More and more couples are dreaming of a wedding in the sun, with the whole family around them, and Spain could offer the perfect blend of both

“When we first got engaged, we quickly realised that it was going to be difficult to arrange our wedding within a year. All the reception venues in the UK we were interested in seemed to require at least 18 months’ notice and we just didn’t want to wait that long.”

Susannah Rayner from London was married in Granada two years ago and found that marrying abroad opened many doors. Her now-husband is Roman Catholic so they chose to have a full service in Granada’s spectacular Santa Ana church, a converted 16th Century mosque. “It was really something to be able to take our vows, gazing up at the original Moorish ceiling of this beautiful church,” says Susannah.

It seems more and more couples are tying the knot overseas, and looking for spectacular locations and guaranteed sunshine thrown in. The number of British people marrying abroad has doubled in the last ten years and Spanish weather, culture and value for money combine to create the perfect mix that is now easier than ever to organise. Couples previously put off the idea of marrying in Spain by concerns over the legendary bureaucracy or strict Catholicism have had those fears dispelled. The Spanish wedding business is booming – not least because many companies are fulfilling the needs of British clients.

Stacy Reading, who set up Weddings in Spain six years ago, says: “I had a feeling that if people wanted to come to Spain to get married then they would want to be in the real Spain, not at a standard hotel in the sun that could be anywhere in the world.

“Also, I didn’t want to deal with venues that held more than one wedding at a time, a common occurrence in Spain, as I thought people would want something more special, intimate and romantic.”
There are a variety of ways to celebrate your marriage in Spain and you don’t have to take the religious option. “Spanish residents can have a civil wedding but some chose not to,” says Stacy Reading. “Many decide to marry in Gibraltar because of the cost of the required Spanish paperwork – legal translations and consulate fees – which is around €600.”

A more popular option is to follow a civil wedding in Britain with a blessing or an exchange of vows in Spain. “Fifty per cent of the weddings I organise are Catholic, 40 per cent symbolic [a blessing or exchange of vows] and 10 per cent civil. If you are Catholic, the process is little different to marrying in Britain. The same preparation is undertaken and the local priest then sends all the required documentation to the chosen Spanish priest.”

Another growing area is gay weddings. The same residency rules apply here so many opt for a commitment ceremony and increasing demand has led to the creation of specific wedding planning companies dedicated to same-sex celebrations throughout the country.

Read the full story in our April 2008 issue.