Of all the destinations in the world, Malta has proved itself to be one of the best locations to have a wedding. The small-sized Island has so much to offer at reasonable prices, and a very friendly population to get you accustomed and familiarized with the destination.
Located in the Central Mediterranean between Sicily and the North African Coast, Malta and the Maltese Islands have numerous fortresses, palaces, gardens, and historic structures that stand to wow visitors from all over the world. Adding a wedding ceremony to the premises makes for one out-of-this-world fairytale wedding.
Our Editorial Coordinator went for a five-day vacation during which her best friend’s wedding took place in Palazzo Parisio, Malta.
The days leading up to the wedding could not have been spent better. The first day consisted of shopping, of course, in Malta’s little local boutiques and some sightseeing within the streets of Malta.
The families decided they would go for coffee in a small vintage coffee shop located right on the port, with a view of the limitless open sea. They later went on a boat cruise of the sea caves around Malta and the surrounding Islands.
The next day was a relaxing day by the excellent beach of the Westin Hotel. A few hours of swimming and sunbathing had the bridal party and company starved and ready for a delicious meal from Bay Street Mall’s Italian Job.Excellent Pizza, Bruschetta, fried
Calamari and fine local Maltese wine left everyone satisfied and quite frankly impressed by the talented chef’s makings.
The bride and groom had a dinner party arranged for the guests that same night, so we kept the feasting light until further notice. The dinner took place on ancient grounds of the culinary culture center 1743 Razzett L-Antik.
The place proudly promotes a 1000 years of Maltese cuisine and heritage. A traditional Maltese night of singing and performing, followed by some of the Bridal party’s own Palestinian beats and
dinner speeches laced with happy wishes, were all we needed to make the night one we’ll remember for years to come.
We were tucked in bed early and up even earlier for a grand tour of Mdina; the fortified city and Malta’s former capital at the Northern Maltese quarters. After a 20-minute bus ride from the hotel, we arrived at Mdina for a brisk walk through history.
Beautiful churches and ancient homes lined the way up to our final destination of the tour, Palazzo De Piro; a 17th Century noble residence that has been remodeled into the area’s biggest attraction.
Though the heat was a little unwinding, the delicious Maltese canapés and local wine that greeted us there, bounced us right back into our festive mood. A light lunch and a couple of dances later and we were on our way back to the hotel.
The ladies, naturally, opted to go for some shopping. And so went on to search for some local boutiques. They found none, but discovered there was a rather large mall with several of the large retails stores including Zara and Monsoon.
The ladies then went for a walk by the coast, had some ice cream and watched the sunset; wrapping the day up as beautifully as it gets.
The rest of the night was spent at Bay Street, where the clubs are limitless, the partying goes on to the wee hours of the morning and the streets are jammed with people.
As we walked by, we noticed a sign that says Malta’s oldest pizzeria, and having already had some street pizza that tasted impeccable, the sign intrigued us to walk in.
We walked into what looked like a really old restaurant with simple wooden tables, and large windows that overlooked the streets.
We indulged in an order of Gnocchi, Margarita pizzas, and chicken pizzas. We underestimated the size of each order, and ended up taking the rest to go. Note that either the staff was really mad at us for walking in 30 minutes before closing time, or this is how things are done in Malta, but if you want that pizza to go, you’re packing it yourself.
The big day was finally here, and hair and makeup rituals commenced early in the morning. Chevvon, a Makeup Artist previously arranged by the bride, made her way into our room and worked her magic on almost half the girls attending the wedding.
We slipped into our gowns and made our way to Palazzo De Parisio feeling like princesses. Palazzo De Parisio is an ancient palace with magnificent interiors and breathtaking gardens, fit for a queen.
We walked across the gold embellished walls and chandeliers and couldn’t help but wonder what kind of majestic ceremony we were in for. A few minutes later, the wedding commenced with the Groom walking in amongst his friends and the bride followed with her father after a small greeting from the palace’s terrace.
Many happy tears and screams later, the staff placed scrumptious platters of Raw fish and cucumber pudding on all tables, and followed it by a plate of perfectly cooked steak, enveloped in a soft pastry-like crust.
The celebrations continued until very late hours of the night, then the people of Malta helped us bid the Bride and Groom farewell in their just-married-vintage-car as they embarked on the first day of their life together, with beautiful Malta as their starting point.
