Enhorabuena, Parabéns and Congratulations to our dear friends who were married in August. She was a lovely summer bride, he was a proud groom. The wedding was lovely with a civil ceremony in the old town of Pontevedra and dinner at a gorgeous Galician convent where we watched the sunset over the ria in Vigo and danced all night long. Here’s to many years of joy and laughter, Raquel and Valerio y ¡que vivan los novios!
Besos, Dianne
A weekend wedding celebration for some special friends took us to Oropesa de Toledo, an old medieval town in Castilla La Mancha. A beautiful town, complete with a castle and a family of storks nested in the town clock tower, it captures the essence of a typically Castillian village with tiny streets, bright tiles, and sunny squares. Summer in Castilla is hot, and this weekend was no exception, so we spent most of our time drinking tinto de veranos and sangrias and catching up with old friends from our Alma Mater, Western Michigan University.
The wedding started on Friday evening with a barbecue at the bride’s father’s vineyard to welcome guests who had travelled to Spain for the wedding. Jamon, tortilla, croquetas, and sangria got the party started and with some typical music and flamenco as a backdrop, the party went late into the night celebrating with the bride and groom.
On Saturday evening, we all went to the church for the ceremony. Tradition in the town calls for guests to wait outside to welcome the bride as she walks into the church. As she arrived coming up a tiny street to the church with her father, the crowd celebrated the beautiful bride with shouts of “Guapa!”. She was a stunning in a gorgeous lace dress with a long veil and a bouquet of delicate pink peonies.
The glowing golden alter was an incredible backdrop for a bilingual ceremony marked by the unique drums and flutes that the bride’s uncle’s band played during the ceremony. After the “Sí, quieros” we made our way out of the church where a surprise red vintage Seat 600 was waiting to take the newlyweds to the reception. Adorable!
Spanish hors d’oeuvres, mojitos, a delicious dinner, and non-stop dancing until the sun came up were the end to a beautiful weekend filled with love, surprises and so much fun. Thanks to Berta and Nick and all their family for an incredible weekend! ¡Qué vivan los novios!
(Top photo of Oropesa Castle via Diputacion de Toledo)
A Beautiful Journey 