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