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The Initial Enquiry
When Gary &
Lorraine first made contact with us regarding their wedding abroad,
they had a vision of what their wedding abroad would be like, but had
no idea where it would take place, which is not uncommon. Their basic
requirements were that they wanted somewhere warm, an exclusive hotel
where they could get married privately on the beach and have some
beautiful wedding photographs at sunset and a special wedding meal
with entertainment. They also mentioned that there would be
approximately 30 guests which would include a number of children aged
5 - 14.
Choosing a
Hotel and Destination
They eventually
decided on the Shandrani Hotel in Mauritius. We suggested this due to
its five star rating, the exclusive yet relaxed feel of the hotel and
the fact that there are numerous beaches from which they could chose
to hold their wedding. The hotel also is super all-inclusive (even
including Champagne), has a fabulous childrens club, a complete spa,
a hair/beauty salon and a 9 hole golf course. Shandrani is also
situated in a lagoon, which offers the most spectacular views across
Blue Bay. Gary & Lorraine were also delighted to learn that
theirs would be the only wedding on the day at the hotel, a criteria
we look for when choosing a weddings abroad venue.
Booking
Gary and Lorraine
booked their wedding and honeymoon to take place in November. Usually
when a couple book their wedding abroad, they book anything from four
months to one year in advance, although shorter lead time have also
been known. We offered Gary and Lorraine a substantial group booking
discount, which we negotiated with the airline and hotel, resulting
in 36 guests (including the children) choosing to travel to Mauritius
for Gary & Lorraine's wedding. Once deposits were taken, Gary and
Lorraine and their guests had numerous questions which cropped up
from time to time. Gary & Lorraine's questions were mainly
related to the wedding day, but their guests had many questions
regarding the food, where rooms were situated, seats on the flight,
childrens clubs, golf, but mainly it was the ladies asking questions
regarding spa and beauty treatments. As the first UK agent to arrange
a wedding at the Shandrani over 16 years ago, we are familiar with
the hotel, the staff and services offered both inside and outside the
hotel, so all questions were answered efficiently and without having
to refer to brochures etc. or third parties.
Arriving
in Mauritius
Gary, Lorraine and
their party arrived in Mauritius after a trouble free flight from
Heathrow with Air Mauritius. There was a Mauritian band playing for
them as they arrived in the terminal. Collecting baggage was also
uneventful for the whole party and within 50 minutes of arriving in
Mauritius, they arrived at the hotel. The moment Lorraine walked into
the hotel, she knew they had made the right decision. The Guest
Relations Team were there to welcome the wedding party with
non-alcoholic cocktails and cool facecloths. Check-in was stress free
and they were shown to their rooms. Their luggage was waiting for
them in ther rooms and not a single piece of luggage was in the wrong room.
Choosing the
Wedding Location & Finishing Touches
After breakfast on
their second day, Sandrine, Gary & Lorraine's wedding
co-ordinator, collected Gary & Lorraine in a club car (golf
buggy) and showed them around the various suitable wedding locations.
They chose a powdery white sand beach between the main beach and Wild
Beach. Sandrine then sat with them by the koi carp pond and showed
them photogaphs of previous weddings. This offered inspiration
regarding flowers and how the location will be set out. All of their
guests were then met during the course of that day to run through a
special menu from which they should choose a four course meal for the
wedding day. Gary & Lorraine decided on a subtle guitar trio for
the ceremony and a sega band for their evening entertainment on the beach.
Gary &
Lorraine also chose some pre-wedding celebrations for their wedding
group. Two days before the wedding, they had their bachelor/hen
parties, which consisted of a powerboat day trip for the guys and a
pampering day for the girls and a special day of activities for the
kids which varied from waterski lessons, t-shirt painting
competitions, glass bottom boat rides other activities depending on
their age.
The Mauritian Stag
The guys started
their day off with a hearty breakfast. They were then collected by
Silvain, their skipper, at 10am. They were jetting outof the lagoon
by 10.15. The boat was a twin engined, 29' Cobra (the fastest on the
island) and boasted an ample sized coolerbox full of soft drinks and
beers. Their first destination was the waterfalls where they cracked
open the first of a couple of beers each. They were then taken to the
idyllic island of Il Aux Cerf (suitably translated as the Island of
the Stag) where they predictably avoided the local sarong/sun hat
vendors and made their way to a traditional Mauritian bar well
stocked with South African wines, coconut rum and ice cold Mauritian
beers. After a couple of hours on the island, Silvain found them in
the bar (not that he had to look far) and they headed back to the
boat. They climbed back aboard their powerboat and raced to a private
island for a lobster and chicken BBQ (and the odd glass of white wine
or two). After lunch, they headed to the other side of the island
where they were able to relax for a couple of hours (after all that
hard work!). They then took the long way back (much to the dismay of
most of the guys as they had to endure more of Lorraine's Dad's
impersonations of the rat pack). They arrived back at the hotel at
5pm - just in time for cocktails and pancakes in the main bar!
The Mauritian Hen
The girls started
their day off with a private Champagne breakfast at the Sirius
Restaurant. At 10am they made their two minute walk to the spa. Their
treatments varied from chakra massages to shiatsu massages and
various beauty treatments. Lorraine recalls having her manicure and
pedicure whilst looking out towards the lagoon sipping champagne.
After their treatments, some of the girls decided to walk over to
Wild Beach and sit and watch the turquoise waves crash into the white
sand beach feeling the powdery white sand between their toes. By this
time, the last treatments had been completed. They were all finished
by 5pm - just in time for cocktails and pancakes in the main bar!
The Wedding Day
Lorraine and a
number of the girls (and the female children), had booked hair and
make-up appointments. Lorraine had a chief bridesmaid (Julie) and two
flower girls (Aimee, 2yrs and Holly, 7 years). Lorraine was
surprisingly calm. It was her mum and Gary's mum who were nervous
wrecks. However, this was nothing a small glass of Mauritian brandy
couldn't resolve. Steeves, Shandrani's Guest Relations Manager, had
kept Lorraine's dress under lock and key since she arrived as she did
not want Gary to see it. Steeves arranged for the dress to be
delivered to her suite at 11am. All the girls had arranged to meet in
Lorraine's suite at 3pm for a pre-wedding tipple.
The night before
the wedding Gary stayed with Rob, his best man, while Rob's wife,
Julie, stayed with Lorraine. The wedding was scheduled for 4pm as it
would be cooler and the day would flow more freely. The guys stayed
on the beach with the rest of the kids in the morning, before heading
to their rooms at 12.30pm to get ready. The guys had arranged to meet
in the Sirius Bar at 3pm.
Gary and the guys
arrived at the wedding location at 3.45pm. As Gary walked down the
red carpet on the beach, the only thought in his head was, "This
is it!". He was relatively calm and, as it was now cooler than
it had been earlier in the day, he says the beads of perspiration
forming on his top lip were not due to the weather. The Civil Officer
introduced himself to Gary and Rob. He was a middle aged gentleman of
medium height and had a gentle voice. He immediately put Gary at
ease. The guitar trio was quietly playing the songs Gary &
Lorraine had chosen.
The party had now
taken to their seats and were now waiting for the bride and her small
entourage. It was now 4.05pm and Gary stood waiting in anticipation.
The guitar trio abruptly stopped playing and started playing the
Mauritian wedding song Gary & Lorraine had chosen for Lorraine to
walk down the aisle. As Gary looked over his shoulder he saw Lorraine
and he describes the feeling as a wave of happiness. It felt like he
hadn't seen her for weeks. As she walked down the ailse with her dad,
she looked even more beautiful with every step she took. She stood
beside him and he held her hand. He kissed her on the cheek and then
looked out towards the lagoon and thought, "this is the most
perfect moment of my life.". Lorraine's father shook Gary's hand
and then went to sit with his wife.
The ceremony was
simple and the first bottle of Champagne was popped at 4.40pm. A
waiter serving small fruit kebabs was mingling with the party as
another waiter was ensuring glasses were being kept topped up. The
guitar trio played tropical music as Gary & Lorraine had
photographs taken and their guests chatted about the the past few
days at Shandrani.
Sam from Weddings
& Honeymoons Abroad, who organised the wedding, had secretly
arranged a sunset cruise with the compliments of Weddings &
Honeymoons Abroad. When Gary & Lorraine were told, they were over
the moon. The party was then taken to the jetty where their personal
catamaran was waiting. The party was taken out on the catamaran for
two hours and arrived back at the hotel just as the sun was setting.
The party were
then shown to their tables which had been exclusively prepared for
them on the beach. The tables were decorated in white linen and
tropical flowers and the chairs were draped with white linen covers.
As the couple were toasted at the table, Gary & Lorraine looked
the perfect weddings abroad couple. The Champagne flowed and the
guests each enjoyed their personal individual menu as they were
entertained by a sega band and dancers...................
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