my struggle to a friend and she suggested she draw what I wanted so I could have it made and that’s exactly what we did. I know it was a bit risky, as I had read nightmare stories online about dresses being delivered that looked nothing like what had been requested, but the price was cheap and I was willing to risk it. Fortunately when my dress came back it was identical to the drawings and I couldn’t have been happier. My bridesmaid dresses are actually from Boohoo, which no-one believed, although I have to admit that my mum did modify them slightly! I also wanted my hair and makeup to conform to the Boho Chic look I was after and knew I wanted beachy waves to go with the
setting and, from day one, knew that the bridesmaids and I would have flowers in our hair. Karley and Nicola did a brilliant job of ensuring that I ended up with the look that I had always wanted. On the beach
Having decided on Salduna Beach as a venue I suppose ‘beach’ became our unofficial theme. Our table plan was a surfboard and we chose flip-flops and white sunglasses as party favours.
We also organised a ‘find your face to find your place’ board and pinned a Polaroid of the oldest picture I could find of each person with either Scott or me. It was a good ice breaker
and talking point for people who had never met. As far as the flowers and décor went, I just wanted it to be simple and all white. I love lilies as they smell amazing and I
also wanted as many fairy lights as we could fit on the terrace!
The day itself was beautiful but a bit of a dream. The weather was
Address Book Wedding Planner: Jenny marbellaweddingangels.com
very hot during the ceremony, even at 7.30pm on the beach. I walked down the aisle to an acoustic version of ‘Wonderwall’ by Oasis. It’s Scott’s favourite song, and I managed to keep it a secret so it was a total surprise for him. When we were
announced as man and wife, we had the DJ play Jay Z’s ‘99 Problems’, which had everyone laughing. Tony performed the blessing and we lit a candle. I remember Scott had his sunglasses on through the whole thing and his dad said to me after that I should have told him to take them off!
Party on! We ordered a three-course meal with a choice of fish, meat, or vegetarian option and, we have to say, the food at Salduna is simply terrific. My brother-in-law used to be in a band so I asked him if he
would do a little acoustic set as the guests enjoyed their cocktails and he taught my nephew how to play harmonica to accompany him. It was a very sweet moment! Later on DJ Rob entertained us and he was fantastic. I had issued him with very explicit instructions from the start that, under no circumstances whatsoever, was he to play any Robbie Williams! I made life easier by carefully constructing a playlist on Spotify beforehand for music which played during dinner and included my mum and dad’s favourite song which was by the 1970s American band, Bread. When my dad heard it he grabbed my gorgeous mum and started dancing - it was brilliant! We were very lucky and privileged to work with talented photographers everyday so, on my first day back in the office after we
got engaged I knew I wanted to ask our Studio Manager and Head of Photography if they would cover our wedding. Fortunately, I didn’t even have to ask because they had seen that we had got engaged on Facebook and had already decided they were doing it! Favourite Moments My dad being totally cool, calm and collected walking me down the aisle because I honestly didn’t think he would hold it together that well. Seeing Scott’s face when he saw me walk in, in the dress. Having pictures taken with my Maid of Honour and bridesmaids because they are all so hilarious, supportive and beautiful my face hurt from laughing so much. Oh and, of course, the speeches. Scott’s nearly didn’t happen as it was on his phone which he left in Burger King after a night out with lads the night before!
Photographer: Graham Reid and Kat Butterworth , photograham@yahoo.co.uk Venue: Salduna Beach saldunabeach.com Dress: Homemade Make-up: Nicola McGeorge Hair: Karley @ Golden Tarts goldentarts.com Music: DJ Rob robrocksthehouse.com Cake: Louise @ Cakealicious Minister: Anthony Wilcox weddingblessingsspain.com Flowers: Lorraine @Earth Scents Elviria Music: DJ Rob robrocksthehouse.com CONFETI 77
Real Weddings
Seaside
RENDEZVOUS
Charlotte and Mark met in Cabana and ended up marrying in La Cabane. An amusing coincidence perhaps, but this was the only aspect of the couple’s wedding that was left to chance! Mark and I met in a club in his home town, Cabana in 2004. It took a couple of weeks of us seeing each other at the same places for me to give him my number and from there we went on our first date. Mark proposed to me on the day before my 30th birthday, surprising me for what I thought was my birthday and taking me on a spa weekend at a picturesque country cottage. We went for a lovely dinner and, as we walked out into the cottage courtyard, he got on his knee and took me by complete surprise. Setting the scene My dad has had a place in Spain for the past 12 years, so I have been used to visiting regularly over the years. I always love coming back to Spain and now it feels like our second home. Neither of us wanted a traditional English wedding and this was the perfect location for us. We have also always wanted our wedding to be a celebration lasting for more than one day, hoping for the chance to be with our friends and family and make it a very special long weekend. We had a long weekend planned and had done lots of research on venues and we started with Hotel Los Monteros. As soon as we walked in we thought the hotel was fabulous and what I always remember is how lovely it smelled! This would be where we and our guests would be staying, with the actual wedding being at Los Monteros’s beach club, La Cabane. When we walked in we instantly knew it was exactly what we wanted and we decided there and then that we didn’t need to look any further. It was stunning and, even better, overlooked the Mediterranean - just beautiful. DIY wedding We had various recommendations for wedding planners and could easily have hired a professional to undertake the whole job for us, but we had already decided 78 CONFETI
that we wanted to do it all ourselves. By the end, however, we began to wish that we had opted for one,
because it was quite stressful making sure everything was planned from England. As far as my wedding day look went, I always knew that I wanted a lace dress and found exactly what I wanted at Pronovias. It was a fitted lace dress with quite a long train. It took me a while to find the right shoes as I have never really like the traditional wedding shoe and finally I choose a Valentino heeled sandal. I saw our flower girl dresses before anything else. They were from Marks & Spencer and I chose a rose gold leather sandal from Mango. My bridesmaids’ dresses were from Needle & Thread London, I found it quite difficult to find something that would suit everyone but these were the perfect combination with the flower girl dresses I had liked. These neutral colours all looked lovely together. Mark chose a grey suit because we we both like the colour (boring, I know) but, since he wanted to have a slight different look to his best man and groomsmen, he also went for a burgundy tie with ox-blood shoes, all from Reiss. Look of the day For my hair I went for an elegant curl, a very classic style. For my make-up I had a couple of trials, not really finding the look I was going for. I very much wanted to look like me, not some heavily made-up facsimile. Nicola was amazing and got it right straight away; she completely understood that I wanted a natural, bronzed look and completely exceeded my expectations on the day. She
even made my mum cry after doing her make-up for her, which then made Nicola cry!
We didn’t want a theme as such, we just knew that we wanted a neutral look with
white detail. We chose white rose bouquets with white rose candelabras -
we had a lot of candles around the dinner tables as it was an evening reception and it looked beautiful. All the décor was white.
The ceremony was the favourite part of the whole evening. The venue looked
stunning; we had a flowered arch with a white carpet and candles, I walked into ‘Kissing You’ by Des’ree from the soundtrack of Baz Luhrmann’s version of Romeo and Juliet. The ceremony took place as we looked out towards the sea. We had written our own vows with the help of our Minister, Fran Santos. Afterwards we especially enjoyed the amazing speech that my Maid of Honour delivered, which left a lot of our guests in tears.
Party all night We served a selection of hot and cold canapés after the ceremony followed by our wedding breakfast, which consisted of King Prawn and Tropical Fruit Salad as a starter. This was followed by Roasted Sea Bass with a Red Vermouth Sauce and Rice and then we had our main course of Glazed Rack of Lamb with Honey and Thyme over Pumpkin Purée. As a dessert we had chosen Chocolate Coulant with Mango Ice Cream. We knew we wanted someone to play the piano at our wedding but at first we couldn’t find anyone, even after doing lots of research. Then one night we happened to be out for dinner in Spain and heard someone very expertly tickling the ivories while we were eating. At that moment we
knew that Johnny Baker would be perfect. He made
everything so special for us and every single detail was discussed. He helped us to arrange all our music and nothing was too much trouble. He was amazing! For our favours we chose cream pashminas for the ladies, scratch cards for the men, while the children were given crayons with drawing books. We ordered a traditional wedding cake, along with an alternative ‘cake’ made of different cheeses and we also arranged a giant LOVE sign as part of the décor for the venue which was lovely to see in the photos afterwards.
Nani and Antonio de Perez were our wedding photographers and videographers. We had been sent a list of recommendations from our wedding venue and
after looking at their website we knew their style was exactly what we were after. They were
extremely professional and the pictures that they have captured for us are very natural and wonderful for us and our family to look back on. All of our guests mentioned how impressed they were by them, especially the clever use of the drone. Favourite moments The ceremony was really special for us and we had just the most amazing time during dinner with our family and friends. From the speeches and Johnny’s amazing piano playing, it was just perfect. Also hearing the waves
Address Book Photographer & Videpgrapher: Antonio & Nani de Perez Dress: Atelier, Pronovias Make-up: Nicola McGeorge Hair: Christian Grant Minister: Fran Santos Flowers: Virginia Florist Music: Johnny Baker Cake: Hotel Los Monteros Venue: La Cabane
as we celebrated our big day and the setting itself is something we still talk about.
CONFETI 79
WHAT TO ASK Choosing suppliers for your wedding day is a difficult task, especially as there is so much fantastic choice here on the Costa del Sol. CONFETI wants to make planning your day as easy as possible, so take a look at our checklist to help you with the all important questions you should be asking.
Do you provide glassware, crockery, tables and linen? Is there a extra cost for serving staff? Photo by Julia Roder
Can we have a menu tasting? Can you cater for vegetarians/food allergies?
Are you available on our date?
Are you catering for any other weddings on the same day as ours?
Are you licensed for civil ceremonies?
Do you have a separate menu for children?
How many guests does the venue accommodate?
Do you have a separate menu for our suppliers on the day?
What exactly is included in the package?
What is the ratio of waiters to guests?
Is there a music licence or time when the music has to stop?
What is the corkage for alcohol?
Will the venue be exclusively ours? What’s the cancellation policy? Is the venue fully equipped to hold such an event? Is there a discount for booking an off season or weektime date? How much is the deposit and when is it due? What is the payment method for the entire bill?
Can we have bespoke drinks made? Is there a time the bar has to stop serving drinks? Can we provide our own alcohol? When do you need a final number of guests? What is the payment method and when is the deposit due?
Is there a minimum/maximum rental time? Can I move things around and decorate to suit my purposes, or do I have to leave everything as it is? Are there decoration guidelines/restrictions? What time we can we/our suppliers start setting up on the day of the wedding? Can I hire my own caterer? If so, are there kitchen facilities for them? How many toilets are there? Is there accommodation? Will it be discounted for booking the venue?
* These questions will vary, depending
on what type of venue you are hoping to book.
80 CONFETI
Photo by Julia Roder
Sana Catering
What flowers are in season around the date of our wedding? Are available to install the flowers on the day? Do you provide vases or containers, or will we need to oversee this? What flowers compliment my dress and style of our wedding? Flowers from Flor ValentĂn
Can you work within my budget? Or have any tips on how to maximise my budget? Are you happy to work with my other suppliers, for example if I want to add flowers to my wedding cake?
Are you available on our wedding day?
Are there extra charges for the set up and removal of arrangements?
Do you have a repertoire list we can look at?
How far in advance do I need to secure your services? What is the deposit required to secure my date?
What type of music genres do you cover?
Are you available for my wedding date? What style of photography do you specialise in? Have you seen or worked at my wedding venue before? What happens if your equipment fails? Do you have insurance? Will we receive a contract? Do you offer bespoke packages? Can I customise my package based on my needs? Who holds the image copyright?
Can you play song requests if given enough notice? Does your fee included setting up, s ound checks etc? What do you need in terms of power supply and sockets? Do you have a lighting system? Is this included in the price? Do you provide microphones for the ceremony and speeches? What additional fees should we be aware of? Travel expenses? Song requests? What is the breakdown of your music set? How long does your set last for?
How long can we expect to wait before we can see the photographs?
Can we pay per hour if we would like to the DJ to stay a little longer?
Can we suggest a list of photographs we would like to include?
What is your preferred payment method?
Can we discuss beforehand the type of images we would like to capture on our day?
How far in advance do we need to pay our deposit?
Will you have an assistant with you on the day? Do you provide retouching, colour adjustment or other corrective services? Is this included in the fee? What is your preferred payment method? How far in advance do we need to pay our deposit?
What size of cake will we need to cater for our number of guests? What types of cake flavours and fillings do you offer? Can we try samples? Do you provide a cake stand? Will you deliver it on the day? Is there a certain type of icing or cake not available due to the hot weather in Spain? Are there any additional fees I should be aware of? What can you suggest to maximise my budget? How long will the cake last and how can we store it if it’s not eaten? How many months in advance do we need to order the cake? What is your preferred payment method? How far in advance do we need to pay our deposit?
Photo by Julia Roder Cake from Alyson Cakes CONFETI 81
Signature Cocktails Sunny Spain is home to many fantastic Wines and Cavas, the perfect destination to take advantage of sipping delicious cocktails on your wedding day! Nowadays many couples are choosing to add there own personal touch and details to even the beverages! With so many ways to get creative, cool and quirky ideas are sure impress your guests. Take a look at some OF CONFETI’s favourite Wedding beverage ideas!
1 2
Signature Cocktails : You and your groom choose a simple cocktail each, that you 1. enjoy drinking and 2. suits your personality! Serve these at the cocktail reception or have them available at your bar. You can give them fun themed names such as ‘Bride’ ‘Groom’ or ‘His’ ‘Hers’ ‘Ours’ for example! A fun way to add your own personal touch and for your guests to try your favourite cocktails! One for the guys : For the whiskey lovers, a popular trend is a Whiskey and Cigar Stand where guests can wind down and enjoy a nice whiskey on the rocks or a traditional wedding cigar! Give it a vintage feel with crystal decanter’s! THIS SEASON’S
3 4
One for the ladies : Stands such as a ‘Bubbly Bar’ or ‘Pimp your Prosecco’ are becoming huge trends at weddings. A station with different liquors and colourful fruits so guests can create their own champagne cocktails such as Belini’s , Kir Royales and Mimosa’s! Yum! Keeping hydrated : For wedding’s in the sun, its so important to keep your guests hydrated. A unique way to serve soft drinks and water is in a vintage drinks dispenser where your friends and family can keep themselves hydrated as much as they like! Efficient as well as looking fab fresh and fruity at the same time! Fresh or flavoured water is the best way to keep hydrated, but these dispensers also look great filled with lemonade and spanish traditions such as Sangria or Tinto Verano!
B es t S el le rs :
bbles by : for thebeburrie Cr azy Ba s aw str Fresh
lovers: vodka, blended with premium ueur, liq oa ss pa passion fruit, d up pe top d an r ga su a vanill rfect for with champagne, pe the ladies y etl fen de is e tim y an favourite.
Or i e nta lclaMssojiic,t o:GiOungrertwanistdonlichthei
cuban recipe, gather at the base of sugar and nt, mi e, lim , rum ite wh bold and , ale r ge gin a splash of intense. will spice up your s combination ou lici party, a de made of spiced rum, home o, fresh ng ma sh fre chili syrup, juice, one e lim d an e juic ple ap is never enough.
Ch i l i bu dd ha:
82 CONFETI
Proshakers, working closely with Optimum Weddings by theweddingscompany.com
Supplying beers, wines and spirits
to your wedding venue
THE ONLY DRAUGHT SUPPLIER ON THE COAST THAT OFFERS A
7 DAY A WEEK DELIVERY SAME DAY DELIVERY even on a Sunday!
T : 952 373 233 - info@bwsdrinksdistribution.com Calle Hemingway, 38. Polígono Industrial Guadalhorce, Málaga
CONFETI 83
ALL THE SMALL THINGS It’s the small personal details that can really make a difference on your wedding day. Confeti has discovered - and fallen in love with - Pink Poppy Party Shoppe, an online shop specialising in all things lovely and a bride-to-be’s dream if you’re looking for unique and personal details for your special day. Providing everything from wedding day décor, favours and even your hen do, they can cater for any request and the personalised dates and names on their products add that little extra something and make great keepsakes. Whether it’s a personal cake topper, napkins or even coasters, Pink Poppy Party Shoppe has everything you need. The website is packed full of wedding inspiration and you can easily spend the afternoon browsing all the wonderful creations. Founded in the USA in 2011, Pink Poppy Party Shoppe ships to Europe. pinkpoppypartyshoppe.com
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DECOR OF THE SEASON A great way to spare your budget is to get crafty and do a spot of DIY. Many brides are opting for do-it-yourself décor, which can be enormous fun and is an excellent way to save the cash. This season one of our favourite simple DIY creations is floral letters. See our step by step tutorial:
Step one:
Buy some hollow letters representing you and your fiancé’s initials. You can pick these up from most craft stores. If you want to be really crafty, paint the outside of the letters to match the colour theme of your wedding.
Step two: Fill the letters with
flower foam (available from most craft stores), cut it to fit inside the letters and, for extra security, glue the foam to the base of the letter.
Step three:
Choose some fake flowers, ideally the same flowers and colours you’ve chosen for your wedding, trim the flower stems, long enough so that they can fit inside the foam, but not so short that they might fall out.
Step four: For a finishing
touch, use smaller flowers to ensure that all the foam is completely covered and can’t be seen, then add a touch of glue to some of the stems for additional reinforcement
CONFETI 85
Wedding
TRADITIONS & SUPERSTITIONS ‘Something old, something new, something borrowed, something blue and a silver sixpence in her shoe’ is a wedding tradition that has been around for centuries, taken from an old English rhyme and is one that many brides try to
1
SOMETHING OLD: REPRESENTS CONTINUITY There are plenty of ways to incorporate this into your wedding look. A popular choice is an old piece of jewellery, such as earrings or brooch, maybe belonging to a family member, or even something you were given as a child, a christening bracelet for example. You don’t have to wear them necessarily, you can include them in your bouquet or sew them into the hem of your dress. The vintage look isn’t going out of style anytime soon, so ‘old’ jewellery is a great way to accessorise. If you’re looking to save a bit of money, wedding veils don’t tend to date much, so why not use an old veil from your mum or grandmother? The beauty of this is you could also then use it your ‘something borrowed’ and kill two birds with one stone!
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SOMETHING NEW: OPTIMISM FOR THE FUTURE Your something new is probably the easiest choice, as most of your items on your big day will be new. Your dress, your shoes, your accessories – even your husband! You can treat yourself to something simple like a new lipstick to wear on your special day. Some brides are lucky enough to receive a gift from their soon-to-be husband on the morning of their wedding day, so there are plenty of options for your something new.
stick to - just in case! Mainly these items are small tokens or good luck charms, so don’t let finding these get you hot and bothered because Confeti is here to help. We can’t all be as lucky as Kate Middleton and wear our ‘something blue’
3
SOMETHING BORROWED: SYMBOLISES BORROWED HAPPINESS A small token borrowed from a close friend or family member is ideal for something borrowed. It’s also a lovely way to make the lender feel a little closer to you on your special day. Jewellery and accessories are the easiest option but if you’re still struggling to find something to borrow, make it nice and simple; why not borrow some nail varnish from a friend that you will wear on your wedding day? Or hair clips to keep your hair in place? Easy and efficient.
4
SOMETHING BLUE: STANDS FOR PURITY, LOVE AND FIDELITY A lot of brides opt for a hint of blue in their garter, an easy and popular choice. If you want something more visible, blue heels are also becoming a huge trend! Who can forget those amazing electric blue Manolo Blahniks that Sex in the City’s Carrie Bradshaw wore to marry Mr Big? Subtle hints of blue in your jewellery can also work, such as including blue gems in your hair piece, bracelet or earrings.
4 86 CONFETI
in the shape of a priceless family heirloom, or ‘something borrowed’, a vintage diamond tiara lent from the Queen herself! However there are many other ways to incorporate this tradition into your overall bridal look.
5
SILVER SIXPENCE IN YOUR SHOE: A WISH FOR GOOD FORTUNE AND PROSPERITY This is an old English charm to bring the bride good luck if worn in her left shoe on her wedding day. It started in the late 17th century as a dowry gift to the groom and then developed into a good luck charm. These silver sixpences are fairly easy to buy on the internet. Even better, why not ask a family member if they have an old sixpence you could use? This could bring you triple luck on your day, as it would also be something borrowed and something old. What we love about the sixpence is you could even save it and pass it down to your children one day for their own wedding. An extra touch is to try and find a sixpence with a year that means something to you, such as the year your parents or grandparents were born.
Spanish Wedding Traditions So many diverse and multicultural weddings now take place in Spain because great weather is virtually guaranteed, along with fantastic food and wine, so it’s not at all surprising. Here at Confeti we love seeing our readers’ real weddings, featuring couples who bring their unique wedding traditions along with them, so we thought we would share with you some interesting facts about traditional Spanish weddings. THE USE OF THE MANTILLA (a form of headdress) as an everyday accessory goes back centuries, but the custom has been lost and the mantilla is now sometimes worn by older generations as part of a costume or in religious ceremonies. However, the mantilla is making a comeback. Many modern brides now wear a traditional lace mantilla instead of a veil, although the mantilla itself is usually exceptionally long and can trail a lot further than a veil would – up to a metre or two behind the wedding gown! THE GROOM WOULD BE EXPECTED TO PRESENT THE BRIDE WITH 13 COINS KNOWN AS ARRAS (unity coins), which represent his commitment to support her.
Others believe that coins represent good fortune and that the giving of these coins blesses the couple with this. The 13 coins are said to represent Christ and the twelve apostles and are blessed by the priest and handed to the newlyweds repeatedly, ending up with the bride. TRADITIONALLY SPANISH WEDDINGS DO NOT INCLUDE BRIDESMAIDS, GROOMSMEN. Best man or maid of honour. Also the groom, like the bride and her father, is escorted down the aisle by his mother. SPANISH WEDDINGS USUALLY START MUCH LATER; around 7pm is the typical time! It is also common for 200-250 guests to be present, as extended families and whole communities can be invited! AN ENGAGEMENT RING IS NOT SO COMMON IN SPAIN and the wedding bands are worn on the right hand, not the left. THE GROOM’S TIE IS OFTEN CUT UP and the pieces auctioned off to the highest bidder, as a way to offer the newlyweds money.
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Superstitious Brides
Like the ‘something old , something new, some thing borrowed and something blue’ rhyme , there are many verses or rhymes referring to auspicious wedding da tes or lucky times to ge t married, a superstitio held by many people n throughout the years. Trying to choose your wedding date? Take a look at this verse…
“
Married when the year is new, he’ll be loving, kind an d true.
When February birds do mate, You wed nor dread yo ur fate.
If you wed when March winds blow, joy and sorrow both yo u’ll know. Marry in April when you can, Joy for Maiden and for Man. Marry in the month of May, and you’ll surely rue the day. Marry when June roses grow, over land and sea you’l l go. Those who in July do wed, must labour for their daily bread. Whoever wed in Augu st be, many a change is su re to see Marry in September’s shrine, your living will be ric h and fine. If in October you do ma rry, love will come but ric hes tarry. If you wed in bleak No vember, only joys will come, rem ember. When December snow s fall fast, marry and true love wil l last.
What superstitions do you believe? * The English believe a spider found in your wedding dress means good luck - eek!
”
* Engagement and wedding rings * The bride stands to the groom’s left during a Christian ceremony are usually worn on the fourth because, in ancient times, the finger of the left hand because it was once thought that a vein groom needed his right hand * In English tradition, Wednesday in that finger led directly to the free to fight off other suitors. is considered the best day to get heart. married. * It is considered bad luck to see the bride in her dress before the * Queen Victoria started the wedding ceremony as during the * Saturday is apparently the western world’s white wedding unluckiest wedding day according dress trend in 1840; before this a time when arranged marriages to English folklore, which is bride simply wore her best dress. were custom, the father feared if the groom saw the bride before unfortunate since it is also the the wedding and didn’t think she most common chosen day. * Ancient Greeks and Romans was attractive, he would call off though that the veil protected the the wedding and bring shame to * The groom carries the bride bride from evil spirits. across the threshold to protect the family. her from evil spirits lurking * Tiered wedding cakes emerged below. from a game where the bride * It is said that whoever catches the bride’s bouquet when she and groom would try to kiss each tosses it will be the next to marry. other over an extremely high cake without knocking it over. 88 CONFETI
Photo by Anna Gazda Photography
Natasha Johnson is an experienced Humanist Wedding Celebrant, writer and blogger on all things related to weddings, in particular wedding ceremonies. From traditions, to breaking them and everything else in between, if you have a question about your big day, ask our expert!
How to put a modern spin on traditional wedding hymns
T
he singing of hymns during church weddings has been a staple feature for as long as church weddings have been going, which is a very long time! Singing has always been seen as a wonderful way for a congregation to celebrate a happy occasion, such as a marriage and also as an opportunity to praise God in an upbeat, joyous and communal way. Most church ceremonies allow for one or two songs, which are interspersed throughout the ceremony and where everyone is invited to join in and sing to their heart’s content. Popular church hymns include, ‘All Things Bright and Beautiful,’ ‘Give Me Joy in My Heart’ and ‘Amazing Grace’ and there is no doubt that the congregation conveys a huge sense of joy and happiness for the couple on their
special occasion through their singing. However nowadays, as wedding ceremonies are becoming more of a reflection of the couple getting married and many tend to be non-religious marriage celebrations, couples are looking for new ways to include communal singing in their ceremonies, which doesn’t focus on religious songs, but can be anything, from that special song that means something to them both or simply a song that they really like.
Incorporating a group-sing-along on your big day There is no reason whatsoever why, during a non-religious ceremony, you cannot have your friends and family join in with a communal song. It is easy to incorporate, it doesn’t take much
Many couples are wanting new ways to include communal singing in their ceremonies, which don’t focus on religious songs, but can be anything from their favourite ‘couple’ song, to that special song that means something to them both or simply a song that they really like!
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logistical planning to include and doesn’t take up much time at all during the actual ceremony. In any case, do check with your marriage registrar or wedding celebrant to be sure. In terms of a civil ceremony, there may be a requirement that the song does not include any religious references or lyrics. So it is good to know in advance if a song is permitted or not, before you start to make plans for it. If you really like the idea of a incorporating a group song there are a few things that you will need to think about in order to make the singing take place without any hitches.
Choose your song wisely It is safe to say that the hardest part of communal singing is actually selecting the best song. There are songs which, although may be your favourites, might not necessarily be the easiest to sing communally. You will want to choose something that has a good, easy beat to follow and is not rhythmically challenging.
Queen’s ‘Bohemian Rhapsody,’ is a fun, well-known song for a group to sing, but it is also very difficult, with lots of key changes and shifting rhythms. Choosing a difficult song may be a little bit too much for your friends and family, unless you really are up for a challenge and don’t mind that the song may not resemble the original at all. For some couples, that can add to the fun! Beatles songs often make quite popular choices because they are well known and relatively easy to sing. Popular Beatles songs include, ‘All You Need is Love,’ ‘Here Comes the Sun’ and ‘I Wanna Hold Your Hand’. Elton John’s ‘Can You Feel the Love Tonight?’ and Pharell Williams’s ‘Happy,’ are also great song choices that most people know the melody and chorus to, which most definitely makes it easier to follow. Although, it is quite common for church ceremonies to have one or two songs, you will probably find that one song is more manageable and more convenient, without adding too much extra time on to the ceremony.
Organise a backing track or live musical accompaniment Once you have selected your song, the next step is to work out how you will play it during the ceremony. It is advisable to have musical accompaniment for when you and your guests are singing, since a cappella without music to follow is really not an easy feat, unless you’re Mariah Carey or Michael Bublé. If you are already planning to have live musicians, then it can be a really good idea to involve them in your group song. Many musicians are happy to learn a song for you (with a decent amount of practice time) and to play the instrumental version of it, which you can then sing along to. Some musicians who sing as well may also be happy to lead the song, so that you can have an expert voice to guide you through the song. This can give groups a bit more confidence, knowing that a professional singer is guiding them. If you aren’t having any professional musicians for your ceremony, or even a talented friend that could help in this respect, then the next step would be to find a backing track, preferably an instrumental version of the song of your choice, which can be played during the ceremony. Instrumental is better for making sure that your guests are singing along and supporting you, but if you can’t manage to find that version of the song, then a version with singing is just as good, so long as the actual singer doesn’t drown out everyone else’s voice.
inside you could have the lyrics projected onto a screen or wall from where you can all read them. Another option is to have the lyrics printed out. If you are planning to have an order of service booklet, then it is quite easy to add the lyrics to such a programme and, if not, you could quite easily print off the lyrics onto A4 or A5 sheets of card and hand them out one per couple, or have them placed on the seats ready. Some couples have been known to surprise their guests with the group song and so have waited until the last moment to hand out the lyric sheets and, in one case, a couple taped them under their seats!
Have fun!
Unless your choir has been specially trained by Gareth Malone, don’t have too high expectations of how your group singing efforts will sound. In most cases it probably won’t be the best that you’ve ever heard, but it will be a wonderful song that you have chosen, which is being sung earnestly by all of your nearest and dearest and that, in itself, is a very special thing. The key point is to have fun and enjoy the support and communal expression of love that all your guests are showing you. If you have fun with it, your guests will see this and it will help them to put any nerves or insecurities aside and simply enjoy themselves. This is also another good reason why choosing an upbeat song
works better than a slow, more serious song, as people can be more joyful and have fun while singing.
Including a song or two on your wedding day is a lovely way to bring your guests and families together in a communal spirit and a fun way to inject some humour and enjoyment into your ceremony and, as we’ve shown, it’s relatively easy to do. So what are you waiting for?
Provide the lyrics Even for the most well-known songs, it still is a good idea to provide the lyrics for your guests. If you are getting married
If you have a question for Natasha, don’t hesitate to drop her a line at: natashacjohnson@gmail.com CONFETI 91
Confeti News DAVID TOMS
Fundraiser Like many who know wedding photographer extraordinaire, David Toms and have been following his progress closely as he recuperates from his injuries at the specialist spinal unit in Toledo, we were delighted to hear of this latest initiative to raise funds for his treatment and rehabilitation. If you know David personally, have seen his wonderful photography, want to help with his medical fund or simply fancy a fun night out, please make your way to Avanto Restaurant at La Cala de Mijas on Saturday the 26th of November at 7:30pm sharp. The organisers – Lisa Franco of Bella Weddings in Spain and Scott Gibbons of Sunshine Weddings
– are planning an evening full of great food, raffles and auctions, profits from which will be donated to David’s fund. If the gods of technology smile on the event there will even be a live link-up with David and we are hoping to have a few words with him. Tickets are 55€ each and include a welcome drink and a three-course meal including wines, beers and soft drinks.
If you would like to support this event please contact Lisa on on 692 848 201 info@bellaweddingsinspain.com or Scott on 679 743 986; scott@sunshineweddings.com. We hope to see you there!
IG MADNESS We would like to thank Galia Lahav for sharing via Instagram our exclusive photo shoot featured in our last issue. Brides around the world admire her dresses and there are few women who wouldn’t love to walk up the aisle in one of her creations. CONFETI had record numbers of ‘Likes’, with over 92 CONFETI
14,000 giving the thumbs up to each one! Remember, if you’re a bride-tobe and planning your wedding then we would just love to be part of it! #confetibride to be featured. We would love to see how you’re getting on as your big day draws near.
CONFETI 93
Exotic
Wedding P lanning Conference CONFETI finds the key to a perfect Wedding in Barcelona
I
con Publishing, the team behind Confeti Magazine, recently experienced a two-day conference for Spain’s leading wedding planners and wedding solution providers. The event, organised by Exito in partnership with Turisme Barcelona, was held at the Hotel Fairmont Rey Juan Carlos I and was also attended by notable local wedding planners, such as Laura Charles of Reviva Weddings. The Confeti team viewed a mixture of panel discussions and keynote addresses on the subject of the latest trends in the European wedding planning industry. The think tank session was especially fruitful, with speakers covering various topics like Branding, Social Media, Client Relations, Vendor Management and more. One of the main themes was the necessity of improving Spain’s appeal as a wedding destination to Asian brides and grooms. This is most definitely an area in which the Confeti team has witnessed an increased interest and was keen to meet up with other industry professionals to discuss 94 CONFETI
ways in which Spain might be made even more attractive to prospective clients from Asia and the Indian subcontinent. Some of the most prominent names from the industry who helped deliver great content included :
• Chloe Atlan – Founder of Aava Wedding, France.
• Jonathan Waterman - Wedding and Events Planner, Coordination, Consultant, Toastmaster and MC at The Complete Toastmaster, UK.
• Cindy Salgado - Wedding Planner at Cindy Salgado Wedding Designs & Events, Italy.
• Bernadette Chapman Educational Director of UK Alliance of Wedding Planners, UK. • Kylie Carlson – CEO of International Academy of Weddings & Event Planning, UK. • Sandra Santoro, Managing Director of Wedding Planner at Getting Married in Italy. • Paola Shanahan – Director of Irish Weddings In Italy, Ireland. • Joan Estrada - Owner & Founder of Joan Estrada Special Weddings, Spain.
• Laura Charles - Owner and Director of Reviva Weddings, Spain. • Matthew Oliver Hiscutt – Director of Matthew Oliver Weddings, UK.
• Costanza Giaconi - Founder of Bianco Bouquet Weddings, Italy. • Laura Pérez - Founder & Team Leader at Crystal Events, Spain. The event was supported by CONFETI Magazine as media partners.
Licensed to thrill La Sala Gibraltar aboard the Sunborn super yacht hotel is now a licensed wedding venue offering couples a onestop glamorous location with impressive sea views.
Gibraltar is an extremely popular destination for couples seeking a ceremony in sunnier climes. Many choose to marry at a civil ceremony in Gibraltar and hold the celebrations in Spain, but La Sala Gibraltar’s new licence means that brides and bridegrooms can stay on the Sunborn for the stipulated night in Gibraltar prior to the nuptials, hold the ceremony on the Sunborn and the wedding breakfast as well. Yes, it’s a one-stop wedding venue where the entire bridal party can enjoy the occasion without having to leave the stylish surroundings of La Sala, Sunborn and the charming Ocean Village marina. After successfully hosting hundreds of engagement parties and weddings since it opened in June 2015, La Sala Gibraltar is proud to become the a licensed wedding ceremony venue on The Rock –an honour bestowed on a selected few -- and La Sala Gibraltar Restaurant & Bar is now officially open for all wedding celebrations, whether it’s the engagement party, the rehearsal dinner or the big day itself. If you’re looking to hold a wedding ceremony on the back deck overlooking the beautiful Ocean Village or your dream is an intimate wedding in our glamorous Sapphire Bar; La Sala’s team of professionals will provide the perfect style and area along with food and drink packages to suit you and your dream wedding. Organising your wedding celebrations at La Sala couldn’t be easier. Gibraltar’s Civil Status and Registration Office (CSRO) advises that couples contact them first to book a provisional booking before contacting La Sala – the contact details are at the end of this article. Only an official marriage registrar from the CSRO can conduct the ceremony, otherwise it wouldn’t be a legal union, so if you do want a Humanist celebrant for example, it is best to talk to the team at La Sala about ways in which you
can incorporate a blessing or a personalised exchange of vows into the day. The times allocated by CSRO for civil ceremonies on La Sala are as follows: Weekdays: 10am, 12pm or 2pm Weekdays After Hours: 4pm – 7pm Saturdays: 11am – 7pm Once you’ve made the provisional booking with the CSRO, contact La Sala and firm up a date. Couples will then have to submit all the documents required to the CSRO, and then they can continue with arranging their wedding with the help of the La Sala team. With so many stunning locations around the Sunborn yacht to choose from, it will be a hard to decide which is THE ONE for you, but the expert wedding planners will help you find the right one for the ceremony you want. The only legal stipulation that the CSRO makes is that the actual marriage ceremony cannot take place while people are being served drinks or food, if you opt for one a bar or restaurant area for this part of the day. Clearly, as this is a very special moment, nobody wants a noisy background; ideally you want quiet, shade in sunny weather and enough space to seat your guests comfortably. La Sala Gibraltar also has extensive experience of hosting live entertainment events, so couples will have the best artists and DJs in Gibraltar and
southern Spain to choose from, and its wedding organisers say that “whether you want a cocktail reception or an extravagant wedding celebration, we have music to complement all moods and tastes.” Add onto the new wedding venue licence La Sala’s three key ingredients of quality, value and service and you have a perfect venue for the big day – a La Sala wedding brings all your wedding celebrations together in one perfect place. La Sala – the only stop you need to make in the name of love.
Contact details: Civil Status and Registrations Office Gibraltar Email: marriages.csro@gibraltar.gov.gi Tel: +350 20072289 La Sala Gibraltar For more information about wedding and party packages at La Sala Gibraltar please call the private event coordinator Oliver
Medina +34 665 24 63 30 or email: oliver@salagroupholdings.com. La Sala Gibraltar Sunborn Yacht Hotel, Ocean Village, Gibraltar Reservations: +350 200 16 870 reservations@lasalagibraltar.com lasalagibraltar.com CONFETI 95
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Keeping your guests entertained can be a tricky task. With most weddings encompassing a wide variety of friends and family from different cultures and ranging from babies to grandmas and granddads, brides and grooms are pulling out all the stops.
video that went viral overnight. Melissa Molinaro, a dancer and model, became an internet sensation after her amazing wedding performance with her bridesmaids for her groom and guests. In total, this was a seven minute dance routine to several songs, including some
of Beyonce’s biggest hits. Her hubby sat on a chair on the stage to get a front row seat at his new wife’s performance, with all the guests getting up on the dance floor at the end. It is a definite must-view on YouTube.
There are many cheap and cheerful ways to keep everyone occupied without breaking the wedding fund. One of CONFETI’s favourite stories from is from a recent wedding
A great way to shock and entertain your guests is a surprise performance; try a fun first dance that people aren’t expecting. You could even try to persuade your bridesmaids and groomsmen to get involved in a wedding flashmob!
1 Photo Booths
If you don’t fancy yourself as much of a dancer, there are plenty of other ways to entertain with live performers, magicians, cocktails shakers and chocolate fountains. The list is endless, but if you’re looking for some budget friendly ideas, check out Confeti’s top five fun and simple ways to make sure your guests have a blast.
Everyone loves to get involved in the photo action and photo booths are fast becoming a musthave at weddings. There’s lots of fun to be had and memories to be made. They are easy to create on a budget, just make some DIY props and signs, even a hang a giant frame somewhere and let your friends click and flash away.
4 Disposable Cameras
More fun for your snap happy friends and family! Place a disposable camera on each table. If you want to be really creative, make a checklist of moments for your guests to capture. Surely collecting the developed photos will show some funny surprises and capture some natural moments that you will love looking back on?
2 Advice for the newlyweds Create a station or include a little piece of card on the wedding breakfast table where guests can write down their advice for the newlyweds. This will give your guests something to think about and surely the results will be both heartwarming and, after a few drinks, most likely hilarious!
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3 One for the kids We all know weddings can result in a long day but if you’re inviting children to your wedding, the perfect way to keep them entertained is to make a kids’ table. Include some crayons and colouring books, maybe even some simple crafts; it’s a great way to keep them quiet, even if it is just for a little while.
5 Date Night Jar Another way for guests to have some input is with a date night jar. Ask them to make a suggestion for a date night, place it in your date night jar and then open one every week after the wedding. Wait to see what your guests have in store for you – it could be interesting! This is a great way to make memories of your special day last for weeks.
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