MAJORCA GROWS AS TOP SPOT FOR WEDDINGS

Usual exotic destinations like Hawaii and the Maldives have been ditched in favour of a stay on the Balearic island.
Jutta Birfelder from Majorca Weddings, an agency dealing specifically with wedding celebrations on the island, said that it is an up and coming place to get hitched. “We organise the catering, decorating, the priest and everything else you could need to celebrate your wedding on the island.” “People must first have a civil merit from their home country and then we provide a church blessing and the celebration afterwards,” she added. The company, established seven years ago, has dealt with British, German, Dutch, Spanish and American couples and caters for parties of up to 200 people. Set up by Jutta and business partner Katja Buhlan, both German who have lived in Majorca for 11 years, they say that getting the event right is vital. “Over the years we've learned which companies are the best to deal with on the island, be it yacht or catering suppliers.” ”It's important to get it right because this is a very special day of the couple's life, and we want to realise their dreams,” she said yesterday.
Services provided by the company, which is now based in Andratx and Porreres, range from giving wedding vows aboard a yacht to going subterranean in a submarine. Jutta said: “Several years ago we had a couple who had their blessing in full scuba gear ten metres below the surface. It was fantastic. “Couples often then have their honeymoon in Majorca to finish off the celebration,” she added. With flights often cheaper than travelling in Britain, a lot of families simply jet over to the island and invite only their closest of friends to save on cash. The amount of companies like Majorca Weddings has exploded here, which is good news all round for the tourist industry. “People often come here for the first time to get married, and then get to know the island and come back here on holiday,” Jutta said yesterday. The company operates between the months of April and October and has a drop in clients during August which sees a lot of people booking holidays, so are unable to arrange a wedding celebration. During peak times the company averages about ten parties a month and has been known to book large mansions on the island and luxury yachts for the wedding receptions.