FORMER WORLD TENNIS NO.1 GARBINE MUGURUZA WEDS HER LOVE MATCH ARTHUR AFTER A REAL-LIFE FAIRYTALE ROMANCE

The wedding of Spanish-Venezuelan Arthur Borges in Marbella this month featured a beautiful beachside location, glorious sunshine, fabulous fashion, food and flamenco. It couldn't have been a more joyful occasion, as our exclusive photos attest.

- MARTA GORDILLO

And in fact, as the former Wimbledon champion tells us, this love story began with a picture, a simple snap taken at the exact moment she and her groom met.

It was August 2021 and Garbiñe was in New York competing at the US Open. One day she stepped out to take a breath of fresh air in Central Park, when love quite literally crossed her path. A handsome fan wished her luck in the tournament and asked for a selfie. And that was it: each knew, right then, that they'd met their match.

The couple set up home together in Switzerland, but Arthur, a SpanishFinnish fashion executive, shares Garbiñe's passion for Spain, the country that belongs to them both.

In spring 2023, he went down on one knee at the famous Marbella Club Hotel to ask for her hand.

A year later, Marbella was the natural place for them to set the seal on their love story. Ninety guests flew in from all over the world for a weekend of celebrations at La Concepción, a spectacular estate centred on a 19th-century iron foundry surrounded by lush gardens full of palms and tropical plants.

There, the 31-year-old bride had lined up a special surprise a lively flamenco party on the eve of the ceremony. "I love flamenco and for international people, it was a welcome to Spain, to the south, to our spirit and our folklore," Garbiñe says.

At 5pm next day, the perfect composure of her court career was on display as she made her entrance right on time.

"I was really looking forward to getting there I was ready super-early and had to wait for the car," she laughs. Stepping out of a Rolls-Royce Corniche accompanied by her mother, Scarlet Blanco, she was met by her father, José Muguruza. He walked her to where Arthur waited, under the arch of vivid pink bougainvillea where they were to say "I do".

SMASHING BRIDE