Weddings in Spain - part 2

I will continue from where I left off from the first post about weddings in Spain, which was when we all went to the wedding venue after the ceremony.

Apéritif and canapés

In all of the bodas (weddings) I have been to over here you never go straight in to the wedding breakfast room.  We are usually outside on a terraza (terrace) or in a reception area where drinks and nibbles are brought around on trays.  This gives everyone a chance to gather and mingle before the meal.

In this wedding there was a small boat filled with ice from where you could help yourself to Spanish bottled beers. 

Next to that was a man serving sidra Asturiana in the traditional way.  Pouring from a height aerates the drink as it's not a fizzy drink as some of you may know cider to be.  Asturias is a region in the north of Spain (where the famous Formula 1 driver Fernando Alonso comes from).  This was chosen to be served because the bride and groom live in Asturias, however the bride is from Seville and the groom is from Cádiz.

There was a man cutting and serving jamón de bellota.  For those of you who do not know what the cured ham, jamón ibérico, is I will dedicate another post to it.  Bellotas are acorns, which is the main diet of the pig which produces this top quality fine cured ham.  You definately have to try it one day.  Here, short bread sticks are being served with the ham.

Apart from all the canapés that were being served on trays, a cooking station was set up frying quails eggs (huevos de codorniz) on a hotplate which were then placed on top of chunks of fresh baguette with a slice of jamón.

Course after course

Once we entered the main room and sat down the courses came.  The Spanish take their food seriously and there is no holding back at weddings.  Quantity and style of presentation can vary but there is usually a starter, a fish course, a sorbet, a meat course and then dessert and coffee.  I will not go into detail about the selection at this wedding but I will just show you a photo of the basket of shellfish that was put in the centre of our table. 

For those of you who like seafood this was a delight - there were prawns right down to the bottom of the basket.

Traditions and gifts

In the UK it is quite common that a certain quantity of people are invited to the ceremony and the meal, and then some more people are invited to come along after the meal is over and the dancing starts.  I suppose that is to being costs down?  That doesn't happen here in Spain.  You are either invited to the whole event or nothing at all.   There were over 300 people at this wedding distributed amongst the top table, the childrens table and the various tables of groups of friends and family.

The meal part of the wedding could last anything up to 4 hours!  So randomly during the meal, guests shout out things like ¡vivan los novios! (long live the bride and groom!), or ¡que se besen, que se besen! (kiss, kiss! - demanding that the bride and groom kiss) while a coordinated clapping of the hands goes on.  The Spanish are known for being loud when in groups and this is always the case at any of the weddings I have been to over here... but in a good way!

In between courses the bride and groom always get up and go round to each table to thank their guests individually.  They usually give each person a keepsake or gift as a thank you, and is quite often something personal from their place of origin like olive oil from a local producer, soaps, or some decorative object like a shawl for the ladies.  It could be cigars or some kind of bottle of special alcohol for the men.  However since the non-smoking ban has been in place in Spain, no one has given cigars as a gift (as they would always be lit up immediately!).

The wedding gift to the bride and groom that is expected from the guests is money.  I've never seen a wedding list for the ones I have been to over here.  It is common that in the invitation to the wedding the bride and groom give an account number where you can transfer them money directly.  Sometimes we put cash in an envelope and give it to them when they come round the tables during the meal.  It is a general rule of thumb that you give at least what you think it costs for the meal and drinks per head.  I know that's one thing that is different to the UK. 

The bride does throw her bouquet for some hopeful young lady to catch, like in the UK.

Not in Spain

There isn't normally a 'best man' in Spain, nor bridesmaids.  As I mentioned in my last post they usually get the children involved and they walk down the aisle with the bride.

There are no speeches: no 'father of the bride' speech, nor 'best man' speech.

Drinks

Probably the biggest difference a Spanish wedding has to a British one is that ALL the drinks are free.  There were two bars set up on the outdoor terrace serving all types of drinks as a welcome - soft drinks, cava, wine, beer, etc.  During the meal, there is usually red wine and white wine served at the table with the specific courses and any beer or soft drinks that you request.  Then when the meal is over the barra libre starts, which is basically a free bar where you can order anything you want right up until the end of the night.  This generally makes the guys happy... and very drunk!

Dancing

The Spanish love dancing, men included, but especially after a couple of drinks.  As you can imagine there is always a DJ but I have been to a few weddings, including this one, where a live band plays Spanish party music and general hit songs.  Being brought up in the UK I obviously have a different taste in music but the dance floor always fills up very quickly.  There is always a 'first dance' which could be a waltz or something funky, which is a trend nowadays.  Then if in Andalusia, a Sevillanas dance is usually done at some point throughout the evening, which is a traditional dance from Seville (I could also dedicate a post to it one day).

Home time

The Spanish like staying up late and a wedding is a good excuse to keep going until you just can't stand up anymore.  However at weddings that start early, like this one, people start to disappear around 1am or 2am.  I have been to weddings that go on until 6am though!

I hope that I have given you some interesting information and an insight into what Spanish weddings are like.  I always enjoy them and just love seeing everyone happy and, of course, eating lots of wonderful food!

If you have any questions or comments just let me know.