Step by step wedding planning
The excitement of answering the question, “Will you marry me?” soon gives way to a million other questions! You are engaged, but what should you do next? How exactly do you plan for the most romantic day of your life? Here are our top tips to plan a wedding in Spain.
Decide on your wedding location
What is your vision of your perfect day? Do you want a wedding outdoors? What about a destination wedding overseas? What is your budget?
Most weddings in Spain for example are celebrated outside and take full advantage of the warm sunshine and long wedding season, but what type of location do you have in mind?
- A rustic farmhouse inland in full nature, surrounded by olive groves, fruit trees and vineyards ticks all the boxes for your idea of an eco-wedding.
- An elopement with minimum guests at a wild location high in the mountains or on a cliff overlooking the sea.
- A hotel wedding in the city or on the coast with a holiday experience for all of guests including accommodation, catering and entertainment in addition to their wedding ceremony itself.
- A private villa - the perfect solution for engaged couples who prefer a small wedding away from the crowds out of the public gaze .
Small wedding or big wedding?
Talk to each other about the pros and cons of small weddings versus big weddings.
- A huge ceremony totally surrounded by all of your extended family and all of your friends
- A small wedding with only the most important people in your life attending
Sit down and each make a list of those people you feel you NEED to have at your wedding ceremony, then begin to plan your wedding from there.
Top tip: luxury choices for a small wedding and economic choices for a big wedding can result in the same budget.
Save the date and book your wedding venue
Questions to ask your wedding venue shortlist
- How many weddings do you have on the same day?
- Do you offer the services of an event coordinator?
- What exactly is included in the wedding package?
- Do you discount weekday or out of season weddings?
Having researched wedding venues, start contacting them to ask for a video tour or if you are lucky enough to be able to visit the venue a top tip is to ask for a sample menu tasting while you are there.
Know what is included in your wedding package
Even if you are organising your wedding ceremony yourself, your venue may offer you certain things included with your booking.
Not all wedding packages are the same so do an honest comparison.
How much say do you have in the decorating of the place where you will be saying your vows and where the majority of your wedding photos will be taken?
Plan your wedding catering
Keep your budget in mind and never look at a mouth-watering menu when you are hungry!
The formality or informality of your day may impact on your choice of food.
- A barbeque and big salad buffet or a food truck where guests help themselves and perhaps sit where they like.
- A range of different self-serve food stations with guests seated at tables
- A formal seating plan with silver service and a number of courses
Wedding planners and wedding suppliers
Without a doubt a professional wedding planner takes all of the stress out of organising your wedding.
It is often a false economy to try to organise everything yourself.
- Wedding planners have trusted teams of wedding suppliers
- Your planner will know the local language and customs
- They will be able to negotiate on your behalf
Even if you plan your wedding yourself and contract your own florist, photographer, caterer, venue, celebrant etc on the actual day of your wedding you do not want to be problem solving – you want to be The Bride or The Groom!
Top tip: It is possible to contract a wedding or event organiser just for the day itself to ensure that you do not have to worry about a thing and have a totally stress-free day.
So save the date, decide on your budget and start researching but above all have fun when you plan your wedding – and congratulations!
Author: Debbie Skyrme is an award winning celebrant, officiating bilingual weddings, elopements and vow renewal ceremonies in the Spanish sunshine.
Featured photographer: Maria Benitez
