Weddings in Spain - part 1

I have just come back from another boda (wedding) but this time it was in Seville.  We have friends dotted all around Spain and any chance we get to go somewhere to visit someone we take it.

It takes about 6 hours to drive from the centre of Alicante to the Centre of Seville.  You would take the autovia (motorway) going south past Murcia, then Lorca, then at Puerto Lumbreras go west towards Granada.  Then from Granada its about 2 to 2.5 hours drive to Seville.  I have always been quite impressed with the state of the autovias in Spain and had no complaints on this journey.  

The evening before

The friends and family who have come from far away usually get together for dinner the evening before the wedding.  For this wedding, the groom's father kindly treated us all to a lovely tapas style meal at a typically Spanish restaurant where we could all catch up before heading to a bar to continue the merriment.

The ceremony

Brides and grooms usually kneel for prayers and sit down on benches throughout the ceremony.

The time that wedding ceremonies start in Spain vary depending on the place and time of the year.  I have been to weddings in Alicante where the ceremony started at 7 or 8pm but they were during the summer time and its quite common to do this to avoid the hottest part of the day.  This wedding in Seville started at 11.30am which is considered to be quite an early one, but it is November and so was not too hot.

The ceremony itself in a catholic church usually takes about 45 minutes to an hour, with various readings, hymns and songs and the priest going on a bit (too much in some cases).  Let's face it, we all just want to hear the vows of 'sí, quiero...' and go and party!

At this wedding, some friends of the bride sang in a group with a guitar and some percussion.  It was a nice change to the choir and hymns at most weddings...

As with all church weddings, the bride and groom go and sign the register.  The bride was particularly proud of the church in her village and so a photo session with family and friends in front of the altar took place.  I hope they don't mind but I wanted to show you a photo of them as I would like to point out the groom's mother's head wear.

Catholic devotees wear a mantilla when their sons get married.  It is a veil usually made of lace which is held up over the head (to give height) by a peineta.  This is the tall comb with an intricate cut-out pattern that fixes the hair in place.  This is also a typically Andalusian (meaning someone from the Andalucía region of Spain in the south) tradition worn by women at events like weddings, Holy Week, bullfights and processions.  It is also a part of some traditional costumes from various parts of Spain.  This veil could have been influenced by Muslim culture in nearby North Africa or when Spain was ruled by Muslims centuries ago.  Whatever its origins it is an elegant touch to an outfit and lots of mothers look forward to being able to wear the mantilla.

Children are also very important to the Spanish and most of the little ones who came to the wedding were dressed in similar styles and colours.  Children are adored here and are encouraged to be a part of all festivities and activities.

When the photos were taken we all went together to the wedding party venue, or salón de bodas.  That will be the next post...