FLY the knot

Sunday Mirror, Feb 16, 2003 by Sarah Whitfield King

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MAURITIUS

EVERY year hundreds of British couples head for this tiny speck in the Indian Ocean to celebrate the most important day of their lives. And it's not hard to see see why. It really does look like the holiday paradise of your dreams - and those sheltered coves are great for snorkelling and watersports if you and your guests have the time.

Cosmos has a wedding package at the refurbished Martim Hotel overlooking the Turtle Bay national park. There's a health and beauty centre, a nine- hole golf course and seven fashion boutiques. The package covers all fees, bouquet, button-holes, cake and sparkling wine.

COSMOS Dream Weddings (0870 264 6020, www.cosmos-holidays.co.uk) offer two weeks all-inclusive for pounds 1,679 per person in May. The wedding package costs pounds 399 extra.

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ST LUCIA

THIS beautiful, lush island in the Caribbean is proving very popular as a wedding destination for couples - and if it's just the two of you, even the best man can be provided.

And after tying the knot you can stroll along the beach in your floaty wedding gear to the sound of a tropical steel band - before being whisked away in a horse-drawn carriage.

These extras can be added to Kuoni's wedding package at Club St Lucia, which includes a wedding cake, two bottles of wine, bouquet and champagne breakfast.

KUONI (01306 747 007, www.kuoni.co.uk/weddings) offer seven nights all- inclusive from pounds 1,055 per person in May. Extra nights are pounds 84. Wedding package pounds 348.

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SEYCHELLES

DAZZLING white sands, gently swaying palms... the Seychelles feature in every list of the world's most beautiful beaches and these gorgeous Indian Ocean islands are the perfect backdrop for a romantic tropical wedding.

The Coco de Mer on Praslin has a beautiful tropical setting overlooking the sea. Rooms are air-conditioned and set in gardens or on the hillside for total honeymoon seclusion.

Kuoni's wedding package includes a decorated marriage site, a two- tier cake, bottle of sparkling wine, bouquet and buttonholes.

KUONI (01306 747 007, www.kuoni.co.,uk/weddings) offer five nights with breakfast for pounds 988 per person in May. Extra nights pounds 70. Wedding package pounds 436.

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FLORIDA

ThAT unmistakeable Mickey Magic soon takes over if you decide on a wedding in DisneyWorld.

The De-Luxe Intimate Wedding package includes a wedding ceremony and a cake/champagne reception at either Disney's Broadwalk, Disney's Yacht Club Resort, Disney's Wilderness Lodge or Disney's Polynesian Resort. Your Disney wedding certificate is signed by Mickey and Minnie Mouse, and a limousine is organised to and from the wedding ceremony. Also included is a violinist, bouquet, keepsake Mickey Mouse/Minnie Mouse cake topper and a Romance Tote Bag filled with special treats.

VIRGIN Holidays (0870 990 8825, www.virginholidays.com) offer one week at Disney's Polynesian Resort for pounds 1,559 per person, which includes return flights from London and car hire. The wedding package costs pounds 1,400.

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SORRENTO

THIS passionate Latin resort on the Bay of Naples has old- fashioned glamour on a grand scale, some of the most spectacular scenery in Italy, and hotels to match.

Worth exploring if you have the time are Pompeii, Vesuvius and the spectacular Amalfi Drive - the kind of road that begs to be travelled in an open-top Italian sports car. There are ferries across the bay to the fashionable islands of Capri and Ischia and in town there are chic bars, restaurants and shops.

Airtours can organise a wedding staying at the four-star Grand Hotel Aminta, which has a magnificent hill-top position. The ceremony itself takes place at Sorrento Town Hall and the package includes fees for the mayor, bouquet, buttonholes and consular fees.

AIRTOURS (0870 241 2568) offer two weeks half-board at the Grand Hotel Aminta for pounds 849 per person in May. Wedding package costs pounds 619.

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LAPLAND

SNOW-covered landscapes, breathtaking scenery and the twinkling of the Northern Lights are guaranteed to make this a very individual and romantic destination for anyone who wants a winter wedding.

During your stay there's a chance to try husky and reindeer sledge rides and to cross the Arctic circle.

The wedding ceremony takes place outdoors in a romantic setting beside a snow altar. The area is lit with fires and lanterns, creating an extra special atmosphere.

After the ceremony there is sparkling wine and a wedding cake served in an igloo restaurant with tables made of ice. Don't worry - the benches are covered in warm reindeer pelts.

FIRST Choice Wintersun ( 0870 750 0001; www.firstchoice.co.uk) offer four days B&B at the four-star Hotel Rantasipi Pohjanhovi in Rovaniemi for pounds 629 per person in December. Wedding package costs pounds 979.

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GOA

GOA is the former Portuguese colony in the south of India which became a laid-back hippy hang-out in the late Sixties - and from the autumn it's a new Thomas Cook destination for weddings.