Good morning and hope everyone enjoyed the weekend! We're still on a bit of a high as we had some absolutely brilliant news here at Fly Away Bride last week. On New Year's Eve our very own Lindsay got engaged to her handsome boyfriend Michael. We all couldn't be more delighted and it really made the holidays for everyone back home. Lindsay and Mike are in Manila in the Phillipines at the moment so we're looking forward to celebrating extra hard when they return to Ireland next month. Huge, huge congratulations to them both and I know how much Lindsay's family are looking forward to welcoming Mike into the family. Their first son in law couldn't be a better guy! Really they both lucked out and are so perfectly suited, it's amazing. Another Fly Away Bride wedding coming up, yippee! We're looking forward to sharing the wedding plans with our readers along they way. (Lindsay, not to scare you but myself and your sisters have an absolute book of suggestions... we'll wait till you get back though before we bombard you with ideas!)

So today we're back in the swing of things and whisking you away to one of the most beautiful and fascinating cities I've ever been to- I visited Istanbul a few years ago and it was one of my favorite trips so far. Istanbul is the largest city in Turkey, and is divided in two by the great Bosphorus river. Having one bank located in Asia while the other is in Europe makes the city a transcontinental one, which is pretty unique. There are many beautiful locations for destination weddings in Istanbul- today we look at three, each of which are on the banks of the Bosphorus river with beautiful cityscape views.

Image: My own

Originally a wedding present for a sultan's daughter, the Marmara Esma Sultan has an unusual structure with interior glass walls facilitating panoramic views of the Bosphorus and surrounding city. A private dock permits access to the river by boat, and the beautiful gardens make this a very popular venue for summer weddings (winter weddings can of course be held inside the building). The venue can cater for almost any size group, and it is only five minutes from Taksim Square- the heart of the city and Metro network base.

One of the things we did while in Istanbul was take a ferry up the Bosphorus, and I remember seeing this beautiful, majestic looking building from the water. The Feriye Lokantasi can host weddings of up to 400 guests and has a beautiful garden perfectly suited for wedding ceremonies. Receptions can be held on the riverside terrace and the internationally renowned restaurant serves Turkish cuisine which varies with the season.

Opulent and palatial, the Adile Sultan Sarayi was originally a summer house presented by a sultan to his sister. Almost any size wedding can be held here with indoor and outdoor garden spaces available for ceremonies and receptions. The restaurant's beautiful Cennet Terrace overlooks the Bosphorus and can host groups of up to 120 people.