The Gallery - A Happy Memory

This weeks topic over at the gallery is a memory. Wow I have a million special memories that I could write about and struggled to pin it down to one. However, I did finally settle on one and it is about:

Our Honeymoon

Husband and I always knew we wanted to go to the Maldives for our honeymoon. We never really thought about how we would pay for it but it was our dream and we had our hearts set on it. It was one of those things we talked about and planned way before we set a date. Once the date was set we picked up all the brochures and poured over them trying to decide which of these beautiful islands would be the one.

I remember going to visit husbands parents for the weekend around the time that we had actually started to plan our big day. That evening we were all sitting around enjoying a few glasses of wine when his Dad told us that they would like to pay for our honeymoon as a wedding present. Most normal couples would smile sweetly and say "thank you so much, how generous of you" but not us. No, I practically chocked on my wine and said "you're joking right?". Husband then chipped in with "you do know where we want to go don't you", classy I know.

They were well aware of our dreams and had in fact been to two of the islands themselves. They had all the books and got them out that night. They told us they could really recommend Kuredu as a dream island which was where they went first but would not recommend the second. It was that night we excitedly decided on Kuredu:

Borrowed this pic but gives you an idea

Everything was booked and we even managed to get upgraded accommodation and flights, I really was going to be treated as a princess.

We left for Keredu the day after our wedding. I must admit we had to bomb it down the motorway to reach Gatwick in time due to poor planning but luckily we made it on time. Husband even ordered champagne on the flight to start off our holiday in style.

The Maldives really are the most beautiful place in the world. They are picture perfect. Beautiful bright blue skies, aquamarine sea and unspoilt beaches greet you just as promised:

We enjoyed staying in beach villa only steps away from the ocean. They really were beautiful and very romantic with 4 poster beds decorated in flower petals, fantastic outside bathrooms and a turn down service every evening. One of the little things I loved was having a bowl of water on the decking to dip your feet in and clean the sand off your feet so you didn't tread it into your room. On the first morning Husband woke me at 5 am to enjoy a bottle of champagne whilst watching the sun rise. It was beautiful:

We enjoyed every minute of our holiday. We relaxed and unwound, enjoyed each others company, we tried diving, windsurfing and went snorkeling daily. We went on romantic boat trips and enjoyed a picnic on a deserted beach for a morning. In the evening we indulged in cocktails and romantic strolls along the beach:

I got a little sun burnt but pampering in the spa helped ease the pain:

We had fun discovering the local wildlife. As well as the amazing array of colourful fish we saw sharks, dolphins, rays, turtles, bats and crabs:

It truly was a magical honeymoon. Everything we hoped for and so so much more. A fantastic start to our marriage and one we were very grateful for.

To check out for more magical memories then head over to sticky fingers

Karen x