Vaitape  - Few things are more special than wedding your partner in your local church, but there are places that can be even more romantic.

One of those is the South Sea island of Bora Bora in French Polynesia which has specialised in hosting couples who are about to say the "Yes" word.

Most hotels on the island offer couples package deals and guarantee an unforgettable wedding day or honeymoon at the end of the earth.

Even disembarking at Bora Bora airport is a romantic experience.

Every new arrival receives a blossom of the national flower, the tiare, and then a bouquet of flowers from a hostess dispatched by your hotel.

The next leg of your journey is a speedboat ride across Bora Bora's famous lagoon, which shimmers in different shades of blue and turquoise, to your accommodation.

Bora Bora is 280 kilometres north-west of Tahiti. The first European to sight the island was the explorer Captain James Cook.

Today, Americans and Japanese make up the largest group of visitors to the island.

The journey is longer from Europe, 26 hours by plane, and hotel accommodation is also far from cheap as Bora Bora is one of the world's most expensive holiday destinations.

But Bora Bora is a unique experience for anyone thinking of celebrating a special birthday or their wedding day.

Most of Bora Bora's hotels are not on the main island where the town of Vaitape is situated, but are spread over the 30 smaller islands along Motus coral reef.

Couples can tie the knot wherever they wish such as on a traditional dugout canoe in the lagoon, on a coral reef or in the harbour as the sun sets.

However, most couples do not come here for their real wedding, but to take part in a symbolic ceremony in addition to the one at home.

Some also come here to renew their vows on their wedding anniversaries. But whether they are a bridal couple, honeymooners or just renewing their vows, most hotels have wedding specialists to take care of everything.

The newest hotel on Bora Bora is the Four Seasons with its own bridal chapel including a view over the lagoon.

Wedding planners organise the whole day from the choice of flowers, to the menu and wedding cake.

They can also organise a wedding breakfast, a cocktail reception or a large banquet.

Honeymooners can have a romantic dinner beside the sea, a massage together or a romantic picnic for two on the beach.

The famous Hotel Bora Bora offers a beach wedding as part of a Polynesian ceremony where dancers accompany the couple on their way to the sea.

The bride and bridegroom wear a pareo, or white sarong, and exchange vows in the presence of a Tahitian priest.

If that feels too public, you can travel by canoe to a private island and have the ceremony there instead.

The Intercontinental Bora Bora has a similar programme including an above-water bungalow set amid a pool of flowers with champagne and dedicated room service on the day in question.

Breakfast is delivered by boat, but the rest of the day is quite active with a snorkelling expedition, canoeing and tennis for the happy couple.

And if the newlyweds have nothing else better to do, the hotel can even supply movies on DVD to watch in the evening.

Internet: www. tahiti-tourisme. com (dpa)