With the wedding drawing ever nearer and our destination still undecided we were running out of ideas. We had found many locations we really liked but none that truly felt to both of us like “The One”. We had looked at every type of venue big and small and searched destinations around the world looking for the perfect place. Our hopes had been dashed in the South of France and things were looking a little bleak. They were, that is, until the mother and father of the bride came up with another suggestion; a suggestion that seemed far too simple for us not to have already thought of it and yet one that immediately brought a smile to both our faces:
“What about La Palma?”
For those who’ve never heard of the place La Palma is one of the smallest of the Canary Islands, just off the northwest coast of mainland Africa. It’s known by the locals as “Le Isle Bonita” – the pretty Island, and they’re not kidding! With a year-round tropical climate, beautiful mountains, clear skies and gorgeous black beaches it’s a truly glorious place, and it just so happens Dom’s family have a holiday home on the Island..
The last time Dom and I had been across to the Island was many years before, in fact it was the destination for our first proper holiday together when we had only been together for a year or so. It was one of those perfect holidays, one of those rare times when we had both just completely relaxed and got to know each other in a whole new light. For both of us the memories the place held made it extra special to us, and suddenly we were both getting excited at the possibilities.
But would anyone come all that way? We weren’t necessarily going to have a massive wedding wherever we held it but we wanted at least some of our friends to be there. It wasn’t just the distance either, the cost may be completely prohibitive for people
“Well, maybe it will be for some, but what if we booked out loads of holiday apartments? We know all the owners, we could probably get them quite cheaply; they’re all self catering and everything’s cheap over there anyway… flights would be a bit, but we already know the cheapest ways to get there and there are direct flights now which can be really cheap.”
There would certainly be cost involved for the guests but we could definitely help to make it into not just a wedding but a cheap holiday for everyone! We loved the idea of people being there all week so we could all just hang out together and make it a much bigger event. We’d have our families there and as many friends as possible, and getting married somewhere where we already had a base and plenty of local knowledge (along with a few people to help us!) meant we could organise it all ourselves rather than just turning up on the day and relying on a hotel wedding planner to sort everything for us. It was perfect. As I turned to look at my future bride she had a fixed smile on her face and looked more excited than I’d seen her since the day I proposed.
Ladies and gentlemen, we have arrived at our final destination!
