Nancy and Anton knew that bringing together their 85 guests from China, Russia, German - and plenty of places in between - would be a very special occasion and it would need a very special location. Venue 102 managed to tick all the boxes. This finca hotel, just 20 minutes from Palma looks like a mini-castle complete with its own ivy-covered mini-tower with battlements and roof terrace, set in lush countryside.
It also has 15 comfortable rooms and suites and a large pool so it was the perfect place for Nancy and Anton to gather their family and friends to celebrate their wedding.
On the wedding day, as guests relaxed by the pool, the hotel was transformed with a special Chinese entrance and rustic tables set out under the trees on the lawn. The entrance courtyard with its elaborate carved fountain was decorated with ivy and fresh lemons and the water station was set up there with refreshing lemonade, cava and snacks of Mexican beef tacos, ginger and gin-marinated salmon and gyoza skewers.
While Anton got ready in the top tower room, Nancy and her bridesmaids were given special access to prepare in the finca owner's private suite, full of antique furniture and beautiful tapestries.
For celebrant Jonas, there was a little more preparation than usual. In the weeks before the wedding, he had been brushing up on a few Russian phrases. And he had tackled some Chinese sentences too so as to be able to welcome all the guests in their own language.
Nancy's dress was a strapless blush pink with a chiffon detachable train. Her bridal bouquet combined pure white peonies and blush dolomite roses with blush pink spray roses and gypsophila, tied with white silk ribbon, while the five bridesmaids wore pale yellow dresses. The two flower girls had baskets of white and yellow rose petals while the groom and groomsmen had yellow ties and braces and buttonholes of freesias and roses. In China, yellow signifies good luck and prosperity.
In the ceremony area, the large circular pergola had been decorated with pampas grass and foliage.
There were white benches for the guests and amazing mountain views in all directions.
Celebrant Jonas from Distinctive Ceremonies Mallorca welcomed the guests in four languages and the ceremony began.
After the ceremony, the couple made their way happily down the aisle to the sound of Luis Fonsi's Despacito as the guests blew bubbles from tiny bottles.
On the roof terrace, cava and canapes were served with a Spanish theme: cold cuts and cheeses and bite-sized chorizo tortilla.
Meanwhile, in the courtyard, the dinner tables looked colourful with blue-green underplates and blue glasses Centrepieces of candles were surrounded by ivy and flowers and the place names were written in gold on slices of polished blue stone.
The wedding menu was truly international, beginning with Peruvian sea bass ceviche and Mexican guacamole with green banana chips, Israeli hummus with falafel and pomegranate, Greek pitta break with tzatziki dip.
There were also live food stations serving main courses from the grill. Steaks, salmon teriyaki, smoked ribs, organic chicken were accompanied by Mexican quinoa salad with mango, tomato and avocado and Indian pineapple and sweet potato salad with tikka masala and coriander.
Delicious side dishes included Mexican corn and jalapeño fritters with hot tomato chutney, chilli and lime crudites with mango, cucumber and watermelon; pico de gallo Mexican avocado, tomato, cilantro and blue corn tortillas.
Dessert was chocolate and olive oil truffle spoons with sea salt and bubble tea was served with dessert.
As dinner drew to a close, it was time for party games to begin. Each table had been asked to prepare a karoake version of a specific song, ranging from Gangnam Style and I'm sexy and I know it, to Sugarhill Gang's Jump on it.. As the couple toured each table, the guests jumped up and performed with gusto to hilarious effect.
After this, the party began in the spacious indoor area with more games, a photobooth for dressing up and guest selfies and a change of dress for Nancy into a traditional Chinese red dress.
After all the dancing, the guest were ready for a midnight snack of Mexican chicken tacos and chilli con carne. Later still, at the end of the night, guests were, happily, just a few metres away from their comfortable beds.
Photos by Thomas Engstrom
