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| ADDITIONAL REQUESTS |
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The wedding packages can be tailored to suit your every need, allowing you to put a bit of your personality in every part of your wedding. We will make your wedding on Zanzibar as amazing as you could ever have dreamed, so if you have an additional request, please ask us and we will do our very best to make it happen.
Please bear in mind that we are on a tropical island, and that logistics and the weather can sometimes be very limiting. And no, we are not able to offer ice sculptures, they would melt on the beach…yes we have been asked.
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| DRESS CODE |
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Weddings on the beach are an informal event - barefoot and fabulous.
Having said that, we have had some brides who have donned magnificent designer dresses, which have sparkled on the beach at Mtoni Marine. It must be remembered that the Jimmy Choes and Manolo Blahniks need to be removed before boarding boats and dresses need to be hoisted up!
Please keep in mind the weather when planning outfits, Zanzibar is hot and humid year round. Smart casual is perfect for a wedding on the beach.
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| COFFEE LOUNGE |
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We are able to convert an area of the restaurant, near the bar, into an Arabic coffee lounge. This is only possible should your wedding have exclusive use of the restaurant.
This is a wonderful idea for a wedding in Zanzibar, as it helps seal the authenticity of your exotic wedding on the spice island…and it’s the perfect place to put your feet up after a night of boogying on the sand.
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| THE MINISTER |
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Father Charles of the local Anglican Church conducts all our wedding ceremonies.
He likes to meet the couples beforehand to run through the formalities.
He is able to conduct non-religious weddings as well.
He brings a comical aspect to the ceremonies when asking if there is anyone who objects, by glancing around, then further checking with his glasses on, then off, even if there are only the two of you!
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| TIME |
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The majority of the weddings take place in the late afternoon to early evening. This is a beautiful time of the day in Zanzibar.
The sun is setting and the photographs always turns out stunningly.
Having a late afternoon or evening wedding means that you can enjoy a wonderful candle lit dinner at the water’s edge, which is simply spectacular.
If you would rather have a daytime wedding, we can just as easily do that for you.
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| LEGAL DOCUMENTS |
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You read a lot on the internet about what is required for a world wide recognized legal wedding in Zanzibar, but by following our step by step notes and copying the sample documents is as easy as 1, 2, 3 “I Do”!
Both the bride and groom get an original marriage certificate. Take these to your local council office or office of home affairs to have it registered in your home country. It is easier than most websites make it out to be. Trust us!
Download our Step by Step Notes & Sample Documents
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| FOOD AND DRINKS |
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Please have a look at our website, www.mtoni-restaurant-zanzibar.com, for guidance on food and drink costs. These costs reflect the average price for resort restaurants on Zanzibar.
The wine lists on the website are there for your perusal and to assist you in choosing your table wine before the day of your wedding.
We support African food and wine producers as much as we can, however should you rather have a Chilean Chenin Blanc, or a French Chardonnay, we will happily source them for you, provided sufficient notice is given!
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| RECOMMENDED ACCOMMODATION |
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We recommend that you stay with us at Mtoni Marine for the night before and the night of your wedding (visit www.mtoni.com for more information).
There are many other great hotels and resorts on Zanzibar to stay at for your honeymoon. We personally enjoy Matemwe Beach Village on the east coast, and Fumba Beach Lodge on the south of the island.
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| DHOWS |
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A dhow is a traditional Zanzibari sailing vessel with one or more lateen sails. They are made of wood and are a common sight along the Zanzibar coastline.
For celestial navigation, dhow sailors have traditionally used the kamal. This observation device determines latitude by finding the angle of the Pole Star above the horizon.
Up to the 1960s, dhows made commercial journeys between the Persian Gulf and East Africa using only sails as a means of propulsion. The freight was mostly dates and fish to East Africa and mangrove timber to the lands in the Persian Gulf.
Today they are still widely used in trade and transport, but often make use of motors.
Additional Dhows
Additional Dhows can be arranged at your request. The maximum number of guests on each Dhow is set at 16, allowing your guests to enjoy their Dhow ride in comfort and safety. The cost for an extra Dhow includes wine, soda and water.
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| VIDEOGRAPHER |
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Reiner is a resident of Zanzibar, but hails form Germany. He is well known for his videography and his brilliant editing. He is a true professional and has a great passion for his work. Click here to view a sample of his videography…
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| PHOTOGRAPHERS |
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We have two photographers, all of whom residing on Zanzibar, who help in capturing the memorable moments at our weddings.
Antje uses her European influence to make the most of her gorgeous pictures. Her sample photos are those from Richard and Wendy's wedding, Matt and Emma’s wedding, Gavin & Melody wedding and Gareth & Ghita's wedding.
Michelle’s ausie charm shines through her photographs, making memories last forever. Samples of her photography can be seen in Jonathan and Amanda’s wedding, as well as Allan and Deryn's.
Other available photographers include:
Sala Lewis is a resident of Dar es Salaam and has also helped us preserve these precious memories. Her sample pictures are of Jason and Kerian's wedding.
Joe Dreyer
Joe has a degree in Fine Art, specializing in Fine Art Photography. In 2006 he was awarded with the coveted Photographer of the Year in South Africa. He believes that wedding photographs should be romantic and uncluttered; they must capture the atmosphere and essence of your big day.
He took most of the pictures featured on this website as well as the pictures for James & Yolande’s wedding.
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| HAIR & MAKE-UP |
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Matilda is our hair and beauty specialist. She is a professional hair stylist and uses her Italian style to make the bride to be even more beautiful.
She has a salon at Blue Bay Resort, but makes the trip to Mtoni Marine to do your hair and makeup in the luxury of your room. Garlands made of sweet smelling Jasmine is traditional to Zanzibar, and are available from Matilda as well.
Should you wish to discus your hair and makeup with her, please let me know and I will put her in touch with you.
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| MREMBO SPA |
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We use a local salon, Mrembo, for all our beauty treats. Indulge in the sweet-smelling scents of Ylang Ylang, jasmine and rose, try traditional scrubs and delight in the decadence of the Spice Islands.
The treatments can be done in the comfort of your own room at Mtoni Marine, or at the salon. For more details on the treatments offered, please click here.
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| Ngoma Drummers and Dancers |
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The Ngoma drummers and dancers are an African music group who delight in the union of souls. Their elation is conveyed through customary dancing and the rhythmic beating of drums, a jubilant beginning to a marriage begun on African sands.
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| SWAHILI JAZZ |
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Seca Sound is a musical duo, two gentlemen renowned in Zanzibar for their guitar and saxophone skills. They have been entertaining guests at The Restaurant at Mtoni Marine twice a week for the past seven years, and are always in demand for various occasions. The richness of their music is perfectly suited to the wedding march, as to a sunset Dhow cruise and background music to your dinner.
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| LUTHERAN CHOIR |
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| The choir has been invited to perform in Europe on two occasions. They are the perfect choir for wedding hymns for those couples who prefer a non-religious ceremony, as they sing all their songs in Kiswahili. They are an enthusiastic choir with an amazing flair for the theatrical. Their remarkable ability to make every eye tear as they rejoice when the couple is pronounced man and wife is beyond words. Their euphoric song and exhilarating dance enhances the fact that you are no longer two, but one, as their song states.
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| ISLANDERS BAND |
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The Islanders Band has been the regular Saturday night gig at Mcheza Sports Café for the last three years, and they are always highly praised. They are an eight piece band with very talented singers. Their repertoire ranges from contemporary African to the Rolling Stones, even Elvis! Get ready to dance the night away! They are only available to play for weddings that have exclusive use of the restaurant. Please see the 'number of people' for more information.
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| LOCAL FLOWERS |
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While Zanzibar is not typically known for its tropical flowers, the local Hibiscus and Frangipani flowers are abundant. They add splendor to any wedding table and charm to any Zanzibar bride. Your bridal bouquet and table flowers are included in all quotes.
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| ROSES |
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However should you wish to have roses, we can fly these in from Arusha twice a week, they are available in red, yellow and white. They are short stemmed, approximately 30 cm, with small delicate buds.
There is a minimum order of 20, which can only make a small bouquet or 2 small table flower pots. The colours available depend on the rains in Arusha, and so would require a degree of flexibility on your part. We do require plenty of notice, and even still the delivery and type of flowers available depend on the weather and many other circumstances such as cargo availability, beyond our control. We still do our utmost to get you the flowers that you would like for the wedding of your dreams.
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| WEDDING CAKE |
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Waldermar is a chef that dislikes the traditional wedding fruit cake, but as I have a very sweet tooth, he has mastered, adapted and perfected my favorite chocolate brownie recipe, which is coated in cream and canache. The cake will melt in your mouth and have you coming back for seconds!
The cake is three tiered, stylishly decorated and presented by our kitchen team in their local “harusi” (wedding) style. A wonderful surprise!
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| HENNA PAINTING |
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Maju has a banda on the beach at Mtoni Marine. People come from all over to have their hands and feet decorated by her. It is recommended that you have the henna done the day before your wedding. This is because it can take about an hour for the henna to dry before you get to rinse it off in order to reveal the delicate design.
There is something deeply satisfying for a bride to have her hands and feet painted on the day before her wedding with beautiful intricate designs. She is revered by the wedding party and henna is used as a means of idolising her. In some Indian traditions, the bride is not allowed to do any work before or after her wedding until all the stain has disappeared! In Middle Eastern cultures, henna tattooing is still a whole day affair during which the new bride gets to know the groom’s mother and sisters. It is a celebratory, rather than a spiritual ritual it is the equivalent to the pre-wedding makeover and manicure of Western brides.
How long the designs last on the skin depends how people take care of them. To prolong a design, it is suggested that you keep the area moisturized. The skin should not be scrubbed, exfoliated or rubbed unless you want to hurry the fading process.
Have a look at the sample designs, you are welcome to discuss them with Maju when you are here. Please make an appointment in advance, so that a proper day of papering can be organized for you and the girls, champagne, tea, henna and fun…
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| Transfers, tours, exploring and more |
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| ‘Come with us and SeaZanzibar’ is their slogan and we strongly recommend that you make use of their services for all transfers and tours. Abu and Juma are based at Mtoni Marine and use their amazing local knowledge combined with personal flair to ensure that you ‘SeaZanzibar’ as it truly is! They also arrange your transfers from any hotel or resort on the island, to Mtoni Marine. The best tours and most recommended are the Spice Tour, Historical Stone Town Tour, and the most exhilarating tour of them all, ‘Safari Blue’, “…simply awesome, the best day out in Zanzibar”.
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| Your own music |
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Should you wish to have your special song/ first dance song played, you are welcome to bring it along on an iPod and we can play it through the Islanders Band amp. This is only possible if you include the Islanders Band in your package.
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| Dance Floor |
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Dancing on the beach is perfect way to celebrate a new marriage. To accommodate you, we create a dance floor for you out of the sand, on the sand. We smooth away the soft sand until we reach the harder more stable sand, which becomes the base of the dance floor. We then use the soft sand to create an edge around the dancing area. We enhance with dance floor edge with lanterns and shells. Just the thing to complete the island experience.
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| Number of people |
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For both the Beach and the Dhow wedding packages, the minimum number of people is just two. However we can accommodate up to 120 people.
For the Sandbank there need to be at least 20 people and for the Mbweni Ruins wedding, 40 people, but there is a maximum of 120 people.
Exclusive use of the restaurant is granted to those who have at least 60 people in their party. Exclusive use of the entire restaurant will be given to groups of less than 60 people, only if they pay for the minimum of 60 people. The hiring of the Islanders Band is also only for when exclusive use of the restaurant is granted.
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