In June, we went on our first family holiday to Ibiza to attend the special wedding of our friends, Deborah and Brian. The couple, now the Dicksons, are originally from Grangemouth. They have been together for over a decade and have a beautiful daughter, Zara, who was born in February 2021.
They have lived an exciting life together; just six months after they began dating, they went travelling to Australia and ended up settling there for several years. Living and working in the sunshine suited the pair, but they weren’t so keen on the distance from home. They moved back to Scotland in 2015, but quickly realised that they were meant to live somewhere a bit warmer. In 2016, they made the move to beautiful Ibiza and haven’t looked back. Brian works offshore in the North Sea and Deborah runs her successful private spa service, Ibiza Beauty and Massage.
I’ve known Deborah since I was a little girl as we were neighbours growing up, with our parents being good friends. She also visited our family to work in a local spa while we lived in California. We’ve always kept in touch and even had our little girls the same year! It was an honour to be invited to their wedding.
It was our first time taking Charlotte on a plane and we felt a bit apprehensive but she was a wee star! She slept half of the time and then was amused by snacks and toys for the rest.
The wedding was in the quieter part of the island, Cala Tarida and we stayed at the Insotel Tarida Playa, which was an all-inclusive hotel just a 5-minute taxi from the villa they were to be married at. The hotel was right next to the beach which had lovely, family-friendly restaurants.
The wedding actually took place over two days as the first part was the official Spanish ceremony at the registrars. It so happened to sit at the top of the gorgeous Dalt Villa. All the guests travelled together on a bus, which was a quite a challenge for the driver to get over the small Roman bridges of Ibiza’s Old Town. At one point Brian, the groom, was directing the driver! But the setting was something out of a film. We all gathered into the room they were to be married and the couple sat on big thrones as they spoke their vows to one another. It was unlike a traditional wedding as you can see in the pictures with all the buggies – all of Zara’s friends! After the wedding, there were pictures and we all headed down the hill to a beautiful restaurant where we enjoyed Spanish tapas, Sangria and Champagne, toasting to their love! It was a day we will never forget but the wedding wasn’t over yet!
The next day was their official wedding day at the stunning villa in Cala Tarida with breathtaking ocean views. The ceremony was conducted by Deborah’s godfather, poolside. It was so intimate and special, especially as their little girl Zara was present. After the ceremony, the drinks were flowing and so were delicious tapas. The evening meal was an amazing bbq, which was absolutely perfect for a wedding in the heat.
They danced their first song at sunset to Klangkarusell’s Sonnentanz, it was very Ibizan!! The babies were all shortly rocked to sleep in their buggies and parked up alongside each other while the adults danced for a few more hours. Many of us remarked that it felt like we were living in a movie. I’m sure that day will live in our memories for a long, long time.
If you’re heading on holiday or to an aboard wedding with young children, just embrace it! It will be an amazing memory for everyone.