If A Gibraltar Wedding Is Good Enough For James Bond, It’s Good Enough For Any Couple

by Liz Seyi Digital marketing manager

The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic has been responsible for many unwanted delays – not only to a lot of loved-up couples’ weddings in Gibraltar, but also to major events and movie releases. Just one of the latter is the highly anticipated next instalment in the James Bond film series, No Time to Die, which is set for an autumn 2021 release and is expected to be Daniel Craig’s final outing as 007.

Every fan of the quintessentially British master of espionage will doubtless hope the 25th of the Eon-produced Bond films turns out to have been worth the wait.

But if you’re seeking a wedding destination that has more than a touch of Bond, the British Overseas Territory of Gibraltar offers an even more impressive and appropriate backdrop than you might imagine.

A part of the Mediterranean with many fascinating connections to 007

When you initially think of Gibraltar’s associations with Bond, you might be put in mind of the pre-credit sequence of the 1987 film in the franchise, The Living Daylights, in which the spy – played by Timothy Dalton – is startled by one of the territory’s iconic Barbary macaque monkeys during a training exercise.

Alternatively, you may or may not be aware that not just one, but two other famous Bond actors have a strong personal association with this part of the world! In fact, the late Sean Connery – who was the first on-screen 007 – was so enamoured of Gibraltar that he got married here twice, in 1962 and 1975. And Connery’s successor in the role, Roger Moore, seemed similarly wooed by the Rock, as he chose to honeymoon here.

But that might not be the most impressive link of all…

As if all of the above wasn’t amazing enough, as the El País newspaper explains, the historical relationship between Gibraltar and Bond is even deeper than that.

You see, the author who went on to create Bond – Ian Fleming – was a spy in the British territory during the Second World War, and was tasked with analysing the relationship between Spain’s then-Franco regime and the German Nazis.

The operation that the then-Commander Fleming helped to set up, aimed at sabotaging any alliance that might come to pass between the two, ultimately didn’t need to be put into action and was shelved in 1943. But the plan’s name – Goldeneye – will be an instantly recognisable one for even the most casual Bond fan. That’s because Fleming later used it for his Jamaican home, before it eventually became the title of Pierce Brosnan’s debut cinematic outing as Bond in 1995.

There you have it – weddings in Gibraltar aren’t merely utterly charming in their own right, but also enable you to formalise your union somewhere with a history irrevocably intertwined with that of the world’s most famous fictional spy.

So, why not reach out to the Sweet Gibraltar Weddings team today to learn more about how we can transform your dream of exotic overseas nuptials into reality – whether or not you or your groom dons a suitably Bondesque tuxedo as well?