Few hotel stays end in a hug and a European double air kiss but that’s exactly how our experience at the Biniarroca Hotel in Menorca concluded. Beyond base level hotel attentiveness, the entire staff was engaging in ways we didn’t anticipate. They had fascinating lives, with stories we were eager to hear and they too wanted to know more about us – what brought us to the island, what we do in Paris and where we hope to go in the future. After all the advice she doled out and time spent getting to know us, it didn’t feel right to leave without properly embracing Alice, the woman who helped make the start of our visit so special.
What we didn’t realize then, as this was the first stay of several on the island, is that the warmth and kindness of the hotel’s team was an example of the Menorcan état d’esprit; an ineffable sweetness that we encountered right up to until we boarded the plane back to Paris. It was instantly clear why my friends Will and Toby have not only made Menorca their annual holiday destination but selected it, without hesitation, as the backdrop for their nuptials. And when you know Will and Toby, you know that the Menorcan’s singularly sunny disposition is the perfect match for their optimistic outlook on life and love.
Will Taylor and I met through blogging (he’s the creator/author of the blog Bright Bazaar and its titular book) but took our friendship offline when we collaborated on a Paris travel story for Sweet Paul Magazine in December of 2012. We hit it off instantly and have managed to see each other rather frequently considering our respective home bases separated by the channel. And through these occasions, I’ve had the humbling opportunity to experience Will and Toby as a couple. Which is to say, I have had been in the presence of tremendous love.
The accomplishments of one do not efface or extinguish those of the other but rather bolster their success as a pair. Their relationship is built firmly on mutual support, fairness, understanding and respect and it is unequivocally clear that they summon the very best in one another.
Theirs was one of the most tender and moving weddings I’ve attended and while I know they were thrilled to be in the company of friends and family, there was enough palpable joy between them to carry the instant alone. Tears of happiness flowed from their first steps down the aisle, hand clutched in hand; the weight of the moment heightened only by the radiant, Menorcan sun which seemed to illuminate their entry into lifelong commitment. The island, of such personal significance to them, was effectively its own character in their continuing adventure.
This sort of virtuous love can be intimidating, particularly when confidence in love and longevity is driven asunder in the more trying periods of coupledom. But Will and Toby’s bond truly serves as a model and an abiding reminder of what pursuing a life with someone else is meant to be and offer. Under the Menorcan sun, in the English countryside or wherever the future might guide my two favorite Brits, they will endure. Here’s to seizing every opportunity to learn from this standout duo.
Congratulations, mes amis!
— ADDITIONAL LINKS —
More wedding photos + Menorca photos
Will & Toby’s engagement photos, shot by Jean-Laurent Gaudy (who shot our love session!)
Will’s book “Bright Bazaar” available to order online
Will’s blog: Bright Bazaar
Wedding venue: Binifadet winery, Menorca (add it to your itinerary!)
*Top photo by Jean-Laurent Gaudy
