“We met outside Pit Stop in Paceville when we were 15 and 16. Andrew developed a bit of a crush, and asked a mutual friend to introduce us. He tried to pursue me for a while, writing and playing a couple of songs for me with his band, and just generally being cute,” says Sharon, Research Entities Coordinator, of their very first encounter. And while they eventually got together for about 6 months, they went their separate ways and briefly reconnected five years later.

“It wasn’t until about five years ago that we met up again, and things between us got serious. We were both recently single, and decided to meet and catch up as friends. It didn’t take long for the sparks to start flying again. This time around, we initially started out in a long-distance relationship, because I was finishing off my PhD in the UK at the time. We decided to move in together as soon as I returned to Malta, and we started talking seriously about marriage soon after.”

Three years into their relationship, Andrew, website Manager, felt the time was right to pop the question, and decided to do so on Christmas morning, under the tree, while Sharon was fighting the flu. “There were no grand gestures, it was very personal and intimate, although I actually messed up Andrew’s proposal plans without even realizing! In our first year living together, I insisted that we do Christmas stockings, since I refused to live in a home that Father Christmas didn’t visit. By the second year, we were putting down a deposit on a new property and were both watching our pennies, so I suggested we give stockings a miss that year. I later found out that that was how Andrew was planning to propose.”

The couple set the date for 3rd December, 2016, with a ceremony celebrated at the Mdina Cathedral followed by a reception at Villa Arrigo. In keeping with their choice of date, they wanted their wedding to resemble a twinkly, winter wonderland with a cosy Christmassy feel, combined with their choice of wedding colours: navy blue and pale pink. “Our wishes definitely came true – we felt like we had stepped into a fairy tale setting. The marquee was filled with twinkling lights, white twigs, and candles floating inside shimmering glass cylinders, which gave the whole venue a soft and romantic glow. The place had beautiful touches of wintery sparkle throughout.”

As for her dress, Sharon opted for a strapless gown with customised alterations to achieve the look she wanted. “The dress had beautiful lace detail on the bodice and at the bottom of the dress, but since I wasn’t after a strapless gown, I added sheer tulle to create sleeves, and the fabric met in the middle of the bodice to form a V-neckline. The sleeves were given touches of the stunning French lace found on the dress itself,” she explains.

“An organza belt with a touch of bling completed the look perfectly. I was beyond thrilled with the end result. I also had some amazing bespoke jewellery made, including a headpiece which incorporated a beautiful antique brooch that my late grandmother wore on her wedding day in 1955.”

Looking back on the day, Sharon says “although the wedding was mostly traditional, we wanted to be able to cut loose, celebrate our relationship, and just act like the big kids that we are. Our wedding cake had a hilarious topper to poke fun at Andrew’s obsession with video games. We bought loads of silly santa hats, glowstick sunglasses and reindeer headbands which guests put to good use as soon as the after-party began. We had a popcorn machine and a candyfloss machine, both of which were amazing, and an open air photobooth which kept going throughout the party.”

Sharon and Andrew admit that, from start to finish, the whole wedding was a string of memorable and special moments they’ll never forget, from the moment they laid eyes on each other at the church, to friends and family seeing them off at the end, not to mention an episode involving a nervous father-of-the-bride who mistakenly took office papers to the wedding instead of his wedding speech, only to be rescued by Sharon’s brother who found the speech on his mobile.

“Our favourite part was when the whole wedding just turned into one big party. Our band, Crosswalk, really got the party started, and everybody sang along and danced their hearts out. Andrew joined the band onstage after the cake cutting, and that was a definite highlight. The entire celebration felt very true to who we are as a couple, and we’ll forever be grateful to have been surrounded by so much love on our wedding day.”