Finca Villa Palma | The Love Story of Helen and Danny

The Dress

Visited 3 stores with different members of the bridal party at each one and not much success. The mother of the groom said we should try the shop that is on TV that Gok Wan presents, so I booked an appointment and the mother of the groom, sister and niece (2 of the bridesmaids) and on a mannequin in the shop was a gorgeous dress, unknowingly at separate points we had all said we love that for me. After a couple of other dresses I asked to try the dress on the mannequin and that was it, it was ‘THE ONE’

How did you both meet

It was a nice summer June evening in Manchester and we were having a friends get together.
For some unknown reason we all decided to meet up on a supermarket car park before heading down in convoy.
Danny was in his lightning blue Saxo, with sports interior and a bright yellow gear knob. He was waiting with others, and our mutual friend told him she was being her friend as well (me). Right on cue I then pulled up in my Citroën AX with a booster seat and steering wheel cover – all the rage then!
When we got to the party, Danny did his absolute best to get chatting to me. After about an hour—and a few drinks in—Danny started craving something sweet. I hadn’t started drinking yet, so offered to drive him to the petrol station.
Danny saw his golden opportunity to impress me and so he bought a Creme Egg from the petrol station – the only thing was that as it was 2 months after Easter it was beyond its sell by date!
But despite that, from that moment on, we got on like a house on fire, and here we are finally married 21 years later.

How did Danny pop the question

We travelled Route 66 in June 2015 and on the route near the Grand Canyon there are some waterfalls called Havasu falls.
The only way to get to these waterfalls is either a 10mile hike or helicopter.
We opted for the hike as we didn’t think it would be that bad, we completely underestimated this!
None of us wore the correct walking gear and it was 40 degrees Celsius! Needless to say that by the time we arrived at the hotel we were staying in for the night all 4 of us had our feet in an ice bath.
We then found out it was a further 2 miles to the waterfalls, we had come this far so we couldn’t stop there so we continued the trek.
I was completely distracted by a squirrel at the waterfall while Danny was setting himself up on a rock, he shouted ‘Helen, come over here a minute’ and my response was ‘I can’t I am watching this squirrel’, he said can please can you just come here to which I responded ‘Just wait!’. Little did I know that when I walked over he was stood on a rock ready to propose in front of a waterfall – it was beautiful and all worth it in the end.

First Look

Only 2 of my bridesmaids had seen my dress so I did a first look for those, however it did instantly make them cry so it wasn’t necessarily the best idea when they had just had their makeup done – although it did test it out!
I also did a first look with my dad, he had been patiently and nervously waiting in the hotel lobby. It was amazing seeing my dad in his suit and it was an amazing moment seeing him for the first time in my dress. My dad is used to seeing me in my gym attire at a an outdoor bootcamp class so it felt extra special that we dressed in our best and it was my wedding day.

How did you feel walking down the aisle

Very excited but strangely relaxed. I think it was due to the amazing setting and the sun of course. It was such a lovely feeling walking up knowing that everyone was there to share the day with you. However, I did not expect to see so many people crying on my walk up – that was a surprise!

Decor and Flowers

Karen and Magda at Deseos created the most beautiful floral arrangements and table decor. We met with Karen a few months prior to the wedding, she listened and noted down everything we had asked for, we even had additional table decor that we took ourselves and it was no issue at all for Karen.
I knew I needed to just trust Karen with our ideas and what we had discussed with her at our meeting but the decor was definitely beyond our expectations, it made the venue look even more magical.

Any traditions

We tried to do a bit of both, we wanted a relaxed wedding with a Spanish element to it. I embraced the old, new, borrowed and blue tradition, and sent Danny a gift with a note for the morning of the wedding.
We had the traditional style ceremony and speeches but then tried to add in some extra touches with non traditional readings during the ceremony, a Spanish liquor for favours, a cocktail hour, personalised dance floor rave.

The Kiss

In the movies the first kiss scene is always two lovebirds, standing at the altar, surrounded by a sea of faces, all eagerly awaiting ‘The Big Kiss’. That moment where two become one (cue the Spice Girls) and everyone collectively goes “Awwww” – well yeah that didn’t happen, it was no Hollywood production and instead Danny was sweating and so nervous you would think he was diffusing a bomb not kissing me who he had kissed many times before!
Our hearts were beating faster than at an Ibiza dance track as we knew it was coming. Kevin (celebrant) gave the green light and our lips suddenly felt drier than a bowl of rice, it was less of ‘Gone with the Wind’ and more of ‘Gone with the lip balm’.
If all that wasn’t enough let’s not forget the audience, because nothing says romance like having every aunt, uncle, cousin, and that guy you met at a BBQ three years ago, all staring at you with the intensity of a thousand suns – it’s like kissing in a fishbowl.
As much as it was low-key weird the kiss was perfect, the guests cheered while Danny and I counted – One Mississippi, two Mississippi, three Mississippi! We had seen a short video that said you need to count 3 Mississippis, if you count one then its not long enough for a photo and if you count beyond then you might get pregnant.
So how was the first kiss… Well slightly weird, a little dry, but perfect for me and Danny because that’s us. And nothing says ’till death us do part’ quite like surviving your big public display of affection with all your loved ones as unwitting voyeurs.

The Venue

Upon visiting Finca Villa Palma we knew it was the venue for us right from the driveway leading into the venue. The whole place is a stunning, natural and luxurious venue with a Spanish charm. The gardens, terraces, exotic plants, seating areas and palm trees enabled us to separate the day into segments so it felt like different venues but all in one place.
Many of our guests commented on how beautiful the venue itself was but then also the view from it and the transformation into the evening with all the warm coloured fairy lights.

How was taking photos

For one mini shoot we stood at the entrance of the venue which is at the top of a reasonably steep hill, it is a beautiful view from there and as there was a slight breeze Rebecca asked me to swing my veil round as it was a long veil and then it wrapped us both up in it. For a brief moment we both got stuck inside the veil and had a vision that if we weren’t careful we would end up rolling down the hill together – it definitely made us laugh and was one to remember.
I think my 6 year old cousin, Rebecca’s mini apprentice for the day, was another highlight. Rebecca was super bust running round capturing as much as she could and completely embraced the budding photographer within Finley, allowing him to follow her round and take part.

Any Axieties

Once all the guests had safely arrived in Spain it turned to the usual anxieties around timings, falling over, issues with vendors, but a HUGE shoutout to Sunshine weddings, Maite, Kerstin, and Rebecca who ensured non of that happened.
By the time dinner was over we were slightly behind on time but Scott and Rebecca made sure that non of the guests were remotely aware of this, it was just amazing how it all came together.
I was personally anxious about how I would feel on the morning of the wedding, I was strangely calm but equally a little quiet

The Reception

We wanted guests to feel relaxed throughout the evening so we distributed flat shoes for the women so they could take off their heels and dance away. We also distributed sunglasses with a white marker pen so that guests could write a message on their glasses and wear them on the dance floor, along with the glow sticks these made for some great photos and memories.
We loved the variety of our reception party, from our amazing bridesmaid singer, to the mini rave, to dancing with all our family and friends ranging from 6 months old to 86 years old. We were dancing to Fred Again one minute, to Oasis and Spice Girls the next, and then as the numbers dwindled later on some soul music, it was an eclectic night of music and dancing but we loved every minute.

Unique items

Danny knows a DJ in the UK so he asked her to create a short ‘rave’ playlist of some of our favourite dance music, we got glow sticks and sunglasses so everyone could get involved in a mini rave.
We knew there was going to be a lot of alcohol that evening so we contacted Hanqcure who kindly sent us 60 sample packs of hangover cure tablets, we risked walking through the airport with 400 tablets but we made it and these were distributed to guests on arrival to hopefully help their heads out a little the next day.
We had 2 best men and their speech involved kitting Danny out in an arm sling and eye patch after detailing the multiple incidents he has had in his life.
We had Nano the amazing Spanish guitarist playing during our ceremony and reception.
Danny had been living in Dubai since January therefore we had to order his ring blind and just hope for the best on the day, the ring sizes in Dubai so not translate very well to UK sizes therefore we just had to hope for the best but thankfully it all worked out.
One of our bridesmaids Natalie sang a series of beautiful songs while our guests sat down to the dinner tables