Leading UK wedding portal Brides: Confidential! has just published an extended story on the marriage of Hayley and Darren Sykes from Manchester who married at Malta's "picturesque" Hotel Phoenicia.

The ceremony took place in the hotel's 7.5 acre gardens overlooking the Grand Harbour. The couple shared their special day with 62 guests who travelled out to Malta especially for the occasion.

Speaking about the choice of Malta as the location for their wedding Mrs. Sykes said, "One of the reasons we chose Malta was the fact there was such good access and that there were low-cost airlines, so that guests could easily come and make it a long weekend trip, although as it turned out, most of them decided to turn it into a holiday and stayed at least a week."

The happy couple added that, "We chose Malta because we wanted something a bit different. We didn't want a beach wedding that could be anywhere really and Malta offers something totally unique, with an opportunity for incredibly scenic pictures. When we saw the Phoenicia, we knew it was exactly what we wanted - the gardens, the harbour and the bastions of Valletta behind us, it was just so romantic and so different."

Mr and Mrs Sykes remained on the Maltese Islands after the ceremony, "We stayed in Malta for our honeymoon for another week after the wedding and enjoyed some memorable trips to different places. If I was giving advice to other couples considering Malta for their wedding I'd highly recommend it. It's really different and offers something so special and romantic. For us it will always hold some magical memories." 

Weddings executive Chrystelle Doublesin said, "We are so pleased that Malta is getting this positive coverage in the UK. The Islands have a history of romance and we're very glad that the Phoenicia could provide the visual impact that the couple wanted for their dream wedding. It's lovely to see such joy and for Malta to be the platform for a couple spending their life together."