Considerations when choosing a wedding venue in Spain

Finding the right wedding venue can be a daunting task, especially when you are trying to get as much information as possible whilst organising a destination wedding in a different country.

Here is a bit of professional advice before you commit to booking a venue here in Spain.

1. Plan B Weather

In the event of high winds or rain does your venue have a back up space?  

If your venue does not have enough space to move an entire wedding inside, i,e, ceremony, dinner and dancing then you must factor in the cost of installing a marquee, perhaps with heating, lighting, etc and do check out the available spaces in your venue to make a wedding work if you cannot host it outside.

You must also factor inside spaces into your arrangements if the venue does not allow music outside after midnight, see no 2.

Do bear in mind this will apply even if your wedding is organised in the summer months, i,e June, July and August as often here we suffer from high winds, particularly if you are planning a beach wedding.  I can recall two weddings we had last year, one in June and one in August where it was blowing a gale.

2. Can you play music outside?

Here I find this is one of the most crucial factors for our couples wishing to host their wedding here in Spain.

Often it is assumed that as we lead a very outdoor Mediterranean lifestyle we can party outside until all hours, but sadly no.  There are very strict noise regulations in place in venues and private villas which are located in built up areas.

Noise has to be kept to a minimum during the evening and after midnight it is forbidden, hence you are going to have to move your party inside.  There are a few venue exceptions but over this past year I have met with many couples who have booked a private villa only to subsequently find out about the music curfews and are faced with having to work around these restrictions for their celebration, which of course they had not anticipated.

Do be careful, many private villas want bookings and are not going to enlighten you with this information until they have received your deposit and you are locked into a rental agreement with them.  Ask them before you book if there are any music restrictions.

3. Decoration of your Spaces

Many of our venues here in Spain are already stunningly beautiful which is a bonus and only require a few elements of decoration to add some style and personalise your wedding.   

However do consider if you are hosting a wedding which has a plan b room that you may need to spend extra on providing some more decor to liven the space up.

4. Catering and a Kitchen at your Venue.

If you have chosen a stunningly remote venue for your wedding do check that there are facilities installed, i,e kitchens and toilets.  It sounds quite a basic thing but if there is not a lot at your venue you are going to have to pay to bring them in, for example mobile kitchens and mobile toilets.  This is quite a cost as off premises caterers will have to build adequate kitchens to cater for your wedding on site.  So do get quotes and check with suppliers how much it is going to cost to bring everyone to your wedding before you commit to your beautiful but secluded venue.

5. Access to the Venue.

You have fallen in love with a venue, it ticks all the boxes and it is set in the stunning hills of Andalucia. You can play music outside all night and it is perfect, it has adequate kitchens and toilets, but it is accessible for all the suppliers who will be arriving to create your event?  
Calculate the amount of suppliers who are going to come to your venue to create your wedding, they arrive in cars!   

You will have catering trucks, coaches or mini buses bringing guests to your venue and all the other suppliers, hair and make up, photographer, videographer, entertainment, wedding planner, etc so do check the access roads are suitable and there is adequate parking available for all the trucks and cars who will be there attending to your event and make sure they can park out of sight.

I hope this helps you with a little bit of advice and of course you can always enlist our pre-wedding consultation service with our expert knowledge before you confirm your perfect venue.

A Hip Hacienda Wedding in Seville

Here in Spain on a pretty gloomy cloudy day we love nothing more than receiving photos of our fabulous, glorious hot summer weddings!  

This day was certainly no exception, in the heat of Seville at the end of July at one of my favourite venues, the gorgeous Hacienda San Rafael were hosting the wedding of Nicole and Andrew and the Reviva team rocked up to put many finishing touches to their day.

We had been working the day before in Malaga in a very hot venue which was hitting 56 degrees by the afternoon so I have to admit I was rather dreading heading up to Seville the next day but was pleasantly surprised to find it was only in the early 40's with a slight breeze and luckily, Nicole and Andrew being sensible people had decided not to start their wedding until 8pm!  

We can never stress to our clients how hot it does get here and to plan accordingly.

Nicole had contacted us to help her with her styling and some aspects of her planning to make sure her day went as smoothly as possible and she knew we worked at this beautiful venue a lot.

We created personalised signs, dressed the chairs with Spanish lace, and created the magical twinkly setting in the dining area dressing the trees with lanterns, crystal fairy lights and chandeliers.  We ordered her wedding flowers from a florist we know and work with in Seville and made sure everything went smoothly.

Whilst Nicole had planned most of her wedding herself, we assisted Nicole with various suppliers, plenty of wedding advice and jumped in to help her when her make up artist had double booked and she had to fly over to Spain to find a new one.

I do giggle when I arrive the next day to find our couples have lost their voices and are trying their best to entertain their guests and this was no exception but it was a delight to see how thrilled they were and what a fabulous evening they had enjoyed with their close family and friends.

Our congratulations to Nicole and Andrew and thank you to Richard at Elan Images for such fabulous photos.

Hidden Costs of Planning a Destination Wedding you Did not Count On

One of the first things you do when planning your wedding is work out a wedding budget so you can start the fun things of finding a perfect venue, the dress and suppliers such as photographers, entertainment and decor.

But you do need to be prepared for those hidden costs and the unexpected and we do advise all our clients to add an extra 10% onto their wedding budget as those unforeseens pop up.  

We thought we would share a few hidden weddings costs that most of our couples do not anticipate when planning a destination wedding and also I will share a huge bug bear of mine when it comes to dealing with wedding venues with 'in quote' 'wedding packages', so to avoid any big surprises do read on.

1. Hair, make up and beauty treatments

All of us want to look out best on wedding days so do take into account the cost of wedding pampering and the hair and make up trials.  

Most hair and make up trials will be around 60 euros each and having nails, pedicures, eyelash extensions and other beauty treatments will soon add to your wedding budget.  

It is always a good idea to set aside a budget for this dependent on how many bridesmaids and members of the wedding party you will be offering beauty treatments to.

2. Wedding Dress and Suits Steaming and Pressing

Many of our destination weddings have their outfits carefully packed and hung out ready for the big day but often they require some steaming or pressing, do add a professional steam or press into your budget as well as buying pre rehearsal and post wedding day outfits if entertaining your guests over a 3 or 4 day period which is common for a destination wedding.

3. Staff meals

There are usually a whole host of wedding professionals helping you along with your day and many of them are working more than a 12 hour shift in a hot climate.  

Most venues and caterers offer a staff meal and refreshments so you will need to account for the wedding planner, the photographer and videographer and perhaps the band, DJ, etc and any technicians who are required on site throughout the day and night.

4. On The Day Lunch

As you and your bridal party are getting ready you will need to eat as you prepare for your wedding.  

Most venues and caterers will bring a sandwich platter and drinks to your room and of course every bridal party needs to add cava or champagne to calm the pre-wedding nerves so allow for some pre bridal and pre groom lunches and drinks.

5. Stationery

It is always wonderful to receive a beautiful wedding invitation in the post but consider the cost of sending our your invites, including the postage, which can quickly add up.

Combined with on the day stationery such as Order of Services, table seating plans, table names and place cards and all your paper goods for the day, this can be quite a cost but also stamps a style to your wedding day so it is a very important consideration to add to your wedding budget particularly with destination weddings as it is not easy to DIY this when travelling abroad.

Regarding hidden costs of venues that offer wedding packages here are some of the things that may not be included, so be warned of the extras that pop up when negotiating and organising the extras with your venue.

1. Microphones and sound equipment for speeches

It goes without saying there will be speeches and some background music at weddings, but be aware many venues do not offer this as part of their package, it is an extra and can be anything from 150 euros to 300 euros.

2. Water

We host weddings in a very hot country and it is courtesy to offer your guests a cool water as they arrive ready for your ceremony.  Here in Spain we do not drink tap water so all water supplied is bottled and this comes with a cost that is not included in the pre wedding arrival of guests which can average around 2.50 euros per head.  Quite a cost with 100 to 200 guests.

3. Wedding Cakes

Bringing in your own wedding cake, again be aware that if you are ordering a cake from an outside supplier they maybe a cost from the venue per head to cut and serve this cake.


This service will require the venue's staff time, you will be using their plates and cutlery and this needs to be paid for so do check with your wedding venue the cost of this if you are planning on bringing in catering in any shape or form from outside suppliers.


While some of these costs are unavoidable and others are not essential it is good to know from the start so there are no hidden surprises so do build this into your wedding budgets and always add an extra 10% just in case.