Gemma & Keith’s Maltese Wedding With Sarah Young The Wedding Planner 146 I IWD Weddings Abroad I Malta
Gemma & Keith’sMalteseWedding
With Sarah Young The Wedding Planner
146 I IWD Weddings Abroad I Malta
Malta has no less than 365 churches
scattered over the island, all steeped
in a wonderful history of religion,
politics and power. A stunning example of
incredible Roman Catholic architecture is The
Parish Church of Balluta.
Spectacular archways form an entry to an event
that you will never forget, and provided the
perfect setting for Gemma Catania and Keith
Callanan to exchange their wedding vows.
No wedding comes without a beautiful story,
and 4 years ago Gemma and Keith began theirs
on the sands of Australia’s Gold Coast.
With a Maltese-English heritage and a passport
overflowing with visas from around the world,
Gemma was no ordinary Aussie girl. She would
require no ordinary wedding.
Luckily Keith was well aware of what he was
decidedly throwing himself into by marrying
this vivacious woman, and so the international
planning began.
Instead of the obvious choices, Australia or
Ireland, Gemma and Keith preferred their
wedding to be a complete experience for all 67
guests from across the globe.
And Malta is a fabulous “halfway” mark
between the two countries, however, more
importantly the Mediterranean Sea, fabulous
weather and European cuisine were drawcards
for Irish and Australians alike.
Being too busy with work to oversee the
details, enter the incredible Maltese wedding
planner without whom they would have been
lost! Eternal gratitude goes out to Sarah
Young, providing support from inception until
the end. Sarah was only ever an email away
and every request was answered with options.
Her knowledge of Malta and her expertise in
organising weddings took all the stress out of
the organising.
Gemma & Keith’sMalteseWedding
The Mediterranean Sea, fabulous weather and European cuisine were drawcards for Irish and
Australians alike
Eternal gratitude goes out to Sarah Young,
providing support from inception until the end
Sarah Young Wedding Planner www.weddingplannermalta.com
Malta I IWD Weddings Abroad I 147
With help from Sarah and her team, sightseeing
bus trips, evening cruises, hens and bucks
events were arranged effortlessly for the guests
and the bridal party. Gemma and the girls
indulged in Spa treatments, and cocktails in
the evening. Keith explained the finer points of
golf to the men folk, followed by a little mischief
exploring the nightlife - with the groom battling
a steady headache the morning after.
With so many activities to choose from on Malta
it was hard to keep track of everyone. The over
excited bride decided she would certainly be
able to indulge in a quick Scuba Dive on the
morning before the wedding, surely it couldn’t
be a bad idea, the weather was perfect. A
quick thinking sister and bridesmaid convinced
Gemma that breakfast and make-up would take
up most of her morning. The Bridesmaids were
sisters, Zena Groom and Simone Catania, along
with close girlfriends, Daniela Sivevski and
Sara Forbes. The girls joined forces and held
the over adventurous bride on dry land and
prevented any last minute catastrophes – Keith
is still in their debt!
Keith also had reason to thank his own
groomsmen for making sure he made it down
the aisle without an issue. His two brothers,
Niall and Eanna Callanan were joined by Niall
Dolan and Brian Gilligan, and it must be said
they were all looking extremely handsome in
suits from a local suit hire company.
There was a last minute rush to have the all
important wedding dress pressed in time,
but even this momentary panic proved to be
unwarranted with a word of advice from the
locals on where to send it for a professional fast
turnaround.
The understated, vintage style dress with ivory
coloured lace touches made it back in plenty
of time. Gold Coast designer Ann Wilson had
painstakingly ensured the perfect fit and
Gemma could not have been a more stunning
bride.
After the Catholic ceremony at the church of
Balluta, guests were transported to a garden
villa, where an elegant reception awaited.
Impeccably prepared vintage automobiles
delivered the bridal party soon after and all
were greeted with champagne, a string quartet
and relentless requests from photographers to
capture every moment.
Suitably exhausted from the evenings
celebrations, reconnections were made the
following evening at the Irish Pub in St Julian’s.
A two piece Irish band gave the adventure a
finishing touch, providing a lead in to Irish folk
songs… ending sweetly, as they do, in the “wee
hours” of the morning.
Impeccably prepared vintage automobiles
delivered the bridal party soon after and all were
greeted with champagne, a string quartet
148 I IWD Weddings Abroad I Malta