Destination: Philippines // Venue: Club Paradise Palawan
8 January 2019 // Number of guests: 40
It was on their travels through South-East Asia that Catherine and Charlie chanced upon the idyllic destination of Club Paradise Palawan, and after stepping onto the shores of this island paradise, they instantly knew that it was the perfect location for their relaxed and fun destination wedding to be held the following year.
GDW: Did you have a special location for your wedding meal? What was your favourite item on the menu?
C&C:Â Our wedding reception was held on the beach and with Club Paradise taking care of all the table decorations and styling elements, including lanterns and candles, the scene was set for a truly romantic dining experience. We indulged with an incredible buffet which offered lots of variety for our guests. Some of our favourite dishes were the pork with rosemary and garlic crackling, garlic and chilli seafood linguine and mango cheesecake.
GDW: What was the funniest moment of the day?
C&C: While walking to the ceremony my veil got caught in a tree and I seriously couldn’t stop laughing. The boys taking over the DJ decks until 4 am was also very entertaining.
GDW:Â What was the biggest challenge you faced organising a wedding from afar, and how did you resolve it?
C&C:  Surprisingly, organising a wedding from afar was quite easy. Our Club Paradise coordinators, Joeg, Lorraine, and Bae were especially helpful by setting up a WhatsApp group between us so we could easily manage the back and forth. After advising that we could have anything we wanted and no two weddings were ever the same, we gathered our inspiration via Instagram and online, sent them pictures of the things we liked, and they brought it all together. They also recommended a hairstylist and were on hand to answer any questions we had throughout the whole process. One of the hardest parts of the organisation was helping to arrange everyone’s flights, accommodation and we also took the time to recommend other places they could visit while they were there to ensure everyone got the most out of their holiday wedding time.
GDW:  What’s the best piece of advice your wedding planner gave you about organising a destination wedding?
C&C:Â We were very relaxed about our wedding and the preparation because having visited the island before, we knew how wonderful the staff are and that the attention to detail would be amazing. We had full trust in them and that is essential for organising a destination wedding.
GDW:Â Â What did you love most about having a destination wedding?
C&C: We were so relaxed. We were on a tiny paradise island with 40 of our closest friends and family enjoying things like playing volleyball and snorkelling with the sea turtles during the day. On the morning of our wedding, we snorkelled, indulged with a relaxing massage on the beach and after getting ready, simply walked down to the beach at sunset, got married, and had a wonderful candlelit dinner and a beach party with our closest family and friends. It was everything we could’ve hoped for.
GDW:Â Â Where did you honeymoon? Did you stay on at your wedding location or travel elsewhere?
C&C:Â We stayed at Club Paradise for five more days and enjoyed a ‘buddy-moon’ with some of our friends who ended up extending their stay as they thought the place was so amazing. We then spent a few days having a mini-moon in Kuala Lumpur on our way back home.
GDW:Â What was the most memorable feedback from your guests?
C&C: All of our friends agreed that Club Paradise was the definition of an island paradise and it was the most incredible place they’d visited. Our celebration was a once-in-a-lifetime experience – but everybody is already wanting us to organise a reunion to see if we could re-live it again!
GDW: What’s the one thing you’d tell other brides-to-be considering a destination wedding?
C&C: Do it! Visit the place beforehand so you know you can trust that it will be done well, and just relax and have fun with it and trust that it will be beautiful. There’s so much flexibility with a destination wedding, and it’s an opportunity to spend quality time with your best friends and family.
GDW: What’s your most precious memory from the day?
C&C:Â Seeing our guests’ reaction we had surprise sparklers and fireworks set at midnight
WEDDING DREAM TEAM:
Wedding planner:Â Club Paradise Palawan //Â Photography: April Rose Garcia, and Richard Wates // Dress: Kassia by Morilee // Honeymoon:Â Club Paradise Palawan and Kuala Lumpur
