“Once in a while, Right in the middle of an ordinary life, Love gives us a fairy tale.”

This is the shortest, sweetest and best way to describe my friend’s wedding in Majorca last weekend. Our entire trip to Spain was in preparation for this special day, or should I say, this epic weekend. So behold beloveds, this is part 2 of the wedding celebrations. I present to you: the Big Day!

The day couldn’t have been more perfect, and our friends couldn’t have chosen a more magnificent or sublime spot to tie the knot. The said spot is in the beautiful bay of Pollenca, on the north coast of the largest of the Balearic islands. After scouting the entire island of Majorca, the couple chose one of the finest estates, Castell de Mansera (Castell means castle in Catalan), as their wedding destination. The reason is that they wanted the entire celebration to be outside, from walking down the aisle, to serving Michelin-star grade canapes, to a disco party that kicked off after the reception dinner, and Castell de Mansera fit the bill perfectly. So with the Mediterranean Sea, the rugged mountain ranges and the cloudless sky as their witnesses, along with 97 guests who have traveled across the globe to attend, they said “I do”.
Sarah (middle) is one of the two bridemaids. She traveled all the way from New Zealand, along with a cold. Her outfit, Zara halter top, and Reiss ‘Cecily’ flare skirt was testament to the bride’s exquisite taste and style. I originally thought it was a dress! Oh, and there were 5 best men, not groomsmen, best men! You know how great a friend the groom is when all 5 of his favourite friends delivered heart-warming speeches.
 This is Brett, dazzling in a metallic Maje dress. Growing up, her father treated her like a boy. She sure has a memorable name!
 Hubby and I both went for the ‘linen look’. When in Spain, dress like a European is what I thought. I’d seen this Etxart & Panno dress in a store in Seville but didn’t think that I could pull off the bared midriff. But a week later, I saw the Etxart & Panno boutique again in Barcelona. Thinking that it was fashion fate, I tried it on and realized that I couldn’t leave the store without it. If only I had Juan (the hairdresser we met in Cordoba) around to decorate my hair with the big red flower, instead of defaulting to the sea breeze as my hair stylist…

 After an endless series of seriously succulent canapes from Fosh Catering, guests were then seated, and treated to a 3 course dinner interspersed with speeches from the bride’s father, the groom and the 5 best men. Their affectionate and attentive words, like expertly prepared seasoning, flavoured the dishes further and added another dimension to the dinner party. I learnt things about the bride, one of my high school besties, that I’d never known before!
Despite sporting a slight post-prandial bulge thanks to a 8 course lunch prior to the wedding (I’m never going to make that mistake again!), the midriff-baring Etxart & Panno dress and my tasseled wedges became such popular conversation starters that I had the privilege of meeting many new friends, including this stunning lady, Anna. I’ll tell you more about her in the next blog post. She’s that amazing I’ve saved her for a separate story!
 I’m not usually a steak fan, but this impeccably tender and juicy steak was served by the catering arm of Simply Fosh, a Michelin starred restaurant in Palma, Majorca. The food was divine.
You know you’re with a good friend when you can goof around together, even if you’ve not seen each other in years, and it’s her wedding day, and you’re blocking her groom…
 The wedding cake may not look ginormous and epic like every other part of the wedding, but the passionfruit cake was so delicious that it’d ran out by the time I got to it. Just as well, otherwise others may not have had the opportunity to eat it if I raced to the dessert table.
What’s better than a dessert buffet? A dessert buffet with an icecream-making demonstration! Check out the dessert chef in action here. It wasn’t intentional, but I’m kind of glad that this third plate of dessert covers my bared midriff… Someone had to make the ultimate sacrifice to rescue all the sweet servings of white chocolate ganache, chocolate brownie and pana cotta from becoming one with the  bin!
Plus, a dance party with the now deliriously happy couple awaited everyone after dinner. We had to show the Ibiza DJ, who was booked until 6am, what Aussies are made of! Being sugar-charged does have its advantages… I never met a bride so thoughtful, her attention to detail was as breathtaking as she was when she walked down the aisle. Before the wedding, she arranged buses to pick up guests from various locations in Majorca. Prior to the ceremony, she provided water bottles for all her guests so they could keep hydrated. When we arrived at the dinner tables, we were delighted to find individually hand-written name cards. After dinner, she ensured that the bar served endless drinks and another Spanish spread at 2 am complete with mini burgers and Spanish ham. At the same time, she presented a box of slippers for her girlfriends whose feet may have needed some respite.
I’ve been to nearly a hundred weddings, but I’ve never attended one like this. Not only was the setting stunningly surreal, the celebration unbelievably fun, it was simply unreal to see my high school bestie, the one with the toughest exterior, who scared all the boys with her intimidating disposition, become the happiest, sweetest and prettiest version of herself. Guess that’s what marrying the man of your dreams does to you!