lakes gospel choir

Wedding Locations and Venues in Spain

Spain is the second most visited country in the world. History oozes from every corner and in southern Spain you are practically guaranteed warm weather year-round. Spain gives you the opportunity to have an outdoor wedding surrounded by beautiful landscapes as well as a chance for all your guests to holiday, take some time out and have fun!!

With so much choice across the country, here is a review of the most outstanding spots for me. The location you choose will pretty much depend on the kind of destination wedding you have in mind, although if you still haven’t decided, this mini guide may help you get some ideas.

Malaga as a wedding destination

Malaga is an ideal choice if you are looking for a sun and sea wedding and vacation, although it has many beautiful rural spots to offer. Malaga has stunning beaches, modern facilities and great weather, not too hot – not too cold! The sea winds are not too strong in this area either, compared to further down the coast such as Cadiz.

As Malaga is mainly geared towards tourism, there are many hotels to choose from, although the entertainment options are slimmer than in other Spanish cities such as Seville or Granada. The main historical monuments can only found in the main city, whilst the coastal towns offer bars and beaches. There are, on the other hand, plenty of sea activities: taking a small cruise across the coast, scuba diving, jet skiing or simply having dinner at a restaurant on the beach…… Malaga is glamour and class.

Ideas

Malaga offers its Botanical Gardens for weddings. You can have the blessing, banquet and reception here. The Botanical Gardens used to be the home of a rich merchant family and features a stunning pergola overlooking the entire state. A great bonus is that you can do evening/night weddings, perfect in the summer when the sun doesn’t set until 9 – 10 pm.

Benalmadena, a coastal town, offer its Bil-Bil castle. This is a newly constructed castle however its charm lies on its location – practically on the beach. You can have your ceremony, banquet and reception all within the castle grounds.

Marbella boasts some amazing beach restaurants/lounges where you can have a jet-set glamorous wedding. Many of them are large enough to have a blessing in the same grounds, such as Pangaea Prive.  The amazing Finca La Concepcion can also be found in Marbella and it is one of the best wedding venues I have ever seen. The finca itself is beautiful, with a remarkable entrance. Although it is only a short drive from Puerto Banus, as soon as you arrive to the Finca you feel like you are in the middle of the countryside, where the only sounds come from birds singing.

The Byblos hotel in Mijas is truly amazing and is available for weddings. The hotel is set within the Mijas Golf Course, with its stunning lakes and peaceful surroundings. Byblos is “Andalusi†inspired, combining Spanish and Arabic decoration. This is a wonderful place to have a banquet and reception as the building itself is beautiful. The restaurant is set near the pool and you can have live music until late. Speaking from personal experience, this is an amazing hotel to have your honeymoon. The rooms are luxurious, the staff make you feel like royalty, it is quiet enough to sleep-in and stay in bed as long as you want, and some of the rooms have gigantic baths!

On the other side of the coast we find Nerja, a favorite amongst many couples. Although a little far from the airport, Nerja has some fantastic views, restaurants and still keeps that bohemian look about it. There is plenty for guests to do here, including some unique caves where you can watch ballet shows in the summer. The most stunning part of Nerja is the Europa Point, fantastic for pictures. Right next to it is a great restaurant, Casa Luque, where I have attended a couple of weddings. The restaurant features a gigantic terrace on the edge of a cliff, looking right out to sea, where you can celebrate the blessing, banquet and reception.

You can create your wedding theme around the venue: For example a vintage 40’s – 50’s theme, a style that can provide a lot of entertainment and fun. Swing was in and the “cool cat” sounds of Benny Goodman, Ray Charles, and Aretha Franklin were being heard in ballrooms and nightclubs everywhere. If you love the jumpin’ and jivin’ sounds of the 1940’s, along with glamour, then why not plan your wedding theme around this fascinating era?

A wedding in Spain does not have to mean you are limited in choice. Live music agencies such as The Tribute Band provide all styles of party entertainment, with professional musicians from all over the world. Have a look at some videos so you can start getting an idea of what atmosphere you want to create during the reception.

Pros

• Clean, accessible beaches
• Near Airport
• Excellent weather
• Many English speakers

Cons

• Not much historical heritage in the coastal areas
• A car is needed to go pretty much everywhere – alternatively, hire a mini-bus with a chauffeur.

Seville as a wedding destination

Seville used to be the capital of Spain until, for strategic reasons, it was moved further inland to Madrid. This is the city where Columbus set sail from, scene to the romantic Carmen opera, and is in my opinion the most Spanish of all the Andalucian capitals. Surrounded by monuments dating back thousands of years, gigantic parks and a stunning river, it will give your guests (and yourselves) the chance to enjoy Spain in all its splendor. Culture and folklore emanate from every corner; Seville has the highest quality flamenco shows.

The city is very near Malaga, where there is a denser population of English speakers, therefore having a blessing in English or any other language will be no problem at all.

Ideas

Holding the wedding at a Spanish “Cortijo†or “haciendaâ€. “Cortijos†are the typical farmhouses of southern Spain. This may not sound very glamorous at first but these are in fact the most refined and noble of all. Families became rich over centuries breading horses and bulls. Photo of Cortijo.

Many of these “Cortijos†specialize in celebrating weddings. This could be a great option as you can have the blessing, the banquet and the reception all in one place. Some have even been turned into hotels and have accommodation with a suite for the bride and groom, spas, additional restaurants….

Having your destination Spanish wedding in a “Cortijo†sets the scene and theme easily. You and your guests will be in out-of-the-ordinary surroundings, making it a magical and memorable experience

Adding your touch

Having your destination wedding with a Spanish theme does not mean you have to miss out on adding your personal touch. Quite the opposite, use the theme as a canvas and make the wedding truly yours. I think a wedding should reflect the personalities of the bride and groom. Live music and entertainment can help you a great deal here.

A gospel choir or even a classical guitarist, playing during your outdoor ceremony …  Once the ceremony has finished a great way to greet all your guests is over a “cocktailâ€. You can have it very close to the blessing grounds and have the waiters serve appetizers and drinks. With a jazz and swing band playing in the background, you will keep your guests from getting bored until you arrive back from taking photos, and what more can you ask for: sipping on champagne, outdoors in the sun, while you listen to Sinatra’s “LOVE†played live!

A wedding in Spain does not have to mean flamenco dancers and Spanish songs. Live music agencies such as The Tribute Band provide all styles of party entertainment, with professional musicians from all over the world. Have a look at some videos so you can start getting an idea of what atmosphere you want to create during the reception.

Pros

• Clean, environmentally friendly city
• True Spanish feel to it
• Lots for guests to do and see
• Superior quality restaurants and products, not much more expensive than the rest of Andalucia.
• Near Airport
• Great for honeymooning

Cons

• Very hot during July & August
• Not near the sea
• Not many English speaking service providers so communication can be hard – although Malaga is just a short drive and many can be booked from there.

Granada as a wedding destination

Granada was the capital of the “Andalusi†world, the Moorish kings who conquered and lived in Andalucia for over 700 years. With the Alhambra forever present, this city is a true blend of Jewish, Catholic, Moorish and modern Spanish culture.

Choosing Granada as a wedding destination offers many possibilities: Snow, City and Beach. The city of Granada is set inland although the province runs all the way down to the coast. There is also a ski resort, Sierra Nevada, with the longest skiing season in Europe.  This gives you plenty of options to organize guest activities and lots to do for your own honeymoon.

Eating out in Granada is extremely reasonable and fun. It is a tradition in many bars across the city to get a free “tapa†each time you order a drink. Granada University is one of the most prestigious in Spain and therefore the city has a vast array of live music venues for all ages.

Ideas

Quite obviously, the ideal choice is to have your wedding near the Alhambra such as in the old town, the “Albaycinâ€. The noble people who lived in ancient Granada had homes in this part of the city, right next to the Alhambra palace. Many wonderful restaurants in the area have terraces with views to the beautiful labyrinths of narrow streets running across the “Albaycinâ€.

Within the forests of the Alhambra, next to the “Albaycinâ€, and the “Generalife†(residence of the sultans who lived in Spain) there is a wonderful Hacienda, “Carmen de los Chapiteles†ideal for weddings. Enchanting gardens and fountains and views of a city you will not forget easily.

Another fantastic option is the “Parador de la Alhambra†located within the Alhambra palace itself.

Pros

• Beautiful monuments, buildings and gardens
• Easy to move around without a car – Taxis are very reasonable
• Mix of landscapes & activities: beach, snow and city
• Mixture of interesting cultures

Cons

• Very hot in July & August and very cold during December, January & February
• Not many English speaking service providers  – so it is hard to communicate. However Malaga is just a short drive and many can be booked from there.

About the Author

I am an experienced live music manager and entertainment planner. I am Spanish although I speak fluent English as I went to an international school. Currently I live in Mijas, Malaga, Spain in the Costa del Sol. I am happily married to a renowned drummer, who works alongside me creating unique personalized live music performances. I have attended and coordinated numerous parties, award celebrations, weddings, product launches for clients across Spain and Portugal including the Costa del Sol, Algarve, Gibraltar, Madrid, Granada …
http://www.thetributeband.net

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After the party is over


Major worldwide sporting events often have an unfortunate effect on tourism to that country. For example, in the years they hosted the Olympics, both Greece and China suffered from a lack of tourists. There are a number of reasons for this: tourists are likely to avoid a country for a long period, not just while the Games are on, because they fear a shortage of flights or higher prices. It is hardly logical that people should be put off a holiday in Corfu in June when the Games were held a few weeks later in Athens, but that is what happened. Of course, tourists are also likely to stay away from the city that actually hosts the event for months at a time, rather than just the few weeks when the event is being held. Tales of high room rates for the period of the Games will convince people rates will be high for the whole year.

Finally, most sporting events seem to attract fewer visitors than anticipated. There is limited availability of flights between Europe and South Africa and it is really hard to see many of the World Cup stadiums being full for any but the most important matches. It is quite common for hotels that have expected to be booked solid for four weeks to have rooms available for much of the period. Then, when the event is over, the host city tends to suffer a reaction from visitors who have been deterred by stories of high prices, and there is probably a lot of extra hotel capacity available as new hotels have been opened for the event. In short, a major sporting event can end up being a disaster for the host city and can present an opportunity for a clever tourist to grab a bargain. Room rates in both Athens and Beijing were extremely low in the weeks immediately after the Olympics, as hoteliers came to terms with reality.

For various reasons, we doubt that the two big events taking place in Vancouver and South Africa this year will have quite the same results. First, the Winter Olympics is quite a minor event and Vancouver is a large city with a booming tourism business, thanks partly to the influx of visitors from Hong Kong. Some new hotels have been built, but we imagine the growing economy can support these. We doubt that there will be the usual post-Olympic tourist recession here. South Africa is rather different, partly because the World Cup is being held in the local winter, which is low season for tourist arrivals. It is therefore a wonderful bonus for hoteliers – especially in Cape Town. Our bigger concern for the winter 2010/11 season is that hoteliers in Cape Town seem to have forgotten what their major selling point was.
It was about fifteen years ago that Cape Town suddenly became a popular winter destination for Europeans because they saw they could get good weather, high-quality hotels and service at very low prices, partly owing to a very weak currency. They were prepared to accept the security issues (which means making more effort about personal safety than is normal in most destinations) in return for the bargain prices. That equation has been shifting for several years. The currency has strengthened and prices, especially of hotels, have shot up. Many new hotels in Cape Town are charging rates that are as high as their European equivalents, and that cannot be justified. It could be that the failure of the World Cup to provide the expected tourist bonanza may bring hoteliers back to their senses and result in more sensible pricing. We shall see.


To tweet or not?

I had a lunch arranged with a friend who works in television and has his own Twitter page to broadcast his thoughts to a few hundred friends and followers. Just before meeting him, I sent him a text to say that our lunch should be “off-Twitter”. It was, partly, a joke but there is also a serious issue here. My off-the-cuff remarks could have been repeated and then spread like wildfire on the Net if one of his Followers had decided to re-tweet (pass on the comments). I had recently seen this at first-hand when I was led to the Twitter page of an Edinburgh doctor, whose perfectly innocent remarks about baggage handling at his local airport had spread from his 50 or so actual followers to gain him over a thousand visitors in a few days. The gentleman concerned was annoyed that what he thought were (fairly) confidential comments had led to his being “stalked” by several hundred people he did not know.

That shows the power of Twitter and other social networking sites. A short post can get instant, and worldwide, visibility way beyond the original circle of followers. It is why the travel trade is so excited and perplexed. It desperately wants a slice of the action but hasn’t got a clue as to what it should do! Almost every week, I receive details of some new conference on ‘Travel and Social Media’ or a firm of consultants offering advice on how to harness the power of these sites to commercial organisations.

Since the companies themselves do not really know how to handle Twitter, what should the ordinary traveller do? If you are not careful, you can spend a lot of time registering for sites, checking up on posts and finding absolutely nothing of interest.

The most sensible approach for a company to take is to keep up a fairly regular stream of vaguely interesting posts that are, occasionally, livened up with a genuine special offer which is only available to those who look at Twitter. Thus, a hotel may suddenly discover it has a cancellation of a group at the weekend and wants to offer rooms at a big discount. ‘Rooms at £60 a night – Saturday only’ may be of real interest if the hotel normally charges £100 a night. It is a quick and cheap method of suddenly filling up rooms without having to use agencies. An airline may enliven its posts by saying it has some seats on a specific route at half price for next Monday. In most cases, the companies are experimenting to see what works.

I suggest the best way you can use Twitter is by experimenting. Set up a separate Twitter account just for travel-related postings. Subscribe to all the airlines and hotels that you see have Twitter links and see if you get anything interesting. You will find you receive an awful lot of posts and only a small number are really worth reading, but if you check every now and then you will at least get a feel for whether there is anything worthwhile for you. You can easily weed out the companies that only post drivel so you are just left with those of genuine interest.

And, don’t forget, we are on Twitter at twitter.com/insidetraveller.