Gorgeous Details
Malcolm Hammond & Alison Steadman
WEDDINGDAY: 16 June 2012
When you only have four months to plan a wedding in a foreign country you have never visited, and you are doing it from the other side of the world, you definitely need a wedding planner. Malcolm and Alison knew they made the right choice when they approached Anna Spiteri Borg and her husband Marvik who run a company called Malta Event Design. They immediately took over the details, starting with the permits and legalities required for a seaside wedding ceremony. “It was a challenge to keep within the time frame to ensure that it would be a legally binding wedding,” Anna admits. “We needed legal documents from Australia while the couple where still residing in the UK so keeping to deadlines was imperative.” But first, how did these two meet? Malcolm and Alison have known each other since they were children growing up in the same town in Central Queensland, Australia. They dated for a couple of months during their first year of university, Alison then moved to another city and they lost touch.
“Fast forward sixteen years to 2011 and through the wonders of Facebook, we got back in touch. By then Malcolm was living in the UK and I was living in Canberra, Australia. After spending a couple of months chatting over the Internet we decided to holiday together in Thailand. We saw each other for a few days in Australia over Christmas and New Year’s while Malcolm was in Australia. By the time Malcolm was heading back to the UK, we knew that we were still in love and wanted to be together forever,” says Alison. They didn’t actually become officially engaged until 18 days before the wedding as they were waiting for Alison’s ring to arrive. “We had commissioned it from a jeweller in Western Australia who specializes WD | 52
in featuring champagne diamonds in their designs. On a beautiful, clear spring evening in May, Malcolm took me to my favourite lookout that overlooked the village we lived in, and proposed.” Alison took time off work to join Malcolm in the UK for four months and started doing research on wedding destinations. “We wanted somewhere hot and sunny like Australia! I came across a wedding photographer’s blog from Malta and fell in love with the scenes of a wedding at Dwejra (featured in Wedding Day’s July issue). Malcolm agreed that we had found the perfect place, a date was chosen, and after some more research I contacted the wonderful Anna and Marvik to begin planning and to present us with the best options.”
FIRST LOOK! an element of surprise can make even the smallest wedding EXCITING!
“The day was about us and the commitment we were pledging to each other”
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Apart from wanting to get married at Dwejra, the couple really hadn’t thought of much else. They just wished for a very personal and intimate wedding and Anna made sure their wish came true by putting together the kind of set-up and design they had dreamt of. “After we chose the kind of music, cake and menu we wanted, our wedding planners provided us with just the right suppliers who exceeded our expectations.” Alison didn’t want a traditional long white dress but was looking for something more along the lines of a 1950s tea dress. “My best friend travelled to Sydney to meet me for a girls’ weekend and to help me make a decision. In the end, it was the second dress that I had tried on, by Australian designer Alannah Hill, that I eventually chose. To go with my dress, I custom designed a handmade jewelled sash from Twisted Crystals on Etsy. I also custom designed and had handmade two pairs of shoes from Australian online company Shoes of Prey - four and half inch platform peep toes in white silk with light pink glitter; and a more practical pair of flip-flops in hot pink snakeskin.” Alison didn’t really have a theme in mind: “Anna knew that I wanted something elegant and stylish but still casual. On the day, the way Anna and Marvik had set up the location at Dwerja was simply beautiful and the table setting that Anna made for us at the restaurant was stunning.
“I had no idea what it would look like or what she was planning so on the day it was an absolute surprise and I couldn’t have been more pleased. We didn’t even see each other all dressed up until the very last minute.” Opting for a small wedding with very few close friends does not mean one has to forego any of the excitement usually associated with big weddings. “The couple agreed not to visit the ceremony venue beforehand, but left it up to me to design it according to their personal tastes in order to retain the element of surprise. It was a priority to give the party privacy even though we did not have full exclusivity at the reception venue,” Anna points out. “Looking back, what we both love about our wedding day is how much fun we had, but also how the day was about us and the commitment we were pledging to each other,” says the couple. “We weren’t stressed and thanks to Anna and Marvik, they ensured that we didn’t have to worry about anything so that our day would be perfect.” Unfortunately neither of their parents were able to join them for the wedding and the short notice meant that there were only four guests. “One of my closest childhood friends flew in from Australia, and Malcolm also had one of his high school mates from Australia fly in. Two of Malcolm’s friends from the UK also joined us.”
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“But what made it even more special was that everyone who was there, from the videographer, photographer, the planner, the Mayor Anthony Formosa who married us, our musicians and chauffeur joined us in the celebrations of cutting the cake and drinking champagne. Everyone was so friendly which made us able to relax and enjoy our day. We fell in love with Gozo - the people, the way of life and we will most probably be back to celebrate our first wedding anniversary.”
Style Book Photography George Saguna Wedding Planner & CONCEPT Malta Event Design VIDEOGRAPHER Jonathan Grech LOCATION Dwejra, Gozo GROOM’s TUXEDO Cefai Formal Wear ACCOMMODATION Tal Kittara farmhouse, GozoBreak