Their wedding in Cavtat- a new beginning of Kathy & Steve

Marin (my better half and operations director in our little yet very enthusiastic company) and I met Kathy and Steve one spring morning in the enchanting village of Cavtat. We shared great couple of hours discussing their wedding plans , after what we continued with plum schnapps while Steve and Marin talked about Formula 1 and Kathy and I discussed flowers, great love she's got for her 3 sons (I never decided which one is more handsome than the other one heeheehee) and how to video project the wedding ceremony they planned for September 2011 to her 90 year old mother who couldn't attend but really wanted to witness their joining the ever lasting matrimony.

Kathy's mother sadly  passed away a few months before the wedding and we are all certain she witnessed the wedding in her own way, and watches after the loving couple as their angel.
The planning was a pleasure and before we knew it we had coffee again in the enchanting Village of Cavtat discussing all the little details and wedding day plans about to happen 3 days from that morning!

And the morning of the wedding has arrived, bright and sunny, and warmer than typical for mid September. The excitement was full on, even more so in the guys room than in the Bridal Suite. I went to see Kathy and bring her the wedding dress from the steamers around 11am- she was happy, perky and happy as ever!

Hair and makeup stylists arrived sharp at noon to style the girls, up until then, they were all in the swimming pool catching last tan before the big moments! Talking about a relaxing day! : )
And the time has come. Boys were taken by a golf buggy to the beach venue for the ceremony to wait for the ladies. And Kathy and her Maid of Honor came from the Bridal suite only minutes before the ceremony was about to start. Everyone took their places and Kathy was taken down the aisle by her oldest son. It is difficult for me to express you the ambiance and feel of the day, but as Kathy walked down the aisle, her eyes shinier than the sparks of sun glistening over the water that surrounded them, there was no dry eye among the guests.

Ceremony was short and sweet and more emotional than words can say, and after Kathy and Steve were pronouned husband and wife, they all enjoyed a glass of champagne with canapes before the happy couple went for the photoshoot with the photographer (Veronica Arevalo, www.veronicaarevalo.com )

When they came back from the photo shoot around the streets of village of Cavtat, guests were cheering them and enjoyed good wine and nibbles, views and relaxed setting in the Spinaker restaurant and bar.

The terrace was set up exactly as Kathy imagined it and the sun was slowly setting over the bay. The dinner was amazing and the party continued long into the night.

It was a perfect new beginning and it was a true honor being part of it. Thank you Kathy and Steve for all the great moments, and we wish you only the best life can bring you.

Below read what Kathy and Steve wrote about their experience....

...

Steve and I decided that we wanted to get married in Cavtat, Croatia when we went on our second visit to this beautiful country

We fell in love with Cavtat and the Hotel Croatia seemed to offer just what we wanted - a wedding that overlooked the bay of Cavtat, close to the sea and all of the beautiful buildings and culture.

Searching the internet for weddings in Croatia, I soon realised that I would need some help. I contacted several wedding planners, but felt an immediate rapport with Ines.

She is calm without making you feel that you aren't the most important couple. Always responding quickly to emails and questions. What I wanted from a wedding planner was what I got - and more. I had lots of ideas and Ines turned them into reality.

Steve and I have both been married before and have grown up children, close families and very special friends that we wanted to share our special time with. 

37 people joined us in Cavtat, everything was perfectly planned from the flights to the transfers. Some guests stayed in the hotel Croatia but the majority stayed at the wonderful Apartments Kralj, a lovely villa in the centre of the old town.

Apart from the wedding, my favourite part of the event was the boat trip that Ines organised for us the day before - I would really recommend this. The oldest boat in Dubrovnik picked us up in the lovely harbour at Cavtat and took us on a beautiful cruise over to Dubrovnik. We had music, laughter, dancing and refreshments highlighted by dropping the anchor and swimming in the open sea. It was a great opportunity for both families and friends to get to know each other ahead of the big day and Steve and I wanted to make sure that those just staying for the weekend were able to see Dubrovnik. What a day.

I cannot tell you how organised and creative Ines is..... I left some things to her choice - the beautiful fairy cakes that we had for our wedding cake, the table decorations - all were perfect and just what we wanted.

The day before the wedding we were faced with some disappointing news - the venue at the hotel Croatia had to be moved from our set location down to the sea front ....... we were disappointed. However, Ines sorted everything out perfectly - calm, organised and in fact it turned out to be better that we ever dreamed. Ines just instills that feeling of trust and reliability.

Our wedding was perfect. We had a beautiful duo of cello and violin playing our favourite music and Steve had spent weeks creating music play lists to play at the reception - a great mixture of oldies and modern kept everybody up dancing until late into the night.

All of our friends and family say it is the best wedding they have ever been to. We certainly think it was ......... made very special by all of the support from Ines. We can't stop looking at the photos and videos.

I want to do it all over again!!!!

Kathy & Steve, happily married in Cavtat, September 17th 2011
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for your personalized offer and ideas for your special day in Dubrovnik or Cavtat, please contact us at info@dubrovnikevent.com

 HAPPY PLANNING!

Ines, Your true Dubrovnik wedding planner

Real Life Weddings in Dubrovnik- an enchantingly romantic story of Kellie & David

7 years ago Kellie and David met on a street corner after a night out, very spontaneously and he walked her home. The rest is history....

I have to be honest and tell you that this is one of those couple that when you see together you feel like they truly are each other's other half they were so lucky to find in this world. He makes her genuinely laugh, and he is not a loud person so this tells something. And she makes him strive for the adventures in life, their honeymoon took quite a long time, much longer than the average (we wont be telling how long exactly :)) though they'll say it could never last long enough and they went to Bali, Singapore, Hong Kong and Bintan. Fantastic choices, fullfiling, energetic and interesting, warm and adventurous, just like the two of them....

I met them last year, about 1 year before the big day and I have to admit that I, in  a way, fell in love with both of them. Their simplicity, warmth of the heart and sincere personalities completely amazed me. One simply doesn't meet a lot of people like the two of them today....
Often I get disappointed by couples and Brides of whom I had a grat feeling at start sometime during the wedding planning process. After all, we are all people. But with Kellie and David- not in a second. Planning, organizing and coordinating their wedding truly was a genuine pleasure and an honor.

It is with great pride I present you their story, told by the two of them. Enjoy! I truly did, it broughts loads of great wedding memories even for me (you dont hear this a lot from a wedding planner, trust me! :))

OUR DUBROVNIK WEDDING STORY: Kellie & David, married July 12th 2011

St Blaise church, Boat cruise with cocktail aboard, dinner and party at Villa Ruza on island of Kolocep

David and I had our hearts set on a wedding in Dubrovnik – we had visited before and fell in love with its beauty, and its sunshine! However we were nervous about the process of organising the wedding abroad and we contacted a number of planners to see what packages they offered.  As soon as we heard from Ines, we knew we had found the one.  From the beginning her emails were professional and prompt, but also so warm and with a real passion for weddings that came across in every line. We emailed daily (and still do after the event!) and every mail no matter how trivial was responded too quickly, and always with love and humour. Knowing that Ines and her husband Marin were looking after us gave us so much confidence in how the day would run.

We flew to Dubrovnik the year before our wedding to meet with Ines and all our earlier impressions were confirmed. As well as a truly outstanding wedding planner, who paid meticulous attention to every detail, in Ines and Marin we also found life long friends.  She had a real understanding about my vision for the big day, and we exchanged lots of ideas, pictures and stories from our own lives. Nothing was too much trouble, and the planning process was a real joy.

When we finally arrived in Dubrovnik in preparation for the big day, we met with Ines and Marin to go over the practicalities.  It remains one of my favourite memories of the week as we sat in the sunshine and set the wedding and the world to rights over a nice cold drink! We were so relaxed and confident about the day itself because we knew that Ines and Marin were in charge of every detail.

From start to finish the wedding day was the best day of our lives.  The hair and make up artists were amazing, and getting ready with my two best friends was so much fun.  My two nieces were gorgeous in their flowergirl dresses, and standing on the balcony looking out at the old town before we left for the church is a memory that will stay with me for a lifetime.  The flowers were so beautiful, real vintage blooms that matched my vintage shabby chic theme. When I finally walked through the gates of the old town I felt like a princess! Nothing prepares you for the warmth of the Croatian people, who clapped me on my way too, and from, the church.  It really made the whole day feel so special, and I as I walked towards the church arm in arm with my big brother it felt absolutely wonderful!

St Blaise was decorated beautifully, and was the perfect size for our small intimate wedding.  The musicians were spectacular, and to this day when I hear ‘Song for Sienna’ I am transported back to that moment of standing at the church door, waiting to walk up the aisle.  We had met Father Frano the day before and he was so kind, it really felt that we were being married by a friend, not a stranger.  The ceremony was lovely and I felt so emotional seeing all our friends fill the church and reading for us. 

Our guests then had an after ceremony drink overlooking the old port whilst we had our wedding photo shoot! We dreaded this part but our photographer Veronica was amazing and put us so at our ease! The album is stunning, so many people have complimented us on it since then.  Afterwards our  guests were delighted with our surprise boat trip – we had worked hard to reveal no details of the reception, and their faces when we sailed to Kolocep and arrived at the stunning Villa Ruza will remain with me for a lifetime.  

Ines was waiting for us on the docks, and it was like seeing one of your best friends :) I had brought some decorations with me from Ireland, but the credit goes to Ines who decorated the venue beautifully!  The food and setting were amazing, and the wine was flowing! The Villa is easily the most beautiful reception venue I have ever seen, and the food was absolutely spectacular. Hearing the speeches as the sun set over the water was something that will stay with me for an absolute lifetime.   All of our guests said it was the best wedding they had ever been to, and many of whom are already planning their own trips back to Dubrovnik in the future. Every single detail had been thought of, and it was all so much more romantic and perfect than we could have ever dreamed of.

The wedding was truly the happiest day of our lives, and I know the friendship we found with Ines and Marin will last a lifetime. We can never thank them enough for their love and support, and everything they did to make all our dreams come true.

By Kellie & David McAleese, happily married in Dubrovnik, July 12th 2011



****Photography by Veronica Arevalo, photographs under author rights and owned by Client and Dubrovnik Event. Any unauthorized use of them is strictly prohibited.