Important Things to Remember
When Planning Your Wedding in Spain.
Every woman at some point in her life dreams of having a beautiful wedding. Whether it is a small informal gathering in her parents garden, a luxury event at one of the top five star venues.or a romantic wedding on the beach., she knows she wants to fulfill her dream the way she has always envisaged.. Planning a wedding require a lot of time, effort, and energy so we have compiled a list of things to remember on planning your wedding...
BUDGET
Costs are possibly the number one consideration when planning your wedding and you will need to have it very clear in you mind exactly how much you can afford to spend on your wedding. Always a good idea to checkout who is going to be responsible for paying this and that.. What members of your family will be helping towards the occasion etc. So establish who pays for what. It's a good idea to list your needs and work out a realistic budget for your wedding. Bear in mind that if you are using a Wedding Planner they need to know what you are prepared to spend.
LAWS OF GETTING MARRIED IN SPAIN
Be sure to plan ahead if you are getting married in Spain. Approval of a marriage application often takes as long as 45 days. Policies and procedures will vary from region to region, so you should consult with regional authorities as early as possible.
You may choose to have a civil or a religious ceremony (or both). If you decide to have both ceremonies, the civil ceremony must be performed before the religious marriage takes place.
Civil Marriages
Applications and/or Documents Required: Bring along original copies of the following (and be sure pack these in your hand luggage, never in your checked bags):
Application Form: This form can be obtained from the Civil Registry or District Court. It should be signed by both bride and groom and include their full names, occupations, places of residence, and the citizenship of the couple and their parents.
Birth Certificate: The original document is mandatory. If you were not born in Spain, you should submit the document with an "apostille," an official international seal verifying a document for use outside its country of origin. (If you live outside of Spain, you should also have a Spanish translation of the certificate made and authenticated by the Spanish Consulate or Embassy nearest your place of residence. If you are in Spain, the certificate must be translated into Spanish by an official translator.)
Proof Both Parties Are Free to Marry: (Fe de Solteria y Vida) Civil Registries have a document for this purpose that can be signed when presenting the rest of the documents.
If previously married, you must submit proof that the marriage has ended. Certified documents which originated outside Spain must be accompanied by an apostille and Spanish translations.
Certificate of Residence: Legal residents of Spain can obtain a certificate of residence at no charge from the Tenencia de Alcaldía in their district of residence. (First confirm that you are registered with the Censo). Foreigners who are temporary residents of Spain or have lived here less than two years may complete an affidavit regarding their place of residence before a consular officer.
Posting of Banns: After the judge has accepted all the documentation required, banns are posted for a period of fifteen days prior to the marriage ceremony. Banns are a public announcement that a couple plans to marry, giving any knowledgeable citizen (such as another wife) an opportunity to object.
After you have assembled these documents and the ceremony is performed, the marriage is then recorded in the Civil Registry and a Spanish marriage certificate is issued.
Religious Marriages
Couples will need to first obtain authorization from the Civil Authorities by presenting the documents listed under "Civil Marriages".
Spanish law recognizes Catholic, Protestant, Islamic and Jewish marriages as valid in Spain without the need of a second civil marriage. Regulations may vary depending on the religious denomination.
For Catholic marriages, the arrangements generally take from one to three weeks. The following documents must be presented to the priest performing the ceremony:
Birth certificate: Spanish translation is required.
Baptismal certificate: This must be issued within the six month period prior to your wedding, and authenticated by the issuing Bishop. A Spanish translation must be attached.
Proof Both Parties Are Free to Marry (Fe de Solteria y Vida).
After a religious ceremony, you have one week to present the church-issued certificate to the nearest civil registry. The marriage is NOT recognized in Spain if you fail to register.
BOOKING THE CEREMONY AND VENUE
It’s important to choose the right place to hold your wedding and the reception afterwards. If you
can have the same location, it definitely cuts down on cost and confusion, trying to transport everyone back and forth. Check in advance to make sure both venues can accommodate all of your activities and plans- the type of music and ceremony you want, flower arrangements and decorations, the band, dance space, caterers, clean up etc. Get everything in writing and be sure to visit the location in person to check it out before committing.
WEDDING DESIGNER AND THE DECOR
Designing your wedding by yourself can be quiet daunting, especially as you are planning to wed in Spain. The help of a wedding designer and organizer would be an ideal solution- It's worth that little bit extra to find a truly professional wedding and event organizer.. one who has class, style and strives for perfection plus going the extra mile for you in whatever is necessary.. Be sure to find a company that is well acquainted with the area you intend to marry in, who knows the Spanish laws and really speaks the native language perfectly.... as they will be the ones responsible for possibly the most important day of your life.
Don't be afraid to tell them your ideas and what you want..If they are professional they will listen to you and take on board your requirements.. Always remember this is the one day in your life that all your wishes and dreams should come true.
INVITATIONS
Something to keep in mind is that the invitation should reflect the type of affair your guest will be attending. An informal wedding should have simple invitations, perhaps written by hand. A formal affair should have invitations reflecting this as well. If there are certain colors chosen for the wedding reception linens and the bridesmaid's dresses, you may want to have the invitations colored accordingly.
The rules regarding wedding invitation etiquette dictate that invitations aren't sent out too far in advance, but they shouldn't come at the last minute either. You want your guests to have enough time to plan for the wedding and make any necessary travel arrangements. You don't want to send the wedding invitations out too far ahead of time, either. Invitations can be sent out as early as eight weeks and as late as one month. Any later than that would be considered very bad etiquette. Six weeks is about enough time to mail the invitations and receive responses.
CATERING
What almost every guest looks forward to at a wedding is the food.. and can be the deciding factor on whether the wedding is good or not.. So try to ensure that the catering is professional excellent quality and served correctly. Don't forget to check if any of your guests have special requirements such as vegetarian or allergies.. Having a menu tasting before the event is always recommended and good Chefs will be only too pleased to offer this service.
THE FLOWERS AT YOUR WEDDING
Your wedding flowers are without a doubt one of the most important aspects of a wedding. They bring color, life, decor and aroma to a wedding. They help make table settings more beautiful, and can transform a formerly dull space into a beautiful and stunning setting.
Whilst it is important that you find the perfect dress and location for your wedding to take place, it is as equally important to compliment your venue and attire, with the correct wedding flowers. Flowers are an extension of your own feelings and personality, so it's wise to pick the correct flowers and boquet, which are most suited to you.
PHOTOS AND VIDEOS
Choosing a date for your wedding is just the start of what will probably be the busiest months of your life. Making sure The Big Day is perfect takes so much work and then suddenly, it's over. Without a professional quality photographic record of the day, it can be over forever. That's why choosing a professional photographer is a crucial part of your plans.
A professional photographer is one of the most important members of the wedding party, as it is their job to make sure that the day will be remembered forever, ensuring that every moment of your wedding day is captured so you will have an enduring set of beautiful images.
As your wedding day approaches, an experienced wedding photographer can also be a valuable ally. They will have attended many weddings and will have good working relationships with the local wedding and reception venues, florists, car hire companies, wedding stationers and so on. Your magic day will be recorded forever.
BRIDESMAIDS AND USHERS
A lot of couples ask people to be ushers and bridesmaids because it's expected - eg, the usher is the groom's younger brother, a bridesmaid is the daughter of your mother's best friend.
It's worth telling people when you ask them - it's going to involve actual work, and they need to be up to it.
You're not asking them to do a massive amount - but it's going to mean more than just wearing a nice outfit and then hitting the bar.....
Ushers need to be willing to actually usher..... guiding people into their seats or pews, moving the crowd along, calling people for photographs, keeping it moving.
Bridesmaids need to actually be there for the bride.... I've often been the informal bridesmaid, doing the jobs that the girls should be doing - keeping her nerves down, holding the train, fetching the water, helping in the loo, checking the makeup.
The best man needs to be your go-between for the day - I'd much rather have a chat with a great best man if things are going pear shaped, than bother the bride and groom.
I only really notice it when I get a truly efficient set of attendants at a wedding..... I think "this is incredible and I wish every bride could have ones as good as these".
You really shouldn't have to worry about anything on your wedding day - so don't be afraid to tell your young usher and crazy bridesmaid that they'll be expected to do a little bit of work for the honour
WEDDING SPEECHES
Try not to rely too much on notes and scripts as they interrupt the flow of your speech. What you say at a wedding is supposed to come from the heart - not three sheets of A4. Let it flow!
Make it memorable by being different. Too many wedding speeches sound the same, so try to stand out from the crowd. Involve your guests, mention people by name, move around and help people to 'experience' your speech - not just hear it.
Remember that humour is a universal communication tool. Use it but don't try to be a comedian. If you must tell jokes, practise on work colleagues over and over again until you get it right, but most important of all - be guided by their advice.
YOUR HONEYMOON
We advise you to start planning your honeymoon as soon as possible. Many locations that are popular with honeymooners tend to get booked up fairly quickly, so the sooner you plan your honeymoon, the better prices you’ll usually find. There are many choices to make and many plans to be made but most of them seem to fall into place once you've made the toughest decision... where to go on your honeymoon
FROM EVENTSENSATION
HAVE A BEAUTIFUL WEDDING AND LIVE HAPPILY EVER AFTER.
