THE WESTIFE STAR AND THE IRISH PM'S DAUGHTER LOOK BACK ON THE EXCITEMENT OF THEIR BIG DAY FROM THE TRANQUILLITY OF A TROPICAL HONEYMOON ISLE IN THE SEYCHELLES

Night comes early in the Tropics, but the crescent moon and a million stars light up the sky in this little corner of paradise, Mahé, as Nicky and Georgina Byrne sit side by side in the loggia of their beachside villa, his arm draped around her bare shoulders.

Here on the largest island in the Seychelles, romance comes with a capital R, and they are savouring every moment of the ultimate honeymoon
- which included a stop on the Riviera
- while reflecting too on their magical wedding in France

Yours was the most perfect wedding day. In retrospect, would you have done anything different in either the church service, or the reception?
Nicky: "The only think I can think of is that we should have had the wedding itself earlier in the day, that way we would have had more hours for the reception.
"It was such a fantastic day, but by the time we all got sorted and sat down for dinner it was past 10pm. It would have been better to have had the ceremony at say 11am, instead of two. As for the reception, it was typically Irish. The two of us didn't go to bed until 8am, and there were still 20 people there when we left!"
Georgina: "The church ceremony itself was perfect - we cried two or three times during the service. Like us, everybody thought it was beautiful, and we really enjoyed it all in that most picturesque setting. We had the day of our lives. As Nicky said, we could have done with a couple of extra hours. We had a great barbecue the next day at the Chateau d'Esclimont, which was lovely as we actually got to meet the people we didn't have a chance to say hello to at the reception. It wasn't as manic as the wedding day! The weather was fantastic; it was just lovely to be outdoors, by the lake with our friends and families.
"There were so many people that made the day so special, all the singers, the musicians, the designers, the priests and particularly the people who organised it all for us. And of course the fans. We've had a great time reliving it all. The only sadness of the day was that the occasion was too much for our little pageboy, Ryan Lawloer, who didn't quite make it up the aisle!"

You have known each other for so long - nine years. Now you are married, just how meaningful are those wedding bands on your fingers?
Nicky: "We have always said that the wedding would be the icing on the cake of our lifetime together. We don't feel any different. It's funny though, because as kids we used to say 'my wife' and 'my husband' and then giggle to each other. To be honest, nothing's really changed really between us. But having that wedding band now means that I have the person I always wanted."
Georgina: "To be married with Nicky is something I've always wanted the wedding ring itself doesn't make us feel closer, as we've always been really close anyway. By getting married, we have made that extra commitment to each other, and aim to enjoy the rest of our lives together. It's all really exciting - I don't think I've stopped looking down at my finger! I haven't taken the rings off once!"

Did you pack anything unusual for the honeymoon?
Georgina: "Just a lot of bikinis - we were looking forward to lots of lazy days, so we haven't needed much!"

You chose three of the most romantic antic places in the world - who planned it all?
Nicky: "It's something we did between us. We met the travel agent and told her was we were looking for. She came up with the Seychelles."
Georgina: "We didn't want to get on a plane and go far straight after the wedding, so we decided it would be nice to begin in the south of France where we could really unwind."

So where did you go?
Nicky: "We were in a little village called Eze, staying at the Chateau de la Chevre d'Or. It's the most romantic place, between Monaco and Nice high up in the hills. It was hard to believe that the wedding was really over, and the two of us were there alone to unwind it all."
Georgina: "We packed loads into those three nights and days. The setting was beautiful, on the top of a hill - it was very romantic. Our room was beautiful, and you could see the fantastic view from everywhere, even from the big jacuzzi outside."

The Chevre d'Or has a reputation for a fantastic cellar and spectacular cuisine - how was it for you?
Nicky: "The first night we ate in the hotel, with that beautiful, memorable view. We had some champagne, and then a gourmet dinner. Then the second night we went to Monte Carlo to the Café de Paris, and the third night we spent the evening in Nice."
Georgina: "We've really fallen in love with the south of France what with the setting, the beach, the weather, the restaurants - it has everything. We found that we were looking in the windows of all the local estate agents."

And from there...
Georgina: "We flew to the Seychelles and then took a helicopter to Fregate Island - only about a 15-minute journey. That was really exciting, but a bit nerve-wracking. Everything looked quite beautiful up from there, the island, the white sandy beaches. And we arrived on a fantastic day - completely blue sky and no clouds.
Nicky: "We had five nights there. There are just 16 villas on the island and we had our own villa and golf buggy. All the beaches were private, so you have your own for the day. When you get one, you put a sign up saying that it's 'occupied'. That was really romantic. We arranged our picnic beforehand, and it was delivered when we wanted it."

Over 700 acres of paradise - you must have pinched yourself to make sure that it was all real!
Nicky: "It did feel very much like that. When we arrived, they said: 'Welcome to Paradise Island', and it really was paradise there."

Did you meet up with any kindred souls?
Nicky: "Wherever we've been, it's been very much just couples on honeymoon like us. When we were in Monte Carlo, however, we met up with one of our bridesmaids and her boyfriend for dinner. Otherwise, we've just been together."

Has it been an 'action-packed' holiday? Wind surfing? Scuba diving? Deep-sea fishing?
Nicky: "No, we've been really lazy, just spending time by the pool, in the jacuzzi, or on the beach! We really did need this time together."
Georgina: "We went for lovely walks around the island. There were such beautiful birds that we felt we were living with nature, though I had a few tears the first day we arrived with all the lizards crawling round! It was more of a case of 'we're living in our house' rather than 'they're living in ours!'"

And then the Banyan Tree resort, Seychelles, here on Mahé. How different is it to Fregate Island?
Georgina: "Both places are really, really beautiful. Here we have the pool right in front of the villa and the garden around it. Then there's a walkway down over the rocks, with little caves on the way to our own private beach."
Nicky: "The food is wonderful - particularly the local dishes, but they've a great international restaurant too."
Georgina: "When we checked in here, we had this 90-minute full body message on the daybeds outside our villa. We were both totally relaxed. Then we read the leaflet that went with the message: 'intimate moments at 9pm' - so we had a giggle at that as we thought that they were telling us to have 'intimate moments'! We didn't know what it was, so we went to dinner at eight o'clock and when we came back, there was a beautiful surprise. The whole place was lit with just candles and there was a trail of petals all the way out to the outdoor jacuzzi with champagne and chocolates. It's going to be hard to go back to reality."

In such perfect surroundings, is there anything you are missing from home?
Georgina: "In such a lovely place as this, it's hard to miss anything at home - apart from my dog!"
Nicky: "You miss your family, and your friends, and of course the dog. When I come back having been away with Westlife, I really enjoy the quality time we have together. Now we're on honeymoon, and hopefully we'll have the rest of our lives to spend with our families and friends. We have a week off at the end of September before the real work starts again. We really, really needed this time away, so I'm not thinking about home."

The original idea of a honeymoon was for a couple to really get to know each other away from home surroundings. You have known each other so well for nine years, have you discovered anything about each other on your honeymoon that you didn't know before?
Georgina: "No, I know Nicky very well. I know all the good and the bad, and there's far more good. The best thing about our honeymoon is that we've had such a busy year, and this has given Nicky time to unwind again - everybody needs that."
Nicky: "No, to be honest. I don't think that we'd have got married had we not known everything about each other. The only thing I've discovered is that Georgina hates lizards more than I could ever imagined! Even if we were arguing and a lizard walked into the room, she would cling to me for dear life!"

Dinner was ready. A barbecue of a whole red snapper had been prepared specially for Nicky and Georgina in their villa by the sea, and it was time to leave. But not before Nicky had the last word on marriage:

"It is the best thing ever," he declared - and that was after only two weeks!

INTERVIEW: NICHOLAS COURTNEY
PHOTOS: MARTIN BLACK

Typed up by: Lynchi