real wedding
Smith Profession: Retail Manager
I Age: 26
Name of Groom: Simon
I Age: 27
Name of Bride: Rachel
Gauci
Profession: Self-employed
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Date of Wedding: 3rd
March 2012 Ceremony and Wedding Venue: Le Meridien, St Julian’s
romance
on the rooftop
Throughout their wedding preparations Rachel and Simon were looking forward to the romance of the ceremony and the brilliant buzz of the reception. Together they crafted the perfect big day, and they tell Jo Caruana all about it here. Some things are just meant to be, and recently-wed couple Simon and Rachel certainly seem to slot into that category. They started dating seven years ago and have been together ever since. “Five years down the line I received a surprise birthday present – a four-night trip to Rome,” smiles Rachel, as she recalls Simon’s perfectly-planned proposal. On the couple’s first night in the Italian capital they decided to go for a nice meal and found a traditional restaurant that fit the bill. “Once we’d ordered Simon said that he had something planned, and I assumed it was one of his usual jokes. But then he brought out a box, popped it open to reveal a ring inside, and asked me to marry him. I laughed and asked if it was a prank, but quickly realised it wasn’t… which is when I started crying! I was over the moon and said yes, of course.” Rachel and Simon got going on their wedding plans pretty quickly after they got back from their trip. “We debated for ages on whether we wanted a winter or summer wedding, and finally settled on 3 March 2012 as the perfect date. That left us with just over a year and a half to plan the big day! We knew immediately that we
wanted it to be lots of fun, with a buzzing atmosphere and plenty for our friends and family to remember.” Both Simon and Rachel have full time jobs, which made finding the time to plan everything a little harder. “That’s when we decided to get some outside input,” says Rachel with a grin. “So a friend suggested we contact wedding planner Sarah Young and we
jumped at the idea. Sarah and her team organised everything, and even helped stress levels to remain as low as possible. This meant Simon and I could really enjoy the process, have fun and relish the final few days in the run up to tying the knot.” The couple chose Le Meridien St Julian’s as their venue, and their civil ceremony took place at 5.30pm on the rooftop with family and close friends present. “The party then kicked off at 7pm with a
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real wedding
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the finish. It all looked so pretty,” Rachel recalls with dreamy eyes. As you can imagine, one of the highlights for Rachel was choosing what she terms ‘the dress’. “I was a bag of nerves on the day I was going to try dresses on,” she states. “I tried a selection of nine dresses, but it was actually the first one that turned out to be the biggest hit! It was an incredible moment – standing there in the dress of my dreams, filled with emotion. There were quite a few tears that day!”
reception at the Ku De Ta Lounge. The setting was absolutely perfect and just what we wanted, as it was lovely and warm with a great modern feel to it.” Rachel and Simon wove their own personal taste through the day with a subtle colour theme of champagne gold and ivory. “We had ivory Calla lilies and roses, and crystal accessories to add to
The perfect dress turned out to be a mermaid-cut style with a heart-shaped neckline in ivory. It also had a lovely low back and a lot of detail, with a line of buttons to complement the trail, plenty of lace and little pearls and crystals. So, with the dress sorted and the preparations in check, Rachel and Simon looked forward to the big day.
“I was very relaxed on the morning itself. All the girls came over to my mum’s house and we got ready together. It was great to watch everything come together. “Naturally there were plenty of tears, too, especially for my mum. Although I am one of four daughters, I was the first to get married, so there was plenty of emotion involved.” The car arrived like clockwork at 4.30pm and Rachel and her dad set off in an ivory Cadillac. “I think that’s when it finally hit me that I was about to get married,” she says, remembering the excitement of the moment. “We pulled up at the venue and made our way to the rooftop. The wedding procession was led by my flower girl and pageboy, followed by my bridesmaids. Finally, my dad and I made our grand entrance.
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real wedding
“As I walked down the aisle everyone else seemed to vanish from view and I could only see Simon. We were just smiling and laughing at each other; I think it was the nerves kicking in!” A solo guitarist played throughout the ceremony. “It was really lovely and very intimate. It seemed to touch the hearts of everyone present, as everywhere I looked people were tearing up! Then, before we knew it, Simon and I were husband and wife, and that was it. It was a truly incredible moment.” It was then time to get the party started. The guests enjoyed the roof-top view for
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an hour or so, before heading downstairs to the reception, where people were already enjoying themselves. “It was just the atmosphere we hoped for – so much so that we had to postpone our first dance as some guests were already having a great time on the dancefloor!” The DJ entertained the crowd until 11pm, at which point the couple cut the cake and had their first dance. After this the band Rug took over to keep people dancing long into the night. “The party atmosphere was just what I’d always dreamed of, as I wanted people to have a good time. They certainly did, with my cousins starting a game of Limbo with
their ties on the dancefloor, and everyone having a laugh with the photo booth we had too.” The groom got in on the action, joining performer Gianni on stage to sing a couple of Bon Jovi songs to his new wife. “The day was so special for us – from the seamless organisation to the fact that I had relatives over from the UK who
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Photos By: rene Rossignaud | www.rossignaud.com
real weddings
Rachel and Simon’s Top Tips Never take decisions to accommodate other people's wishes. This is your big day, no one else's. Listen to opinions of course, but don't feel you have to follow them as it's your decision that counts. Remember that, unfortunately, you can't please everyone. I hadn’t seen for a while; I loved every second. “We were having so much fun that I didn’t want the night to end but, of course, it had to at some point. Thankfully we have beautiful photos and a video recording in hand, so we can keep reliving the memories day after day.” After the wedding, and to give themselves
a fairytale ending, Rachel and Simon flew to Thailand for a three-week honeymoon touring Bangkok, Chiang Mai, Phuket and Koh Samui. “It was the perfect mix of adventure for Simon and relaxation for me,” Rachel adds. “From the elephant rides and river rafting to drinking cocktails and relaxing on the white sands, it was magical, and the perfect start to our married life together.”
If you know you're really busy and that extra planning will stress you out, engage the services of a wedding planner. Sarah Young certainly helped to make our day go smoothly and we relished every minute! Make an effort to enjoy it – it's once in a lifetime and flies by so quickly. Before you know it, it's been and gone!