Weddings October 2018

weddings The Malta Independent on Sunday 21 October 2018

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St Angelo

OCTOBER 2018 |

weddings

St Elmo

Location, location, location As the list of desirable places to hold a wedding reception grows year by year, so do our dreams of the experience we would like to share with our guests

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he increase in the number of formally inaccessible buildings and public areas that can now be used for weddings has grown to include some pretty amazing venues.

Now couples and their guests can have a chance to almost become different people, in another time and place, for their one special day or night.

Our Grand Harbour is our pride and joy. Imagine the sense of history and drama at a reception in Fort St Angelo, famous for its part in the Great Siege victory of 1565. For its interior, and exterior settings overlooking the Grand Harbour, it can hardly be bettered.

On the other side of the harbour stands Fort St Elmo, which played such a huge part in the defence of Malta from the 1500s to the Second world War. This facinating building has several areas which would set splendid scenes for a wedding celebration.

For an especially atmospheric place to celebrate a wedding consider the Inquisitor’s Palace, the only

palace of its kind to survive so perfectly, and be accessible to the public. With its wonderful restoration, the venue is unique; and how good it would be to hold a happy occasion in a building that some may associate with less celebratory practices.

A truly glamourous setting for your ceremony, reception or both would be one of our beautiful museums, where treasures of the past will highlight your future together. The National Museum of Archaeology, with its lavish Baroque architectural features is gorgeously grand.

The palatial atmosphere of the National Museum of Natural History, in Mdina, will give you a magestic wedding in this ancient, romantic city. And for those with an interest and pride in our islands’ maritime history, couples and their guests will be in their element at a wedding held in the Malta Maritime Museum.

Of course, the spiritual sentiments of a wedding also have a very special significance, and how better to mark this than with a temple wedding.

Just outside, but still incorporating, the Tarxien Temples, built between 3600 and 2500 BC, is a beautiful space. And the unique prehistoric Ġgantija Temples, in Gozo, make an awe-inspiring backgound to the soft and hard landscaped spaces around them, where a wedding reception can be held.

There are so many things to consider when you choose your wedding venue; it could seem almost impossible to make a final decision. But, at least visiting as many places as possible will mean that your final choice will be the right one.

Tarxien Temples

Inquisitors Palace

Natural History Museum

Museum of Archeology

Martime Museum

Bachelor or hen parties – the best choice

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re you planning a special event? Would you like to meet up with friends or family before you tie the knot? Look no further, as both Hard Rock Cafe Bay Street and Valletta Waterfront offer you the perfect venue with more than 15 years of experience. A selection of different menus to suit your tastes is available, either seated or standing, including open bar options with mouth-watering finger food selections. A live DJ warms up the atmosphere on Friday nights which is ideal for a fun night out. Our sales team will be more than happy to assist you with your booking, our service team will ensure you enjoy the night from the moment you walk in throughout dinner, while our kitchen brigade ensures you are served the best with Hard Rock’s signature dishes.

After dinner you can relax or dance to the live music while enjoying our cocktails to stir up some fun.

For details contact us on sales@hardrockcafe.com.mt

weddings

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OCTOBER 2018

Those SPECIAL TOUCHES From head to toe, it's the little details that will add that special something to your wedding look

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or a wedding, the dress and veil follow a more or less traditional pattern. But, by including your own personal additions you will truly stand out; in all the good ways.

It's the accessories you choose that will give you a chance to personalise your look, to add little references to your theme if you have one, to a family tradition, even a certain person you are close to. So, by all means embrace the best traditions, but go for something a bit different

too. Your guests will love it and you and your husband will certainly have made your wedding all your own.

If you are going for a veil, choose one with lace or embroidery, or sewn with tiny seed pearls that will catch the light as you glide down the aisle.

A popular idea is to have a bride and groom's initials and the date of the wedding embroidered on the veil, and for it to be framed or made into a bedroom cushion cover afterwards.

For a ‘freer’ feeling choose a hairstyle to suit your dress and wedding style and wear a striking headband or hair pins.

And for a daytime or a summer wedding never underestimate the power of silk or velvet ribbons. Interwoven in the style you choose they can look both fresh and very elegant.

Jewellery has an extremely important role among a bride's accessories and the choice has grown from the traditional pearls and diamonds to allow for many more stones to play a part. Designs too are more

varied and can easily be adapted to any dress style. Currently, there is a leaning towards rose gold – a blend of yellow gold and copper – and white gold, which is a mix of yellow gold, nickel and palladium or manganese.

Recently, and for some time to come, most likely, because they are so flattering, a lot of brides are choosing layered necklaces.

For the best effect, use chains of different lengths, textures and links. The metal shapes and pieces you choose for your necklaces can include your birthstone, lucky number, initials, a sentimental charm or a family heirloom.

Shining in a simple neckline, these necklaces have the advantage of both looking beautiful and offering a way to

create a totally unique collection and really personalise such a special occasion. Remember too that back necklaces are a great choice for brides who want to be sophisticated, but also a bit different. They are very effective with certain wedding dresses because your back is on show as much as your front for the service and most of the following celebrations.

But, while most brides give priority to their dress, with all the standing and dancing they will be doing, it should really be feet first. This is where the almost universal passion for shoes really comes into its own.

And never have bridal shoes been so varied and so gorgeous.

We want to show you as many ideas as possible, so all we need

say here is: Consider the wedding theme, weather, type of surfaces you will be walking on and comfort, comfort, comfort, with every pair you try on.

It's the accessories you choose that will give you the best chance to personalise your look, to add little references to your theme, if you have one, to a family tradition, even a memory you have, or certain person you are close to. So, by all means embrace the best traditions, but go for something a bit different too. Your guests will love it and you and your husband will certainly have made your wedding all your own.

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OCTOBER 2018 |

Weddings that WOW

Lots of couples are looking for wedding ceremonies and celebrations that are a long way from the usual service plus reception

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he average bride may dream of floating down the aisle in a sea of white froth, impressing family and friends with a stunning reception, then 'going away' with her handsome husband on a honeymoon of a lifetime, before

Going away, by air

The beautiful setting of an ice hotel

starting, or continuing their life together.

But adventurous people, perhaps those who have waited a while to tie the knot, will be thinking of turning their wedding into a really big adventure; perhaps something reflecting a shared interest.

There are those who choose to hike up a mountain, or plunge into an ocean, or soar into the sky. Others want destination weddings where everyone travels to a remote island shore, ice palace, ancient castle or mysterious cave – anywhere to ensure a wedding that is anything but traditional.

What about an undersea wedding, where the most beautiful locations and decorations will be provided by nature itself. It's not as unusual as you might think among the sub-aqua set. But it does involve extensive planning and preparation, not to mention a dry set of wedding outfits, if the

A wedding in a cave is a very original idea

Make a flying start by abseiling or bungee jumping to your ceremony

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weddings OCTOBER 2018 |

Wedding on the Orient Express

reception follows straight after the vows. Guests can watch the service through a link-up, on land, or the dive boat.

Alternatively you could hold a small ceremony on an underwater sightseeing boat or find a hotel with rooms below sea level.

You could combine your wedding and honeymoon by going back to a time when rail travel was glamorous and exciting by setting your marriage on the legendary Orient Express.

A romantic cruise ship, schooner or mini-liner, could

provide everything a couple needs to sail into married life in luxury.

In many countries the sky is no limit for the couple who wish to fly through their wedding vows, or simply leave after the ceremony, in a hot air balloon.

Just make sure you choose a destination with regular wind and weather patterns and international health and safety regulations.

To feel on top of the world on your wedding day, marriage on a mountain is a good choice. But if you want a white wedding in

the sense of sparkling snow, you will need to do plenty of homework in the way of organising accommodation and transport facilities.

At another level, go simple and green with a festival style wedding, in woodland or a garden; or escape to the desert and get married in a yurt or a beautified Bedouin tent.

You could choose a valley or the bottom of a majestic cliff area, and abseil to your wedding venue. To stress just how deep your love is, stage an atmospheric ceremony in a cave.

The ocean makes an exotic wedding location

One obvious piece of advice here to pick a place that less agile guests will be able to reach with ease.

Some of these suggestions will be way out of reach for anyone with even an over average

budget, but it's nice to know there are ways to hold your wedding outside the box, and that a little thought and imagination can create a ceremony that you and everyone who joins you will never forget.

Perfection in photographic printing

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Lab Photo Ltd is the leading photography printing laboratory that does not just settle on keeping the highest quality and standards, but is continuously striving to improve our products and services. We do not rest on our laurels, and with the introduction of new high-end printing equipment we have further pushed our quality even higher. Our higher standards can be gauged through the increase in top photographic artists, both foreign and local, who are trusting us with their work and exhibits.

Apart from other products and services, ILab specializes in fine art pigment printing, high-end chromogenic printing, wraps, blocks, framing, photograph albums, photo books, folios, wall display products, murals and photo memorabilia. The exceptional high professional standards that the lab embraces make us the first choice of discerning photographers.

Follow us on Facebook or visit our website http://www.ilabphoto.com/ to keep updated with our exciting new developments.

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OCTOBER 2018 |

Words of love

weddings

Love birds are a recurring theme

Sweet and sentimental

Antique style topper for a nostalgic appeal

Banner headlines

TOP WEDDING cake decorations Now that all the best wedding cakes are taking a less traditional look their decorations need to be extra special.

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One for pet lovers

he plaster bride and groom, wobbling on top of several pillared, white layers of fruit cake is now rather passé. It has largely been replaced by colourful and originally iced cakes, in various shades, with amusing and personal ornaments that reflect a couple’s interests, occupations, hobbies and ambitions.

These can vary from flowers and lettering or signage to ornaments, but they will all have very personal

associations for the happy couple.

Some are made to keep as lasting mementos, others are edible. All should make an impression.

So, what should you be thinking when you choose such a personal wedding item as the one which will top your cake?

Will you go soft and sentimental with hearts and flowers and love birds? Do your careers deserve recognition, with sugar figures dressed to represent the positions you hold? Are you movie, music, animal or travel fans; passionate about sport or box sets? It’s probably safe to say that whatever your ‘thing’ there is a wedding cake topper out there that will reflect it perfectly.

And, if not, there will be someone who can make it.

Instagram has made the wedding cake more of a photo op than it has ever been. Do yourselves proud with an idea that will put your cake right at the top of the ‘likes’ lists.

An angel and a knight in shinning armour, one for the true romantics

Al Ponte Pizzeria & Restaurant

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l Ponte is renowned as one of the best restaurants on the island. It is highly esteemed for its delicious Mediterranean food complimented by a wide selection of local and foreign wines.

The restaurant’s open kitchen allows anyone to appreciate our chefs at work, preparing mouthwatering dishes including a wide selection of pizza cooked to perfection in our renowned stone oven.

This celebrated à la carte restaurant boasts a rustic vault ceiling over a beautiful terrace for the enjoyment

of al fresco dinning throughout the year.

Al Ponte also offers a Cafeteria Menu including a Baker’s corner during the morning hours, whereas the full menu is then served from mid-day onwards.

Al Ponte Pizzeria & Restaurant MARITIM Antonine Hotel & Spa George Borg Olivier Street, Mellieha MLH 1021 Tel: 00356 2289 2245 E-Mail: info@alponterestaurant.com Facebook: alponterestaurant

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OCTOBER 2018

FAIR points You are planning a wedding and hardly know where to begin? A wedding fair is certainly the first stop to make.

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inding somewhere where you can research all you will need for your wedding in one actual place, as opposed to scrolling up and down a tiny screen till you are all but dizzy, is a blessing. All things wedding are covered by experts and suppliers under one roof.

You see the true colours, feel the textures, taste the flavours and smell the scents.

But it takes careful planning, a well edited list and lots of enthusiasm to get the best out of visiting a wedding fair; it might even be an idea to make than one trip. So here are a few pointers to help you spend every second focused on exactly what you want to discover and purchase to make your wedding all your hope it will be.

Don't try and do everything at once, you can always attend a second, or even third day. Check what stands there will be on the fair’s website and have a list of what you want to research and your basic budget, so you don't get side-tracked on your way

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round the fair. Take any colour swatches or mood-boards you already have. When you arrive, study the floor plan, if there is one, and decide whether to visit certain specialist stands first, or make your way round, ticking any you want to return to later.

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Make sure your phone is fully charged, and that you have a tablet or digital camera. You will want to take lots of photos. Have some way of noting down the firms that impress you, so you can contact them for further information.

Take cash or a cheque book in case you need to pay a deposit; some suppliers may not have card facilities, and have a business card holder, folder or bag to put cards and brochures in.

Also, many wedding suppliers will ask for your name and details to send you further information, if you want them to. Save time and effort by having mailing labels with your contact details ready.

Then all you have to do is peel off a label when necessary.

Dress for the part. It will be a long day, in a crowded area. Wear simple clothes,

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in case you want to try anything on, and comfortable shoes to cope with all the walking around.

Take someone with you who can be trusted to both keep your head out of the clouds and give you honest, practical advice; but still make the whole experience fun. Who you choose depends on how closely they are involved with the wedding, but limit your companions to two, or you could get swamped with input.

If you are feeling especially inclusive your future mother-inlaw may really appreciate an invite to join you.

And then there's the groom. If he's up for it fine; if it's his idea of hell accept this as no

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reflection on his attitude to getting married or his love for you, only that, like so many men, he doesn't do 'shopping'.

Take a break. Don't wear yourself out, stop for a sit down and refreshments to keep your energy levels up and as a chance to discuss and access what you have seen and found.

Be ready to ask questions and note the exhibitors who are as happy to listen to you as they are to chat away about their product. These are the ones who are as concerned about your wedding wishes as they are about making a sale, and their approach is a good indication of how well you would be able to get on if you were to choose them to be part

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of your celebrations.

Ask about deals, promotions, cancelation clauses and, very important, available dates, as well as prices, for any items or services you are interested in. Be prepared to make decisions on the spot if something comes up that is too good to miss.

Finally, try and make time for any master classes and demonstrations for say, make-up, hair styles and manicures. You could pick up several ideas and techniques, not to mention samples. After the event, you can gather up all your items and information and the photos you took, and the comments you collected on line and put it all towards achieving your dream wedding.

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OCTOBER 2018 |

weddings

WEDDING CELEBRATIONS: the new hot ticket?

What exactly does a wedding invitation represent today, or rather why would a couple resort selling tickets to their wedding?

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nce upon a time, in the days when romantic novels ended with a wedding and the couple ‘living happily ever after’, the bride’s proud parents would invite an appropriate number of family and friends to a reception to celebrate the marriage of their precious daughter. It would be as simple or as grand as they could afford, and as romantic and magical an occasion as anyone could wish for.

Now, somewhere along the years between paper and golden wedding anniversaries, weddings have evolved into an extravaganza bordering on a Hollywood epic and costing such a fortune that the some couples are considering asking their guests to pay to attend.

How on earth have we got to this? The average cost of a wedding today is thousands of Euros

more than our grand-parents, or even parents, would have needed to spend. Of course, the joyful sharing of a loving ceremony marking one of the happiest and most important commitments two people can ever make deserves a wonderful celebration.

But, honestly, if media and magazines are to be believed the dreams and aspirations of what makes the perfect wedding conjure up visions that would inspire a Disney movie – fairytale wedding indeed!

Granted many weddings, reception included, might sometimes look like excessive showing off, but it is the business of the couple concerned and their families. Most genuinely want to have the most magnificent affair they can, and to give their guests the best time.

It's when couples start to consider crowd funding and asking guests for payment to attend that we have to wonder if things have

got to the point of ridiculous. The cost of attending a wedding and the pre-ceremony celebrations, plus a gift can already be quite high. And some people may have several weddings to attend each year. So does it really seem reasonable for a couple to charge the very people whose attendance and company would make their wedding special, just so they can have everything they want?

One couple, in the UK, actually managed to cover the cost of their dream wedding, by selling tickets for €171 a head €57, for children.

Guests got an all-inclusive threenight stay in holiday cottages, including a spa and pool. It was the only way the couple could have their dream wedding and all 60 of their guests paid up happily.

History doesn't relate whether the couple had a no gifts policy; if so it could almost be said that such a sum is fairly reasonable for three days all-in entertainment.

But just think what a can of

worms a ticket entry wedding could open up. How long before guests suggest they'd be happy to come to the reception, but could they have a discount if they don't have a meal/drink champagne/stay for the fireworks etc?

Then there's the tricky tightrope question of is it a commercial event? After all, a charge is being made. All too soon there will be the issue of a licence to sell alcohol at the event, whether or not entertainment tax would be chargeable; never mind VAT, and at what rate? It's hard to imagine the inland revenue department ignoring such a potentially profitable target.

Couples should also think of their guests' financial situation.

Many of their contemporaries will be juggling mortgages, rent, even the cost of new additions to the family. Older friends and relatives may have heavier outgoings than they had anticipated and therefore be economising in

their later years. Outfits, possible childcare and or long distance travel to the wedding, not to mention the present will already have set your guests back quite a sum.

At this point it is only fair to say that 93% of couples polled on the subject were against wedding tickets. But the fact that the idea ever came up, and that most couples expect monetary gifts or a sub towards their honeymoon as a matter of course is an indication of how, like everything else, weddings are in danger of being some kind of entitlement. I am therefore I celebrate, extravagantly.

Might it all be a little bit greedy and undignified? In this day and age obviously not. But, at the same time, a wedding that says and does everything you want it to, without taking every cent you don't have, will make just as big an impression because money can't buy love, and that, we all know, is all you need.