Basic HTML Version
TRAVELLER
easyJet
flies to...
Paphos from four destinations. See our insider
guide on page 129. Book online at easyJet.com
for an authentic, rustic escape. Staying in one of th
traditional houses in the mountains on honeymoo
allows you to be a part of village life. You can learn
bake bread, pick olives and eat local farm produce
the cosiest possible start to a shared life together.
Despite the island’s relatively small size (only
9,250km
2
), it affords a surprising variety of options
for wedding and honeymoon vacations. Apart fro
Aphrodite’s beach, there are hundreds of resorts,
mountain retreats with great views, secluded geta
and vineyards for the discerning couple to choose
from. “You can experience four seasons in one day
here. You can be on the beach in the morning, then
drive up the mountain and feel the cold of winter.
even have ski resorts,” says Rossides.
Most hotels along the Cyprus coast have their o
chapels and almost all have wedding planners, who
provide distant betrothed couples with much-need
peace of mind. In Paphos, Mirela Pavel is the wedd
coordinator at the five-star ElysiumHotel. Betwee
April and October each year, she is responsible for
organising 120 weddings, on average, of which she
says nine out of 10 are for foreign couples.
“As wedding coordinator, I need to understand t
wishes and needs of everybody involved, not only t
bride, to make sure the couple’s special day is indee
special.” She mentions that some of the couples are
happy that they return each year to celebrate their
day with a second or third honeymoon. “When I se
them come back, I know I have done a great job.”
The wedding process here is similar to the
ceremonies in the UK, with the added benefit that
the wedding planners will even organise your pries
As Pavel says, “We do the A to Z. All you need to do
show up and make sure you have a bride with you.”
Tourism, the couples spent at least the bulk of their
honeymoon on the island, with many of the guests
also staying on after the wedding.
To illustrate his point, he escorts me to the small
village of Lania, north of Limassol, on the southern
slopes of the Troodos Mountains in rural Cyprus.
He reaches over a fence to pick a ripe pomegranate,
breaking it open to share the sweet, succulent pips.
“Imagine you are on honeymoon here, and you can
walk in this village and pick the fruit of fertility,” he
says with a mischievous smile. And I can imagine it.
It’s peaceful, quaint and authentic. Later, we pop into
the house of local artist Michael Owen, who is keen to
show off an old winery and olive-oil press nearby.
This is another draw of the island – the growing
eco-tourism scene, which gives people the opportunity
WIENERRIESENRAD
VIENNA
The setting for the pivotal meeting
in the filmof
The Third Man
, Vienna’s giant
Ferris wheel is now available for weddings.
A cabin holds nine guests, the bride, groom
and the registrar.
wienerriesenrad.com
ASSUMPTION OF MARY PILGRIMAGE
LJUBLJANA
The tiny Church of the
Assumption of Mary Pilgrimage sits on a
fairytale island on Lake Bled in Slovenia.
Local tradition dictates a groommust carry
his newwife up its 99 steps.
slovenia.info
CHÂTEAU DE BAGNOLS
LYON
For nuptials on a grand scale, this
historic 13th-century castle is a dream.
Entry is by drawbridge over a dry moat a
the towering buttresses will look impres
in wedding snaps.
chateaudebagnols.co.
062-065_ej_Wedding lg.indd 65
13/0