On July 15th, the Russian couple Vladelina and Roman celebrated their dream wedding in Catalonia. Despite the fact that they have been a couple for 10 years, they decided to renew their vows with a romantic celebration in the Finca La Boella, located in Tarragona. This estate is dedicated to the production of olive oil and this inspired them. All of the wedding decoration, the bridal bouquet, the invitations, the girls´floral crowns and the boys´ boutonnieres were made out of olives leaves. The result was wonderful!
Vladelina wore a splendid dress with a vaporous fabric that she combined with a beautiful hairstyle and a veil cloak made out of lace as a unique and original detail. For her make up, the emphasis was on her eyes and her lips were natural. Roman wore a white shirt and a blue trouers. They looked so happy!
The ceremony took place in a patio with natural light, where wooden chairs were decorated with olive branches, and it was officiated by the couple´s friend, which was very emotional.
After, the guests enjoyed a cocktail and a banquet. And there was a big surprise : as a gift to the newlyweds, one of their close friends played his guitar. An emotional moment of the day! Vladelina changed for the dance and chose to wear a pink dress with floral details, very romantic.
It was a wedding that all the guests, both adults and kids, enjoyed, since the entertainers dressed in medieval costumes and prepared games such as a treasure hunt that took place in the cellar.
The fireworks were the perfect finale for this great wedding in Catalonia. We leave you with the fantastic photographs!
One of the reasons why we are so passionate about weddings is that everyone is different, and their uniqueness increases even more depending on the country and culture of the person. This is something we have learnt from organizing destination and multicultural weddings, all of which have enriched us as professionals. So, it seemed an interesting idea to review for you the traditions of a wedding in Spain, for all those who wish to celebrate a destination wedding in this country. Who knows, maybe you will like one and incorporate it into your own wedding! Let’s start!
Wedding at church
In Spain getting married in church is traditional, although you can be certain that every civil wedding is made to measure and to the tastes of the bride and groom. If you are looking to celebrate a church wedding in Spain, you will easily find one that you will like since each town and village has churches, cathedrals and chapels, with a charm that will be perfect for your religious wedding.
Wedding of Teresa and Ernest in a church in Madrid. Photographs: Buenas Photos / Wedding Planner: Natalia Ortiz
Pre-marital courses
As we talk about church weddings, we can´t forget to mention in this post about the need, of which few are aware, when getting married religiously. You have to do a pre-marital course. It is a fundamental requirement and during which not only religious themes are mentioned but also your future life together which helps you in this commitment. Normally, classes can last several days a week, or if you prefer, all condensed into a weekend.
A fact that might surprise you is that in Spain, unlike other countries, women do not take their husband´s family name but keep their own.
Guests
The average number of guests in Spain is between 100 and 200. If you are celebrating an intimate wedding in another country, you may find that it is a lot, but it is that it is not too many, nor too little. And you are still unsure, think of Hindu weddings, usually they have hundreds of guests! Another example of the differences between weddings depending on the country, religion and culture.
The eternal question: what to give to the bride and groom? Will they prefer money or something more personal? What is happening more and more in Spain is to include your bank details on the invitations or on a website for your wedding in a nice way with a nice design.
But there are also other options, such as an online wedding list, where the bride and groom can display the items they would like and you can buy them (in a way it’s like giving money but in a more concrete, useful way), or gift them an experience for their honeymoon: a boat trip, a swim with dolphins, a romantic evening in a restaurant, etc.
Weddings in Spain begin with the ceremony, where the bride and groom say their vows, followed by a cocktail and a grand banquet that normally lasts for hours but, unlike other countries such as Russia, there are no shows between the dishes, nor the traditional Russian showman, the guests simply enjoy the food and converse. At most there will be toasts or small speeches from selected guests, the delivery of the cake to the newlyweds, or something similar.
If you want to know more about the timings of a wedding in Spain, you can read this post. You will find all the details.
What do you think of these traditions of a wedding in Spain? You probably already know some but you may discover others. As always, we advise you to choose the traditions that define you the most and that adapt to your needs and tastes. We are available at info@svadbavispanii.ru to answer all your doubts about the traditions of a wedding in Spain and to give you the best advice to organize one.
Thomas and Silje have decided to celebrate a fantastic weekend wedding in Madrid, as they love the city and in summer, it´s magical. They travelled here with 10 family members and friends to celebrate an intimate, very touching wedding, and it was two busy days.
The Friday was the wedding day, which started with a photoshoot in the beautiful rooftop of the hotel where they were staying. Silje wore a beautiful dress, with spectacular movement, a V neckline and a splendid hairdo. The back and top of the dress were decorated with delicate sparkles. She completed the look with a white bridal bouquet.
The wedding was celebrated in the Embassy of Norway, located in the center of Madrid, surrounded by their loved ones. The reception was in a restaurant and they spent the afternoon walking around the city, finishing with a supper that they really enjoyed. A very busy day!
The next day the party carried on, starting with breakfast and followed with an exploration of the city. The best part? They went to a flamenco show and a masterclass, something they had wanted to do for a very long time and they were very happy with it.
This weekend wedding in Madrid could not have been more complete, full of activities and a very special celebration. The type of wedding that lasts two or three days are becoming more trendy, think about it for your wedding!
Raul and Yulia are a lovely couple who will soon say “I do”. She is from Russia, works as a vet and enjoys playing the piano. Raúl is Spanish and works in the world of finance, and he is passionate about writing. They both decided to take these romantic photos before the wedding, which resulted in a beautiful Love Story in Madrid. Here are some beautiful pictures of the couple in the most emblematic streets of the city, for which they chose matching styles in black and white. Her, with a beautiful white dress and original black boots with silver studs: a very rock style. And him, with black trousers and a white shirt. We leave you with the result, their smiles say everything!
Nothing is more exciting than the moment when one of our projects unfolds and we can share it with you all. Especially if it’s work like this, a female wedding that took place in Girona, with a romantic outdoor ceremony.
There was an altar made with two old wooden doors with lots of character, and which were decorated with brightly colored flowers: red, orange and white contrasted with the green of the farm, the stone of its walls and the lavender colour that reigned in the garden.
Julia and Alina looked fantastic with two very light dresses with spectacular fabrics. Julia was beautiful with a flattering flounce dress, a very present trend in recent seasons. And Alina wore an equally beautiful dress, this time without sleeves, and she looked absolutely radiant. We don´t know which one we love the most! Both had their hair semi-wavy, a perfect choice for their nuptial look. In some photographs, you can see the detail of the lavender flowers that Julia wore in her hair. For the bouquet, we chose a beautiful composition with flowers in the same tones as the altar.
We leave you with photos of this female wedding that could not have been more romantic and bucolic, in which we recreated a country atmosphere thanks to the nature that surrounded the farm and the mixture of pastel colors like lavender and bright colors like orange flowers. We hope you like it as much as we do!
In Spain, there are a lot of churches where you can celebrate a unique and special wedding. It is a country with a long history of religious tradition and which has churches that are real masterpieces. If you are planning your wedding in Spain and you want to celebrate your wedding in a church, you can´t miss this selection of the best churches in Spain to celebrate an unforgettable wedding. We are talking about impressive constructions, magical interiors and an atmosphere that will leave you agape.
The basilica of Santa Maria del Mar in Barcelona
Located in the district of La Ribera, in the center of Barcelona and widely considered culturally interesting, this basilica is from the XIVth century and is notable thanks its gothic Catalan style. The building has a robust feel and its facade stands out thanks to its octogonal towers. On the inside of the church there are three naves, very high ceilings and narrow windows that give it a unique charm.
This basilica is famous for being an important feature of the novel Ildefonso Falcones, La catedral del Mar. It also appears in the novel El juego del Angel, by Carlos Ruiz Zafon and in the novel Thesaurus Ombres a Barcelona by Africa Ragel. Furthemore, it has been the stage of nobles’ weddings throughout the centuries. Can you imagine getting married in a church with such history? The basilica also has a great acoustic, a plus point, so that music will sound perfect at your wedding.
Let’s go now to Mallorca to show you this spectacular church : Nueva Son Servera. It was a project lead by Joan Rubio Bellver, partner of the famous architect Antoni Gaudi. The most interesting thing about this church is that it is unfinished.
The best part? It is an church open towards the sky, with the charm of an emblematic and historical building while being both outdoors and indoors.
Orthodox russian church of Arcangel San Miguel in Altea
In Altea, Alicante, is where the first temple in Spain of the Russian orthodox church can be found, a special building inspired by the XVIIth century. It is a wooden church, made by Russian specialists in this material, brought from the area of Los Urales.
Its floor has the shape of a Greek cross and its engraved altar was made with materials imported from Russia as well. Although the amount invested is unknown, just by seeing the church, you can see that it was not an easy project. This building is a work of art and celebrating your wedding here can only be a success.
And what would you think about celebrating your wedding in the same church as the Kings of Spain? The Almudena is one of the most important churches in Spain, a building that is very significant for its inhabitants and has hosted very important weddings. You have the opportunity to celebrate your wedding in the crypt of the parish, a place with a noble atmosphere, beautiful columns and vaulted ceilings. It will be a perfectly magical celebration!
Which of these churches in Spain would you like the most for your wedding? If you want us to help find the best one and to carry out all the procedures to celebrate a religious wedding, write us at info@svadbavispanii.ru, we will help you with all the documentation!
Here is a spectacular project that we organized on a beautiful beach in Altea, Alicante. It is a very special place with incredible sea views.
For this beach wedding ceremony there was a wooden altar, a rustic style but also very romantic thanks to the flowers in light tones, with pink, light yellow and peach colors. The altar was decorated with white fabric. Next to the altar, the ceremony table was also wooden and was decorated with blue vases to match the stunning views of the sea.
The bride wore two dresses of Rosa Clará. For the ceremony she had a very romantic dress with a large tulle skirt and large train, and a bodice with some transparencies. The dress went perfectly with her hairstyle and the big bouquet in pink and peach, decorated with a bow in the same tone. For her makeup, the main focus was placed on the lips, which were deep red.
The groom looked very elegant in a dark suit that contrasted perfectly with the predominantly white wedding. The photos couldn´t be more incredible thanks to the spectacular background of the sea and the trees of the landscape.
For the next set of photographs, the bride wore a second romantic dress. Although this one was different to the first, it also has sleeves and transparencies, a very beautiful trend in bride looks. This time, she wore loose curls and with a small flower hair piece. The bouquet was in red tones, matching the color of her lips and that was quite a success.
Here are the incredible photographs of this beach wedding ceremony. The couple was photographed on a beautiful estate next to the sea and also on the beach, with a spectacular sky in the background. The result could not have been better!
In each country, the timings, commonly referred to as the wedding moments, are different. Each place has its own customs, rituals and traditions, which means that the timings change. In this next article, we will detail step by step the timings of a wedding in Spain, perfect if you wish to celebrate your destination wedding in this country. This will help you to know everything more clearly so that there is no misunderstanding between everyone participates in your wedding. Let’s start!
Weddings in Spain begin with the ceremony, either religious or civil. The bride and groom won’t have seen each other yet, and the bride’s image will be a surprise – this is a very important tradition. Therefore, the bride will be the last to arrive. Here is an estimate of the arrival times :
The groom: 45 minutes before, to be able to great the guests. He will usually be accompanied by his parents.
Guests: 30 minutes before. This is important so that the guests can be positioned in the correct places so that when the bride arrives, everything is perfect.
Mother of the bride: 15 minutes before.
Bride and father of the bride: just on time or even later. Her arrival is the most important and no one should arrive later than her.
The ceremony usually has a different duration depending on whether it is civil, religious or symbolic, in which case it can be adapted to the tastes and demands of the couple.
Civil ceremony – 30 to 45 minutes.
Religious ceremony – 60 minutes.
However, the duration will depend on who will officiate the ceremony, rites and traditions that the couple wanted to incorporate, readings, etc. What is important to know is that religious ceremonies tend to be longer than civil ceremonies.
The cocktail ceremony will last an average of 1h 30 minutes – 2 hours, during which the newlyweds can take their wedding photos with the photographer, while the guests enjoy an aperitif. However, we always recommend that the couple do not take too long so that they can also enjoy the cocktails and greet their guests.
Then all the guests go to the banquet area, which can be a lounge or a somewhere, such as a marquee, prepared outside. To move from one place to another, it can take about 30 minutes until everyone is placed. Banquets generally last an average of 3 hours, and for most of the time, guests remain seated.
Curious facts:
In Spain, unlike Russia, all dishes are served individually and off the shelf. In other words, there will be no plaque on the table.
On the other hand, in Spain, coffee or tea is served, then cake. If you wish to change any of these steps and times, you must make a request to the space coordinator in advance.
And now the time of the party has arrived. In Spain, there is a lot of difference between the banquet and the dance, because they are held in two different rooms. In Russian weddings, dinner alternates with dancing, in Spain you eat first and then dance. There is no show during dinner. Then, once the banquet is over, the guests go to the dance area and the open bar, which will last about 4 hours, but you can request an extension in advance in some cases.
And here is the approximate schedule of a wedding in Spain, what do you think? We want to emphasize that, although these are the usual timings, you can always adapt them to how you want. You can add the rites and traditions of your culture if you want, as long as you have it in mind in advance and can negotiate it. For this reason, if you are a foreign couple and you want to celebrate a wedding in Spain, it is essential that you have a wedding planner working in the country, who knows everything about his culture and yours and that you can design the wedding perfectly.
Once you start organizing your wedding, we are sure that you’ll read a lot about everything related to the wedding industry, and perhaps you have come across the concept of “pre-wedding photo session”. As its name suggests, it’s a photo shoot that takes place before the big day just for the couple, in a beautiful place which is special to them.
Today, we want to deepen your understanding of this type of photoshoot, so you can know all the advantages and how it works, so that you can see everything that will be achieved with a well-done pre-wedding photo session.
Benefits of organizing a pre-wedding photo session:
You will get to know the photographer of your wedding. Clearly if you chose him/her, it is because you like his/her work, but it is always a plus to be able to meet them personally if you have not already done it, to see him working and to create a bond between him/her and you before the big day.
You will relax.
There is nothing better for eliminating the stress of knowing what your photos will be like than to take pre-wedding photos. And it’s perfect since you will just be with your partner and the photographer, where trust can be maximised.
The wedding day everything will be easier.
After this “rehearsal”, on the wedding day everything will be easier. You will know the guidelines to stand out in the photos and the only thing you should do is enjoy it. – If you are planning a pre-wedding photo session in advance, you can use these professional photos on your website or in invitations. They will be phenomenal! And, if you do not have the time, you can still use them as a thank you card to guests.
These are just some of the countless benefits of this type of session, are you surprised? The truth is that it’s more important than it sounds, since it will be like a prelude to your wedding it will reassure you that everything for your wedding photoshoot will be fine.
If you are already convinced to organise a pre-wedding, the next thing to do will be to find the perfect place for that. Here are some examples:
Beaches of Catalonia. If you are passionate about the sea, we recommend that you do your session on a beach, because Spain has the best beaches. In Catalonia there are many beautiful beaches where you can create a magical atmosphere for your photos. Also, if your wedding is going to be in a summer atmosphere, this choice is obvious!
Retiro Park in Madrid.
We love this famous park in Madrid because it mixes the urban style of the big city with lush nature. In addition, it has different spaces perfect for photos: fountains, crystal palaces, boats on the lake, etc.
On the Teide.
And what about pre-wedding photographs with a volcano in the background? The photo sessions on the Teide, on the beautiful island of Tenerife, are absolutely spectacular.
In a cloud
And if you are more mountain than beach, you can choose to do it at the top of a mountain, where you will create the impression of being wrapped in clouds. Perfect if you are looking for something unique.
At Weddings and Events by Natalia Ortiz, we specialize in pre-wedding photography sessions and love stories and we recommend them to all our brides as we consider it a unique and very romantic experience. The process will be as follows:
First, we will organize a meeting to define which style you want for your session and, on this basis, we will propose several spaces.
Once we have decided on the place, we will decide on the makeup and style of the bride and groom so that they are in perfect harmony in the photographs.
At the time of the session, one of our coordinators will accompany you to help you at all times and take care of your needs.
We always recommend to accompany the photo session before the wedding with more details that eventually give shape to the concept you want to convey. The decoration is essential, like flowers or different letters to send a message to the guests. As mentioned at the beginning, you can always use the photographs for invitations or thank you cards. If you want to know more about this subject and our services, do not hesitate to write us at info@svadbavispanii.ru.
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