Confetti_Spr_10_p88-90:Confetti_real wed template
14/12/2009
11:33
Page 88
Mo travelled to Milan to have her dress fitted at couture house, Atelier Aimee
Rock the Casbah The couple Mo & Mark
Mo Kelly, artist and DJ and Mark Murphy, music producer and musician Laid back simplicity in the gorgeous sun-drenched backdrop of the island of Malta 88
Mo and Mark married in a blaze of festival-like colour in the ancient medina of Malta’s old city PHOTOGRAPHY: Mark Nixon, W: marknixon.com
o and Mark met eleven years ago through friends at school, but their relationship didn’t become official until both of them had traveled and experienced life in other cities. “I went backpacking and Mark went to live in New York. When we both got home and met at a party, I was like wow!” Mark says that when he saw Mo again after all that time that
M
he knew he was in love straight away. Very quickly the two started spending all their time together until they knew that was it. Mark proposed on a holiday in Spain on Mo’s birthday. The original plan was to pop the question at a fancy restaurant, which Mark had been recommended, but when they got there he decided that it didn’t feel like the right mood at all.
Confetti_Spr_10_p88-90:Confetti_real wed template
14/12/2009
11:36
Page 89
REAL WEDDINGS
“The Iris was my theme, colour and ‘power’ flower for the wedding”
“We took pictures of all the guests the day before at the BBQ and printed them out to use instead of name cards”
“It was low season and we ended up being the only people there! Even though it was a beautiful room when I asked could they dim the lights they said ‘no es possible’. The waiter hovered and made android noises,” says Mark. In the meantime Mo was a little bit confused. “I thought Mark was acting a bit weird but I didn’t suspect anything. When we got back to the apartment I stepped into the bathroom to grab some tissues and when I came out ten seconds later the place was filled with lighted candles and Mark was down on one knee. The penny finally dropped!” The couple decided they didn’t want to have a hugely long engagement - “we had been going out so long anyway” - and gave themselves nine months to organise the day. “We decided to get married in Malta, as my family had a summer home there where I spent many childhood summers,” says Mo “It’s a beautiful Island and I have happy memories there with my mum, who passed away last www.confetti.ie
89
Confetti_Spr_10_p88-90:Confetti_real wed template
14/12/2009
11:37
Page 90
REAL WEDDINGS The details Dress Atelier Aimee, Milan, W:aimee.it Bridesmaids Bari Jay, T: 01 2350863 W: barijay.com. Headpieces to order by Jacqueline Layton Hat designer W: jacqldesigns.com Menswear Dolce and Gabbana, Via Montenapoleone, Milan Flowers By Bjorn, also organised through wedding planner Cake Created by Rowena (Castello Pastry chief) Stationery: Mo painted her own invites and made her own favours Wedding Planner Sarah Young W: weddingplannermalta.com Transport Organised through wedding planner DJ/Band Friends of the couple Morgan, Adam and Arveen - DJed while a local string quartet was hired for the dinner music Rings Custom made by David Blackman. T: 01 677 0201 Service St Pauls Cathedral, Madina Reception Castello Zammitello, Mgarr, Malta Photographer Mark Nixon, T: 01 8186630 W: marknixon.com Honeymoon Malta for two weeks and then Florida, The Bahamas and New York
year. There are lots of amazing churches and outdoor venues and is warm most of the year round so we knew it would be perfect for a wedding at the end of September.” Mo and Mark took a recce there in early 2009, contacting wedding planner Sarah Young through her website. On arrival they had venue viewings lined up, which is a great time saver for a couple marrying abroad. “Although I know the island well, it was brilliant to have a planner; you need to have somebody onsite and Sarah is, without a doubt, the best! Sarah came highly recommended through a friend and it’s the best decision we made.” The couple viewed a number of places and narrowed it down to two, settling on a venue where they could go as loud and as late with the music as possible. “This is fairly essential when you have a load of musicians and DJs 90
www.confetti.ie
The bridesmaids’ headpieces were hand-made to order by hat designer, Jacqueline Layton. “She actually dyed them to match the three bridesmaids dresses which is an amazing service,” says Mo
“It’s a beautiful island and I have very happy memories there with my mum, who passed away last year” coming to your wedding,” says Mo. Mo says that the fact she had a planner meant that she had a lot more free time to do other things. “I hand-painted 108 of my invites, for example, and also set up a wedding website with all the necessary information for guests - this was a really handy tool.” There were two pre-wedding events - a Friday night boat trip around the island and a Saturday barbeque. The day itself sailed by in a sea of warmth, sunshine and good times. Highlights for Mo were talking to her dad in the car on the way to the church, Mark lifting her veil and dancing at the reception. “The best advice I can give to other couples is just to relax and enjoy the day. It’s meant to be fun and it is fun. Just think of it as organising a big party with all your favourite people around you and you get to dress up!”