Confeti Winter 2015

N Stunning Real Wedding INSPIRATION

Crimson Dreams A TOUCH OF

RED

I

WINTER 2015

Spanish Bride ELEGANT & STYLISH BRIDAL FASHION

City of

Love

FASHION FROM

VENICE

by Inbal Dror

Spain, Gibraltar and The Balearics’ dedicated wedding bible

by r e c om m en d at ion & ap p oi n tm en t P u erto ba n Ăşs , M a r be ll a

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de l af ue n t e f i n e j e w e l l e r y .com

by r ec om m en d at ion & ap p oi n tm en t P u erto ba n Ăşs , M a r be ll a

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FUSION OF INTERNATIONAL AND MODERN CUISINE

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For further information about our wedding packages, please contact us:

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T: +34 952 494 935

N

Winter 2015

Features, advice, tips, ideas and suggestions to help arrange THE PERFECT WEDDING IN SPAIN AND GIBRALTAR

Stunning Real Wedding INSPIRATION

Cover Stories 16 A Touch Of Red

Make a bold statement with a dramatic splash of Red on your big day

18 Elegant Romance

Our stunning bridal wear shoot at the Beautiful Villa Padierna

26 City of Love

CONFETI brings you Inbal Dror’s stunning new bridal collection from the enchanted canals of Venice

48 Real Weddings

We have a whopping twelve real weddings for you in this issue for ideas and inspiration

Fashion 34 Designer Profile

Christina Tamborero tells us what we can expect from her gorgeous gowns

Beauty 42 Beautiful Bridesmaids Jonathan Scott Yeadon brings us the prettiest hairstyles for maids of honour and bridesmaids

44 Bridal Beauty

Jess Miles brings us the beauty do’s and don’ts for your big day

48 Real Weddings Read about other couples’ wedding experiences here on the coast

Details

88 Ask the Expert

Natasha Johnson offers us some expert advice on breaking from tradition and embracing your own identity

94 CONFETI’s

Address Book The best professionals, specialists and services

98 Love, Love,

Love This

We choose our favourite wedding dress from our real weddings this season.

Crimson

I

WINTER 2015

Spanish Bride ELEGANT & STYLISH BRIDAL FASHION

City of

Dreams A TOUCH OF

RED

Love

FASHION FROM

VENICE

by Inbal Dror

Spain, Gibraltar and The Balearics’ dedicated wedding bible

Cover Photo: Inbaldror.co.il

Staff PUBLISHER Andy Clark andy@iconpublishing.es CREATIVE TEAM Constanza Martínez constanza@iconpublishing.es Alma Roda Ros alma@iconpublishing.es FEATURES EDITOR Natalie Rose Kern natalie@iconpublishing.es

78 A Wedding Fair to Remember

HEAD OF COMMERCIAL Avi Hassidoff avi@iconpublishing.es

86 Roses are Red

ADVERTISING EXECUTIVE Gabriel Moya Gonzalez gabriel@iconpublishing.es

Read all about CONFETI’s inaugural wedding show Padre Peter brings us a history of the language of flowers - from the ancient Greeks to Prince William and Kate Middleton

EDITORIAL ASSISTANTS Charlotte Jacques charlotte@iconpublishing.es Jessica Rose Miles jess@iconpublishing.es EDITORIAL TEAM India Baltran, Eleanor McKenzie CONTRIBUITORS Natasha Johnson, Padre Peter, Nicola McGeorge, Chicas Dj

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.

Sisko Sisters at Villa Padierna Hotel Photography By Juanlu Rodriguez Page 24-31

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.

www.confetimagazine.com

· barefoot and black-tie ceremonies on the shores of the Mediterranean · · spectacular views · 5 star service · exquisite cuisine · Kosher facilities · · luxury accommodation · expert in-house wedding planner ·

Puente Romano Beach Resort & Spa · Bulevar Príncipe Alfonso von Hohenlohe, s/n · 29602 · Marbella · Spain (+34) 952 820 900 · puenteromano.com · weddings@puenteromano.com

Winter 2015

WOW! Your

Winter Wedding

I

t has been a beautiful wedding season this year and we have seen some simply stunning weddings taking place here in Marbella; from grandiose decadent revelry at the sumptuous Villa Padierna to intimate family gatherings in private villas.

There have been blissful beach weddings and beautiful, boho country affairs in cortijos and vineyards… yes, Andalucía truly affords some of the most gorgeous venues and settings for holding your big day – and CONFETI is thrilled to have attended so many of these handsome events – to bring you the prettiest and most stylish real weddings up and down the coast for inspiration for YOUR BIG DAY! We hosted our inaugural CONFETI Wedding Fair on board the Sunborn super yacht and the many months of preparation and planning paid off as the event was a roaring success and a truly worthwhile and enjoyable event for the public, our exhibitors, the many brides-tobe who attended – and of course us! The CONFETI team, who were rewarded with a weekend of happy customers and wedding festive cheer, smiles and great feedback.

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Following such a successful event we have already set the cogs in motion for not one – but two wedding fairs next year and we are eagerly planning our spring wedding extravaganza, which will be held on the Sunborn and we are busily taking bookings for stalls and are preparing a programme of events and some fabulous entertainment to make this show truly rock the rock!

Whilst the winter is not traditionally the customary time for weddings to take place, the bridal wear for this time of year is truly exquisite.

Whilst beach weddings require nothing more than a simple dress and accessories, winter weddings mean that a bride can be dressed up to the nines – diamonds and fur, lace and velvet – winter bridal fashion is a joy to behold and we’ve got some stunning gowns for you in this issue that may make you reconsider your summer wedding!

Inbal Dror brings us a spectacular fashion shoot from Venice – the city of romance – where her collection of intricate lace and satin gowns are a mesmerising assortment of dreamy, feminine and romantic dresses that are both traditional in style and yet contemporary in their fit and tailoring. This shoot has made us all wistful for a

romantic getaway in Venice… and we simply adore the breathtaking gowns!

As usual we’ve compiled a selection of our favourite wedding accessories, fashion, decorations and special touches – to add that extra je-ne-sais-quoi to your big day. Whether it’s a little glitter, sparkle and diamanté to shine bright like a diamond or some rich red festive hues to add some colour with a nod to crimson and scarlet Christmas shades – our Confeti Loves and Theme Your Day features offer a beautiful selection of timeless additions and trimmings to add magic and personalised touches to your wedding.

With fashion, features, real weddings and great tips and tricks from industry professionals, this issue is bursting to the seams with fabulous ideas and inspiration – to make your wedding an affair to remember!

We hope that you enjoy this fabulously festive issue as much as we adored compiling it.

Until next time…

The Confeti Team

14 CONFETI

C

ONFETI loves...

The CONFETI team attended some of the prettiest weddings imaginable this season so we thought we’d bring you some of our favourite touches - from bouquets and headdresses to cakes and decorations, we simply adored these gorgeous details that made each wedding so unique and personal.

FOR YOUR EYES ONLY This gorgeous underwear from Boutique Diva is made by Marie Jo and is available in white, cream and nude colours and all cup sizes.

Pretty yet simple, with just enough lace to give it a seductive edge, this is the ultimate underwear set to slip under almost any style of wedding dress.

Boutique Diva - Tel. 674 402 135 FETI CON -HAVE T MUS

By Natalie Rose Kern

DELICIOUSLY DELICATE Sweet Things by Fi know exactly what they are doing when it comes to wedding cakes. This heavenly 3-tier white wedding cake decorated with edible flowers is almost too exquisite to eat!

FLOWER CHILD We love this stunning rustic bouquet blooming with shades of pink and the beautiful matching floral head piece and delicate earrings.

Flowers by Susana Sanchez susanasanchez.info Photographed by the talented Agata Jensen - agatajensen.com

sweetthingsbyfi.com

PICTURE PERFECT CONFETI just loves elegant, vintage touches this season. The beautiful shades in this bouquet and the stylish simplicity of these wedding shoes

by Jimmy Choo are a match made in heaven!

Shoes - jimmychoo.com Florist Flor Valentin - florvalentin.es Captured perfectly by Radka Horvath radkahorvath.com

LITTLE THINGS MEAN A LOT These vintage decorations along with a gorgeous pastel bouquet of pale pink, yellow and whites by the exquisite florist, Flor Valentin were used by Rachel Rose to add the perfect finishing touches to a dream wedding.

Flowers - Flor Valentin - florvalentin.es Wedding planner - Rachel Rose www.weddingvenuesinspain.com

CONFETI CONFETI 15 15

Theme your Day

I Red Whether you fancy a full-blown scarlet gown or simply a touch of crimson in your roses or decorations, red is bold and beautiful!

The ultimate romantic shade to compliment your winter wedding.

The idea of a Red Wedding might not be the first thing that comes to mind when imagining your dream day, but whether you are going for classy and luxurious or just a hint of warm and romantic - whatever your preference you can find it in red!

Shoes: Red Bow Collection Peep Toe Shoes, karenmillen.com

Dresses: Lace Long Sleeve Dress in Red, missguided.co.uk

Jewelry: Necklace and matching earrings, semprelondon.com

Strapless Dress from Red Bridal Collection, verawang.com

Make up: Chanel Rouge Allure Lipstick, chanel.com 16 CONFETI

Chocolate: Milk Chocolate Hearts, johnlewis.com Cake marbellacakedesign.com

SISKO AKT PRESENTS

Stylish Spanish Sophistication Photography by Juanlu Rodriguez Make-Up and Hair by Liza Mayne Hair Garments by Martina Dorta

RELAXED AND EFFORTLESS? ELEGANT AND FORMAL? SENSUAL AND ROMANTIC? THE OPTIONS ARE LITERALLY LIMITLESS WHEN IT COMES TO CHOOSING A WEDDING GOWN AND THEME.

This Winter, stylish sisters, Sisko Akt, take you on a trip through time showcasing the new “in” Spanish designer, Susana Hidalgo Haute Couture bridal gowns, in the dreamy fairytale wedding location of Villa Padierna Palace Hotel.

Let yourself be transported to a different era as you discover a different gown style for every bride looking to make her special day unique and memorable.

So... Which bride are you? @SiskoAkt 18 CONFETI

AVANT GARDE If you want to go for something different from the traditional bride gowns, these dresses made ​​of delicate crepe, have straight and clean lines that give them a unique feel. From the beautiful V-shaped back, to the impressive figure hugging silhouette, these dresses are embroidered with such care that each piece is a true work of art that you will cherish forever.

Shoulder application

by Martina Dorta.

CONFETI 19

Classic Beauty If timeless couture is important to you, this gown perfectly touches your classic sensibilities. Fall in love with this long elegant mermaid silhouette, made from delicate cotton lace, carefully finished with chantilly lace edgings and topped with applications embroidered with gold thread. The sensual touch is given with a low open back, which enhances the female figure and makes a fine statement.

Headpiece from Martina Dorta.

Flowers from Liatry Florist.

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BOHEMIAN NATURE For those brides who cherish a natural and effortless feel whilst still making a grand entrance, this dress speaks for itself. Embrace the simplicity and elegance of this bohemian style. Gorgeous crepe, a mix of biases on the skirt and a chiffoon draped belt - this dress is beautifully boho chic. A wonderful tail falling from the shoulders with pearl applications and chiffon georgette finishes give you a dreamy feeling on your special day.

Headpiece from Martina Dorta.

Flowers from Liatry Florist.

CONFETI 21

MODERN BRIDE If your choice is bold for a modern bride, be enchanted by this twopiece made with mikado and silk organza, topped with exquisite hand-embroidered guipure flowers, fabric and pearls. This unique design is figure flattering and perfect for a formal affair.

22 CONFETI

Sensual Silhouette Planning your grand entrance?

Choose a gown that will channel your inner siren and create a show stopping impression. This gorgeous, sensual dress, with a plunging V-neckline at the front and a great opening in the skirt, recreates perfect elegance and feminine sensuality. The luxurious, couture details include georgette chiffon, with chantilly lace finishes and carefully hand embroidered gold flower applications.

CONFETI 23

Feminine Romantic The transparencies and the delicately embroidered applications add a romantic note to these spectacular feminine dresses. These gowns which are rich in feminine details will lend a charming, romantic appeal to your wedding day look.

Headpiece and belt application by Martina Dorta.

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“My earliest childhood memories were already attached to the sewing needles and fabrics’’ - Susana Hidalgo Couture

Susana’s passion for fashion is inherited from her mother and her earliest childhood memories are of afternoons surrounded by sewing needles and fabrics. Her extensive career has taken place in different countries, working freelance in fashion and combining it with the creation of exclusive custom gown making. Her creations have been shown in catwalks of great importance, like in Madrid and Málaga. Back in her home city of Málaga, she has opened her studio, which is located in the historic center, where she creates unique and exclusive pieces for demanding clients.

What does a bride look for in haute couture custom made designs?

The brides are more and more often looking for a dress of exclusive, unique and customised design for their big day. Seeking the difference, my designs are the exact representation of each bride’s personality.

With my extensive experience in haute couture, I use artisan techniques for tailoring.

What is the procedure for creating a dress?

My main goal in meeting the bride is to know what her tastes and concerns are. I advise her with all the details - shoes, headpiece, veil, etc… and I offer her our wide range of high quality fabrics, colours and sketches, the client will have a very realistic idea of ​​ what her dress will be like.

How long does it take to make the design?

It will begin approximately three months in advance, with fittings in between (minimum 3) until it is finished to perfection.

How can brides contact you?

Through my website susanahidalgo.com, by phone or of course visiting the Málagabased atelier by appointment.

Susana Hidalgo Haute Couture www.susanahidalgo.es C/ Santos n6, Malaga - Spain info@susanahidalgo.es Tel.: +34 952 020 129 Atelier Martina Dorta Headpieces www.martinadorta.com Avda. Ortega y Gasset 46, 29006 Malaga - Spain martinadorta.info@gmail.com Tel.: +34 636 682 930 Liatry Florist C/ Camoens,5 29590 Campanillas, 29590 Malaga - Spain liatryfloristas@hotmail.com Tel.: +34 952 437 810 CONFETI 25

26 CONFETI

SAY YOUR VOWS

In Venice...

THE STUNNING COLLECTION BY INBAL DROR IS ELEGANT, SENSUAL AND ROMANTIC - JUST LIKE THE CITY OF VENICE. TULLE, TAFFETA, SILK AND LACE HAVE BEEN COMBINED TO CREATE SOME OF THE MOST CHIC, SOPHISTICATED AND DREAMY CREATIONS FOR THE MODERN BRIDE. FAIRYTALE ROMANTICISM MEETS FASHIONABLE DESIGN FOR GOWNS THAT OOZE CLASS AND VOGUISH ELEGANCE.

CONFETI 27

Stunning gown of tulle and netting with exposed back and beautiful flowing train.

28 CONFETI

Exquisite cutaway back with ornate handbeaded embellishing and beaded cuffs.

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Intricately beaded and embellished bodice with fitted skirt and stunning fishtail lace skirt.

30 CONFETI

For fairy tale princess glamour, this mesmerising gown has a beautiful tulle full skirt and stunning soft chiffon detailing.

CONFETI 31

32 CONFETI

Modern. Contemporary. Elegant. This breathtaking fitted, cutaway gown oozes style and sophistication.

Inbaldror.co.il CONFETI 33

D esigner P rofile

“It is not possible to control inspiration, when I feel it by my side I just leave it out and pursue it until I reach it.�

34 CONFETI

Cristina Tamborero Cristina began her studies in Fashion Design at the Instituto Europeo di Design; something that would take her to achieve one of her childhood goals – to design. Her dream came true thanks to her patience, dedication and above all, enthusiasm.

Her passion for the world of fashion and an obsession for detail led her to design collections of Wedding and Party-wear. Her designs are unique, custom, pampered and cared for. All of them made with fine fabrics and handembroidered, which perfectly define Cristina’s collections - nod to the old haute couture but with a modern and contemporary twist.

CONFETI 35

36 CONFETI

When did you become involved in fashion design?

I realised that was what I wanted to do when I working at a communication agency and saw that I preferred being on the product side, developing my creativity.

Why did you specialise in bridal gowns?

Designing bridal gowns involves offering something more than a dress. We design excitement, dreams and happiness.

How would you describe your personal style?

Our style is romantic, classic but trendy at the same time. We dress modern princesses.

What is your biggest achievement to date?

Seeing the business grow dayto-day and, most importantly, that our clients are happy in Cristina Tamborero’s dresses.

Which bridal trends do you predict will be popular in 2016?

Tell us about your average working day.

We suggest that for our 2016 collection, two pieces will add freshness and trendiness.

I like getting up early, I take my daily natural orange juice and every day is different, intense and full of work, which I face very happily.

Where do you find inspiration for your gowns?

What are you working on at the moment?

Inspiration cannot be controlled.

You can find inspiration with a bunch of flowers or with the look in someone’s eyes. When you feel it just let it out and follow it.

Currently we are working at our atelier with our clients’ orders and meanwhile I am also starting to develop the new party collection as well as the new bridal wear.

CONFETI 37

What can a bride expect from purchasing a Cristina Tamborero dress?

Dressing in a Cristina Tamborero dress means several things but we understand that the bride is a woman who cares for the important details and wants to feel herself beautifully dressed in a bridal gown.

What type of dress would you recommend for a destination wedding?

Every bride has their own style so my only advice is that they should never lose their identity. A bride must be herself on her wedding day.

How does Cristina Tamborero stand out from other bridal labels?

We make tailored dresses according to what the brides want. Brides are their own designers at our atelier and my team and I help them to design the dress of their dreams.

cristinatamborero.com 38 38 CONFETI CONFETI

ALLAN DAVIES

Celebrant Services

Toastmaster & Master of Ceremonies +34 672 137 547 adcelebrant@outlook.com www.adcelebrantservices.com

AISLE

Style Welcome to the divine 2015 Venice Collection from Inbal Dror.

T

he stunning new collection is inspired by the flow of water and soft swell. Venice, the city that floats on its majestic canals created a magnificent background for these new designs. Inbal put the emphasis on new, original, self-designed appliqués with sewnin pearls and Swarovski stones. The total look of the collection gives the fabrics a completely new life and soul. This gorgeous collection represents Inbal’s admiration of the woman’s figure and shape - and each gown is an exquisite masterpiece, designed to flatter the female form and crafted with an expert eye for detail.

Inbaldror.co.il

40 CONFETI

weddings and honeymoons aboard t h e w o r l d ’ s f i r s t s u p e r ya c h t h o t e l s e e w w w. s u n b o r n g i b r a lta r . c o m f o r i n f o r m at i o n a b o u t w e d d i n g s o r t o d o w n lo a d o u r w e d d i n g b r o c h u r e . or please call us to arrange a personal tour of the hotel.

s u n b o r n g i b r a lta r , o c e a n v i l l a g e m a r i n a | p h o n e + 3 5 0 2 0 0 1 6 2 0 0 | s u n b o r n g i b r a lta r . c o m

Brides Maid PERFECT

J Hair by Jonathan Yeadon @Reflections Photography by Anna Gazda @www.limelight.pl

OK, so we all know weddings are all about the bride, however the bridesmaids still need to look good too, right? Organising a wedding is chaotic enough without bickering over potential tresses, so to prevent any hair-related drama Jonathan reveals his EXPERT TIPS to help the big day run smoothly.

THE RULES Before I jump into talking about hair, I want to say a little bit about bridesmaid etiquette. You may be thinking, what on earth does a hairdresser know about that? Well ladies, after a quarter of a century of doing bridal hair, seeing tears, tantrums and even one bride refusing to speak to her maid of honour ever again, (that was over ten years ago and believe me she still hasn’t backed down,) I think I know a thing or two about it.

First things first, the bridesmaid should never outshine the bride. Remember, it is her day, not yours. It is one of the most important events of her life and she has probably been planning this for years and now you are trying to steal her thunder. Do you want be remembered as the Brides-mare!

42 CONFETI CONFETI 42

At one certain wedding, after being ordered to take down and put back up a certain maid’s hair for the third time, I finally flipped and pointed to the lady sitting quietly in the corner of the room and said. “You do realise that the one in the white dress is the bride don’t you? She has a veil on her head in case you’re confusing her with someone else.” Silence. Well at least I got my point across and everything ran smoothly after that.

CHOOSING THE RIGHT STYLIST Yes, you need to choose someone who is authoritative, but you also need to be able have fun with them, because they are going to be a key part of a very emotional day.

I always get shocked when I hear about stylists leaving the maids to put the veil on the bride, or not waiting around until everyone is dressed. Of course hair will get moved when the bridal party is getting into their gowns, and who is going to fix that? I am always the last person to leave the house – I am not going anywhere until the bride is dressed and has left the building.

This issue we are joined

by Reflections celebrity hairstylist Jonathan Yeadon whose A ‘List clientele have included Victoria Beckham and Simon Cowell. Jonathan is loved not only for his mind-blowing colouring skills but his outrageous personality as well.

WHAT’S TRENDING? I am going to send shockwaves of horror through the bridal world with what I am about to say. I am totally sick to death of plaits. That’s right, you heard me correctly. It’s no different from those awful tonged, corkscrew curls that pop up every now and then. Plaits are for children, not thirty-something women. If you have a child that won’t sit still for long, stick a plait on it. That’s what they are perfect for – not the maids.

I will always favour elegant, classic styles that never date. In twenty years you want to look back at the wedding day photos and not be able to place which decade they were taken. Just feel sorry for maids of the 80s, with their scrunchy nightclub perm tonged within an inch of its life, captured forever on camera.

I also love a casual wavy do which looks effortless chic. I don’t care how much time it took to create it, it just need to look like it took only minutes to achieve the final result.

But not all hairdressers are as bitchy as me, so the bride needs to nominate a maid who can take control of the day.

The morning of the wedding should be fun with no stress at all. The maids should all know their roles and what they are doing. This takes organisation.

Remember by ‘Failing To Prepare You Are Preparing to Fail.’

THEME YOUR DAY The bridesmaids hairstyles do not need to be identical, but they do need to work in harmony. You cannot have half with a loose, boho style and the rest with a sleek sophisticated chignon. It just looks wrong.

TICK TOCK Creating a timetable is a must.

Each maid needs to be given a

time to have her hair done and she must stick to it. I do not want to hear any excuses for lateness, “Oh, I just need to take a quick shower first, I haven’t eaten breakfast yet, my pet hamster died.” Honestly, I don’t give a crap, all you had to do was turn up on time!

STOP RIGHT NOW Please do not be on your phone, unless you want me to end up throwing it out the window.

A head bent over a phone, constantly texting, makes life very difficult for the hairdresser, and it’s even worse for the poor makeup artist.

GETTING SOCIAL In this day and age of social media, take advantage of group chats. Set up one on the likes of Whatsapp with all of the maids,

the bride and the hairstylist.

This allows you to send photos and inspiration to the stylist, so they can get a good idea of the look you are after.

This way they are not walking in blind on the day of the wedding.

TALK TO ME Communication is key. You need to clearly explain to the stylist the look you are after, and if there is anything you do not like, say this while they are working on you, not when everyone is about to head to the church. Small changes, such as making a fringe softer, or loosening a few curls, is no problem. Asking to have the hair taken down and redone again is a privilege only the bride is allowed.

THE FINA LN Remembe OTE r, it is an h onour to b asked to b e e a brides maid. Enjo bride’s da y the y, fill the ro om with lo and reme ve mber to S MILE. (Ho the photo nestly, graphers are recording !) Through ALWAYS out the wh process th ole eb do, for you est thing you can rself and fo r the bride remembe , is r what, an d why, yo celebratin u are g in the fir st place.

Reflections Hair Nails & Skincare Centro Plaza, Nueva Andalucia, Marbella + 34 902 325 324 + 34 952 906 524 reflectionsmarbella.com CONFETI 43

TOP Bridal Beauty

By Jessica Miles

DO’S START HAVING MANICURES LONG BEFORE YOUR WEDDING DAY! Improving the condition of your nails takes time so make sure to book in for a course of manicures at least one month beforehand.

Your hands are going to be one of the main focuses on your wedding day so it is important that they are in tip-top condition. False nails are a good alternative if your natural nails won’t grow to your desired length, however make sure to find the right place in advance as you don’t want uneven nails when everyone is looking at your beautiful hands!

FIND A SKINCARE ROUTINE THAT WORKS FOR YOUR SKIN AND STICK TO IT. It’s all well and good buying all the products and having the intention of using them every morning and night, but if you want to see the benefits you have to actually do it! This is another thing that needs to be started way in advance in case you have an allergic reaction to anything or find yourself with breakouts due to changing products. Make sure you find the perfect brand to suit your skin before you start smothering it all over your face in preparation for the big day.

44 CONFETI

DRINK MORE WATER. Drinking 2-3 litres of water a day has many health benefits. It helps to lose weight, keep your skin clean and improve your general health all-round.

On your big day you want feel your best and keeping hydrated is definitely the best way to keep this in check. Especially if you are calming your nerves with champagne throughout the day!

MAKE SURE YOU ARE COMPLETELY HAPPY WITH YOUR LOOK FOR YOUR SPECIAL DAY. It is essential to have a trial run before the big day to ensure any changes that may need doing can be done as soon as possible.

However, you can sometimes be easily persuaded to go for things that you don’t really feel comfortable with by your friends, family and even your makeup artist! This is why it is so important to take your time when deciding on who you want to prepare your hair and makeup for your wedding day. Make sure it is someone who you can work with, who understands exactly what look you want to achieve and isn’t going to push you into going for something you don’t want to.

&

DO’S DON’TS

Amongst all the stress over your wedding day, it is easy to forget the small, yet essential details that are extremely important when it comes to your well-being and beauty on your big day, so here are a few do’s and dont’s for brides to be…

DON’TS DON’T OVER-DO THE SPRAY TAN It is very easily done, especially if you are regularly getting a spray tan or doing it yourself at home, but trust me, it is so much better to look natural!

If you’re planning on wearing white and your skin has been over-done with fake tan it will set off too much of a contrast and make you look orange. No one wants to look back on their wedding photos and be reminded of that time when they went a bit OTT with the tan do they?!

DON’T DO AN EXTREME DIET It’s understandable that you may want to drop a few pounds before your wedding day, however you want to be sure to do this in a way that is healthy and steady. Losing weight and toning up takes time and doing so in the space of a few weeks isn’t going to do your health any favours! As well as the possibility of feeling run down and unwell, it may cause breakouts on your face.

A much healthier approach would be to stick to a balance

diet and start doing some form of exercise a few weeks before to give yourself and your body plenty of to adapt.

DON’T GO FOR A PARTICULAR STYLE OF MAKEUP, JUST BECAUSE IT’S ON TREND This is something that many brides make the mistake of doing and then regret in years to come. Just because your friend is insisting that neon pink lips are really in at the moment and you should definitely go for it for your wedding day, does NOT mean that you have to! Unless, in fact, you are sure of it too. If there is a trend that is going round at the moment that you would really like to try, make sure it suits your face and style and be sure to try it out before reaching that point of no turning back.

DON’T GO TOO NATURAL Although you look beautiful in real life and not only in your wedding photos, it’s an easy mistake to go for a look that is ‘too’ natural. The whole idea of bridal makeup is to enhance your features. If you’re someone that doesn’t wear a lot of makeup on a daily basis, the idea of putting on a bit more than usual can seem quite daunting! But don’t be afraid, your makeup artist will listen to all of your requests and she/he will know exactly how much you need to ensure it shows in photos without looking as though it has been caked on your face.

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CONFECTOINFECO T I NFECTO AUTUMN 2012

WINT

SUMMER 2012

The Rise of the

Wedding Planner

Aniston phanie S &teJolie Allin

SPEC

Seville

EXCLUSIVE

Ian Stuart

Cream of the Crop

Blessed EXCLUSIVE

ANNEV DREW alk Catw

Inspiration

Let the Best Dress Win

Ian S

LASTEST COL

ith EatCHILwCake DREN Indian ing WeddTION

T ha Si EXCLU THE KNO

Child Expert Tips for a ng Friendly Weddi

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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

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 phone astronomical (much to send me a plane ticket friends on the the annoyance of his America trip,) and suddenly South holiday became our own romantic

their timeless nuptials

at the eternally stylish

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 celebrated Jake and Laufey

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

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.

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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, of course, the ceremony. and, 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

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 first being the Surprises for our guests, and our Melan night.

The two day mendhi ie marri celeb second day was a leisure selves, were ‘wow’ factors starting ration day at ed in a elegant family, friend surro the Crowne Plaza s with flamenco dancing, speeches Estepona and son, with unded by their 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 Marbella, the Real in Estate secto 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 confidante. 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 day amazing MOMENTS TREASURED we wante We knew cruise holidaof an d to get … beautiful It everyo togeth is hard to ne all er and for ring. It was y, with a select just our neare ful surpri moment a wonderand deare one se st from our st to be wedding even start and before we could as each a part of initiation day and every planning our into marrie 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 colou r 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 togeth and blue days ultima er for two whole embellished Spanish fans, tely with our made our ding everyt names wedever wishe hing we could have d for and more.

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Marbella!

Annika and Rich travel the World to get married!

Sunshine and long summer evenings

One enchanted evening

Our best friends got married in Italy a couple of years ago and we loved everything about it. The sunshine, the long summer evenings with all of our favourite people; it all just seemed like a winning combination for us, so we both knew from early on that we wanted our wedding to be abroad.

Rich and I met in April 2009 whilst both of us were travelling in South East Asia. I was travelling with a friend and we got chatting to a group of girls who happened to be on route to the full moon party in Koh Phangan – our next stop! Rich and his friends were already there and we hung out for the couple of days in a pretty little bay called Thong Tapan.

Whilst we were away we all had the best time soaking up the sun, partying and drinking plenty of Chang! For all of the months I was away from home, that short time in Thong Tapan was the best. We kept in touch once we got home, then after a few years of cross-country travel we made it official and I moved to Suffolk to be with Rich.

48 CONFETI

We looked at lots of European wedding destinations: Croatia, Greece and Italy, but all of them had a ‘but’ next to them; they were either too far, too expensive, or not as accessible as we would have hoped for all of our wedding party. It was important to us that if we were asking our guests to fly out to watch us marry, it should be somewhere that they could easily get to and

offered lots of choice, and that’s how we ended up with Spain! Plus, of course, it had to be somewhere with almost guaranteed sunshine!

A family gathering Rich and I had a venue wish list and there were a couple of things that were a ‘must have’ for the perfect venue; the most important was ensuring that the whole of the bridal party could stay together, so that we could spend the maximum amount of time with everyone!!

We stumbled across Rachel Rose by chance. Her website was well designed and I instantly adored her style, choice of venues and wedding options. We decided on El Cortijo de los Caballos because of its layout, the beautiful rooms, the garden and pool. There was plenty of space for

everyone and it had everything that we could have hoped for.

We visited Rachel whilst she was preparing for the wedding season ahead and we were so pleased with the location of El Cortijo -- a short drive away from beautiful Benahavís and away from the hustle and bustle of Banús.

The colour of romance I chose a Mori Lee dress that had a lace-trimmed bodice with crystal beading, a chiffon skirt and a chapel length train. I was initially disappointed with my dress and spent days worrying that I had a made wrong decision. My seamstress Kelly Fairweather was fantastic though and I soon fell in love with it again.

We chose blush, chiffon sweetheart Dessy dresses for the bridesmaids; they were beautiful and complimented the soft romantic colour scheme and decor we were trying to achieve. My requests for Rachel were anything pretty, plus flowers and candles everywhere!

Soft pinks, peaches were a must.

The boys opted for stone coloured chino’s, Oxford shirts, navy bow tie and braces. Rich also wore a vintage style waistcoat to compliment the rustic feel and pretty succulents for buttonholes.

I was lucky enough to have my wonderful friend Joanne Moore create my hair for me and the very talented Ella Megan applied my makeup. I am notoriously late for everything and not only did both ladies make me feel every inch the beautiful bride, they managed to get me ready and down the aisle on time – a lot of love for these girls!!

My flowers made the most beautiful bouquet I have ever seen; I was in love. They were thoughtfully presented and you could clearly see that a lot of love and care had gone into making them as beautiful as they were. The flowers throughout the whole venue were stunning.

A gentle mix of blush and peach flowers; dahlias, peonies, roses beautifully arranged throughout!

Our ceremony was kept simple and intimate and was a celebration of our love and friendship. Lizzie Marriage did a wonderful job at setting the atmosphere and made us feel so comfortable whilst we shared our personal vows with one another. It was a hugely emotional experience; there weren’t many dry eyes in the house!

Tasty celebrations Toni and her team at Sana Catering were amazing. We thoroughly enjoyed fillet steaks cooked to perfection and dauphinoise potatoes, sea bass and Spanish chorizo – absolutely delicious! Midnight snacks were a must after drinking huge amounts of Caipirinha and mojitos at the rustic cocktail bar! Guests were also treated to a BBQ the day after the wedding where we eased our hangovers and continued the celebrations. The day was topped off with ice creams from the retro ice cream van Rachel arranged for us!

Sarah Howard enticed our guests to the dance floor with her stunning voice and really set the mood for the evening.

We were also treated to a surprise spoof music video performed by the groom and his groomsmen along with none other than Andi Peters.

Stunning phography We chose Radka Horvath as our wedding photographer and she was wonderful. Rachel arranged everything for us and we had a very short list of formal photos that we wanted.

Radka was brilliant: her and her partner James were with us for the whole day; they were barely noticeable and happily snapped away. Both Rich and I are a little awkward with photos, but we were made to feel so comfortable that we actually enjoyed the experience for once. Our day was captured perfectly and our photos are the most beautiful gift we could have asked for. We will cherish them forever!

Memories to keep forever This has to be sharing our day with all of our loved ones. Never again will we be able have all of our friends and family with us, in the same place, for a prolonged period of time for such a happy occasion. We felt so overwhelmed with love and humbled that so many people came to celebrate our day with us. It was a once in a lifetime experience and it really was the best day of our lives “If I had to do it again, I would change…”

Absolutely nothing. Can we do it again?!?!

What would be your advice for future couples getting married?

Choose Rachel and her team to style and organize your day. She’s simply the best - we couldn’t have asked for more!

Address Book Venue: El Cortijo de los Caballos, elcortijodeloscaballos.com Stylist & Wedding Planner: Rachel McFadden, weddingvenuesinspain.com Photographer: Radka Horvath, radkahorvath.com Minister: Lizzie Marriage Catering: Sana Catering, sanacateringmarbella.com Music: Sarah Howard, sarahhoward.co.uk Dress: Mori Lee, morilee.com Seamstress: Kelly Fairweather Make up: Ella Megan, ellameganmakeup.com Hair: Joanne Moor

CONFETI 49

Real Weddings

There’s No Place

Like Home Gorgeous Days in Guadalmina make Danijela & Roman’s wedding special!

Nightclubbing!

We met at a party in a famous club over six years ago. Although, we both were in a relationship at the time, we both knew we were right for each other and after several dinners and dates - six months we involved into a relationship. We moved in together into a very nice flat in Zürich. As we had a very busy time with lots of work and further studies, Roman decided to organize a weekend in Venice to escape from the day-to-day life as a surprise for me. The proposal was extremely romantic because it was on a gondola ride on July 4th 2014, followed by a romantic dinner with a spectacular view over Venice on one of the most beautiful terraces in the world at the Hotel Danieli in Venice.

Our second home Marbella, especially Guadalmina, is like a second home for us. Roman’s dad has a holiday home here and we spend almost every summer holiday with friends in Marbella. As the weather in Switzerland is not as good as in Spain, for both of us, we were both pretty sure that we’d have our wedding in Guadalmina. Most of our friends like to travel and they couldn’t wait to come to Spain to celebrate with us.

Home is where the heart is!

The idea was to have a venue close to the beach. So we visited several venues with our wedding planner Jeanette Taylor, but they weren’t perfect because we

50 CONFETI

and all the guests danced all night long.

Another favorite moment was the day after, on Sunday, when we had a “sun and fun” pool party, with everyone in white and with another cool band.

“If I had to do it again, I would change…”

wanted something exclusive.

Furthermore, they all wanted us to move the wedding inside for the party, and for us it was important to enjoy the location and weather and spend as much time as possible outside.

Therefore, we made the decision to use our wonderful villa’s garden in Guadalmina for the venue, although it’s not on the beach. Our garden was perfect, as it is big enough and it’s an exclusive place, plus we were able to have the dinner as well as the party outside.

A stylish palette Our theme was vintage. The colors were ivory and pale pink.

The decorations and flowers (roses, lavender, hydrangeas) were in vintage style, mostly in white combined with pale pink.

Lots of details, such as the ‘save the date’ card, invitation, table plan, name cards etc. were decorated with lavender and hand made by a good friend of ours.

The ceremony was in white, with a gazebo decorated in ivory and flowers in pale pink and white. I

had an ivory, mermaid backless wedding dress with lace and my two bridesmaids were in a pale pink.

Cocktails and canapes We started with a Spanish evening on Friday at Macaao Beach Club. It’s close to our villa in Guadalmina and the food there is outstanding.

On our wedding day we had lots of excellent canapés during the cocktail hour. For the menu we started with foie gras or tuna tartare, and for the main course we could choose between veal or turbot. The desert was buffetstyle with a large assortment of small treats. Plus, we even had a candy bar in a vintage style. The wedding cake was in a vintage style as well.

It was not easy to find a good caterer. Good food and good wine is very important to us and with Diego from AUGI Catering, we found the perfect one, who even allowed us to serve our own wine and cava.

For the ceremony and the cocktail hour we had the Sarah Howard duo. She was fantastic. For the first dance and after for the party we had Monkey Tennis followed by a DJ (Mark Antony)…throughout the entire day/evening we had very good music and everybody commented on how fabulous it all was.

Outstanding imagery We chose Julia Roder because once we met Julia and saw her work on her website, it was clear to us that we’d use her. Throughout the entire weekend we were so happy with her, as she was focused all the time and obviously it’s her passion.

We are very happy with the pictures and especially with the video - that is outstanding.

To be honest, we wouldn’t change a thing. We had our dream wedding in one of our most favorite places on earth with beautiful weather, awesome food and wine, fantastic music and of course the best people around us.

Words of advice If you are getting married abroad give yourself enough time for the organisation. It is very important to have a good wedding planner like Jeanette Taylor. And, of course, plan more than only one day so you can spend more time with your friends and family, because it gives everyone a chance to get to know each other. Although it’s very time intensive to organize a wedding abroad, it is however absolutely worth it, as you will have the time of your life.

All Sun and Fun! Because we organized the whole weekend (Friday: Spanish Evening at Macaao Beach Club, Saturday: Wedding in Guadalmina, Sunday: Sun & Fun in our Garden in Guadalmina) for us it was very special that we were able to spend more time with our families and friends, and not just for one day.

We definitely had several special moments; For Roman of course, it was the moment when I walked in on my father’s arm. Our bridesmaids and best men (we both had two) organised lots of surprises such as a song, sung by my sister, a video message from all our guests and other friends, and a funny photo booth, plus the emotional speeches. Due to Jeanette’s support we were able to sit back and relax. The party was fantastic

Address Book Wedding planner: Jeanette Taylor at Marbella Wedding Angels, marbellaweddingangels.com Photography: Julia Roder, juliaroder.com Hair & Make-up: Thomas Epping Cake: Lou’s Cakealicious, facebook.com/Lous-cakealicious Music: Sarah Howard Duo, sarahhoward.co.uk Band: Monkey Tennis, monkeytennis.es DJ: Mark Anthony, mark-borrow.com Ceremony: Sheila Wohlmuth Decorator: Michelle, gorgeouseventdecoration.com Catering: Diego at AUGI Catering, augicatering.es Flowers: Zoe Strutton, marbellaflowersandflorist.com Furniture: Silvia at Marbella Parties, marbellaparties.com

CONFETI 51

Real Wedding

Kindred Spirits We met for the first time two year ago at the “Louis” Party in Berne Switzerland.

Ronnie then contacted me on Facebook, (the wonders of social media!) and we met up for a drink. Our relationship blossomed and it didn’t take long before we realized that we had found the love of our lives.

The heat is on

A wish...

Come True

A breathtaking venue and show stopping décor made Lisa and Ronnie’s celebration a dazzling affair

When deciding on a wedding venue we crossed Switzerland off the list straight away as it can be cold and rainy during summer. We liked the idea of celebrating in Southern Europe and as Ronnie spent a lot of time Spain during his childhood, particularly Marbella, we felt this would be the ideal place for us to exchange our vows.

We viewed a selection of venues, however, when we arrived at Villa Padierna we knew it was the one.

As we were having a three day wedding; cocktail evening on the Friday, the wedding on the Saturday and then the brunch on Sunday, it was important for us that most of our ninety guests could stay in the same hotel.

This would allow them to get to know each other before the big day, so that they would feel more relaxed and, of course, have more fun.

Going for gold I have always dreamed that my wedding dress would have touches of gold on it, however it turned out to be very difficult to find a nice gown with gold detailing, but eventually I found the perfect one. Our whole colour scheme was ivory and gold: from our invitations, which were printed on ivory fans and written in gold script, to the flowers that were ivory roses. We even opted for oversized golden candelabras with white candles for our centre pieces.

Stars of the show Great entertainment was very important to us as we really wanted our guests to have a Duringtime. our ceremony great We startedwe with a were by “The Rat bang serenaded at the pre-wedding cocktail Pack,” which evening wheretruly onehelped of our set the romantic atmosphere we guests surprised me by booking were after.

During the wedding singer Yanela Brooks.

She was breakfast Preston combined absolutelyIan amazing and changed DJing and singing, before giving the cocktail event from formal to way party.to Roberto on the Sax and Quike on the Violin. They really put everyone in the party mood.

52 CONFETI

Capture This Our photographer, Anna Tis flew over from Moscow to photograph our wedding and stayed with us for the whole weekend. She did an amazing job and was always there at the right moments capturing every shot we could have wished for.

Ever so grateful I would highly recommend hiring a wedding planner, especially if you are a foreign couple. Marbella Wedding Angels did a fantastic job for us. They supported and helped wherever they could. I was extremely relaxed during the whole weekend because I knew everything was well organised and our Angels had taken care of everything. For sure, hiring a planner was one of the best investments of our wedding and helped us to really enjoy every moment.

Tissues At the Ready My absolutely favourite moment was when I arrived at the amphitheatre. I was overwhelmed by the incredible flowers, the beautiful music and of course seeing my husband, who had tears in his eyes.

Address Book Venue: Villa Padierna Palace villapadiernapalacehotel.com Photographer: Anna Tis Celebrant: Sheila Wohlmuth Flowers: Flowers Inc marbellaflowersandflorist.com Wedding planner: Marbella Wedding Angels marbellaweddingangels.com

CONFETI 53

Real Weddings

A lasting love AFFAIR With love and dedication in each and every detail, Elena and Dani managed to wow their guests with the wedding of their dreams in the stunning mountain village of Istรกn

54 CONFETI

Long distance love We first met at the Málaga Fair in 2006. We were introduced by a mutual friend and a year later we started our relationship - long distance at first as Dani lived in Barcelona. But later on we moved to Málaga together.

We finally celebrated our wedding after 8 years together.

We chose the Costa del Sol because it is a unique setting in which the sun and climate are the stars for a perfect wedding.

Unforgettable We always thought that the day we decided to get married should be a unique and unforgettable day; one of those days that you would like to repeat without a doubt, regardless of the stress or planning involved.

We wanted a wedding where every detail clearly reflected our personality and cheerful character down to the smallest intricate details. This was only possible with the extraordinary help of our friend and wedding planner Patricia Navarro at ARTEBODA, who committed to us with great patience and love in order to achieve the wedding of our dreams.

Stylish affair As for the style of the wedding ceremony, we had very clear ideas for decoration, flowers, clothing and all of the details,

as we wanted everything to be in harmony with the venue and boho-chic-style wedding.

Everything was designed especially for me. The dress I wore was an idea that I’d imagined a long time ago and I wanted it to be unique so I designed it with a seamstress who helped me realise my dream. So the dress is ElenaMartinMolina TradeMark!

Food for thought We had one of the best caterers in Marbella, Goyo; and went for a “cooking show” instead of the traditional buffet. There was a variety of cold meats, sushi, different salads, barbecue, risotto and a fusion of Catalan food in honour of the groom’s roots.

Everyone was talking about...

Our entertainment! It was fantastic! We had live music from an Andalusian band, “Dando el Cante” and afterwards we continued the party with a DJ. Picture Perfect Our photos were the work of Pedro Jaen and there are no words to describe how fabulous they are. As well as being a great professional Pedro is a wonderful person and very attentive and the results are evident for all to see with these beautiful images!

CONFETI 55

Real Weddings Time to reflect…

The best (and most emotional) moments were when we were at the ceremony.

If I were to do it all over again I would not change a thing, everything was perfect!

Words of Advice Put dedication and commitment into doing what you want to do – but above all, surround yourself with good professionals and follow their advice!

So many of our guests told us that it was the best wedding they’d ever been to so we’ve got first prize for effort!

Address Book Photography: Pedro Jaén, pedrojaen.com Wedding Planner: Patricia Navarro ARTEBODA patricia@arteboda.es Catering & Desserts: Raúl Wilkinson at GOYO, goyocatering.com Venue: Llanos de Belvis, Istán Lighting: Allsol, allsollighting.com Live Music: Dando el Cante, dandoelcante.com DJ: Dani Ramo, djbodas.com Wedding Dress: Design by the Bride @masskati Elena Martín Molina Decorator: Elena Martin Molina, elena_cate@hotmail.com 56 CONFETI

Fabulous Finca with sea views just 5 minutes from Marbella centre, now available for hire as a private venue for weddings and events.

A hidden oasis of peace and tranquillity.

Leave behind the hustle and bustle of the town and step into a secret world. Pretty Andalucian patios, tropical gardens with waterfall, spacious dining terrace with sea views and an elegant interior banqueting salon, the perfect setting for weddings & events.

“Exclusively yours!�

For more information on holding your wedding at The Courtyard Marbella please contact us: Tel. 689 992 163 | Ctra de Ojen 28klm, Marbella enquiries@thecourtyardmarbella.com

thecourtyardmarbella.com Adv. Confeti magazine_14x21_final.indd 1

12/02/2015 12:55:18

Real Weddings

The

Chemistry of Love

Sarah and William celebrated their marriage in the beautiful countryside of Casares at El Cortijo Pedro Jimenez The first sparks In 2005 when Will and I were in our twenties, we both made the decision to return to university to study medicine. We had just started a premedical course and I was al-ready beginning to feel a bit daunted and wasn’t sure if I would ever get into medical school, so was considering leaving. The next day I sat next to Will in the library and let’s just say my decision was put on hold a little while longer! Ten years later, we are both doctors in Edinburgh and I have that day to thank for both my future husband and my medical career.

A setting by the sea My aunt owns a house in Mijas Pueblo and for the past 15 years my family and I have spent most

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of our summer holidays over in Spain. Then in July, Will and I got engaged over there and we realised that a beautiful outdoor ceremony in the sunshine suited us perfectly.

The idea of arranging a wedding abroad, however, made me feel a bit anxious so I was thrilled to find Rachel’s website which displayed the most stunning collection of weddings. Her galleries created a vision for me that was exactly what I was looking for, but could never have achieved myself. The fantastic reviews she had received from previous couples showed her dedication and willingness to create something that was unique and beautiful for each couple - I knew instantly that we were in safe hands.

Location location location We wanted a large villa in a beautiful setting, which was secluded enough to allow the music to be played into the early hours of the morning. This was exactly what El Cortijo Pedro Jimenez had to offer. Surrounded by the Spanish countryside with stunning sea views and without a neighbour in sight, it was everything that we had been hoping for.

Classic and elegant The colour scheme for the decorations and table accessories were gentle blush pink and cream with touches of gold, which created a classic and elegant feel.

For the flowers I decided to add in a splash of contrasting vibrant

pinks and purples to reflect the warm Spanish climate.

We wanted an elegant black-tie summer garden party with a touch of Great Gatsby style. The dress code was tuxedo for gentlemen and summer evening gowns for the ladies.

I was thrilled when I found a wedding dress that suited the theme so perfectly. I wore a backless fit-and-flare gown that kept me cool in the hot Spanish sun, whilst the beautiful beading complimented our Art Deco theme. The bridesmaid dresses were blush pink with delicate beading and illusion straps ,which tuned in perfectly with the style of my wedding dress and were also dresses the girls could wear again at future black tie events.

Special touches The music for the ceremony and reception drinks in the courtyard was elegantly played by a string quartet. We then had a DJ for the after party who kept the dance floor going all night long.

One of Will’s school friends, Tim, very kindly agreed to act as a compere for the evening. It was a formal touch, but as he’s a light-hearted chap, he also kept our guests thoroughly entertained between speeches, and put his own personal touch on the events throughout the day.

The day before the wedding we hosted an informal ‘welcome drinks’ on the lawn, which allowed guests to meet and get to know each other in a relaxed environment before the main event.

This turned out to have another advantage as it allowed guests to find their way to the wedding venue in advance and avoid anyone getting lost on the day!

The dinner was a formal sit down meal consisting of traditional Spanish combinations such as lemon chicken with spiced rice and prawns with mango, chilli and lime sauce. We then had some of our old favourites, such as profiteroles, for dessert.

The day after the wedding we hosted a paella pool party as a fun and fantastic way to finish off the celebrations and say farewell to all of our lovely guests.

Snap happy We had seen some of Radka’s wedding photos on Rachel’s website. I loved the beautiful use of lighting and the way she captured the atmosphere in her photos, so much so that our final wedding date was decided by Radka’s availability! She did not disappoint and we are absolutely thrilled with the final results of our photographs.

The best bits The moment we spoke our vows, standing on the hilltop looking out at the breathtak-ing sea views, my veil blowing in the wind, surrounded by all our loved ones - this was such an emotional moment.

Being announced as ‘Mr and Mrs Oliver’ to our guests and then entering the garden to see the smiling faces of all our friends and family was also a magical moment. Our guests had made such an effort to come and celebrate our wedding with us, which made it even more special

to have them all there to welcome us into our new lives as a married couple.

Will’s expression when he turned around to see me as I walked down the aisle is also a memory I will cherish forever.

Rewind We had a week before to relax and prepare for the wedding, however we then only had two days after the ceremony before we returned to the UK, which, although being over the moon with happiness, left Will and I exhausted. We now see why couples choose to go on their honeymoon immediately after the wedding!

Dear future couples Try not to let your nerves overwhelm you and take your time during the wedding cer-emony.

Don’t rush walking down the aisle or saying your vows, instead look around you and really take in everything that is happening during that special moment.

On the day relax, keep calm and remember to enjoy yourselves and have fun! Of course, it really helps if you have a fabulous, attentive and organised wedding plan-ner like we did with Rachel.

Address Book Wedding venue: El Cortijo Pedro Jimenez, Casares Wedding Planner & Stylist: Rachel Rose Weddings, weddingvenuesinspain.com Florist: Flor Valentin, florvalentin.es Stationary: Anoulka, nulknulks.com Photographer: Radka Horvath, radkahorvath.com String quartet: Naiara Castillejo, concertistadeviolin.com DJ: Alex George, alex@ spectrumfm.net Catering: Sana Catering, sanacateringmarbella.com Wedding cake: Fiona Dodson, sweetthingsbyfi.com Wedding dress: Essense of Australia from Diane Honeyman Boutique Bridesmaid dresses: Adrianna Papell Groom & Groomsmen’s tuxedos: Moss Bros Hire

CONFETI 59

Real Weddings

Happily EVER AFTER

Daniella and Alex enjoyed a peaceful wedding in the beautiful Kempinski Bahia where they celebrated the princess wedding that Daniella had always dreamt of.

It was love from the start We met at work a few years ago and became close friends over a small period of time. As cheesy as it sounds, we both knew we were right for each other from the start. Alex proposed to me last December on a weekend away for his birthday. We had an amazing evening drinking champagne over a lovely meal and spent the rest of the evening on FaceTime sharing our fantastic news with all our family and friends.

Feels like home Spain, particularly Marbella, is a very important place to both of us.

I was born here, however moved back to the UK when I was young.

My parents have a holiday home here so I spend a lot of my time travelling back and forth - it feels like a second home to me. Alex has also spent a lot of time here of the years, socially and working, and he loves the lifestyle. There is definitely a possibility that we could move back here one day.

Venue of dreams The minute we walked in the lobby of the Kempinski Bahia it instantly felt right for both for us. We had visited a few other venues but they all needed us to move the wedding inside for the meal and music, which wasn’t what we had planned. We wanted to be able to enjoy the location and weather by spending as much time as possible outside, which is why La Cabana restaurant was perfect. The doors were opened up for the meal, which gave us a stunning view of the gardens and the beach.

Princess wedding I had a princess-style wedding dress for the ceremony and changed into something lighter for the evening.

My main bridesmaid, Ram, wore a pale pink multiway dress and my daughter, Aurelia, wore an ivory

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princess bridesmaid dress. Our colour theme was ivory and pale pink with hints of gold. We took a ‘less is more’ approach to decorations, however we bought some birdcages and crystal decorations to put on the tables. We used a lot of the hotel’s decorations as we felt it was easier and they really suited the style.

Desirable details We wanted a Spanish influence in the food and had some lovely canapés, which included a delicious prawn pil-pil. For the wedding breakfast we started with a Malaga salad, then moved on to a slow cooked lamb in a filo parcel and a chocolate and raspberry dessert.

We didn’t want a traditional wedding cake so instead opted for a giant cupcake with smaller cupcakes surrounding it.

A Song and Dance The music throughout the entire day was provided by Zoe Louise who was fantastic! All of the guests commented on how fabulous she was. She created the perfect ambience for each part of the day, from the walk down the aisle to the main party - where she had all the guests up and dancing.

Our musician was also fantastic and we danced and partied all night long!

Caught on camera We chose Julia Roder as our wedding photographer. We saw her pictures in a previous issue of CONFETI and immediately decided to take a closer look at her work on her website. We loved her style and how she captured a more natural shot. We are over the moon with the photos - they were the icing on the cake!

Moments to cherish Because of the laws in Spain about getting married, we had to marry in the UK first. We didn’t make a big thing of this ceremony as we didn’t class it as our ‘real’ wedding. This allowed for the ceremony in Spain to be a lot more intimate and relaxed and we both enjoyed it a lot more. We had spent lots of time with all of our family and friends before the wedding, which made the whole day even more special for us, as we were able to sit back and relax whilst our guests carried on enjoying the day.

Looking back on it all I honestly wouldn’t change a thing. It was our dream wedding from start to finish.

The location, dress and

entertainment were all fantastic. We were also able to enjoy a couple of wind down days at the hotel after the wedding, which was lovely.

Wise words If you are getting married abroad give yourself as much time as you can with your friends and family in the time leading up to the wedding.

It gives everyone a chance to get to know each other and we found that it made the wedding day itself so much more enjoyable for everyone.

Address Book Photography: Julia Roder, juliaroder.com Make-up: Liza Mayne, lizamayne.com Hair: Megan, Golden Tarts, goldentarts.com Venue: Kempinski Bahia, kempinski.com Cake: Estepona Cupcakes Music: Zoe Louise, zoelouisemusic.com Ceremony: Liz, ceremoniesinspain.com Flowers: Zoe Strutton, marbellaflowersandflorist.com CONFETI 61

a

Real Wedding

MIDSUMMER NIGHT’S DREAM

Come True

When Marina and Kirill met, years ago, neither one was single so love seemed an impossibility but as we well know, true love will always find a way and…

Fortune Favours the Brave!

Distance brings us closer

A fabulous finca!

We met through mutual friends, however neither of us was single at that time, so our romance only started when those relationships were over, which was two years later. Kirill invited me to join him at the Panerai Sailing Regatta on Balearic Islands where we became t too attracted to each other to pretend it was just a friendship.

And, afterwards the fact that we were living in different countries, just showed us how much we wanted to be together.

Initially Kirill chose the venue and waited for me to fly in and approve i. I’m a Libra, so I really like to have a choice of places, but the moment I set foot in Finca La Concepción, I immediately fell in love with it and didn’t want to look at anywhere else. The fantastic spaces, natural surroundings, fig trees, fountain, pond and the villa were so much in tune with the vintage mood of the event that we had no doubt we’d made the right choice. We’d always dreamed of an outdoor wedding and the beauty of the Finca made the decision easy.

Outstanding Andalucia We chose Spain for the style, scents and colours of Andalucia, plus the wonderful weather in May and the professionalism of the wedding services, the great venues spaces and creative resources provided on the coast. Our beloved wedding planner Tatiana Polikanova from Events Couture Marbella, who was recommended to us by friends, provided us with the best of the best that Andalucia can offer.

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Vintage Mint The main party idea of a mint color and vintage mood as main accents came out of nowhere in the middle of the night and the flow from then on was easy and clear. I had a very clear idea of what I wanted, so when Events Couture Marbella came on board two months before the wedding, the connection between myself and the planner was too perfect for anything to go wrong.

Tatiana Polikanova from Events

Couture Marbella managed to make all my ideas a reality. Her service and attitude was exceptional and she lived out our dream with us, making miracles happen.

We do not know how, but she and her team managed to transform the space into a fairytale, with millions of fireflies all over the place. We should mention that lighting team made an enormous effort and all the colours at night were absolutely amazing.

Mint Seafoam and Andalusian Sunset were the proposed “Creative Dress Code” colour hints for the guests. All 80 friends and family members were specifically asked to wear sneakers, and both Kirill and I did the same. We had two pairs of custom-made Converse brought from LA, saying “Mr Mint” and “Mrs Mint” on the back strap, plus an Instagram of the couple as well as the hashtag #theirkidswillbeminttoo.

The bridesmaids were all warned about the mint theme well in advance to have time to prepare, so the hot fun loud crowd of “mint girls” in all shapes and shades was almost

a separate entertainment show in action at all times.

I wore a Love&Lemons white Luau short dress for the bachelorette party, a Badgley Mishka Bride gown with Maison Michel boater and A La Russe bracelets for the official ceremony at Cortijo Miraflores Mansion, followed by a vintage outfit for a small family dinner which followed at the “1890” restaurant.

Then a custom-made Pronovias wedding dress with sneakers for the symbolic ceremony at the venue, and a Vera Wang Black Bridal Haute Couture line for the First Dance. A Rime Arodaky one from Paris stayed untouched but since we’d like to get married every year from now on - there is no doubt it will be out by next May. Moscow and Marbella Style!

The decor and flowers were done by a team from “Julia Shakirova Studio”, who flew from Moscow a week before the event to fulfill the “Mint, Vintage and Fireflies” party idea and cooperate with “Virginia Florista” on-site. Candles hanging in glass jars on trees and fairy berries everywhere were accompanied by a white piano installed right on

showed our love story in a 3D slide show presentation. The dining was catered by Goyo and included a changing set of appetizers, hot plates and vegetarian dishes of choice. The desert table was also presented in a vintage style with all shades of mint color. The cake was rarely colored vintage dark, dark chocolate and mint inside and glazed letters of Pedro Calderon de la Barca poetry on the outside.

Beautiful Images We chose Owen Farrell as our photographer and it was one of the smartest things we did. Owen was very attentive, responsive and focused on our requests. The result exceeded all expectations, especially the surprising award of Best Dance Photo in the prestigious ISPWP contest.

Our wedding video was beautifully shot by Michel Maraver and he made all my wishes come true.

Unforgettable you!

For me, nothing beats Kirill’s surprise singing of an acoustic version of Fly Me To The Moon with personal lyrics and his Michael Jackson copycat dance, both performed by him on stage in the middle of the party. Plus the notes of Lo Phang’s “You’re the one that I want” for our dance in a cloud of gold confetti falling from the skies is unforgettable, and will definitely be our most emotional memory of all times.

If I had to do it again...

We would change nothing.

Our advice for couples

the pond with the custom-made dance floor and stage, all covered in firefly-like lights and LCDs to create a fairytale wood ambiance at night.

Vintage wood tables and chairs, plus a complicated system of Edison light bulbs in the air above the dinning area made it a Midsummer Night’s Dream set in action.

A huge lounge zone with big and fluffy white sofas was placed under the century-old oak tree and was a party favourite during the welcome performance of Blue Funk street style band. Then we arrived to the sounds of Sia’s “Fire and Gasoline”.

We surprised our guests by dancing to Beyonce’s “Halo”, then the guests were invited to enjoy the Andalusian gourmet tapas gourmet and mint cocktails while a big LED screen

Do all the hard work three months before, take a week off separately from each other close to the wedding date and STAY COOL AT ALL TIMES, it’s going to be fine anyway! Contract a proper wedding planner to make sure you enjoy your special day fully, knowing that everything is taken care of lovingly by professionals.

Address Book Venue: Finca la Concepción, fincalaconcepcion.com Wedding Coordinator: Tatiana Polikanova at Events Couture Marbella, eventscouturemarbella.com Catering: Goyo, goyocatering.com Flowers & Decor: Shakirova Julia Florist, Moscow & Virginia Florista, Marbella, virginiaflorista.com Cake: La Vie a Sucre, facebook.com/LaVieASucre Photographer: Owen Ferrell, owenfarrellphotography.com Videography: Michel Maraver, michelmaraver.es Make up & Hair: Julija Karpenko Gurcka Entertainment: Events Couture, eventscouturemarbella.com

CONFETI 63

Real Weddings

FOREVER

Yours

Siobhan & Myles said ‘I do’ in the swoon-worthy, beautiful town of Benahavís.

It started with a bang

We met in 2010, on a three day trek in Chiang Mai, Thailand. We were both travelling around South East Asia; I was at the end of my trip and he was at the start of his. On the last day, Myles walked smack into a bamboo hut and I applied a steristrip to his minor head wound. He survived and we kept in touch. Myles then decided to visited me in London that Christmas and I returned the favour by flying to visit him in Australia the following April. Things progressed and Myles moved to London. We then spent a further 18 months in Brisbane and have recently moved to Ireland. Can you tell that we have the travel bug?

A sunshine celebration I have holidayed in Spain many times, in all parts really, but mainly in Fuengirola for the last five years or so. My family has a history with the place, as my grandparents owned an apartment there in the 70s. We have had many trips down the coast to Puerto Banús and Marbella, which I loved. Neither of us wanted a big, overpriced and typically Irish wedding; we were after good weather, plenty of wine and a place to party.

For that select special few Villa Candela en La Colina looked like the perfect retreat. It was large but secluded, could sleep up to 20 people and had the most stunning scenery.

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We could relax by the pool, help ourselves to food and drink, and catch up with everyone in a relaxed environment. It was a home from home really, but much more lavish. I only wish we would have rented the villa for longer… nobody wanted to leave.

Dress to impress I bought my dress in London. It was a Pronovias dress. I bought it without being 100% in love with it, but altered it enormously, making it backless and lighter until it was what I wanted. The bridesmaid’s dresses were actually the first things I bought.

I found them when I was living in Brisbane. I loved the colour (fuchsia pink) and the tailored style. Based on those dresses, the colour scheme became pink and gold.

We opted for a civil ceremony and had the amazing Lizzie Marriage perform the blessing.

It took place on the grass overlooking the surrounding hills.

The finishing touches We chose our own playlist of music. Myles premixed a combination of both our tastes which we played through the PA system, although we did have a period of singing. We selected a buffet menu created by the amazing Fiesta Sol. The food was fantastic and we finished the meal off with a gigantic, luscious profiterole tower.

Captured forever For our wedding photographer, we decided on Agata Jenson after viewing some of her pictures online. We met with her and instantly knew she was

perfect for the day. We had been to previous weddings where the photographers had dominated the day, but Agata was exactly the opposite. She floated about capturing amazing shots and was open to changes in our schedule. We are very happy with the pictures and would highly recommend her to others.

Intimate and emotional We had exactly the type of wedding that we wanted, which is what I strongly advise all brides to do. It isn’t about pleasing everyone else. It is your day!

My favourite moments of the day had to be the speeches and the bridal party jumping into the pool at 10pm.

Address Book Venue: Villa Condela en La Colina Photographer: Agata Jenson, agatajensen.com Wedding Planner: Tara Chapman at Fiesta Sol, fiestasol.com Catering: Fiesta Sol, fiestasol.com Flowers: Suzanna Sanchez, susanasanchez.info Hairdresser: Alex Harrocks, facebook.com/Flying-ScissorsMarbella-Bridal-hairstylist Make-up: Ella Ogilvie ellameganmakeup.com

CONFETI 65

Real Weddings

The Perfect Venue and Exquisite Styling made Michelle & Gordon’s wedding a day to remember

Mutual friends Gordon and I met at a birthday party organised by our mutual friend Mick.

I remember I was travelling back from New York with work, really tired and I had no intention of heading out. However Mick convinced me to go and I always felt that sometimes things just happen for a reason and somehow we were just meant to be!!

A Sun-kissed location Gordon and I had travelled to Marbella several times and we just fell in love with the place, from the

66 CONFETI

rustic and beautiful old town to the sun-kissed beaches and stunning views. We also had the pleasure of attending our good friends’ Brian and Niamh’s wedding in 2012 and we just knew that Spain was perfect for us.

Finding the ‘Wow’ factor The minute we both walked into La Cabane we just looked at each other and knew that this very special place was so right for us. La Cabane just had the “wow” factor and we knew that with the right styling and décor the place would look incredible. Also,

the sea view was so relaxing and unbelievably beautiful. Our guests are still talking about La Cabane as somewhere they will never forget.

My dream dress David Fielden designed my wedding dress. I loved it so much the minute I put it on, because it was so different and contemporary - just perfect for me. The bridesmaids rocked dusky pink Egyptian full-length evening gowns. I spent a lot of time on the décor and styling with my amazing wedding planner Laura Charles. The colour scheme was sophisticated

and elegant using whites, ivory and gold’s mixed with blush and soft pink tones. The bouquets were white peonies and soft pink, mother of pearl roses. We decided to stick with tradition and got married in the beautiful 16th century La Encarnación church in Marbella’s Old Town.

Deliciously chilled La Cabane did an excellent job with the food and we had a great spread of hot and cold canapés served while guests listened to chill out music by Sarah Howard. This was

followed by a delicious five-course meal. My highlight was the chocolate fondant for dessert! As we are Irish, we like to party and Legal Aliens really got the night off to a good start - we would highly recommend them!

We also had a neon party bar for the girls plus flip-flops, and a “man’s corner” for the boys with some cigars of course!

Perfectly composed We chose Jeremy Standley and have no regrets. He was truly amazing and we cannot recommend him enough. We love the photos they are so natural and capture all our special moments.

Treasured memories Getting ready with my bridesmaids, my mum & Gordon’s mum! It was so exciting and emotional, and a great start to the day.

Meeting Gordon at the top of the church was a very special moment one I will never forget!

I also really enjoyed being outside with my husband just after getting married and meeting guests in the courtyard.

Words of Advice Relax as much as possible, do not sweat it if something does not go exactly as planned, and enjoy every minute as the day goes by so quickly.

Address Book Wedding Planner: Laura Charles at Reviva Weddings, reviva-weddings.com Dress: David Fielden, davidfielden.co.uk Photographer: Jeremy Standley, jeremystandley.com Cake: Sweet Things by Fi, sweetthingsbyfi.com Music: Sarah Howard, sarahhoward.co.uk & Legal Aliens, thelegalaliens.com

“If I had to do it again, I would change…”?

Not one single thing! We loved every minute and would absolutely love to do it all over again!!

CONFETI 67

Real Weddings

A REAL LIFE

FairyTale

Ekaterina and Artem brought their dreams to the beautiful Spainish mountains and it was all they could have had hoped it to be How it all began We met 8 years ago when Ekaterina first moved to St. Petersburg. We were both starting University at the time and had studied together in the same group from the first day. We spent all of our free time together with mutual friends and somewhere in the middle of it all we fell in love!

The dream location We love Spain. The culture, people, food, atmosphere - we love everything about it. We had visited Spain a number of times before, each time exploring more places and finding ourselves falling more and more in love with it. Therefore, it didn’t come as a surprise that when we were deciding on the ideal location for our special day, Spain was the perfect location

68 CONFETI

for us. We had imagined our big day to be lit up with daylight and sunshine, which proved to be a bit of a challenge on the day due to bad weather, however the sun finally came out for the ceremony and it was like living a dream!

A venue with a view The view and tranquility of the venue made it the ideal setting for the wedding. It was beautifully located in the mountains with stunning views of the lake and the sea on the horizon, far away from the noise of the city.

There were different levels for us to use as we pleased, depending on the preference and structure of the wedding. We used this to our advantage and had three main areas. The first area was situated on the highest level under a tree, this is where the ceremony was held. The

second area was set for the meal and the third held breathtaking views of the lake, making it the perfect setting for the guests to arrive and enjoy welcome cocktails.

Unique details The style of the wedding was ‘garden shabby chic’ which was reflected everywhere in pastel colours. The entire decor portrayed this style through white Napoleon chairs, chandeliers and vases, David Austin roses, eucalyptus, hanging candles and the beautiful arch which we were led to by a path of flower petals.

On the night of the celebrations, vintage lamps created a lovely, romantic atmosphere with soft lighting. The stage and dance

floor were white and we had a LED screen installed above showing videos which our friends and family had made for us followed by a wonderful video of our love story.

Viva España!

As we had chosen Spain for our wedding location, we wanted the food and attractions to have a Mediterranean feel. To create this we had a Spanish guitarist play during the welcome drinks and then again for the after-ceremony cocktails. The appetisers were traditional Spanish finger food presented beautifully.

We then chose a contemporary flamenco show which the guests enjoyed so much they decided to get involved in themselves! After the cake we had an interactive cooking show as a dessert buffet. This was shortly followed by the band, Great Vintage, who played fantastic music for us all night long.

We were thoroughly impressed with each and every tiny detail which altogether made an unforgettable day!

Picture Perfect We had a few options to chose from for our wedding photographer, however when we met Owen Farrell and took a look at his work,

he shared his vision with us and explained the way in which he works - straight away our decision was made and it was the best decision we ever could have gone with. He is very professional which we noticed from the very first moment we started working with him. There wasn’t a single moment in the day that he gave any impression of it being too much for him.

It is important to be able to enjoy yourself on your wedding day and this can be difficult if you are being interrupted by the photographer or videographer on the day. Owen remained invisible throughout the whole day yet still managed to capture every single detail and emotion which we now are able to relive through his photos as if it happened only yesterday!

Our love story was created by Ivan Budarin, a young, talented videographer. The two days we spent with him were so much fun, filming our first film together in some of the most fantastic locations. The love story was romantic and sweet. We showed it as the beginning of the night and all of our guests loved it.

The main videographer we chose for our big day was Antonio de Perez. He is preparing the video for us as we speak and we are can’t wait to see it!

Address Book Wedding Planner: Tatiana Polikanova at Events Couture Marbella, eventcouturemarbella.com Dress: Pronovias Marbella, pronovias.es Catering: Goyo, goyocatering.com Flowers & Decor: AM Gallery, amgallerymarbella.com Photographer: Owen Farrell, owenfarrellphotography.com Videographer: Antonio de Perez, vimeo.com/antoniodeperez Video (love story): Ivan Budarin and Ocean Cinema, vimeo.com/oceancinema Entertainment: Events Couture Marbella, eventscouturemarbella.com Register: Melanie Kettner, Borough Car: Solo Marbella, smrentacar.com Cake: La Vie a Sucre, facebook.com/LaVieASucre Dream moments It is impossible to choose just one, for us every moment was unforgettable. We received so many surprises from our family and friends which we weren’t expecting on the day and we will value and treasure those moments for a very long time.

When the time came for us to step down the stairs and take our first dance, a fountain of fire appeared which was as a complete surprise for us - it was so beautiful! We were amazed at how our wedding planner managed to create all of these spectacular moments which made our day even more special than we imagined. It was like a fairy tale!

If I had to do it again, I would change…

Nothing. Every single detail and moment was perfect!

Word of advice Invite only those who are most important to you. Choose only your closest friends and family. You can spend a lot of money trying to impress yourself and your hundreds of guests, but unless they are prepared to share their true emotions and joy with you on this special day you could jeopardised just how beautifully emotional and memorable your day could be.

CONFETI 69

Real Weddings

Love in Paradise

With elegance and sparkles, Kathrine and Eystein exchanged vows on the beautiful beach setting of El Oceano Beach Hotel

Flying High We both used to work in aviation and came in contact with each other through mutual friends. We first met at a crew gathering and it was love at first sight! We both worked similar jobs and had flexible working hours allowing us to spend a lot of time together over the first few months.

With our common passion for flying, our first date was magical, flying over the city of Stavanger, Norway, in a small airplane piloted by my now husband, Eystein.

Love under the sun Both Katherine and I share a number of wonderful childhood memories on holidays in and around Marbella and absolutely love the area.

With Kathrine’s family owning an apartment in La Cala and both of us having come from a cold and wet city in Norway, the guarantee of sunshine and warm weather quickly made Spain the obvious choice of location for us.

The ideal venue Perfectly located along the beautiful beach of La Cala, El Oceano offered us every-thing we were looking for. The interior and style of the venue worked wonderfully with our planned wedding theme and all research we found highly recommended the food and service. All these aspects made this the perfect venue for our special day.

Touch of Pink The wedding theme was white and gold with a touch of pink - the dinner booklet, menu, name tags, church booklet, invitations and thank you cards were all printed white with a gold font. The church was elegantly decorated with pew bows and the table centre pieces were a beautiful mix of white and pink roses.

My wedding dress was a dreamy Demetrios white dress with swarovski crystal detail and a 70 CONFETI

matching veil. The touch of pink came in the bouquet which were pink Austin roses. My two bridesmaids were then dressed the opposite to me, in pink dresses holding bouquets of white flowers.

Those Little Details When the guests arrived at the church they were presented with personalised water bottles and fans.

During the reception canapés and appetisers were served followed by a sit down 3 course meal which included a Roulade of Salmon to start, Rack of Lamb for the main and an oven baked chocolate fondant for dessert. The cake was a 3 tier chocolate cake with buttercream, beautifully decorated with real flowers to match those of my bouquet.

Our guests held sparklers whilst Can’t Help Falling In Love by Elvis Presley played in

the background to set the magical screen of our first dance.

A fantastic addition we had was a photo stand for guests to use a polaroid camera and props to take fun selfies and write a greeting in our guestbook which created a lovely and valuable memory for us to take home. We also had a disposable camera assigned to each table during the meal to

capture the mood of all our guests along with a tiny gift box for each guest which held a personalised love quote and mini personalised love heart candy inside.

Capture The Love We chose Pierre Richardson to do our wedding photography. We were thoroughly satisfied with his work and the end results and we highly recommend him to others.

For our wedding video we chose Evergreen. We have not yet received the video, however the samples we saw looked amazing and we can’t wait to see the end prod-uct.

Both Pierre and Evergreen were extremely professional and remained anonymous throughout the whole day.

Magical Moments We both agreed that one of our favourite moments were when I walked down the aisle and Eystein saw me for the first time - it was both emotional and beautiful.

Our first dance was also a moment to remember. The excitement to actually perform the dance and the proud feeling we received came as a surprise to us. We were both very

nervous as we didn’t have any time to practise beforehand, however despite this, it came out much better than expected.

If I could do it again…

I would have to do the impossible task of changing to the season of peonies. They are my absolute favourite flower. When we decided on the wedding date, it never crossed my mind that it wouldn’t be possible to have peonies in August!

Plan plan plan!

My advice to all future couples getting married is to be organised and have timelines.

Do your own research and use wedding magazines for inspiration and advise.

Prioritise what is important to you and where you want to spend your money. Don’t get caught up in all the craziness

of planning - remember what it’s really all about!

Last but not least, when your day finally arrives try to relax and breathe. Be your own guest at your wedding and let the bridesmaids and best man do all the work for you.

Address Book Caterer: El Oceano Beach Hotel, oceanohotel.com Photographer: Pierre Richardson, pierrerichardsonphotography. com Video: Salvadorm at Evergreen, evergreenproducciones.com Make-Up & Hair: Lorraine at Princess Bride, princess-bride.co.uk Music: Dj Tristan, weddingdjmarbella.co.uk Bride’s Dress: Demetrios, demetriosbride.com Groom’s Suit: Tiger of Sweden, tigerofsweden.com Blessing: Norwegian Church, Calahonda Flowers: Shona Stevenson at Bunches, Mijas, bunchesspain.com

CONFETI 71

Real Weddings

Butterflies, Baby’s Breath and a personal touch make Carla and Seamus’ day a massive success The best of friends Seamus and I were neighbours growing up in Castleknock (Dublin) and became the best of friends; we were inseparable for about four years. We then started dating each other on the 18th August 2004. Much of the last 11 years has seen us living apart due to work commitments and having a long distance relationship, which was difficult at times. Seamus proposed at Powerscourt Hotel on 27th June 2013 and we have been living in Baltimore (USA) for the last year together.

The sunshine and the sea We chose to get married in Spain for many different reasons. My parents have an apartment in Spain, and as a family we have a great love for the area and have spent lots of family time here. My parents actually came here on their honeymoon and Seamus and I spent a summer here with all our friends when we were in college. Besides all the lovely memories we have of the Costa del Sol, the beautiful weather and the seaside were important factors for us during our search for the perfect outdoor venue for our special day.

When

Irish eyes

are Smiling!

From Orange Square to Le Papillon We had a two day affair to celebrate our wedding.

We got married in Nuestra Senora de La Encarnacóon Church in Marbella Old Town. Orange Square is my favourite place to visit when I go to Spain, so when I came upon La Encarnación church a couple of years ago, I always knew that this is where I wanted to get married.

It’s the most beautiful church I have ever seen. We had our initial drinks reception on the square outside the church in Buenaventura Restaurant, which gave us time to get photographs of us on the square, while our guests enjoyed a few drinks and food in the sunshine.

The venue for our wedding day was Tikitano Beach Restaurant.

We wanted an elegant wedding with a casual feel to it by the sea and we got just that with Tikitano.

The views are breathtaking and the surrounding gardens were a beautiful backdrop for our second drinks reception. The waiters and kitchen staff at Tikitano could not have done more for us. The venue captured the exact vibe and atmosphere that we envisaged for our special day.

The venue we chose for day two of our wedding was Le Papillon.

We were introduced to this place by our wedding planner Carla at Tucco. We wanted a location that could accommodate a barbeque buffet on the beach, with a flamenco dancer and DJ and dancing - and the guys at Le Papillon completely outdid themselves. We were completely blown away by how amazing the food, personalised menus and entertainment were. They took care of everything for us. It was extremely well managed and organised, plus the staff were amazing. I couldn’t recommend it enough.

Butterflies and Baby’s Breath The theme for our wedding was butterflies and the colors we chose were white, blue and silver. We wanted to go for a whimsical feel with loads of candles and fairy lights everywhere. My wedding planner Carla understood my vision and made it a reality. She took care of all the finer details.

I found “the dress” in a bridal store in Dublin called De Stafford Bridal.

My dress was an original design by Kathy De Stafford herself. I found the hunt for the dress very overwhelming.

My mum actually picked out my wedding dress for me. I wasn’t sold on it at first, but she made me try it on and as soon as I had it on, I knew it was the one. Moms know best!

We found our bridesmaid dresses and flower girl dress in a shop called Bridal Heaven in Swords, Co. Dublin. The dresses are from Dessy. We wanted dresses what would flow in the wind of the beach and in blue to complement our whimsical vibe and colour scheme.

We got all the suits for our dads, the groom’s party and the lovely groom from Patrick Sheary in Dublin. They were navy with grey ties, and an Ivory tie for the groom.

For my own bouquet I wanted white Peonies and Baby’s Breath, bouquets for the bridesmaids and a crown and flower ball for the flowergirl. Virginia Flowers looked after all the flowers on our day.

72 CONFETI

I also wanted a few signs for outside the church, the venue and at the bars on the two days of our wedding. We also needed a table plan that incorporated our themes and colours. Carla arranged for all this with a talented company called Nulki Nulks. They were amazing and we were delighted with them.

We had our table place names and menus done by a talented artist at Save My Date. All these small touches meant so much to us and it was important that they were done properly and with thought - these companies did just that and more.

Our wedding Planner Carla arranged fairy lights and lanterns from a company called Fiesta Sol. They completely set the scene for me and met all my expectations.

We got additional lighting and uplighters, plus microphones and a lectern for speeches from Marbella Entertainment.

Special touches and a variety of tastes At Tikitano we had a starter of Chicken Caesar Salad, for the Main Course: Filet Mignon with potatoes and seasonal vegetables or Filet of sole stuffed with Scallops, a Creamy Champagne sauce and seasonal vegetables. For dessert we had Dark Chocolate Brownie with Vanilla Gelato.

For midnight food, we offered our guests a variety of pizzas.

I got some butterfly place names for our guests on the internet. My extremely talented brother wrote all our guests’ names on them and we put them on our guests’ wine glasses at the table. They looked very elegant. I also did up toiletry boxes for the male and female bathrooms filled with all the necessities.

We got personalised matchboxes made for the smoking areas. Lastly we got two boxes full of flip-flops for the ladies to dance the night away.

For our wedding cake we wanted it to be all white, with a little bit of silver and to have flowers and butterflies.

Our wedding planner introduced us to Cake Couture. I showed them a picture of the cake that ideally I would like and they actually produced a cake that was so much more beautiful. I nearly didn’t want to cut it. But the cake itself was absolutely gorgeous. We had three tiers (Rasberry, Chocolate and Lemon Meringue). These are very talented people.

For our ceremony we had Amanda Rosa singing in the church. She was amazing. Such a lovely lady and smiled the whole way through.

Marbella Entertainment arranged all the music for our venue on the day of the wedding.

We had a Spanish guitarist playing at the drinks reception, which really set a lovely, relaxed atmosphere and we had a sound technician that played music for us throughout our meal.

The band was extremely important to me as a big music lover. I wanted the best band I could find and Legal Aliens were superb.

They had everyone up and dancing. I couldn’t recommend them enough.

Then they arranged a DJ for us for the final three hours of the evening.

Everlasting images We had Pierre Richardson as our photographer. He was very relaxed and un-intrusive. He made us feel completely at ease. We loved the final result of all our photos. He captured the day beautifully. We can’t wait to see our album.

Gary Tapp did our photobooth at the reception, which was great fun and the photos are fun and fantastic to look back on. He also did our wedding video and a marioki of Pharell William’s “Happy”. So we are really looking forward to seeing them.

Magic moments My favourite moment of my day was my dad walking me up the aisle to Seamus. It was such an emotional moment. Then seeing Seamus there at the altar and the feeling of being surrounded by everyone we loved. It was a very special moment.

Your advice to future couples

Address Book Venue : Tikitano Beach Restaurant, tikitano.com Le Papillon, restaurantepapillon.com Caterer: Tikitano Beach Restaurant, tikitano.com

I initially tried to organise my wedding by myself and found it increasingly difficult to do so from America. My wedding planner Carla from Tucco was my saving grace. She took care of everything and any little problems on the wedding day were seen to immediately

by Carla and her assistant. I honestly don’t think I could have managed it without her.

Wedding Planner: Carla at Tucco, tucco.es

If you are getting married in Spain, my advice is to hire a wedding planner, they are worth every penny. I couldn’t recommend Tucco and Carla enough. They brought the whole two days together.

Bridesmaid & Flower Girl Dresses: Bridal Heaven in Swords, Dublin

Florist: Virginia Flowers, virginiaflorista.com Photographer:Pierre Richardson, pierrerichardsonphotography.com Wedding Dress: by Kathy De Stafford at De Stafford Bridal, Dublin, destaffordbridal.ie

Suits: Patrick Sheary, Dublin, patricksheary.ie CONFETI 73

Real Weddings

All Abroad Exquisite details and personal touches brought effortless elegance to Georgina and Chris’s day

It started with a kiss Chris and I first met when I was 14 and he was 16. We had friends in common and used to hang around the nearby park together as you do at that age. My best friend got together with Chris’s best friend, so it was only natural that we had to take one for the team and start dating.

It didn’t last long, but we still kept in contact. Five years later, we met again in our local student hangout and one thing led to another…eight years and six months later we got married and it was the best day of our lives.

Escape the ordinary We always knew that we didn’t want a ‘normal’ wedding. We aren’t traditional types and preferred a small, intimate affair with our nearest and dearest. We originally thought of Vegas as this is where we got engaged, but we finally settled on 74 CONFETI

Spain as it was near enough for everyone to travel to and not as expensive.

Our venue Villa Candela en La Colina in Benahavís was perfect for our big day. It had just enough rooms to accommodate our whole wedding party, was spacious enough to keep our guests entertained for the whole week, and boasted breathtaking views. The picturesque garden area, which was ideal for our ceremony, sealed the deal.

Grand Designs My theme centered around flowers, predominantly orchids, which are my absolute favourite, so a talented florist was a must and Janne at Flor Valentin exceeded all my expectations. The colour scheme was pinks, purples and blues. I asked all my guests to dress in these hues, which I know some of them found hard and they cursed me a

few times, but I thought it would be a nice contrast with my dress, which was white rather than ivory.

For my dress, I knew I wanted something different from the norm; a sheer lace, slightly daring boho style. I visited many bridal boutiques and couldn’t find anything I liked, so I decided that my only option was to get something made for me.

I eventually came across a bridal fabric shop that stocked hundreds of different kinds of laces and, being the most indecisive person ever, I just couldn’t pick one, until my mum finally spotted a white beaded lace with little flowers attached. That was THE one! I took this to a designer in Liverpool along with a photo of the style of dress I wanted. She had never made a wedding dress before however she managed to bring my vision to life. Chris wore a tailored light blue linen suit from Reiss, which not only complimented the chosen colour theme, but it also contrasted perfectly with my dress.

My makeup artist was Nicola McGeorge and she was a real help straight from the moment I booked her. She was happy to answer any wedding related questions I had and was able to recommend a selection of different wedding vendors, many of whom we ended up booking. She is such a lovely person in every way and was a complete perfectionist when it came to doing my makeup. I can’t recommend her enough.

A deliciously tasty do We are foodies, so choosing caterers for our wedding was difficult as we didn’t want to disappoint our guests. We decided on Sana Catering in the end and they did not disappoint.

For starters we opted for beef carpaccio and mushroom ravioli, for mains, pan roasted salmon with tabbouleh, lamb cutlets with risotto and tofu croquettes for the vegetarians. Dessert was a trio of crème brûlée, chocolate torte CONFETI 75

and mojito fruit salad, which was delicious.

Our show stopping cake was designed by Omaya from Cake Couture Marbella. We love vanilla, however after the taster session with Omaya we enjoyed her raspberry flavour and the chocolate with chocolate ganache so much that, we decided to have a layer of each.

The final design incorporated three orchids made from sugar paste in pink and purple.

Strike a pose Our photographer was Nani de Perez and she knew exactly what I wanted without even asking…she just knew! Chris and I felt like models for the day and Nani was extremely good at directing us to get the perfect picture. Her work is unique compared to any other wedding photographers I have seen before and I am so happy that I chose her.

She sent over some sample photos the day after the wedding and everyone was amazed at how great they were.

What memories are made of...

My favourite moment was walking down the aisle with my Dad and seeing Chris with the breathtaking view of Benahavis behind him. He looked totally gorgeous and I cannot describe how happy I felt to see him standing there waiting for me.

Chris’s favourite moment was when I put his wedding ring on his finger. He said this

76 CONFETI

was when he finally realized that we were actually getting married and becoming husband and wife. Another special moment was when our wedding entertainment arrived; the Spanish guitarists called ‘The Latin Twins’. When we were planning our wedding from England we couldn’t find what we wanted for entertainment, so decided to go without. The night before the wedding, we were enjoying an evening meal in Puerto Banús where ‘The Latin Twins’ were playing. We loved them and asked them if they would play at our wedding the next day. The duo really livened up our wedding and got everyone dancing. They even dedicated a song to us, which became our first dance.

Address Book Photography: Nani de Perez, nanideperez.com Makeup Artist: Nicola McGeorge +34 665 361 964 Hair: Golden Tarts, goldentarts.com Flowers: Flor Valentin, florvalentin.es Catering: Sana Catering, sanacateringmarbella.com Cake: Omaya at Cake Couture Marbella, cakecouturemarbella.com Entertainment: The Latin Twins Venue: Candela en La Colina

CONFETI 77

Photo by Nani de Perez

Photo by Nani de Perez

A Wedding Fair to Remember‌ Words by Natalie Rose Kern Photos by Jonathan Manasco

C

ONFETI held its inaugural wedding show on the Sunborn Super Yacht Hotel in Gibraltar and, despite a certain level of apprehension as it was our first ever such event, the show was a great success and it was a truly memorable weekend.

Months of planning had brought exhibitors from up and down the coast, and all areas of the wedding industry together, from florists and cake makers to photographers and dressmakers, all the finest and most reputable wedding specialists were in attendance.

We chose the Sunborn Super Yacht in Gibraltar as the venue for this superb event because it

78 CONFETI

offered all the excellent services and superb facilities of a 5-star hotel in an unbeatable central location, right in the heart of Gibraltar’s Ocean Village.

Boasting a stunning ballroom plus convenient amenities, including bars and restaurants on board, this was the ideal location for the show to take place.

We arrived on Friday afternoon and began busy preparations with the team on board the Sunborn, as well as with our clients who were arriving from all areas of the Costa del Sol, as well as from Gibraltar.

It was an exhilarating and exciting time and all hands were on deck as Saturday morning approached, but soon enough the alarm clocks

rang and the wedding show was upon us.

Before the sun rose we were all in the ballroom, unloading, unpacking and setting up our stands; Dressmakers; Diamond Occasions, Glamour Hunter and Désirée dresses were setting out their fabulous bridal and special occasion wear. Then there were the cheerful faces of the guys at, Orchid Events and Kathrin from Michela Rigucci Shoes – who were all busy setting out fantastic displays that really rocked the show. Of course, Balloon Chic Marbella, Party People and Stephanie’s Simply Bridal also had stunning stalls, exhibiting their balloons, decorations and flowers, which were all outstanding.

The venues were out of this world: from the boho chic Trocadero to the traditional, yet beautiful Kempinski we had all the finest wedding venues on site. Hotel Elba had a glorious stand, as did the Vincci Estrella del Mar, the H10, La Herriza and of course La Sala – whose wedding planners were on hand to not only offer you a wedding venue, but to guide you through the whole planning process.

There was a palpable excitement in the air as the clock neared 11am and we knew that the doors would soon open to the public – cake makers, Sweet Things by Fi and Marbella Cake Designs had both baked a selection of fabulous cakes and our mouths were watering simply CONFETI 79

at the delectable smell that wafted around the room.

Then 11am arrived and the public arrived. Slowly at first, and then all at once. We had a fabulous fashion show, which was directed by Izabella from Désirée fashion and starred not only miss Gibraltar 2015, but also her two maids of honour, who were simply breathtaking in her stunning, contemporary satin and lace gowns. We were also rewarded with fabulous fashion shows from the team at Diamond Occasions, whose varied and diverse collection afforded a great deal of choice for the many brides-to-be who were in attendance.

There were talks, demonstrations, fabulous music from Zoe Louise, one of Marbella’s top singing sensations, who belted out a repertoire of old classics as well as a chunk of modern favourites and had us singing (and bopping) along over the weekend. When Zoe wasn’t delighting us with her dulcet tones, the friendly and funky girls who form Chicas DJs delighted us with a fantastic range of music that varied from floor-fillers to chart hits – and let’s just say that this musical duet know their music and were able to take requests from even the most particular visitor! Toastmaster, MC and celebrant, Allan Davies gave us a rousing speech on the many benefits of choosing a celebrant for your service and magic man, Alan Mansell performed card tricks and a series of phenomenal magic tricks that had us all staring on in wonder and disbelief.

Our favourite wedding photographers each had stands; Arturo Nieves and Nani & Antonio De Perez and their stunning photographs gave much inspiration to the bridesto-be in attendance. Stephanie from Stephanie’s Beautiful Beginnings was advising brides on their best make-up looks and all in all the brides had a fabulous range of options to choose from – whether they were seeking their 80 CONFETI

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perfect dress, cake, bouquet … or even face!

Among the hundreds who visited the show over the spectacular two-day event, we were thrilled that 74 BRIDES-TO-BE attended – a phenomenal figure for such a specialised show - and we have already heard from many of exhibitors that they have booked their services for weddings in 2015. This has been an outstanding response and far exceeded our expectations.

Indeed, those who are actually planning a wedding in either 2015 or 2016 were what made this event fruitful, and really made us feel that it was a worthwhile and prosperous fair for all who participated The CONFETI girls manned the doors, giving out goody bags, selling raffle tickets – and most importantly, taking details of all brides-to-be; their wants, their desires, what they were looking for and what they were after for their big day.

We are absolutely delighted with the positive feedback that we received and – whilst there were a few teething

problems getting started, this inaugural show has paved the way for many more CONFETI shows to come and we are eagerly planning not one, but two shows next year.

With music, entertainment, fashion shows, talks and speeches, not to mention a receptive public – and of course most importantly, a significant number of brides-tobe--this first CONFETI show was a great success for all involved.

From a networking perspective, our exhibitors were able to meet and exchange contacts, and most importantly display their services and gain exposure. We cannot thank everyone enough for their hard work, dedication and presence – You all made this CONFETI show a roaring success!

BUBBLES &

DREAMS

We were delighted with the turnout, and the hundreds of happy faces who showed up for this event and we are truly thrilled that so many of our exhibitors received such positive feedback and have received bookings from this fun and friendly weekend.

Thank you all for your participation and we can’t wait to welcome you to our spring and autumn shows of 2016.

See you all there!

We held a fantastic raffle for the Bubbles and Dreams charity bubblesanddreams.org - a cause that is very close to our hearts - BubblesandDreams is an association that fights that helps and supports children suffering from rare and undiagnosed illnesses.

A close friend of the CONFETI team, Jorgelina Borda is the mother of Chloe who suffers from a condition that affects her motor skills and speech; it debilitates her ability to walk, eat, talk, drink and hold things.

Chloe appeared to have no problems at birth and it wasn’t until she was three years old that her family started to notice things changing - she was too clumsy, she didn’t want to eat and she wasn’t able to speak properly. Then she got worse - to the point that doctors told her mother Jorgelina to give up. Obviously, she didn’t give up. She took Chloe’s case to doctors all over the world and although no one has been able to give her an exact diagnosis, Chloe got better. However, we don’t know for how long. She is almost six now and there has still been no diagnosis, and therefore no cure.

Jorgelina founded Bubbles and Dreams.org to provide support for children and their families in a similar situation to Chloe. We were delighted to be able to offer Jorgelina a four-figure sum from the procedes of the CONFETI’s Wedding Show’s raffle tickets, and we are also very thankful to all of you who donated prizes and services for this worthwhile cause.

From balloons, bouquets and makeovers to spa days, restaurant meals and hotel stays, the generosity of all who donated is so very appreciated by Jorgelina, Chloe, and the many families who benefit from the Bubbles and Dreams charity – and, of course, all of us at CONFETI magazine.

82 CONFETI

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GO CONTEMPORARY

GO UPBEAT

There are plenty of amazing songs that have been written in the past decade: some of which could be the perfect soundtrack for your married life together. Here are a few options:

Just because it’s the first song of your wedding, it doesn’t mean it has to be a slow one. There are plenty of romantic songs that are upbeat and will get everyone moving right from the start:

A Thousand Years - Christina Perri: Ever since it featured in the Twilight saga (and on X-Factor), this has been a hot favourite.

“I have loved you for a thousand years. I’ll love you for a thousand more…”

Thinking Out Loud - Ed Sheeran: This hit was number 1 in Spotify’s recent analysis of its users top first dance songs.

Why is it so perfect? It could be because it describes eternal love and is also a great tune.

“Baby I will be loving you til we’re seventy…”

Everything - Michael Buble: There are some who would argue that no wedding is complete without a bit of Bublé. That may or may not be true, but there’s no denying the smoothness of his voice.

“And in this crazy life, and through these crazy times, It’s you, it’s you, you make me sing, You’re every line, you’re every word, you’re everything…”

Make You Feel My Love - Adele: There won’t be a dry eye in the house if you choose this number.

“Nothing that I wouldn’t do, go to the ends of the Earth for you, to make you feel my love…”

First Day of My Life - Bright Eyes: This is a great offbeat indie/folk tune. It’s become really popular as a first dance song in America.

“Yours is the first face that I saw. I think I was blind before I met you…”

You Got the Love – Candi Staton: Uplifting and full of soul, this tune has been covered so many times!

“Sometimes I feel like saying, ‘Lord, I just don’t care’ but you’ve got the love I need to see me through…”

Our favourite music maestros, Chicas DJs give us top tips on how to choose your first dance music and they bring us some all-time classic favourites as well as some fresh new tracks for you to rock your first dance in style.

When it comes to thinking about the music for your big day, the song choice for your first dance is an important one. After all, it’s one of the most memorable and romantic parts of any wedding - all eyes are on you while you have your first dance as a married couple.

Can’t Help Falling in Love with you - Elvis Presley: Lose yourselves in each other’s eyes while the King serenades you…

“Like a river flows surely to the sea, Darling so it goes, some things are meant to be…”

Feel so close - Calvin Harris: One of Calvin’s best!

“I feel so close to you right now, it’s a force field…”

So how do you choose this allimportant song that is just right for you? Here are a few options: It Had to be You - Frank Sinatra: Another classic that has undoubtedly stood the test of time.

“It had to be you, wonderful you, it had to be you…”

Let’s Stay Together - Al Green: A timeless soul classic made even cooler by its inclusion in Quentin Tarantino’s ‘Pulp Fiction’.

“I’m so in love with you, whatever you want to do is all right with me...”

Can’t take my eyes off you Andy Williams: Although this one starts slowly, it quickly builds into a fantastic chorus that will get everyone singing!

“You’re just too good to be true, can’t take my eyes off you…”

Go Traditional The origins of the first dance lie in traditional balls where the guests of honour would open the evening’s dancing. In today’s weddings, those guests of honour are the newly married couple and classic songs are still very popular choices for the first dance. Try these ones: At Last - Etta James: This is a true classic, which is consistently in the top five songs for first dances among celebs and non-celebs alike.

“At last, my love has come along…”

There really are so many songs to choose from to kick-start your night of dancing. If you can’t make a decision from the sea of brilliant songs out there (and who could blame you), ask your DJ to make a mix of the songs you really can’t live without listening to. One of the first dance mixes that we produced this summer, was a mash-up of an Al Green song with a Jason Mraz one. Not only did it sound great and fit together really well, it also provided that surprise element for the guests - not just one great song, but two!

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Whether it’s the first song you danced to together, a song that was playing when you first met, or one that you have both always loved, it should be a song that means something to both of you.

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Padre Peter, cleric for wedding ceremonies and regular contributor to CONFETI Magazine

Roses are

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ndeed they are, and when they are red they mean love and respect. But beware! A dark crimson rose signifies mourning! The Victorians were very hot on the language of flowers.

During the reign of the dear queen “floriography” (to give it its official name) positively blossomed.In a similar way as the language of the fan developed in Spain (given that women were severely restricted in their communication with the opposite sex), so Victorian women developed the language of flowers. Introduced into England by Lady Mary Wortley Montague (1689-1762), it was derived from the Ottoman empire’s obsession with tulips.

These flowers were perfect as declarations of love, red signifing “I love you”, and yellow meaning “there is sunshine in your smile”. But it was the French who first codified the language in 1809 with “Dictionnaire du language des fleurs” (written by a gentleman with the unlikely sounding French name of Joseph Hammer-Purgstall!), which was followed in 1819 by “Le language des Fleurs”. (Quite how they found the time as Nelson and Wellington pursued them on land and sea around Europe remains a mystery).

But numerous publications on the subject followed in countries all round the world, and in 1822 an annual appeared in Britain entitled “Forget me Not”, which continued publication until 1834. Going one better, “The Language of Flowers”, published by Routledge, first appeared in 1884, and is still being published today!

Flowers today are an integral part of a wedding. Indeed, they have been associated with weddings from time immemorial, originally not simply as mere decoration. Often they were intertwined with herbs to give added significance.

Surprisingly, garlic was once a popular addition, as it warded off the evil eye, but dill was another favourite, even though it symbolises lust! The idea, of course, was that the bride should lust only for her husband!

(Should she have strayed, a bunch of daisies from her lover to his inamorata signified “I’ll never tell”!)Other herbs had different uses.

When it was customary to produce “kissing knots”, these were made from roses (carefully avoiding dark crimson ones!) and rosemary tied together.

The resultant knot was then suspended over the heads of the bride and groom as they sat down to their wedding breakfast to bestow upon them good luck and lasting love.

Beside each guest’s plate would be placed a small nosegay made up of flowers each designed to convey a message; white carnations signified good luck for the women, whilst a gladiolus, being the shape of a sword, signified the gallantry of the male guest.

There was, of course, an added dimension to this practice, found also in the bouquet borne by the bride, or the nosegay sniffed by high court judges; the scent of the flowers warded off any unwholesome smells emanating from guests in days when, for example, Queen Elizabeth 1st had a bath once a year whether she needed it or not. (In the case of the judges, of course, the reek came from the prisoner in the dock rather than the guests).

Different countries have different flower customs, and these have altered or developed over the years. The modern custom of having “flower girls” strewing the bridal path with flower petals as she arrives is a development of the old English custom where the bride and her bridesmaids would walk to the church together, led by small children sprinkling flower blossoms to ensure happiness.

In some Scandinavian countries, notably Sweden, the bridesmaids carry small bunches of sweet smelling herbs (not quite bouquets garnis!), while the pockets of the groom contain sprigs of thyme. This is designed to ward of any lurking trolls. Whilst no trolls are known to exist in India, it is the duty of the groom’s brother to sprinkle the happy couple with flower petals to deter evil spirits.Austria still maintains the custom of brides wearing flowers in their hair as a symbol of life.

This mirrors the practice of the ancient Greeks, who wove garlands of flowers for brides to wear. To this day a significant moment of a Greek Orthodox wedding ceremony comes when crowns of flowers are held are above the heads of both bride and groom as the priest prays that they will be sent “crowns from heaven”.

The choices made by royalty are interesting. Kate Middleton and Prince William chose British seasonal flowers, which naturally incorporated myrtle from a tree planted by Queen Victoria in 1845. Following this example, the decorations at the wedding consisted of real trees, maples and hornbeams, which were then replanted.

Victoria’s own bouquet itself was largely composed of snowdrops,

Albert’s favourite flower, whilst she wore orange blossom in her hair. All royal brides since Victoria have incorporated myrtle, which is itself a symbol of love and marriage.

Kate’s bouquet also held lilyof-the-valley, which stands for trustworthiness, and, of course Sweet William, which, apart from the obvious connotation, stands for gallantry!

In 2007 Elizabeth Hurley’s wedding dress, which cost thousands of dollars, was complemented by a posy of lilyof-the-valley. It was simple and understated, like Kate’s, which was subsequently laid at the tomb of the Unknown Warrior.

In contrast, Lady Diana’s at her marriage to Prince Charles was a positive riot of yellow roses, gardenias, orchids, stephanotis, freesia, lily-of-the-valley, veronica, and, of course, myrtle.

The complete “Dictionnaire du language des fleurs” was needed to unravel its significance! There was little doubt regarding significance when the Australian born Mary, now Crown Princess of Denmark, married Crown Prince Frederik whilst bearing a bouquet which contained eucalyptus leaves.

And not all bouquets need to be round bunches. Princess Martha Louise of Norway carried a heart shaped one, whilst Crown Princess Mette-Marit, also of Norway, designed her own long bouquet which cascaded down her dress. Victoria Beckham also broke the mould with a most unusual bouquet. Going for a green look, she chose ivy, eucalyptus, Italian ruskus, and apple, bound together with twine and a bit of duct tape for good measure. Budget conscious and striking!

CONFETI 87

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.

A BREAK from

Tradition

In this issue of Ask the Expert, we’re looking at how to incorporate different religions into a wedding ceremony, whether coloured wedding dresses can make a bride look less bridal and nice ways to stop your wedding being posted on social media. Confeti’s Ask The Expert writer and celebrant, Natasha Johnson, is here to answer all of your wedding worries and doubts.

I’m really keen on having a non-white wedding dress but I’m worried that I may not look like a bride and will simply blend in with everyone else. Have you noticed this in your experience?

Collette, getting married May, 2016 The idea of coloured wedding dresses is such an interesting one and definitely a trend that seems to be growing.

Although, white or off white is the most traditional colour for wedding dresses, until Queen Victoria wore a white dress in the mid 19th century, all wedding dresses were coloured ones and usually in the most boldest of colours, too! But this does now seem to be changing.

This year I have seen many brides wearing blush and other shades of very light pink as an alternative to white wedding dresses.

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Many bridal designers are supporting this trend too and are making bridal dresses in this popular hue. In terms of other colours, I have also seen brides wear red, green, purple and silver dresses, however they were not bridal dresses as such, but still beautiful, and in some cases, bespoke, tailor-made dresses. The good thing about being the bride, is that you will always shine and be recognized as the bride, no matter what your choice of dress or dress colour is, so I would definitely not worry about appearing less bridal, because you certainly won’t!

I am Catholic and my partner is Jewish. Now that we are looking at our ceremony we are realizing that we’d like a ceremony that reflects both of our religions. Can you make any suggestion as to how we can do this?

Catriona, getting married May 2017 Sometimes, couples who have different religious backgrounds realize that for their wedding ceremony they would prefer that both of their religions are represented, and don’t want to compromise by having one ceremony which focuses on just one of their religions.

This can be done in a number of ways.

Some couples, after having their civil ceremony, choose to have separate blessings; so in your case, a Catholic blessing and a Jewish blessing. Although this is an option and some people do this, it can be difficult to incorporate into your overall wedding proceedings. Organizing two separate blessing is not logistically easy to do: you would have to think about whether you might have them both on the same day to allow your guests to witness both of them, or would you have them on different days and invite different people to your different blessings?

The easiest way is to find an Interfaith Minister, a specially trained wedding celebrant who can create a ceremony for you that incorporates both of your religions. This way you can choose elements of both of your faiths that you like and blend them in to a unique dual faith religious ceremony. For example, you may like to incorporate standing under the huppah and a Jewish wine blessing, but also add some Catholic Prayers of the Faithful to the ceremony too.

There are so many options, and so many ways to include both of your religions in just one ceremony that ensure both faiths are fully represented and you are able to reflect them on your wedding day.

My fiancé and I really don’t like the idea of our wedding being splashed on social media before we’ve even seen photos of ourselves! We’ve been to lots of weddings where couples have invited their guests to share photos online but none where they don’t!

Have you any ideas of how we can tell our guests what we prefer, without us sounding strict or fussy!?

L & G, getting married next year This is a tricky one, isn’t it? Especially as you have also noticed that hashtag weddings are most definitely a firm fixture for many couples who like the idea of sharing their weddings online with their virtual community, as well as with their actual wedding guests. However, there are a lot of people who really are not comfortable with it, especially some couples who are having a small or intimate occasion. If the reason why they are getting married on a small scale is because they don’t want to share their special day with a large number of people, to then have their wedding shared on Facebook and Instagram may feel contrary to the whole point of their wedding day.

There are a few ways that you can ask your guests not to share your precious wedding photos online.

First, you can start with a polite request on your wedding invitation.

Although, it is quite a bit ahead of the actual day, it will hopefully stay with people, especially when they are reminded again on the day itself. At

least you will be giving them advanced warning, too. Some couples also put polite requests on their wedding websites, which they set up to give their guests additional wedding information.

Here couples can go into more detail and explain their reasons for why they prefer to keep their wedding day private and social media-free, which is a great way to help people understand where you are coming from and why you’ve made such a decision. On the day itself, you can also place signs up at the entrance to your ceremony area, or if you’re having a ceremony programme, you can write the request in there.

Some couples have used wording like this on blackboards or in photo frames which say, ‘Weddings are all about sharing on the day, but not in a social media kind of way! Thanks for NOT sharing our big day.’ With a message like this, I think your guests will get the message that you’re happy for them to take photos, but that you don’t want them being shared on social media. But, if you prefer that people keep their camera use down to a minimum and enjoy your day without constantly looking through the eye of a camera, a message like this can help: “There’s a guy/girl here taking pictures, we’ve asked him/her to come. So please rest your cameras and phones, our ceremony/ wedding only needs one.”

A message like this is not only a good way to ask people to pay attention to your ceremony, but it will encourage people not to use their phones or cameras any more than they really need to on your wedding day!

CONFETI 89

Romantic Breaks in the Winter Sunshine

Sunset Beach Club Honeymoon Suite

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f you are looking for somewhere to go on a romantic break this Winter, make sure to check out the new Deluxe Junior Suites at Sunset Beach Club. Newly remodelled, these gorgeous openplan suites include supersized bed, walk-in shower, free wifi, and guaranteed sea views! Winter rates start at just 70€ per night and, when you book online directly with the hotel, you have the option to add romantic extras such as champagne and chocolates on arrival or a special dinner for two!

A limited number of Honeymoon Suites are also available.

Deluxe Junior Suite

90 CONFETI

The 4* Sunset Beach Club enjoys a privileged location in Benalmádena Costa, flanked by two beaches and boasting a wide seafront promenade, perfect for a stroll in the winter sunshine.

Sunset’s Oasis Restaurant also offers live music every night, so you can dine and dance the night away!

Check availability, rates and see the hotel’s latest Events Calendar online at sunsetbeachclub.com or call 952 579 400 for further information.

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94 CONFETI

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Padre Peter: padrepeter1@gmail.com

Sisko Sisters at Villa Padierna Hotel / Photography By Juanlu Rodriguez (Pages 24-31)

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Photography

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DATES FOR YOUR

Diary

Wedding events not to be missed!

The National Wedding Show Manchester Central, 20 - 21st of February Olympia, London, 26 - 28th of February Nec Birmingham, 4th - 6th of March

The Scottish Wedding Show SECC, Glasgow 20 - 21st of February

Confeti Wedding Show

Saturday 27th of February, on board the Sunborn Gibraltar The inaugural Confeti Wedding Show will be a two day extravaganza, featuring the wedding services and products of the Coast’s leading vendors and live entertainment acts. Save the date!

Exhibitor information enquiries@iconpublishing.es

London Hilton on Park Lane 28th of February 2016

Phot Courtesy of: www.lusanmandongus.com

The Luxury Wedding Show

CONFETI 97

I

f you haven’t been able to find your dream gown, why not have it made for you? Our favourite wedding dress of the season was worn by one of our real wedding brides, Georgina Stroud, pictured here. She handpicked the white beaded lace before taking the material and a reference image to a local designer. The brief was to create a daring, boho lace gown, and boy did the designer nail it! Georgina teamed this breathtaking gown with unique Crystal Barefoot Sandals, which truly complemented the look.

Photo by Nani de Perez

98 CONFETI

Yes, I do

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