A honeymoon in my eyes would always have been an island getaway. I was lucky enough that my husband to be loved exactly the same thing which is how we came to the decision that the Maldives would be the perfect location to celebrate our first trip away as husband and wife.  Especially after getting engaged on the Cook Islands we felt that we had to follow suit with an equally breathtaking location and that is exactly what the Maldives was.

The chosen resort was the Vivanta by Taj Coral Reef Maldives which was situated on the North Mal Atoll and only had the one resort on the island, very private and secluded which was exactly what we wanted.

We got off the plane in the pitch black of night to then get onto a (a slightly scary) speed boat which took around half an hour to get to the island. Once on the island we went to sleep and woke up in an island paradise.

We wanted to make the most out of our honeymoon and so chose an overwater bungalow to stay in which was the best decision ever. We had the ocean at our doorstep. We were supplied with snorkelling gear and the amount of beautiful fish was remarkable. Over the period of time there it often felt like we were the only people on the island. We didn’t often run into others apart from meals when we went to the restaurants. Just perfect for our first trip together as husband and wife.

Most of our time on the island was spent swimming – split between the infinity pool and the ocean at the bottom of our steps, eating and relaxing and it was pure bliss… everything we could ask for in a honeymoon. There wasn’t much in terms of shopping on the island but that was one of the reasons we chose this small intimate getaway destination. The food was great and there were always options for where we could eat or we could get room service which was also fabulous. We went and got pampered a couple of times during the trip at the Jiva Spa and the treatments were first class and just so relaxing.

The staff who worked there were just so friendly. One of the barmen quickly became our favourite. He was super friendly, chatty and found out on the first visit to the bar that we were on our honeymoon and quickly asked what our first dance song was. It was Billy Joel “Just the way you are” and after that every visit to the bar when he was working he would put our song on for us!

Every day at 4pm you could go down to the beach shore and feed the stingrays. It ended up being a daily ritual for us.

On the island there were plenty of options for day trips, sunset cruises and snorkelling out further off the island. There was also complimentary use of the canoes and water sports. When we took the canoe out it took 15 minutes to circle the island! That is how small and intimate this island is.

Part of our package was a romantic dinner on the beach. It was so gorgeous and the food was so tasty!

Overall this trip away was a once in a lifetime holiday which is exactly what we wanted. We were overwhelmed by the beauty of the Maldives and it is definitely our dream to go back!

Images from Iman and Damian’s collection

Ms Gingham says: I love the photo of that rainbow. There are definite benefits to a wedding on a rainy day! Thanks to Iman and Damian for sharing their day with us.

Iman says: “I love all things wedding and found that this was the most fun I have had in organising an event!”

If you missed Iman and Damian’s wedding on Polka Dot Weddings you can catch up here!