Cyprus, a great place for
weddings!
by Chrissie Flint
As the 2003 summer season begins, many of the visitors to
Cyprus will be arriving for a special reason - to get married.
For many couples, Cyprus is the perfect choice as it has long
been associated with Aphrodite, Goddess of beauty and love...
For many couples,
Cyprus is the perfect choice as it has long been associated
with Aphrodite, Goddess of beauty and love and many of the
mythological stories and legends promise love and happiness to
those who visit, and of course, for couples who live in
Cyprus as well! This time of year also sees the beginning of
the wedding season for Cypriot couples. Families and friends
enjoy a modern style reception in one of the town's
restaurants or tavernas, or a village-style wedding with the
bride, groom, Koumbaros {Best Man} and Koumera {Best Woman}
all performing traditional dances to the colourful sound of
the violin and laouto.
Wedding couples come
to Cyprus
The wedding business is booming in Cyprus, especially in
Paphos where beautiful locations amidst the many
archaeological sites make the perfect background to wedding
photographs. Glorious sunsets and romantic moments overlooking
the pretty harbor all add magic to what is already a very
special day and certainly give an
exotic touch to the wedding
album for relatives and friends to enjoy! Every week many
couples arrive in the town to enjoy a relaxing and peaceful
holiday and a trouble free wedding day, carefully organized by
one of the local Wedding Coordinators, who work for the
different tour operators. Cyprus is an increasingly popular
wedding destination with British couples, and others from a
variety of European countries. An increasing number of couples
travel over from Israel so that they can have a civil ceremony.
As well as Paphos, weddings can be arranged in the town halls
at each of the different resorts.
Beautiful wedding
photographs can be taken during the ceremony and afterwards in
such dramatic settings as Limassol Castle, where Richard the
Lionheart married his queen, Berengaria, in May 1191. The town
hall staff warmly welcomes couples staying in
Ayia Napa, and
after the ceremony the beautiful Monastery is a popular place
for the photographs, much to the delight of the scores of
holidaymakers! Wedding couples that get married in the tiny
resort of Polis Chrysochou, on the island's north coast, often
have their photographs taken amidst meadows of wild flowers.
The deluxe Anassa Hotel, not far away, like St George's Hotel
in Chlorakas {near Paphos}, has its own beautiful small chapel
which is just for such special occasions.
For couples wanting a church wedding in Paphos, there is the
opportunity to be married in the beautiful church of
Ayia
Kyriaki {Khrysopolitissa}. This is a Byzantine church dates
back to the 12th century, but stands on a site whose history
stretches back to the earliest days of Christianity when St
Paul in AD 46 preached there converting many of the local
people. Today the church is shared by both the Anglican and
Roman Catholic expatriate communities for their services and
gives a warm welcome to wedding couples.
Why Cyprus?
The couples choose Cyprus for many different reasons. For
older couples, often marrying for the second time, it is fun
to have a completely different style of wedding ceremony, and
there is the choice of a church wedding or civil ceremony in
one of the town halls. Other couples are attracted by the
island's wonderful mild climate that offers visitors
330 sunny
days each year and combine it with a sunshine holiday, often
for both themselves and their guests. Everyone relishes the
idea of relaxing in a quality hotel and really enjoying a
carefree and leisurely time together, rather than the trials
and tribulations that are often associated with a big family
wedding! An added bonus is that airlines and hotels are always
very cooperative and offer generous discounts for large groups
traveling together.
For the wedding of
your dreams
Many of the younger couples who choose Cyprus for their
wedding destination, do so because they can have the "wedding
of their dreams" more economically than at home. The cost of
a traditional British wedding is high and
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many couples cannot
afford such a luxury when faced with high mortgage repayments
and other expenses that usually accompany the start of married
life. A wedding in Cyprus promises them a really special and
memorable day. In the past the Caribbean was advertised as the
exotic wedding setting to choose, but again, the cost of the
wedding can prove prohibitive especially if family members and
friends want to share the couple's special day, and who doesn't! Couples found that their parents could not accompany
them not just for financial reasons, but because of the
distance involved, working guests have to take quite a bit of
their leave, whereas traveling to Cyprus can be comfortably
undertaken for a long weekend!
Cyprus offers the same wonderful weather and carefree holiday
atmosphere with a wide range of holiday accommodation to suit
every budget. Many wedding parties have flexible plans, as the
parents of the bride and groom often combine the wedding with
their annual holiday and it is not unusual to find a wedding
party of more than thirty on board the same flight. Some
guests travel out just for the wedding and a few days either
side, and more often than not, the whole party leaves Cyprus a
few days before the wedding couple so that they can enjoy
Aphrodite's magic on their own!
...without all the hassle!
One of the main attractions of a wedding in Cyprus must surely
be the relaxing way in which the wedding can be successfully
organized in just a short time. The resort Wedding
Representatives work hard to ensure that clients' wedding days
go smoothly and usually meet the couple soon after they have
arrived in Cyprus to explain the legal requirements for the
marriage to take place. The couple must fill in a variety of
forms that are speedily processed, and make a wedding license
application. If the couple is British, copies of the marriage
certificate after the wedding are forwarded to the British
Consulate in Nicosia for registration in the UK.
Couple planning a civil ceremony marry at the Town Hall, and
are delighted to find the mayor's office cool and comfortable
with beautiful furniture. Paphos is such a popular place for
weddings that a special suite has been made within the town
hall for wedding parties, and it is not unusual to be with the
Mayor or one of his councilors when they have to hurriedly
leave to conduct a ceremony!
...but with all the style!
All the trimmings for the wedding day can be easily arranged
in Cyprus. Wedding flowers are much cheaper than in other
European countries and the choice of colour and type of
flower is breathtaking. Wedding cakes [to a similar recipe!]
can also be ordered just a few short days earlier, and for the
bride there are plenty of hairdressers and beauticians who
would love to be part of her special day! Wedding Receptions
can be held in a wide variety of places from the comfortable taverna near by that offers the best of local cuisine to one
of the local hotels. In Paphos one of the most popular choices
is the Annabelle Hotel, not only because the hotel can offer
the wedding party a memorable dinner out on the "Deck", the
local photographer enjoys using the hotels marvelous gardens
for the wedding photographs! Talking of photographs!
Local photographers can have them ready in a beautiful
presentation album in just a few short days and can also
provide videos if required, both much more reasonably priced
than in other European countries.
Making the day as special as possible!
Everybody wants the wedding couple to have an unforgettable
day and for the couples that travel on their own, the wedding
coordinators often "double up" as witnesses, ring bearers and
confetti throwers! Local hoteliers work hard to give the
clients a very special celebration meal and often present them
with complimentary champagne and flowers. Often the couple are
treated to a room upgrade too which all helps to make their
stay in Cyprus a very special one indeed and needless to say
on the wedding day guests and staff all jostle to catch a
glimpse of the bride as she leaves the hotel! One groom
recently had to carry a box of wedding cake back to Heathrow
as his bride was determined to keep the British tradition of
saving the top tier for their first child's christening!
Another couple urgently asked their coordinator for a set of
bagpipes to be played, and they were - by a Scotsman who has
retired in Cyprus. Needless to say the elderly Cypriot lady
who walked past the wedding party looked slightly askance at a
man in a kilt!
For people everywhere, the sight of a wedding is always
special and a wedding in Aphrodite's island is always a
magical one?
Chrissie Flint.
