Wedding Diaries

Claire Agius Ordway Celebrates 17th Anniversary With A Trip Down Memory Lane

TV producer and presenter Claire Agius Ordway, 41, married graphic artist Robert Tabone, 42, when they were both in their early twenties.  “Nearly twenty years ago, it was not so common to have a big, fancy proposal.  Robert never proposed really – I suppose he took it for granted! We had been together for 7 years and we had found a place to rent; it came to us naturally to set a date to get married.”

Claire was only 24 at the time. “I was not too keen on preparations at that time. I guess I was young, and my priority was to get married and live with my future husband. However, both of us contributed to the wedding planning and my mom helped too. I opted for what I thought were the best things but did not fuss too much on making sure to check out other possibilities.  If I liked something I booked it right away.”

She took the same approach when it came to choosing her dress. “My dress was very, very plain. At the time, the country type of dress was very in. It had some flowers from the same fabric on the sleeves but that was it. It was the only dress I tried on and I loved it instantly – I wanted my dress to be as plain as possible. I still remember the day I bought it, I could not take the smile off my face. And I had a long veil – that was a must for me! It was something I had dreamt of since I was young.”

Claire and Robert had a traditional wedding at Zabbar parish church. “Everything was perfect except the moment when my father had to give me away. It was painful for both of us since we had a very close bond. I remember being heartbroken just for that instant.” The ceremony was followed by a reception at Villa Overhills, Birzebbugia, with more than 650 people in attendance, including two large families, Robert’s football clubs, Claire’s friends from drama school and work colleagues.  “Back then, most people had their wedding receptions in the same three or four venues, so we were invited to a lot of weddings in the same villas. We booked Villa Overhills not knowing how it would look – only for the fact that we were the first to book it! We wanted people to be excited about coming to a new place, and because we could see it had potential to be nice and big enough for all our guests.”

“The whole day was nice but I vividly remember when my husband and I went home.  We were sitting in the kitchen eating leftover food, talking about the lovely wedding we just had and with a huge smile on our faces. We were so excited and in awe of all the emotions we went through that last week. Plus, we had never lived together before, so we were excited to embark on this new adventure together.

They honeymooned in two of the most romantic cities in Europe – Rome and Florence, and the couple have three children: Matthew, 14, Lyla, 9, and Jack, 7. “They are pure fun, funny, and mischievous. They share the same love for history, culture and sports just like us, so every outing is an experience we treasure with them.  That is why we love their company so much,” Claire says.  She says she and Robert would like to renew their vows in the coming years, with the children present. It’s another story when it comes to their anniversary though! “We enjoy our kids’ company a lot. But on our anniversary, we make it a point to go off by ourselves and focus on us. I have a surprise brewing for this year – can’t tell you about it as yet because Robert will find out!”