I’ve dealt with many weddings and honeymoons clients over the years, but from the moment Chloe and Michael contacted me nearly three years ago, I knew their wedding in Mauritius had to be nothing short of perfect, and I was excited to be part of it.

Chloe had her heart set on the Shangri-La Le Touessrok. I know the resort well so it should have all been plain sailing, but weddings are rarely drama-free – I should know that after all these years!

As with many couples I work with, not all the friends and family were onboard with their decision to get married abroad. Although Chloe was one of the most organised brides I have worked with in sending out invites and all the information their chosen guests needed in order to book, some invited guests did not respond as they hoped they would. It became increasingly stressful for them both – we had lots of emotional calls and we talked frankly about why they had chosen to tie the knot in Mauritius in the first place.

More than a travel agent

You’re not just a travel agent for your wedding clients – the amount of nurturing you do, it’s like you’re a counsellor and friend too, it’s the biggest day of their lives and there is a lot of emotion involved. You must prepare couples for the rollercoaster that is organising a wedding overseas. I like to do that right at the beginning and be upfront with them. I say: “This is the reality – the most important people in your life might not be there with you.”

Most couples start off with the idea that they will have 30 of their nearest and dearests with them but that number halves by the time it comes to the day. This became clear with Chloe and Michael’s wedding, but I think the lowest point was when their two bridesmaids pulled out a few months before travel. On one late-night emotional call I reminded her: “You’re not marrying your bridesmaids, you’re marrying Michael.” From then on that’s how we worked, our focus was always on that.

Chloe and Michael had dealt with lots of ups and downs during this journey but just six months before their wedding date we heard the news that Le Touessrok was shutting for a refurbishment, casting uncertainty over the whole event. While Chloe and Michael were quite rightly concerned, I had to stay calm and offer reassurance, while formulating my Plan B in case it didn’t reopen in time. I felt like a swan, outwardly serene, while furiously paddling beneath the surface to make sure that their dream day would happen with or without the Shangri-La opening. With the hotel constantly reshuffling its reopening dates, eventually it opened 24 hours after they were due to arrive – an alternative hotel had to be arranged for the first night, but thankfully the wedding date was unaffected. 

Meanwhile, planning of the finer details continued. Chloe had very definite ideas about what she wanted, and I was her go-between with the hotel.

Paradise centre-stage

I had pictures and mood boards in my office, and we spent many hours discussing the finer details of the day including flowers, bespoke cocktails and chairs. They fell in love with the idea of a wooden gazebo constructed and covered in fairy lights for their dinner on the beach and a bespoke beach bar built for their neon bar sign to sit on, along with cocktails with personalised names.

There was one more challenging request – a saxophonist, who could play a specific song, Abba’s Gimme! Gimme! Gimme! Not only did we need to find a saxophonist on the island, but they also needed to learn the song! I had to impress upon my hotel contacts how important this was for my couple.

We discussed lots of extras – a DJ, Sega dancing around a bonfire, and Chloe even flirted with the idea of burning their initials on the water. We had many conversations over the exact location of the ceremony and separate evening location set-up – with the hotel providing images and reassurances on locations. They hired a catamaran for the entire wedding party the day before and we organised a wedding breakfast for all their guests the day after the wedding – it was 48 hours of event planning.

With all the great ideas they had, as time went on, I persuaded them to strip back some things, to make it about “Chloe and Michael” and to let Mauritius be the other star of the show, and that’s what they did to get a perfect balance.

Put your trust in me

A wedding like this only works when the couple put their trust in you, but that trust must be earned. I gave advice that I hoped they’d take, such as don’t buy designer high-heeled shoes. ‘’You’ll get to the beach, and you’ll want to kick those shoes off,’’ and post-wedding, Chloe said to me: “You were so right, I could hear you saying to me: Just feel the sand between your toes.’’

You get so involved with your wedding couples’ lives, and sometimes friendships are born from this. However, whatever the relationship, never lose sight of the fact that they are trusting you with the biggest day of their lives, and I feel so responsible for making their dream a reality.

With Chloe and Michael’s wedding, by the time the day came, I really wished I had been able to fly out there to join them, I was so invested in it.  I was so relieved and excited to hear everything went to plan on the day, and it was the fairy-tale wedding that they dreamed about having.

I received this amazing message from Chloe the day after, which gave me goosebumps. “Claire, I can’t thank you enough for everything you have done for Michael and me. Yesterday was simply the best day of our lives – beyond my wildest dreams. I wish you were here with us to experience how beautiful it was.’’

I sent the newlyweds some flowers and champagne for their arrival home (after a cancelled British Airways flight and an additional night at their hotel that I had to sort) and Chloe posted a picture of the delivery and a message on her social media referencing me as a “woman right at the top of her game’’.

I can’t tell you how much these two messages meant to me – this was one of the most involved wedding bookings I’ve ever worked on, but worth every single minute.