28 minute read
WEDDING STORIES
THE COUPLE Glen & Sandro
29 August 2020
Glen Vella: 37, a musician, and Sandro Zammit, 37, a learning support educator, were married at the Grand Ballroom Radisson Blu Resort, St Julian’s
SURPRISE PROPOSAL
Glen and Sandrowere together for over 16 years. The marriage conversation had come up several times, yet they felt that if they did take the step, they wanted to be married,and not in a civil union.
Same-sex marriage was legalised in September 2017 and they had planned a trip to Paris a month before. For Sandro it was the perfect place for a surprise proposal to Glen.
On the second day, Sandro informed Glen he had planned a day just for him andgave him a card and a gift. Asking Sandro to trust him, he blindfolded him, put him in new clothes and they went to meet a photographer. ThereSandrosaidhe had booked a photo shoot to create a timeless memory of their trip. “In a quiet spot with stunning views of the Eiffel Tower, while Glen was distracted posing for a photo, I quickly knelt and called him. He turned around, it was a pure surprise. I read a card I had written,and at the endI took the ring from my pocket and said: ‘Glen, will you marry me?’He was in so much shock he did not reply. We were so overwhelmed with emotion, we laughed and cried. Soon after we called our family and friends”, Sandro remembered. »
» “The proposal was more special than I could have ever imagined, and the surprise was better than I thought he’d be able to pull off”, added Glen. The couple’s invitations designed by Scic Crafts Studio echoed their theme of black, white, gold and silver colour combo, with some geometric shapes, included one of their favourite pictures together, and were printed by Bow and Ribbon.
A PERSONAL CEREMONY
Sandro and Glen wanted their venue to reflectthem as a couple. They considered the Greek amphitheatre in Ta’ Qali, where theyfirst met,but as their original date was April, it might have rained. Robert Samut Hall, Floriana, was approved by the Marriage Registry in two weeks. But,three weeks beforetheir wedding, one day before the marriage bans were published, new Covid-19 measures meant they hadtwo hours to find an alternative venue. »
» After quickly searching online they fell in love with the Grand Ballroom at the Radisson Blu Resort, St Julian’s, butthey also wanted to see roundit. Within 30minutes of contacting the hotel they signed the contract. “We are thankful for the events manager for going above and beyond in everything. She was so patient with this last minute change that stressed the life out of us”, they exclaimed.
And they dressed in style.“When it comes to formal attire we always choose Charles and Ron. We wanted a black and white combination. Glen loves shimmer and sparkle. He chose a black sequin jacket. Sandro opted for a white self-patterned jacket. Charles and Ron created stunning complementing looks, showing our personality and style”, they explained.
They made an easy choice to wear matching wedding rings, by both picking the same ring. »
» And, on their 19th anniversary was their ceremony, the most meaningful part of the wedding. They put a lot of effort into creating something authentic and meaningful. Noel Formosa, a close friend was legally able to officiate at the wedding, making it all the more personal and special.
“One of the most beautiful parts of the ceremony was our vows. We wrote them as a surprise for each other. We still recall every word said, every laugh and every tear of joy that we shed. We held hands tight during the whole ceremony and we could feel each other’s heartbeat and emotional state”, they remembered. They also honoured their parents by having them hand overtheir wedding rings, which were byBeldiam Gioielleria.
They sharedtheir story with their guests through a biography video including the silliest, happiest and most loving moments of their love story. Music by Animae Gospel Choir, directed by Pamela Bezzina, assisted by Angela Tirchett, and Paul Giordimaina wasespecially memorable, and a highlight was the speeches by their nephews and nieces, witnesses and Grooms’ Squad.
“Singing the song This is Why I Love You to Sandro was another emotional moment for us all”, Glen added.
“At the end, although we had to adjust our plans, we still pulled off an unforgettable ceremony”, they concluded.
TRADITIONAL, BUT DIFFERENT
Choosing Giardini Lambrosa by Elia was their easiest planning decision.They knew the food is of the highest standard, and booked without looking elsewhere. But new measures meant the ‘normal Maltese’ standup reception had to become a seven-course dinner. Thanksgo to Clifton Vella for creating an exquisite menu and ensuring everything went exactly as planned, and Alfsons Ent. Ltd for drinks. »
» They had two cakes, one dummy cake for the ceremonial cutting, one real packed in individual boxes for guests to enjoy at home.Sandro’s romantic vision for both ceremony and venue decor was created by Arnold Sammut and Paul Target, assisted by the Grooms’ Squad. IlWarda Flower Shop provided flowers for the ceremony and reception.
Their first dance was a surprise selfchoreographed song and dance mash-up of various songs ending with their song Hero by Enrique Iglesias. Glen sang and Sandro danced. “It was a lovely moment for us both. We had so much fun practising and we’re so glad we did it because it was a huge hit“, they recalled.
The Residents band, exclusive to Tunin Entertainment, played and Miriam Christine sang Bi Ftit Kliem for the parents’ dance – a heartfelt tribute to a parent’s unconditional love for a son. »
» Guests couldn’t dance, but most of them were singers and each gave their own performances, which were greatly appreciated, as were the table games and souvenir portraits of each guest,taken by their photographer and printed on the spot.
For funeveryone received a mask and small bottle of sanitizer, plus a succulent plant in a terracotta pot decorated by Sandro with the words‘hope/joy/pride/unity/dream’.
The couple planned every detail of their wedding themselves, and then had to rethink it all in only two weeks.“But thankfully support came in many forms, with the love, support, generosity and time that our Grooms’ Squad, and so many caring friends and family gave us. We were surrounded by the love of our family and friends,who were as excited and overjoyed to watch us seal our love as we were”,they said.
Glen and Sandro would also like to thank the following people who made their day so special
◊ GROOMS’ STYLING Hair design - The Barber by Alessandro, Makeup - Jennifer the Makeup Artist
◊ GUESTS’ MAKEUP AND HAIR Style Lounge, Josmar’s Classic Scissors, Screen Hair Salon; Antonio’s Barber Shop, Jean Zammit, Claire Falzon, M Salon, Hair to Go.
◊ WEDDING PARTY AND GUESTS’ WEAR Milù by Mimi, Icon of Style, Natasha’s His and Hers, La Gatta Boutique.
◊ STAGING AND EFFECTS Videography and Stage, Lights and Projection Mad Promotions-Arnold Sammut. Sound Best Team – Engineers: Daniel Buttigieg and Keith Bunce.
◊ ARTISTS AND ENTERTAINMENT. Biography Clip - Olwyn Jo Saliba; DJ - Chris Brown; Host - Debbie Scerri; Band at Ceremony - Chris Borg, Joe Degabriele, Alex Debono; Reception singers - Pamela Bezzina, Angela Tirchet, Debbie Scerri, Nadine Axisa, Rhiannon Micallef, Jackie Pace Delicata, Anna Azzopardi, Louisa Frendo Wirth, Claire Caruana, Amber Bondin, Josef Tabone, Ryan Grech and Fabian Galea.
◊ TRANSPORT Route 66 Limousine Services, and also Dave Cuschieri.
“August 29, 2020 will always be remembered as the best day of our lives.” –Glen and Sandro
SIMPLY PERFECT
Photography | TSZ Photography Malta
THE COUPLE Valentina & Jurgen
18 July 2020
Valentina Maggi, 28, an accountant, and Jurgen Borg, 25, a police constable were married at Pergola Hotel & Spa, Mellieha.
A ROMANTIC PROPOSAL Back in 2018,in beautiful Mellieha, Valentina received a romantic proposal from Jurgenand the couple planned their wedding day for June 5th, 2020. But, due to the Covid-19 situation they decided to postpone their wedding further to ensure their guests’ safety. However, they did not give up on getting married in the year 2020 and decided to continue with their civil wedding,followed by an intimate reception with their loved ones.
They decided to go for a very different style from their original wedding. “Our wedding theme may be described as a vintage wedding inspired by 1920s”,they explained.
“Since this wedding was organised in six weeks,and given the fact that we celebrated the day with our intimate family and not having a large number of guests,we opted to visit every guest and announce their invitation to the wedding personally, which made it even more special,” they added. »
» RELAXED INTIMACY
Valentina and Jurgen opted for a simple location, so Pergola Hotel& Spa was theirbest choice, with a relaxed atmosphere for a civil wedding, theperfect ambiance for their reception,and a breathtaking backdrop for the photos.
“As a couple we love Mellieha as it reminds us of our engagement”, they said.“It offered a magnificent view of the Mellieha church, whilst having a tranquil atmosphere whilst we said our ‘I dos’. For us it included everything we wanted for our intimate wedding.”
To suit their vintage wedding theme, Valentina selected a sparkling silver wedding dress,as opposed to a soft white dress. Her vintage hairstyle, by Marie Claire Hairdressing, including soft curls, and 20s-shaped red lips, by Sarah Doublet, were complimented by red nails, by Soshique Beauty Clinic. “For my something borrowed I decided to go for a simple silver bracelet, borrowed from my mum for good luck”, she said.
As the groom, Jurgen selected a more relaxed style and pickedthe smart-casual look, of a classic three piece grey suit.
After consulting their florist, Fior Di Rita, Valentina decided to go for a very simple elegant bouquet of baby roses together with gypsophila;and Jurgen wore a baby rose buttonhole.
Their rings were exactly what they chose for the original wedding, however, with multiple date changes, they wisely decided not to have their wedding day, date but only their names engraved inside the rings. »
» A TRULY WARM RECEPTION
Having a small wedding, gave Valentina and Jurgen the opportunity to take care of the décor for the venue, themselves. Theyincluded flower petals, scented candles and some personalised items such as the illuminated V and J initials,which complemented the wedding cake table perfectly, and added a red carpet by Aaron’s Carpet Service.
From Pergola Hotel& Spa catering they chosevarious items of finger food for their guests, so they could continue to enjoy each other’s company and the lovely atmosphere of the reception at the same time, and their traditional two-tier almond cake wedding cake topped with a personalised silver wedding topper showing both their names.
“We had our first danceto our song, Over and Over Again, by Nathan Sykes. After which we danced the night away, together with loved ones, to some of our favourite tunes”, the couple remembered. And they even managed to steal a dance with their much adored nephew, who was dying to dance with the new bride and groom.
And, as a memento of such a happy wedding Valentina and Jurgen chose souvenirs which were completely different from the ones they originally planned.“We wanted something useful whilst being special enough for our wedding day. We decided to opt for homemade carob syrup from Talpe, having our personalised tag, showing the details of our wedding day”, they explained. »
THANKS FOR FINE DETAILS
The couple agreed their wedding would not have been the same without their event coordinator at Pergola Hotel& Spa, Jonathan Grima, who was only a call away and there to help in case they needed anything. He was also kind enough to offer to organise all the decor for their wedding so as they didn’t need to worry about the details on the actual day. Since they had to postpone their wedding day due to the Covid-19 situation, they decided to keep the wedding under wraps for the people who were not invited, in case they needed to postpone the wedding yet again. “You can imagine the reaction of various family and friends when they found out we got married from a Facebook post the day after the wedding. It was something that not all couples can do, and the reaction we had afterwards was priceless”, they remembered.
With family and friends
Photography | The Fotorgrafer
THE COUPLE Cressida & Matthew
22 August 2020
Cressida Graham; 25, a business support officer, and Matthew Sacco; 29; a maintenance manager, were married at St Lawrence Parish church, Vittoriosa.
PICTURE BOOK PROPOSAL A fter a 10 years relationship it was time to get married, soMatthew proposed to Cressida in Mdina. “Cressida thought that this was going to be a normal date night. I had already planned everything and informed the headwaiter about what would happen”, Matthew explained. When dessert was served,the headwaiter brought a gift for Cressida. She opened it and found an album full of pictures the couple had taken up to that date. On turning one of the last pages,Cressida heard a proposal coming from the album. Whenshe turned the last page she found a box set intothe album. There Matthew had placed the ring for her to take. The album was cleverly created by The Fotografer, Fgura, and the engagement ring was from Alencia.
After a few months wedding preparationsbegan. Cressida and Matthew alreadyhad a clear idea of what they needed, and having Mathew’s father Twanny as theirorganiser helped the process. “Little did we know that all the plans would be revoked,given the situation we are in. The date was set for 22 June,2020. However,like many other couples we had to postpone. Our new date was set to 22August,2020, and after a rough road we were determined to do it”,they said. »
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» With no specific theme, the couple both knew what they wanted. They filled both church and reception with flowers, and wanted people to feel they were in heaven on earth. They designed their invitations together with Charlene, at Foilplus, and particularly wanted to include all the details in the simplest form. They also used the venue and church as the backgrounds fortheir invitations.
A HISTORIC LOCATION
Matthew and Cressida chose St Lawrence church for their ceremony. “The church was chosen on two factors;the kind of church it is big, artistic and historic, and its location. We wanted to cross from Birgu Waterfront to Valletta by means of a yacht. We kept this as a surprise and informed all the groomsmen and bridal team after the Mass that we were going to the reception in style”, they remembered. Cressida arrived at the church courtesy of Borg Car Rental. There, flower arrangements by John Fleur & Kevin, harp solos by Esmeralda,from Harpist Malta andmarvellous singing by Raquela,booked through Tunin Entertainment, plus a carpet by Wedding Bells & Carpet Service, created their heavenly scene. »
» From a very young age Cressida had always had in mind how her dream dress would be. To have that exact dress she decided it should be tailor made. Thanks to Joe Parnis and the miracle hands of His & Hers Tailoring, her dream came true. She also wore a headpiece from Eve’s and comfortable shoes from Mariage. Her wedding jewellery, from ZsaZsa, was a gift from her parents.
“My bouquet was a bit different than the normal since it was not made out of real flowers but instead it was all made from handmade Ganutel flowers by my father in-law Twanny Sacco”, Cressida added.
Matthew wore a three-piece navy blue suit with a Chinese style jacket collar and distinctive print design, from The Groom Collection.
The couple had chosen their rings on a family holiday abroad and they were a special gift.
A VENUE WITH A DIFFERENCE
Matthew and Cressida wanted their wedding venue to be different. They loved Lower Barraka Gardens at first sight, and once they had been to a wedding there that was it. And they made sure their guests would have the best possible time.
Anton and Matthew from Anton Décor took care of the stage and all lighting.
Together with Busy Bee, they created an excellent, mesmerizing menu with a serving method appropriate for the situation. Cressida’s father Charles Graham, manufactured specialised trolleys so the staff could take and deliver orders safely. All their guests gave them very good feedback on the selection and quality.
Damian’s Cocktail Bar did a fantastic job with the welcome drink, from a punch bar at the entrance because no bars were allowed. Gin, whisky bar and Popcorn Freak-Shake as a dessert cocktail were also served. »
“Everyone did their utmost to make this wedding a success and for this we are very grateful.” –Cressida & Matthew
» Music was in the hands of Brass House Unit for entertainment and the first dance. “Both Cressida and I used to dance, so we wanted to create a special dance. The first dance was a mix of Argentinian Tango, Tango, and Rumba. We even performed a group dance with all our friends”, the couple remembered.
There were also fireworks by Donovan Desira.
GRATEFUL THANKS
Matthew and Cressida’s wedding may have required special measures, including temperature taking. But Edgar Borg ensured the venue was clean as possible, General Cleaners provided portable toilets and ACJ Cleaning Service kept them very clean. Joseph and Clint provided covers for all the benches at the reception. Everyone from The Fotografer gave continuous help and professionalism. Paul took the video. The couple are also grateful to Andrew Magri for trips from one waterfront to the other, Lower Barrakka Kiosk owner Carol, for her help and patience, Elaine’s Hair Salon, Mosta for the bride team’s hair, Jennifer Dimech for make-up, The Groom Collection for the groomsmen’s outfits, and their parents and friends for being the backbone of their wedding.
A Christmas wedding
Photography | Fenbros Productions
THE COUPLE Roseanne & Keith
8 December 2019
Roseanne Saliba, 32, an HR & administration officer, and Keith Grech, 35, a chief financial officer, were married in Ta’ Giezu Church Valletta.
While Keith was an aviation company CFO, and Roseanne was working in the VIP lounge at Malta International Airport, they developed a crush on one another.However, Keith’s responsibilities meant he was abroad more than in Malta. The couple texted to keep in touchbut then decided it was the time to start dating seriously, and Keith opted for an alternative job, with less travelling.
Keith proposed on New Year’s Eve,2018 in Eurodisney – Paris. “I can remember Keith being so shy and taking long to get the words out; however I was over the moon with the lovely ring that he had bought for me”, said Roseanne.
For their wedding invitations, by Party Supplies, by Sabrina,the couple used a gold and ivory design, in keeping with their theme of a Christmas Palace. »
» AN EMOTIONAL CEREMONY
The couple chose Ta’ Giezu Church because of Roseanne’s childhood memories of spending a lot of time with her grandparents,who lived just across from Ta Giezu church. From a young age she ran in the Valletta streets with her late uncle,who was to be her witness,but passed away a week before the big day. “To keep him with us in spirit we put a nice photograph of him in the reception venue to remember his presence,as he was a second father to me”, she recalled.
Rosanne arrived in a car from Borg Garage. There was a red carpet, by Joe Farrugia Carpet Service, and music by harpist Dr Lydia Buttigieg and soprano Nadia Vella.Rosanne wore a dress from Mariage,a ball gown,all in fine lace, trimmed with small pearls. “It simply described how I am. I have always wanted a ball gown dress and as soon as I tried this on I told my mother‘this is it’”, she said.Ivory satin shoes by Ted Baker,a long, lace-edged veil and a dainty pearl headdress complimented the dress.
For jewellery she wore a carat diamond pendant necklace, a gift from her parents for her wedding day, and a pair of diamond carat earrings which was a present from her beloved late uncle. “He was so proud when he chose them for me”, she added. And she carried a bouquet of white roses.
The couple exchanged customised rings from Alencia. Keith’s ring was all white gold,and Roseanne’s was a half circle of diamonds. »
» Keith decided on a grey Tuxedo, from The Knot, Fgura.And hegave Roseanne a sentimental present of a semi eternity ring including five diamonds, “This means that we are eternal till death do us part”, he said. Adding: “It was very emotional and when I saw my wife coming down the aisle,I couldn’t believe that our day had really arrived–to be as one.”
A PALATIAL RECEPTION
The couple fell in love with their venue, Tal-Palazz Montekriso,the moment they set foot in it; with its the large chandeliers anda long pathway to the palazzoitself. And Ruben’s Décorturned it all into a fairytale palace.
Keith being head of finance for Busy Bee, settled the couples’ choice of caterer,and they were delighted. From the carvery and chocolate tables, to the ice sculptures and their wedding cake – a plain white cake, of one layer with fine lace and the other all decorated in fine white flowers, they made the day extra wonderful.
Another highlight was a splendid fish table,from Rosanne’s mother’s family, which included lobster and oysters and made a grand centre piece in the courtyard. »
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» Entertainment was in the hands of The Tailors, with singer Neville Refalo. Unusually, their first dance was a waltz as Roseanne is a pianist and very passionate about classical music. The couple were coached by Alistair and Melanie Chetcuti – Pro Touch Dance School, and swirled in a haze of ‘mist’ as the chandeliers shone and dimmed. Guests were treated to very original souvenirs ofMeraki Soaps from the St Jeanne Antide Foundation,andMango Chutney Paste and Red Wine Chutney in small jars, by Busy Bee. As her wedding ended Rosanne danced the Senorita, in a cha cha style dressmade by her mother and seamstress Bessie Caruana, who helped her mother design and plan all the bridesmaids’ dresses. The couple departed asmusic synchronized with fireworks under a sky full of stars.
“We are still dreaming about our special day. It was a fairytale one.” –Rosanne & Keith
