Lanarkshire grooms have black-tie pool party wedding at Malta castle

Anton and Darren

10th July 2024 

Venue | Castello Dei Baroni, Malta
Photography | M&J Photo Studio Malta

Getting married abroad is the ultimate excuse to extend the party, as Lanarkshire grooms Anton and Darren discovered: “We were able to spend a full week with our friends and family in Malta. If we’d married in Scotland, it would have been just one day.” 

Darren has Maltese heritage and has been visiting the island with his family every summer since he was born. It was also where the pair, who met in high school, had their first holiday together.

“If other couples are considering a wedding abroad, I would recom­mend picking a place that means something to them, like we did,” says Anton.

Alongside the personal connection, gay marriage is legal in Malta and it’s a LGBTQ+ inclusive destination, another key factor in them choosing it as their location. 

The couple sent out save-the-dates around a year and a half in advance and invites six months ahead of time. “We didn’t plan on having any Scottish wedding celebrations and wanted to make it legal on the day in Malta,” they say.  

Even with a dedicated local wedding planner, Rose­marie Agius Delia of MaltaWeddings.co.uk, on their side, Darren and Anton admit they still shudder when they think about the paperwork.

“It was probably the part we found the most stressful. We had to get our documents sent to London to be ‘apostilled’ before we could then get them shipped to Malta in time for our wedding planner to submit them to the registry office,” recalls Anton. (An ‘apostille’ is an official certificate that verifies the authenticity of a public document so that it can be used in another country.)

They additionally had to fill in two forms from Malta, secure certificates of non-impediment and send original birth certificates. “It was all fine in the end, even though we had just 12 weeks to sort it all out,” smiles Anton. 

“Try to visit your venue a couple of times in the run-up to the wedding if you can,” he continues. 

“A wedding planner who knows the area you’re marrying in is a must-have too. Rose’s insight was invaluable. She helped us find our venue, Castello Dei Baroni, sourced reliable vendors and secured good prices for services. She also arranged transport between our venue and the place we were staying.” 

Stressed out about the paperwork for your Scottish wedding? Find out how to fill in the M10 form here

The ceremony at the hilltop castle was one of the couple’s favourite parts of the day, and they were able to add personal vows to the legal ones. “It was amazing to stand in front of everyone closest to us and tell them how much Darren means to me,” says Anton.

“We turned to face our guests at the end, and everyone cheered for us! We could feel the love in the room; it was the most incredible moment.”  

A chic drinks reception followed, accompanied by live music from a pianist and a violinist, then there was an alfresco sunset dinner and DJ till 1am. “At the very end of the night, many of us jumped into the venue’s pool! Some of us even ended up going out clubbing after that…” laughs Anton. 

“Don’t be afraid to make your wedding totally your own. We had our mums walk us down the aisle, our friend Emma announced the meal, and we opted for a cannoli tower instead of a cake,” adds Darren.

Dreaming of cake? Find the best wedding cake suppliers in Scotland here

It was a week of unforgettable moments by the sounds of things, with the lovebirds arriving on the island five days before the big day with a busy itinerary ahead of them.

“We arranged a ‘sten do’ two nights before the wedding. We expected it to be just the younger guests who would attend, but everyone came along, which made it even more special – even my 92-year-old nonna was there,” says Anton. 

In the days after the wedding, the newlyweds headed to a beach bar, where a DJ and steady stream of strawberry daiquiris eased any hangovers.

They also took a boat trip to Malta’s famous Blue Lagoon. “It gave us the opportunity to spend even more quality time with everyone, which was amazing,” says Darren.

Venue Castello Dei Baroni, Malta 
Wedding planner Rosemarie Agius Delia, MaltaWeddings.co.uk
Photography M&J Photo Studio Malta 
Filmmaker Fenbros Productions (see video above)
Officiant Maltese registrar 
Grooms’ outfits Remus Uomo  
Groomsmaid dresses Deja Elite Boutique  
Mothers of the grooms’ outfits Bespoke from Italy 
Wedding rings Hope & Co. Jewellery 
Cake Cannoli tower supplied by wedding venue  
Stationery Designed by Anton using Vistaprint and Canva 
Venue decor and reception entertainment Commander Jay Events 
Ceremony music Andrew Pace, pianist 
Drinks reception music Maria Cini, violinist