Marisianne and Steve have known each other for more than a decade they used to join the same group of friends and lived two blocks away from each other. They were very young when their relationship started but it grew stronger with time. In fact, they had bought a house together, travelled to many places and lived together for eight years before they got married.
Steve proposed to Marisianne on one of their many holidays together, on a Mediterranean Cruise, in 2013. "It was the night of my birthday which we spent dancing until the early hours of the 22nd. At around 3 am, we were going back to our rooms but Steve insisted we go for a walk. I was too tired so started to complain, who wouldn't?! But I had to agree as he kept going and stopped when he found a quiet spot on the upper deck of the ship and asked me if I wanted to spend the rest of my life with him. At first, I burst out laughing, but of course, I said yes, we always kind of knew that we would eventually get married", Marisianne recalls.
The wedding day was set for October 22, it is the month they both celebrate their birthdays so they wanted this special day to be celebrated in October as well. They chose Villa Bologna because it was the perfect venue, as they wanted two different locations in one place. First, they had the marriage ceremony in the first garden and the reception was held at the inner garden of Villa Bologna.
During the ceremony, four of their closest family and friends read a letter personalised for them, while the couple made a short speech to each other after the vows. It was so emotional that everyone was in tears. Finally, Marisianne's mother surprised them with a letter which left the couple in tears; it was defiantly a special moment for Marisianne and Steve.
The theme for their wedding day was travel; they are both passionate about travelling and wanted to highlight this during this special day. »
Marisianne explained that thanks to the talented Johanna Zammit, of Bali Stuff, she decorated the venue with travel themed items and included various items that made the venue look even more magical and personalised, such as confetti boxes made of maps, vases that decorated the aisle with beautiful flowers. Then, at the reception area there was the guest book table and the table which held a piece of luggage for favours and one for gifts.
"We didn't go around our guests with our bridesmaids collecting gifts, but we had this area so that everyone who was coming could put in their gift, take a favour and sign our guestbook." On the table, Johanna placed a hot-air balloon to go with the travel theme. "We also framed a couple of our pre-wedding pictures to go on the table. I had our names engraved in maps which were hung at the top of the sheer backdrop among maps in heart shapes and some other props."
Marisianne walked down the aisle wearing an ivory lace, backless mermaid dress, with a slight train at the back, which was from Wedding Bells. "It felt perfect instantly, I just knew it was the right dress", Marisianne recalled.
When asked which was the highlight of their wedding day they both agreed that the entire day was a highlight, as it was perfect. "Being surrounded by so much love and joy and seeing your closest family and friends together celebrating our love was the perfect gift any guest could give us", the couple remembered.
The honeymoon was definitely the cherry on the cake. They crossed the world in 30 days. Marisianne started planning their honeymoon a year in advance. To mention a few places they started in the US went to New York, San Francisco, Lake Tahoe, Oahu, Hawaii and from the States they crossed the International Date Line and flew to New Zealand, where they spent two weeks, and then finished off with four days in Bali before flying back home to Malta. It was definitely a dream honeymoon!
Wedding check list
Wedding dress: WeddingBells 2122 4234
Decorations: Bali Stuff Wedding Design & Decorations 2157 4913/7959 6209
Drinks: Alfsons Ltd 2122 2112/2123 1839