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cant see the images? download flash player free here zakynthos (zante) trip despite arriving in zante late, after an air traffic strike caused a 5 hour delay, and after only two hours sleep, it didn't take us long to remember why we love tsilivi so much. even with an overcast sky and relatively low temperatures, we were still excited about seeing tsilivi again. we were met by isabella, one of our wedding planners, who showed us to our room and allowed us time to settle in. the following morning we were greeted by sunshine, ideal for our tour and photographs. the alexandra beach/terazza restaurant with lots of photographs to remind us of what we had seen, we moved on to our second location, the alexandra beach hotel. here you can expect silver service and waiters in black bow-ties and real cloth table covers. the hotel is set on a picturesque, sheltered bay. since our last visit, a beach bar/restaurant has been added, along with a sound system, playing lots of reggae music while we were there which really added to the holiday atmosphere. lots of wooden umbrellas dotted the beach, providing ample shade. it is an excellent location for a beach wedding and reception, with a real fun/young atmosphere. a horse and carriage can bring the bride right up the beach to her waiting groom. what a dream entrance – especially if you've kept this part as a surprise for him! the ceremony takes place in a sheltered area, and is better held around 6pm when the beach is quieter, and the sun softer. after the wedding ceremony you can mingle with your family and friends, enjoying the champagne fountain and cocktails. for dinner you head upstairs, where the meal can either be served seated or buffet style. the area will have already been pre-decorated in your theme or style. after dinner the hotel offers two options. you can either head down to the beach for your reception, with greek dancers and a dj, or you can head upstairs to an air conditioned area, located right next to the pool. both locations have a cash bar. the pool is romantically lit at night, and there is an excellent dance floor for those who want to boogie the night away! one of the benefits of choosing this venue is that you are fully covered in the case of inclement weather. so, if you are thinking of getting married in either may or september when it gets a little cooler at night, this could be an ideal venue for you. the cliff top our third visit was to the cliff top wedding location. this is completely different again from anything we had seen before. it is so peaceful, with no noisy motorbikes or cars on the site. it was easy to see why this venue was the inspiration behind the composing of the greek national anthem. there aren't any facilities at this venue. however, we can arrange a champagne reception if you want to stay a little longer, or you can alight your horse and carriage and take a celebratory ride through the streets to your reception dinner with everyone you pass beeping their car horns for you! it's hard to say which was my favourite venue of the day was because they are all so different and would appeal in different ways to different people. there really is something for everyone here! returning to our apartment, we visited the gardens, where the garden weddings take place. i was able to see the recently-installed water fountain, which really is a work of art. dennis had also installed lighting which looked very romantic at night. this has given our wedding planner the idea of introducing romantic night time ceremonies. watch this space! although the gardens are above a somewhat noisy road (the main road between zante and the airport, which runs the length of the resort), the addition of the water fountain the music makes the road hardly noticeable. i was able to personally confirm this, as we were able to watch the first garden wedding of the season the day before we left. as our wedding planner owns this land, there really is no limit to what can be arranged here to make your own wedding unique. fireworks, champagne parties, greek bands, whatever your imagination or budget can run to! one of our most recent additions is a the giga balloon containing lots of mini balloons, which are released into the air when the large balloon is popped - a tremendous finale to a wedding ceremony. there is a lovely grand entrance at this venue and, even though you are next to the road, the ample planting gives you plenty of privacy! after the ceremony, you can again take the celebratory ride through the town with gun shots and horns beeping, to your reception dinner and awaiting guests. the balcony café a climbing road out of the centre will lead you to the balcony café. even though it was blowing a gale outside, the beauty of the venue still managed to capture our imagination. this would be a perfect private venue for any wedding in july or august. the ceremony takes place on a terrace overlooking the bay of tsilivi. this venue is situated above the general resort, so you don't have to worry about any traffic noise. you really feel like you're in a world of your own. the resort of tsilivi i was delighted to see that in the four years since we were last here, nothing much has changed. a great deal of this is due to our wedding planner's husband dennis, who spends a lot of time promoting the resort and is actively involved in preventing over-development, which has affected other resorts on the island. they have a great deal to do with prices on the island remaining competitive - all reasons why tsilivi is now the most popular and visited resort in zante. there is a wide choice of food available here, from traditional greek cuisine to indian, chinese and italian. there are also plenty of pizza and chip places to please the kids. like it or loathe it, there is now a mcdonalds in the resort, but i'm pleased to say it's on a back street and is quite discreet and stylish (and I'm sure the kids will be pleased!). while we were there we were able to attend two weddings: a small beach wedding with just two people in addition to the bride and groom, while the second was the larger garden wedding with twenty guests. a beach wedding this was an intimate beach ceremony followed by a romantic dinner for two on the beach. the ceremony was held around 7.30 pm - not too far from sunset, so the bride and groom would get the full affect of the candles and decoration. the evening went perfectly and both the bride and groom looked wonderful! the couple were obviously very much in love, and this wedding was perfect for them. very intimate, small and special. the restaurant was almost deserted during the ceremony, and it seemed that it was for their exclusive use. as if on cue, a full moon rose from behind the mountain to wish them congratulations. even the few passers-by seemed delighted to be so lucky as to witness such a special event and took a pictures and offered their congratulations. a garden wedding the next day we attended the first garden wedding of the season. the garden weddings are held on a private plot of beautifully cultivated land between two blocks of studio apartments. i decided to watch the preparations. the entrance was decorated with muslin and lilac bows in lical the theme of the wedding, and when finished, it really did look like a fairytale entrance. the colour theme was carried through to the roses and lilies that decked the gazebo and the prettily-decorated wedding table, where the registry would be signed. the bride arrived first and was secretly directed upstairs to await the arrival of her groom and her guests. once in place the guests were led from napoleon's, a local bar where everyone had met up, to the gardens through the decorated entrance. the bridal march started and the bride with four young bridesmaids entered the gardens. the ceremony is quite short but very meaningful. after the ceremony the bride and groom signed the registrar while being showered with red petal confetti (craftily handed round before the ceremony by the wedding planner). the celebrations started with the popping of the giga balloon which released lots of smaller lilac balloons. this was a really fantastic effect. one of the studio residents then unexpectedly brought out a bottle of champagne they just happened to have in their room! he handed it to the bride and groom who promptly popped the cork enjoyed a celebratory drink! photographs followed and then my favourite part of the celebrations; the bride and groom were led down to a horse and carriage, which took them through the main street of tsilivi to the sounds of horns beeping and cheering by the locals and holidaymakers. it was a wonderful ending to such a perfect ceremony. after a few beach photographs, they made their way to the reception venue to cut the cake and have their first dance. at this point we made our exit discreetly, and left them to start the beginning of their life together. what I really enjoyed about this wedding was the fun/relaxed atmosphere of it. it was very informal and everyone appeared to enjoy themselves if the amount of smiling and laughing going on was any indication - even the children, who are so often bored! we were very sad to leave zante, we can't wait to return next year!!