Have you ever imagine getting married in Spain in a white church in the mountains or a in Villa overlooking the Mediterranean Sea, surrounded by great food and wine during the wedding. Spain as a wedding destination country has a lot to offer to you and your guest so let’s start with some information and tips to plan the perfect wedding.
1- WHERE TO START
Organising a wedding can be overwhelming, as there is a lot to take care of and couples will experience more stress as the date gets closer. The minimum amount of time that is needed to organise is about three to six months. However, I recommended to take your time, especially when deciding to get married in a different country.
The most important aspect of the wedding is the venue type and ceremony. Especially if involves a Church ceremony it needs to be arranged well in advance.
When getting married in Spain I suggest to ask the help of a wedding planner, as he or she is specialized in negotiating with suppliers in their own language and knows where to find the best locations.
If you decide to organise everything yourself, try to find suppliers that have a decent level of English to avoid miscommunication.
I recommend having a look at Pinterest, as this platform offers loads of inspiration and information about getting married in Spain.
2-CEREMONY TYPES
As a non-national, there are only two ways you can be legally getting married in Spain:
Getting married through the Catholic Church:
The main requirement to getting married in Spain is that one of the members of the couple must be catholic. You will have to arrange a meeting with your local priest in your country and he will coordinate all the paperwork to be sent to the church of your choice in Spain. In the meantime, here in Spain you will have to book a date and time of ceremony with the church of your choice and make a deposit to secure the date and time varies on the Church.
The majority of the priest speak English, but some churches allow the couples to bring their own priest.
Several in person visits are usually required to secure a church booking (by the couple or their planner) and some churches will require to meet the couple a minimum of a week before their wedding (if not before).
Certain documents more than 6 months old will be classed non valid.
Blessing (not legal ceremony) at any location. The easiest choice is to legalize the marriage in your home country and then have the wedding ceremony abroad. That way, all the paperwork is easily arranged at home and have the celebration abroad later.
You may have a legal ceremony in Gibraltar (UK requirements to be met) followed by a symbolic ceremony in Spain
Same sex weddings are legal in Spain.
3- DREAM LOCATION
Legal stuff aside, let’s move onto picking a location for your perfect day. If getting married in Spain is what you have always dreamed of this are a few tips
The location can make or break your special day. With that many options, we will now discuss the most popular options.
Beach Weddings
Spain´s got almost 5,000 kilometres of coastline. It is one of the most popular options for a destination wedding. However, getting married in a beach you must bear in mind a few things. Beaches are public areas so you might have people watching your wedding or in your background. Spanish people are very respectful in terms of privacy so it worth let the venue know the time of your ceremony in order to make it as private as possible .
Villa Weddings
Imagine your own private villa with stunning gardens and your own private pool overlooking the med sea. Spain offer different styles of villas inland more Rustic traditional Spanish like Haciendas o Cortijos where you can spend a few days before and after the wedding with your family and friends or more modern style near the Coast with the Mediterranean sea as your backdrop when you are getting married in Spain.
Hotel Weddings
Hotels have invested in the wedding sector over the past years creating wedding menus catered for different tastes with food requirements, and Ceremony areas. Hotels have created options for you to have a semi exclusivity or full exclusivity allowing you and your guest to rent the entire Hotel for your wedding celebrations including some pre party and post party events .
4- THE COST OF A GETTING MARRIED IN SPAIN
After finding a suitable location, there are still many things that need to be taken care of. Examples of basic things that you need to create a wedding.
Food and Drink
Prices vary from the type of venue or caterer but as starting point an average of 120 euros per head for a 45 min reception and 3 course meal.
Photographer
Having a professional photographer is crucial, as you obviously won´t be able to repeat the day and if you are not satisfied with the pictures, you will regret not spending a bit more on a good, reliable photographer. Even decide to bring the photographer with you on the destination wedding if that’s what you prefer. Prices start from 1400€ on a basic 8 hours.
Entertainment
The main part of entertainment for you and your guest is obviously after dinner with the Dj there are different options of things to include lights, microphones, illuminated dance floors and sound equipment’s the packages start from 3 hours and prices from 600€.
Flowers
This can be very expensive depending on the amount of flowers and type. My advice is to set up a budget and have a meeting with the florist he or she will explain the cost and if it work out with your theme and venue also always try to work with seasonal flowers are more affordable and suitable for every design.
Deco
Pinterest is a great tool for inspiration and Deco ideas on getting married in Spain. Already you can visit the venues you might want to get married and look for inspiration. Most of the Deco companies and Wedding planners work with Pinterest. So, start creating your own inspiration board and share it they will work with you to create your dream day.
2020 wedding Season is about to start so I hope this help you to book your dream destination wedding in Spain. I am here to help you on your big day!
Lali Prada Lopez
Wedding Planner
Ocean Wedding Spain