On January 29th, 2013 just ten days after our beautiful wedding in Hobart, James and I set sail aboard L’Austral from Ushuaia, Argentina. We were headed for Antarctica and the perfect adventure to begin married life together.

The ship was luxurious, the service without fault and the people we met from all over the world amazing! But what truly made the journey were the captain and the naturalist guides on board. They went out of their way to ensure we would experience Antarctica for the remarkable place it is and undertake activities which we felt privileged to be a part of.

Our first full day of sailing saw us cross the Drake Passage, or the ‘Drake Shake’ as it is affectionately called by seafarers… I learned why! We had swells of 30-40 foot high and I was violently sea sick no matter what treatment I received from the very helpful ship’s doctor. I even at one point wished I had never come on the trip and thought there was no way it could be worth that horrible gut-wrenching feeling. Boy, was I wrong.

Our captain had urged us to wake early as we would be entering our first channel on the Antarctic Peninsula at about 6am. So bright and early (and having overcome the sea sickness) I woke and pulled back the thick curtains. I have to say that this was the first time I have truly been breathless. We were sailing slowly down a channel, surrounded by ice cliffs and icebergs which towered over our ship. The sea was so still it was like a mirror and the sky the bluest I have ever seen. All around us penguins darted in and out of the water. I squealed with excitement and with my new husband James readied ourselves for the day ahead.

I could go on about the 11 landings we were able to do during our cruise, the amazing little bases we stopped at and the fascinating people we met, but what really made the trip for us was all the wild life. Being an animal lover I was going to be happy if we saw even one whale. Well, by the end of the cruise we had seen close to 100 whales, including many baby humpbacks, killer whales and minke whales. But perhaps the best encounter was one which occurred four days into sailing when we were getting ready to get into the zodiacs for a trip off the ship one afternoon.

Peering over the edge of the ship, we spotted a young minke whale playing in the ship’s bubbles. “She” was so beautiful and graceful, and I hoped it would still be nearby when we had loaded into the zodiacs. What a treat we were in for! As we cruised around to the front of the ship she came right up next to us, spraying us and within arm’s reach rolled over onto her side to take a look at what we were doing. Our naturalist, Hannah, was just as excited as we were and commented that even though she has done close to sixty trips to Antarctica, this was something she had never seen! What was amazing was that at any time the whale could have swam away, but she chose to be with us and seemed to enjoy the encounter as much as we did. This moment is something I will never forget.

Another highlight for me was the baby penguins. They were probably the cutest thing I had ever seen. As with all the wild life in Antarctica, they were not bothered by us and just went about their daily business as if we were not even there. I was constantly in awe as to how close they would be as they waddled past us on their way to their nests. By the end of the trip we estimated that we had seen well over 100,000 penguins of varying species.

A favourite of my husband’s were the seals. We saw leopard seals, weddel seals, crabeater seals and Antarctic fur seals. One leopard seal even popped the zodiac we were in when he was trying to work out what we were!

I was simply not prepared for the shear awesomeness of Antarctica. The amazing landscapes, the abundance of wild life, the perfect weather and the life changing experiences we would have. Antarctica is a place I cannot do justice to with words or even photos. It is somewhere you must visit to understand and we will be back.

Photos from Joanna’s collection

 Ms Gingham says: If this doesn’t make you want to pack your bags for Antarctica then nothing will! What an awesome adventure to have on your honeymoon! Thanks so much for sharing it with us Joanna!

Joanna says: “My name is Johanna, I’m 24 and I got married on January 19th of 2013. I then left for a month long honeymoon during which we even got to go to Antarctica.”

I am constantly astounded at how many gorgeous hotels there are in the world, with so many hitting top marks for design, style and service. This week we are very lucky to be joined by the lovely Amanda, Cluster Director of Sales & Marketing at Marriott Australia. She sure knows a thing or two about great hotels!

We asked her to spill the beans on great honeymoon locations around the world, and let us in on her top picks. So grab your maps and start planning! 

What is your favourite region?

I love the winery region in Victoria. It is such a picturesque area and offers a really unique experience for couples. It is also within easy driving distance from the boutique style Melbourne Marriott Hotel.

Top Resort Recommendation?

The Renaissance Koh Samui Resort & Spa is a stunning resort in Thailand which overlooks the glittering Gulf of Siam. Complete with cascading lush tropical gardens, secluded villas, a luxurious spa and superb sunset beach it is the perfect place to embrace nature and enjoy a truly romantic escape.

Suggestions for great honeymoon activities.

• Relax! Whether it be by the resort’s pool or in a luxurious day spa
• If honeymooning overseas, live like the locals do and immerse yourself into the local culture
• Enjoy an intimate dining experience

 The ideal location for a proposal?

Surprise your loved one with an intimate poolside dinner overlooking cascading waterfalls, tropical gardens and a spectacular lagoon pool at the Surfers Paradise Marriott Resort & Spa on the Gold Coast. The resort also offers a range of beautiful accommodation styles including the opulent Presidential Suite, located on the 28th floor.

Best kept secret honeymoon location?

The Renaissance Tuscany il Ciocco Resort & Spa is situated within a 600 hectare estate inside the Serchio Valley, in Tuscany. It is an iconic Resort where classic and elegant Italian style meets the chic design of Renaissance hotels and is a perfect hideaway for your honeymoon.

After that whirlwind tour of honeymoon destinations around the globe, I for one could certainly do with a cocktail by the pool! Thanks so much to Amanda for sharing her honeymoon hot-spots, and if you’d like more information on the Marriot Hotels in exotic places, head to their website and check out what’s on offer!

Photos courtesy of Marriott Hotels

Delara and Brian

Ah, nothing better than a beautiful Bali destination wedding right? Today’s is a beautiful celebration- the bride herself describes it as vintage with a tropical twist. I describe it as “Where I’d rather be”! Of their decision to marry in Bali, Delara tells, “We wanted a destination wedding so that all our family friends could spend time together, so often at weddings you don’t get to spend quality time with your guests, this way the wedding wasn’t just one day it was an entire week of celebrating relaxing and having fun with our nearest and dearest. We fell in love with the idea of a cliff top wedding over looking the ocean. Hence we picked Villa Latitude.”

But we can’t kick off a wedding story without how it all began, so for that, it’s over to Delara. “We still recall the exact moment we met. It was Wednesday the 19th of December 2007, and we both happened to be at Carnegies, in Perth. We were instantly attracted to each other and spent the night chatting away. Unfortunately I had to leave before we had the chance to exchange numbers. But just two days later, we amazingly ran into each other for a second time at Tiger Lils. Unfortunately, we again managed to go our separate ways, and with no mutual friends, nor any point of contact, we were again left with no way of contacting one another. However…The following week, we met for a third time by pure coincidence, and this time, Brian finally asked for my number. We arranged to meet the following Tuesday for our first ‘official’ date, but just days before our first Official date we ran into each other again for the fourth time at Little Creatures Brewery. Our first official date was at the Breakwater at Hillarys, however instead of meeting at the breakwater as planned, as we stepped out of our cars we realised that we had arrived at exactly the same time and parked our respective cars right next to each other. Needless to say, the date was perfect and we have been together ever since. It really felt like fate had brought us together.”

Christine Lim and Ruby Yeo captured today’s destination wedding and all of the dreamy, beautiful moments that went along with it- not to mention the amazing coastal backdrop!

Delara wore a gown from Brides By Design.

Delara chose ‘A thousand years’ by Christina Perri for her walk down the aisle.

The wedding day was planned and styled by Bali Exclusive Wedding who also looked after the flowers, cake and catering for the wedding.

Dru Soltys married the couple. Delara remarking “Our celebrant Dru was amazing, he flew to Bali last minute and conducted the most amazing ceremony it captured everything about Brian and I.”

Of their photographers, Delara says, “I have to give a very special mention to our photographs Christine Lim and Ruby Yeo. They did such a truly amazing job. They captured the day so perfectly and were so lovely to have around. I just could not recommend them highly enough. Everyone that has seen our photographs comments on what an amazing job they did.”

“My maid of honour helped me put together an inspiration board for the wedding which made choosing flowers, table decorations etc so much easier – the theme was vintage elegance with a tropical twist. So the colours where based on a sunset from the ivory and cream in the wedding dress, lace parasols, table cloths to burnt sienna for the bridesmaid dresses, and flowers for the bridal table with lots of soft lighting from the ivory paper lanterns, and candles.”

The reception started off with plenty of tradition, Delara remembering, “I am Persian so during the reception we had traditional Persian dancing, we also brought different coloured belly dancing style sashes that guests wore for dancing. It was hilarious to watch some of the guys try to belly dance.”

Delara tells, “Our first dance was to Moby’s “Love Should” it is one of our favourite songs and we always knew that we wanted to have it as our first dance song.”

Congratulations Delara and Brian! Thank you for sharing your day with us! Thank you also to Christine Lim and Ruby Yeo for sharing today’s photographs with us!

Natalie & Neil

It’s not often we take a trip across to visit the beauty of South Africa but today’s wedding couldn’t be a better place to start. The backdrop is nothing short of majestic which of course, lends itself to creating a very special wedding.

Natalie tells, “We met though a mutual friend at a Red Bull BC One Break dancing Competition for the first time, and no we were not competing We didn’t see each other until a month later at another mutual friend’s birthday where Neil invited me to dinner and we were together ever since! “

Modern Hearts captured some truly breath taking imagery for today’s wedding!

Old Mac Daddy Luxury Trailer Park in Elgin was chosen as the wedding location, Natalie remarking, “We had our heart set on the venue before we even visited it. It had the right space to hold our guests with the atmosphere we were looking for, beautiful valley with apple orchards, which were blossoming at the time! Something in nature, something different from a wine farm, which was really relaxed and comfortable. We spent the weekend there, the accommodation was fun, each trailer done to a different theme and amazing staff who looked after us so well and catered deliciously! ”

“There was a sudden storm the day before, which alternately cleared and and washed over again, a real Monkey’s wedding, which made for some amazing photos.”

 

Natalie wore a gown by Hillette Stapelberg.

Of her favourite memories of the day, Natalie says, “My father was quite sick some time before the wedding so we had to change dates, but it all worked out beautifully as he was in good shape and walked me down the aisle, gave a brilliant speech and danced to All you Need is Love. We had a last minute worry that the Best Man would not be able to make it all the way down to South Africa from the Caribbean a week before the wedding, but he did in the end which was wonderful! All in all the speeches were fantastic and funny and meaningful.”

 

Of their photographer, Natalie says “Modern Hearts were wonderful. We loved the work they had done previously and were so happy with what they did for us. They were very professional, and most importantly for us on the day unobtrusive while still catching real moments between all our friends and family. They did a beautiful job grading all the images and were accommodating at all times.”

 

 

4EveryEvent styled the wedding while a friend of Natalie’s made the elegant wedding cake.

Natalie remarks, “I did up mood boards for every element of the wedding. I worked with my dress designer designing my dress, designed the invitation, table numbers and seating plan. I also did a jewelry course where I made my husband’s wedding ring as well as gifts for the bridal party.”

For the first dance, Natalie remembers “We danced to Al Green’s ‘Let’s Stay Together’, a classic song familiar to everyone, but so apt and meaningful to us in that moment, also a lot of to twirl around to! ”

Congratulations Natalie and Neil! Thank you for sharing your day with us! Thank you to Modern Hearts for sharing today’s wedding with us!

I just love the unveiling of a new series – and what better to be focusing on than stunning locations and secret getaways for your honeymoon! Sure, we’re moving out of the summer months in Australia, but there is a huge world out there with so much to offer, so we thought we’d get the expert’s opinions on the very best of honeymoon destinations!

Each week we will bring you tips and advice from travel experts who will share their picks for the hottest destinations around the globe. Itchy feet yet anyone?

We kick off this adventure with Tamara Lohan, the co-founder and CTO of the fabulous boutique hotel expert site Mr & Mr Smith. This is one travel-savvy lady!

What is your favourite region?

I grew up spending half my time in Ibiza so I have a soft spot for this gorgeous island; I come back every year for a holiday with my family. The clubs and nightlife of Ibiza are what make it famous, but I love it for its laid-back vibe, amazing crystal-clear waters, quiet beaches, pine forests and great seafood.

Top Resort Recommendation?

Alila Villas Soori on the south-west coast of Bali. This stunning all-villa resort is set between rice paddies and shimmery black-sand beaches, and every villa has a private pool and courtyard overlooking the Indian Ocean.

With its slick spa, a range of decadent dining options and service from personal hosts, you’re in pamper paradise.

Any suggestions for great honeymoon activities?

I know some people want to do nothing on holiday and go for the classic Carribbean or Indian Ocean turquoise water/white sand beaches but I can’t sit still for that long and need a bit of activity. The ideal honeymoon for me has a combination of action and relaxation. Anything indulgent you can do as a couple – spa treatments, massages teamed with some outdoor adventures is great. My husband James and I went on safari in South Africa. We stayed at Royal Malewane a beautiful boutique safari lodge in Kruger National Park.

The ideal location for a proposal?

In my view it’s best if the location means something to you as a couple. Layer into that a location that is memorable and the proposal has the perfect backdrop.  I’m a sucker for amazing views so anywhere on Kangaroo Island or in Big Sur on the west coast of the USA where the cliffs and ocean views are so dramatic

Best kept secret honeymoon location?

Luang Prabang, Laos.

This sleepy town in northern Laos lies between mist-shrouded mountains on the palm-lined banks of the Mekong. The entire old town is Unesco protected and you’ll find serene temples, grand colonial villas and traditional wooden houses not to mention some of the most romantic boutique hotels in South East Asia. The pleasures to be enjoyed here are simple and lingering: Lao coffee sipped in a street café; the hypnotic drum beat of the monks’ call to prayer; or a walk beneath fragrant boughs of frangipanis.

Well, I’m not sure about you, but I have a serious desire to jump on a plane right about now! The scenery and style of the locations Tamara has given us a glimpse of are just breathtaking. Our huge thanks to Tamara for inspiring the travel bug in all of us, and if you want more details or great destination tips, head to the Mr & Mrs Smith website.

 All images courtesy of Mr & Mrs Smith