There are many things which make Spanish weddings different from weddings in other parts of the world. Firstly the timing of a typical wedding day in Spain tends to be much later than in the US and Northern Europe, due to the local’s desire to avoid the hot summer sunshine. Typically, the ceremony will be at 6 or 7 pm, and then the partying & fiesta will go on until 4 or 5 in the morning. At Barcelona Wedding we have a key role in advising our clients on the timing of their wedding day to best suit both their desires and the local climate. The ideal time of day for a wedding ceremony depends on many factors such as the planned location, and it is important to take the comfort of others in to consideration. Avoiding the midday sun is another aspect that has to be taken into account, as this will affect the wedding photography. Photographs are more flattering if the ceremony and post wedding photos are timed around the late afternoon or early evening shortly before the sunset, rather than earlier in the day, when everyone will be squinting, wanting to wear sunglasses, and strong shadows will be hard to avoid.
Spanish or Catalan brides & grooms would not normally have groomsmen, ushers, bridesmaids or flower girls. The couple’s godparents (padrinos), however, will usually have an important role in the wedding. One of the best man’s duties in Spain is to choose and buy the bride’s wedding bouquet, and present it to her on the morning of the wedding – usually with a handwritten poem. Modern brides will understandably not want to leave the design and style of their wedding bouquet to the best man. You will however, find that the best man will carry out the task of delivering the bouquet with a heartfelt poem. This is a very lovely Spanish wedding tradition, that can easily be incorporated into our client’s wedding day, depending on the best man’s poetic talents, of course.