It didn’t take long for me to know that Jac and I would spend the rest of our lives together. When I popped the question in Aruba in November of 2019, we instantly started talking about what kind of wedding we wanted. 2019 had absolutely been the year of weddings, we have been to five throughout the year and invited to seven, none in the state we lived in. There was every type of wedding – intimate vs massive, DJ’s vs band, buffets vs plated, outdoor vs indoor, east coast vs west coast, summer vs fall. We literally saw every type of wedding you could image! And saw so many of our loved ones enjoy their day for their own reasons, knowing the day is exactly what they wanted it to be.
Very quickly, we went on the venue hunt. Our first idea was to head to wine country in Virginia and check out some of the quite stunning vineyards. We visited some pretty incredible places and had some tasty wine in the process but ultimately it all felt too big. We were craving something small and intimate that would tap into our adventure loving souls. We also are self-proclaimed foodie’s and I work in the music industry, so food and music are a high priority for this day.
Early on in the process, I mentioned Barcelona to Jac jokingly. She brushed me off thinking it would be too outrageous, too far, and too much money. But once we did that initial pass through Virginia, her tune changed. See, Barcelona was special to us. After only a few months of dating I surprised her with a trip to Barca for her 30th birthday. It is a special place to us and both of us have said that trip solidified our relationship in ways we can’t even describe. While we were there, we visited a winery and felt that could be a beautiful place for a wedding…maybe?
So, we started doing some research and decided early that finding a wedding planner would be the best way to make this crazy dream into a reality. That is when we spoke to Weddings Via Val, an incredible group of women that specialize in destination weddings. We had a few awesome conversations and recently signed a contract to get the ball rolling.
Then we looked at each other as huge smiles peeled across our faces, we are getting married in Spain!
The tapas and paella and music and wine, oh goodness the wine, we cannot wait to share this city with the ones we love.
There are going to be challenges. Crazy one’s. Ridiculous ones. We know there will be family and friends that just cannot make the trip, and that’s okay too. More on a state-side party later. We have a clear vision and it will be an incredible day.
This blog will serve to talk you through planning a destination wedding. All the good and bad parts. All the exciting and terrifying parts. And of course, in detail about the paella.
Cheers to chasing our compass!
-Mandy & Jac
