Wedding Season Living In Spain

​By Colleen Boland
Colleen Boland is an Associate and Head of Content for Young American Expat. She is originally from Baltimore, MD and currently residing in Madrid, Spain.

Originally published on Young American Expat in 2017

Colleen (middle) at the peak of wedding season!

Hi guys! Back again after way too long of a hiatus. I plan to correct that in the future! One of the things overwhelming my schedule this winter is wedding season, and let me tell you, in Spain we are different! I thought I’d highlight one of my favorites from just this past February, and also include some of the highlights from others I’ve been graciously invited to attend here! And on top of that, my own wedding and the fabulous Spanish guest list in attendance opened my eyes to some cultural differences I hadn't noticed before, even though I was already a seasoned Spanish wedding guest. 

Our friends Almu and Nacho are obsessed with skiing so it only made sense they chose a winter wedding in a castle town north of Madrid, in the Province of Guadalajara! Siguenza is known for its Parador, a castle dating back to the 5th century that was remodeled by the Moors under their rule. In fact, the town has been ruled by Romans, Visigoths, Moors and Castilians!
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We arrived on Friday, because the town is a little over an hour from Madrid, and we wanted to take advantage of visiting it a bit before the wedding on Saturday, since weddings in Spain last the whole day and night! We tried some typical green beans that night and woke up early in the morning to go through a run through the beautiful countryside, complete with views of the reddish cliffs and green firs and the spectacular castle on the hill. Some of our friends were staying inside a hotel in the castle, but we got a very nice hostel right next to it, super modern and bright and with a great view of the castle itself! ​

Colleen (far right) with her friends in Spain

Right after the run and the hostel´s huge breakfast spread, I went to get my hair done in a brief 30 minutes at the same place the bride (and probably everyone else, since the town is small!) got theirs done. The breakfast was important because Spanish weddings usually have the ceremony or the mass, followed by a long cocktail hour before dinner, so you can´t go into it on an empty stomach!
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The wedding ceremony was Catholic and took place in the gorgeous Cathedral of Siguenza. The Bride had a spectacular winter cape that looked like something (classier) from the movie Frozen. In Spain, rather than bridesmaids and groomsmen, they have testigos (witnesses), usually only a couple, to sign that they bore witness to the union. However, Almu and Nacho are a fun and inclusive sort and they had quite a few testigos on each side. My husband Daniel and I were invited to be witnesses among several others, and Daniel had to rent coattails in order to be properly formal for the altar! I made sure to wear gloves and a wrap to also be properly dressed. ​

The beautiful bride!

Unlike in the United States, weddings in Spain are more formal, and usually women don´t show a lot of skin, especially in the ceremony. Instead, they wear elegant, long sleeved jumpsuits or dresses. For a day wedding, the attire for females is usually a fascinator or hat paired with a short dress, and for an evening wedding a long dress without anything worn on the head. This wedding, although the ceremony was at 1, the cocktails began around 2, meals began a bit after 6 and we danced until 1 am at the reception (before people headed to the bars) , it technically counted as a day wedding. However, Almu told the girls she recommended long dresses despite protocol, given the cold! So I went long, sans hat, and with a borrowed fur coat. As the three hundred of us marched up the hill from the ceremony at the Cathedral to the reception in the castle, the combination of fur and spectacular backdrop made everyone look like we were in a Game of Thrones scene! ​

​We got to take pictures with the bride and groom over the course of the cocktail, and finally they started ushering us into a great hall for dinner. Dinner has a first course, second course and dessert, all accompanied with generous amounts of wine, red or white alternating based on the dish. Dinner lasts a few hours, because Spaniards take time to enjoy each dish and of course, talk A LOT. Just like in America, the couple went from table to table greeting each of their guests, and the bride brought her bouquet to a couple at our table, giving them a little bit of a nudge to be the next ones engaged.

The bride and groom

​Then, after some after dinner “digestive” liquors, the dancing begins! An open bar is available
and people get their own drinks throughout the night from then
on, and somehow keep going!
They placed Flamenca music that several of my southern Spanish friends showed off their moves to, as well as a mix of classics and new hits,
I suppose in a similar way to what we do back home! One thing that is impressive to me is that the older folks and the kids remain until the wee hours, in this case 1 am, but I have been to “evening” weddings where they stay until 3 am or so, while the younger folk stay until 6 and then go out to another bar or venue after that!

More to come, but in the meantime, practice your 12 hour straight drinking and eating skills if you are planning on attending a Spanish wedding!

​-Colleen