Destination Wedding: Where to go in Malta

Having been proposed to by your fiancé, would you be inclined to think ‘‘Hmm, I wouldn’t mind a destination wedding’’ and then to ask yourself ‘‘But where? Which destination is cost effective, easy to get to and sunny?’’ In this blog-post, I will be sharing with all my readers one of the venues in Malta which CAN give you just that and more. Though the weather is not something I can predict from now, I can tell you that Malta has 300 days of sunshine 🙂 Allow me to introduce to you a unique setting for your destination wedding; The Westin Dragonara

I have had the pleasure to interview the wedding Guru at The Westin. He is THE person to go to in this beautiful venue. In this post we will cover 10 reasons for choosing the Westin Malta for your destination wedding based on the following points:

• • Who you would be dealing with at Westin Malta
  • Information about the Hotel
  • The various fantastic venues the Westin can offer
  • The type of catering the hotel offers
  • The Management’s flexibility regarding an ideal time schedule of an ideal time schedule
  • If a back-up venue is included
  • If there are decoration limitations
  • Signage used to direct the guests to the venue
  • A fab wedding experience
  • And, last but not least, any special offers going on 

The Guru…

Robert is a highly professional wedding specialist within the Westin Dragonara. He has been working at The Westin for the past 13 years! He is practically part of the furniture! But the beauty of it all is that Robert still speaks of his work as a teenager just starting his first role in the adult world.

I asked him to tell me a little bit more about himself and, to my surprise, Robert used to restore antique furniture! The reason behind the change is a nasty allergy that poor Robert developed. However, he mentioned that weddings for him are very much like the prestigious old furniture he used to handle. The difference is, instead of looking at an item and thinking how you are going to bring it back to life, you are listening to the bridal couple, sharing their experience and their vision of how they would like to celebrate their big day. Then, from there, you start building their dream wedding accordingly. Robert truly enjoys the moment when everything starts falling into place and ideas start coming to life.

The Hotel…

The hotel is situated in the central part of Malta, St Julian’s. St Julian’s is also well known for the great nightlife that the town offers. All the bars and clubs in Malta stay open till, which gives you plenty of time to party. There are also 3 Casinos in St Julian’s, but you will find the original Casino within the Westin Dragonara resort.

The hotel is set on a peninsula. Yes! That’s right! So you will be surrounded by sea views. Imagine that! Even whilst you are on the treadmill, it would give you a feeling of jogging on water. They are part of the Marriott chain, so quality in everything they do is essential. They have 340 bedrooms and the basic room is called a deluxe room. All bedrooms own a balcony and all with a view of the sparkling turquoise sea. You might be wondering regarding all the leisure facilities, here they are: Two private beach lidos, Fitness center, beauty clinic, concierge service, indoor and outdoor pool, diving experience, 13 meeting rooms, full-service sundecks and direct access to the sea. So if you would like to WOW your guests by arriving at the hotel in a private boat, we can arrange that to happen as well.

Venues for your Destination Wedding…

If you are organizing a wedding for 50/60 guests, the Quadro Restaurant is the perfect venue for you. Whilst you are being served some fresh fish or even some meat dishes, you will be dining alfresco in the summer months enjoying some picturesque views of the Mediterranean sea. You can also avail yourself of this opportunity to use these fantastic views as a natural backdrop for photographic purposes.  Apart from the Quadro restaurant, the Westin can also offer larger venues like the Bedouin Bar situated right on the water’s edge, Pallio’s restaurant, The Reef Club and the newest addition, the Boathouse Lounge. Nevertheless, at The Westin, they value each booking and even though Malta as a destination is sunny most of the year they will always guarantee a back-up plan for the minimal rainy days. I also have some great news! At the Westin they love seeing the venues all dressed up so there are no limitations for décor as long as you do not damage the property, obviously 😊

All you can eat…

I was lucky enough to have the opportunity to interview Robert during a business lunch. At which, I must admit, the food was mouth-watering. We had a very casual lunch at the Terrace restaurant where he explained to me how important the quality of the food is to the executive Chef, James Mifsud. Everything needs to be fresh, and I can tell you whilst eating the fresh fish of the day it felt like I was tasting the ocean. When it comes to your Destination Wedding they can offer any formation you prefer, from a 3 or 4 course meal, part-plated menu and even a buffet. You don’t have to worry when it comes to flexibility; the Westin will bend backwards to help you have the Wedding of your Dreams.

The ideal time schedule..

Once again Robert explained to me that they are very flexible to accommodate the wedding couple when it comes to time schedule. However his preferred schedule would be as follows:

16.30hrs guests will get together at the foyer of the hotel where they will see the signage to where the wedding is going to be held.

17.00hrs initiation of the wedding ceremony
17.30hrs post-wedding ceremony activities: photographs, drinks etc
19.00hrs dinner
21.30hrs after party and let those dancing shoes guide you!

A great experience… 

My first personal reaction was Fun! Fun! Fun! And Robert had this to share with me:

Well, I wish that you had asked me a different question as I have a lot of stories to share. One of the most that I have personally enjoyed was when I was approached by a bridal couple in October and they wanted me to organize their wedding for December of that same year. As this was not a traditional Maltese wedding, the groom being Indian, we had a week of celebrations to organized not to mention that I had to educate myself about their traditions too.

Being over 11 years ago, things were not as easy as today, so we had to get things shipped from India, get an Indian chef to assist our kitchen brigade with all the different Indian food that was required etc. Well, in a few words, it was a week of fun constantly experiencing these beautiful different events happening in our venues, including the Bollywood night where a popular deejay was flown from India to perform during the party. I mustn’t forget to mention my beautiful dhoti that was  given to me as a gift by the bridal couple to be able to attend the Bollywood party in a proper Indian way. As we say, an experience of a life time!

I have teamed up with The Westin Dragonara to give you an opportunity for your destination wedding. We have come up with this offer for Black Friday, which we have decided to call White Friday in relation to weddings 🙂 The Westin are extending the ‘White Friday offer” till March 2019 so do not miss out on this opportunity. You can find further information on the following link

Well, what else can I say! The venue is fantastic, the food is delicious, the staff is highly reliable and your destination wedding will undeniably be something that your loved ones will be mentioning in every family gathering.