OCT / NOV / DEC 11 | 221w E D D i N g V E N u E s . C O . u k

wED iN ThE mED

astudent fancy dress night in Bristol was how Emma and Anthony first met in October 2003. Fast-forward

eight years and the engaged couple decided to tie the knot overseas. “We opted to have the ceremony abroad because the weather in England for the last couple of summers had been cold, wet and unpredictable,” says Emma. “We like being outside, especially to eat and party, but didn’t want to risk the chance of rain.” The couple chose Malta as their dream destination because Emma’s Maltese relatives live on the island and she’d spent many enjoyable holidays there. When she first took Anthony over to meet them, he also fell for the island’s charms. “We tied the knot at 4pm in Mgarr Church, which is large and ornate and had the grandeur we wanted from our wedding venue,” says Emma. Many of the 100 guests who flew in to watch them exchange their vows made a

Real �eddings

holiday out of the event and stayed on for a fun week in the sun. The reception was held at Castello Zammitello, a beautiful building with an al fresco courtyard setting for the wedding meal and evening celebrations. “It looked lovely lit-up in the evening with candles on the tables and fairy lights in the trees,” says Emma. “We were thrilled with the venues.”

One of the highlights of the wedding for Emma came during Ant’s speech, when he unexpectedly burst into song: “Suddenly our best man and maid of honour joined in, and before I knew it, all the groomsmen and most of the male guests were standing and serenading me!” Thanks to wedding planner Sarah Young at Y Plan Events (weddingplannermalta.com), the couple felt everything ran perfectly, from the beautiful flowers to the delicious food and bespoke cake topper, a figurine of the bride and groom, which lots of guests commented on. The party finally wound down at 1.30am. “We were chauffeur driven in a Mercedes to our five-star hotel, Le Meridien, St Julians,” says Emma, “where we had a lovely room with a balcony overlooking Balutta Bay, bottle of Champagne, chocolates and rose petals scattered around. We also had breakfast in bed the next morning. Heaven.” ■

Emma-Louise Saliba and Anthony Rawlins married in an ornate church then partied the night away in a candle-lit castle on the sunny island of Malta

REAL wEDDiNg AbROAD

Photography by Kenneth Azzopardi (theweddingsite.com)