This review is about getting married in Gibraltar, nick-named "The Rock" but, strictly speaking, a small peninsula jutting out from the heel of Spain.
After lengthy discussions about where we should wed, we finally married in Gibraltar in May this year. There were a number of reasons for this slightly unusual choice of locations. Most importantly:- - we wanted a civil ceremony - we wanted a small reception - we wanted it to be inexpensive but memorable
The easiest solution was to have the wedding abroad - that way we could celebrate our marriage whilst at the same time, avoiding offending pals for not inviting them. We hit on the idea of Vegas first but this proved to be costly and our parents weren't up for travelling that far. We then considered Spain but after much research we concluded that the language barrier, legal fees and red tape were against us. Eventually we settled on Gibraltar.
A residual crumb of ye olde British Empire, Gibraltar remains a thorn in the side of both the Spanish and the British governments. One won't give it up and the other just won't give in. For us though, it was the perfect solution: still under British rule but far enough away from the UK to feel like it was abroad!
PROCEDURES It is a very simple process for UK citizens to get married in Gibraltar. We booked a civil marriage ceremony 4 months in advance of the date we wanted. To do this takes one phone call to the Registry office (Joshua Hassan House) in Gibraltar and they will give you a date as close to the one you want as possible. This is called your "provisional marriage date" and will not be confirmed until you have completed all the necessary paperwork. This can be done up to three weeks before the "provisional date". You DO NOT have to display your weddings bands in a UK registry office as the Governor of Gibraltar has special powers to grant you a "special marriage license". This costs £ to arrange. We turned up the day before our "provisional date", at 9am, to complete all the paperwork (yes you can leave it this late). If you decided to do leave it to the day before like us, ensure you get to the office before 10am or they will not process your paperwork. To complete the paperwork takes approx. 15 minutes and you need to bring with you: - your passports - birth certificates - proof of UK address.
Once the paperwork is completed, it needs to be authorised by a "commissioner of oaths" before the exact time of your wedding can be confirmed. A fancy word for "solicitor", there are some 15 on Gibraltar that are qualified to do sign the paperwork. Fortunately, the closed one is directly across the road from the Registry Office. No appointment is necessary. We walked in, the assistant took our papers and for a £20 fee, we had the required signature. Back at the Registry Office 5 minutes later and we were finally given a time the next day for our wedding to take.
REGISTRY OFFICE - MARRIAGE ROOM The room in Joshua Hassan House is on the ground floor. It's quite small but pretty - decorated in yellow and white. The room fits about 25 people and there is a small enclosed garden which can be used if the weather is nice. The garden is home to the resident tortoise. If he walks towards you during th e ceremony it' s meant to bring good luck! The registry office is not good place photo opportunities so we'd suggest the Alameda Botanical Gardens, a short walk away.
Before our ceremony took place, the registrar took us into the room on our own to wag his finger and give us a stern talking too about the seriousness of marriage. He also ran through the order of the ceremony and allowed to ask any questions we had. The ceremony itself took around 20 minutes.. and yes, the tortoise walked towards the room!
GARDENS The Alameda Gardens (http://www.gib.gi/alameda/discovergarden.htm)is a beautiful exotic garden about 10 mins walk from the registry office. It's awash with gorgeous flowers and trees and there is also a small animal zoo for the kids. If you are going to take your wedding photos here, be careful that it's not in the height of the midday sun as the trees can cast very strong shadows.
RECEPTION There are several places to have a reception on the island including the Rock Hotel, the Elliot Hotel and the Caleta. We chose the latter.
If we had the money we'd have stayed in the 4 star Caleta, hands down. It's a beautiful hotel which looks out onto the Mediterranean. It's on the north side of the rock from the town, and only £5 in a taxi (or a half hour walk) to the centre of town. The staff are polite and incredibly helpful. The public bar was light and airy with a gorgeous terrace with sea views. The events manager, Judy, had been in telephone contact with me for over three months and at no point had I worried that our requirements wouldn't be carried out by the book. A couple of days before the wedding, we had popped across to meet her, drop off the wedding cake and finalise arrangements. The Caleta are also authorised to carry out weddings in their own private gardens so they have everything on hand to make your day perfect. They had even arranged for a minibus to collect us from the Alameda Gardens and drop us back in town later in the afternoon. Before I move, I should mention that Gibraltar's Barbary apes are known to climb down from the Rock into the Caleta, so be careful where you put your bags. We didn't suffer any casualties, but we heard a few horror stories!
ACCOMODATION There are around 8 good-sized hotels on the Rock. We, and our guests, stayed at the 2 star Queens Hotel, which was cheap and cheerful. The Queens Hotel is situated close to the bottom of Gibraltar's cable car (a 10 min taxi ride from the airport) so it's perfectly located great for nipping to the top of the Rock for 360 degree views across to Spain and around to Africa. The inside of the Queens is a cross between a 30s spanish villa and an alpine cottage! The rooms have everything you need but the hotel is a little run down; nothing that a lick of paint wouldn't fix though. The staff are fantastic and will go out of their way to help you. The bar opens from midday and closes when you decide to go to bed! Breakfast is decent - cooked or continental avaialbe, but the coffee I would leave. There is a taverna across the road which opens at 7am and does respectable cappuccinos and espressos. The Queens also has a restuarant which does some great food at inexpensive prices. The menu is very standard english - steak, scampi, spag bolog… but of very good quality.
DINING OUT I can't recommend the Rock Casino enough for a great dining experience. It is a beautiful setting for a special evening meal. The menu range and wine selection are fantastic and all value for money. As a novelty you receive a £5 casino chip which you can use to convert to real money in the casino afterwards your meal - either on blackjack or roulette. If you do go, book a table for just before sunset as the view across to Morocco at that time is fabulous. If you wish to go into the casino, you won't be required to arrange membership in advance but bring your passport along for identification.
MONEY The legal tender in Gibraltar is Gibraltar Government issued sterling notes and coinage, but they are the exact same as UK bank issued notes and coins which are perfectly legal in Gib. There are several UK banks on the Rock too so getting money out via cashpoints is easy.
DON'T take any Gibraltar currency back home with you, it is not considered legal tender in the UK and difficult to find somewhere willing to exchange the notes once your back home.
TAX-FREE SHOPPING Main Street, with its adjoining lanes offers a large selection of goods at competitive tax reduced prices, tax free. Cigarettes, alcohol and electrical goods can all be picked up at bargain prices.
BARBARY APES You can't visit Gibraltar without taking a cable car ride to the top to visit the barbary apes. They are Gibraltar's most famous residents and the only wild primates in all Europe. Friendly, charming and inquisitive, the apes have lived on the Rock for centuries. A word of warning though - do not walk around with any food or drink and keep hold off your bags and cameras at all times. The Barbary apes are the most cunning thieves I have ever seen and will stop at nothing to get hold of your bottle of water or ice cream - we even saw one sitting trying to get into a 200 pack of Marlboro Lights!
FOOTNOTE: Final word on marriage… Don't forget to collect your marriage certificates the day after. The office closes at 12:45pm every day. If you are too late then you will have to arrange for your certificates to be posted to you.
If anyone is considering getting married in Gibraltar, I'll be happy to answer any questions you have. Contact me through my guestbook. :)
very helpful
very helpful
helpful
helpful
