West coast wedding experts: Cotton Beach Club
With over 15 years experience planning high end weddings and events around the globe, the team behind all-new Ibiza beach club Cotton Beach Club are brimming with enthusiasm, ideas and expertise coming into their first official season on the white isle.
According to founder Merete Marstrander, no matter how extravagant or intimate a wedding, the first and most important aspect when it comes to planning a destination wedding in Ibiza is the logistics – think paperwork, listings, accommodation, flights, transport, the who’s who (and where from) of the guest list, additional activities and the like. The kinds of things that sound boring ‘on paper’ are actually the things that must be in place to ensure smooth operation on the day…
“The main challenge for people in general is to hand over the control of their wedding to people in another country,” says Merete, speaking of the importance of gaining the trust of her clients before taking on the role of wedding planner. “When the ice is broken and people understand we are operating a serious business, we focus on the logistics before moving on to the creative parts.”
“Combined with a great location, amazing weather and the right ambience, food, wine and dear friends and family, the wedding becomes a success,” she continues. Of course, by choosing Cotton Beach Club as your venue, you’re automatically blessed with a breathtaking location, complete with a sunset roof terrace wedding dreams are made of! With the in-house kitchen offering exquisite catering options – tailored to suit your budget and taste (with catering options averaging from 80€ to 150€ person) – and a fabulous cocktail bar and sommelier, you’ve got the lot covered.
In terms of being creative, the sky is the limit at Cotton Beach Club (budget depending of course!). Working together with their clients to make their wedding fantasy a reality, the Cotton Beach Club team can also provide creative input and inspiration when needed. Having previously planned huge events for luminaries such as Julio Iglesias and David Copperfield, with big names clients like Riverdance, MTV and Top Of The Mountain Festivals, they’ve definitely got some tricks up their sleeves. The possibilities here in Ibiza are endless.
In addition to planning the actual wedding day, Merete says her wedding clients tend to want more than just the main event. “They want a villa for themselves and often their friends, boat trips, entertainment, special experiences where everyone is guided to secluded, authentic places – suddenly the wedding planner’s work turns into advanced concierge work and that requires extra knowledge, network and different skills – and we can draw on our international experience to ensure we meet their every demand.” In addition to their international experience, Merete and the team behind Cotton Beach Club also boast five years experience in the local concierge market, thus providing invaluable assistance to their clients.
When asked about the task of keeping brides cool, calm and collected when it comes to the day of the wedding, Merete says that once again, this is about gaining her trust. “I don’t see brides as very stressed on the day,” she says. “They can feel stressed before they arrive in Ibiza, but once we’ve gained their trust and give them lists to action, and the chance to ask all the questions they would like, to see the venue and experience it for themselves… then we find they out their faith in us.”
“You don’t get a second chance to create a wedding,” she says. “It’s essential that we always over deliver, and double, triple, quadruple check things before the day. That way, no matter what happens – even if it’s bad weather – we can still make things run smoothly.”
