Getting Married in Spain
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Romantic Spain
With its evocative guitar music, its sensuous flamenco dancers and its famed
Latin lovers, Spain is a destination where romance is always in the air.
Not all beaches in Spain are crowded and noisy and there are hundreds where you can stroll under the hot Mediterranean sun in total isolation.
Spanish brides traditionally carry bouquets of beautifully scented Orange Blossom, the white flower symbolising purity and the evergreen plant from which it came symbolising everlasting love.
Lifestyle & Culture
Spain has been colonised, invaded and ruled over by many cultures over the centuries, and all of them are represented in its unique and vibrant culture.
Larger cities such as Madrid, Barcelona and Seville are cosmopolitan and world class
boutiques and store, galleries, museums, restaurants and hotels blend easily with the often very
beautiful old buildings that surround them.
Spaniards have an innate sense of style and, especially in the main cities, dress very fashionably and well. Spanish made clothes tend to use beautiful fabrics and be very well made.
In more rural and remote areas people dress and behave more conservatively and you will be expected to do likewise. It is not the done thing for example to go into churches in clothing more suited to the beach.
Siesta & Fiesta
The old tradition of Siesta is dying out somewhat, in larger cities especially, but in many places stores still close for two, three or even four hours in the middle of the
day and normally crowded streets become all but deserted.
Refreshed by their mid-day rest, in the early evenings people emerge and stroll around the streets, returning home for dinner rather later than in other places - it can be as late as 10pm before they eat.
Nightclubs start late too, around midnight, and bars stay open late. It is not unusual in Madrid to have a concert or other event scheduled as late as 1am.
Although Spain is not as deeply religious a country as it once was, people wholehearted join in with celebration of church holidays, which are often
the occasion for a fiesta.
At fiesta time, streets are colourfully decorated and parades, street performers and musicians entertain the crowds.
Specially famous Fiestas include the Bull Runs in Pamploma,
Eating & Drinking
The Spanish are passionate about food and the traditional cuisine is one of the healthiest and most delicious in the world. It is based on excellent fresh local ingredients: meat and fish, olive oil, rice and lots of vegetables and fruit, carefully and lightly cooked to retain flavour.
Fast food is not much in evidence outside tourist resorts. Instead the
Spanish have Tapas. More a way of eating than a food, tapas may describe something as simple as a plate of fresh olives
served with cubes of cheese and ham or a series of elaborate morsels shared by everyone at the table.
Popular dishes include the rice based Paella a speciality of Valencia;
Pimientos rellenos, peppers stuffed with minced meat or seafood;
Tortilla de patatas, an omelette made with potatoes and Calamares en su
tinta, Squid cooked in its own ink.
The Spanish eat out a lot, and there are numerous restaurants even in small towns. You will eat far better and for far less money in those frequented by locals than in ones aimed at tourists.
Wine, Beer & Spirits
Lager style beer, or cerveza, is very popular, especially with Tapas, and is served very cold. Brands to look out for include Alhambra
Reserva and Voll Damm.
Jugs of Sangria are a common sight in restaurants, but only on tourist tables, the Spanish consider it a party drink, like punch. Rioja is Spain’s most popular wine, but look out too for wines from the Ribera del Duero region.
Nor do the Spanish care much for the sweet Sherry so popular abroad, they opt instead for the dryer and lighter Fino or Manzanilla.