Majority of foreign couples who choose to get married in Spain will do it with a symbolic ceremony. But what is a symbolic wedding ceremony?
A symbolic ceremony is a non legally binding wedding ceremony and is usually done with an officiant. At first, this might sound like something that you’d rather avoid. I’m sure you’re asking yourself the question why should you want to do it if it’s not legally binding?
I totally understand why you would think that. But why do think so many foreign couples get married in Spain anyways? And why doesn’t it seem to worry them? Perhaps they know something that you don’t?
In this blog post I will give you the 4 benefits of having a symbolic wedding ceremony.
Not having to worry about any paperwork
You’re having a non legally binding wedding in Spain, which means that you will need to have a civil ceremony or just sign the paperwork in your country to validate the marriage. You can arrange this either before- or after going to Spain, however the most popular way seems to be to arrange it just a few days before traveling but it’s all up to you. Once in Spain, you will celebrate the actual ceremony with an officiant, reception and party with family and friends. This is usually the day the majority of couples count as their actual wedding day.
By having everything taken care of in advance, you don’t have to worry about any paperwork to be done on site in Barcelona.
If you don’t like the idea of signing any papers before the wedding ceremony, you can always book a date for signing the papers back home a couple of days after you get back!
Fun fact, my husband and I actually signed the papers afterwards. We got married in October but didn’t get to sign the legal papers at the local registry office here in Barcelona until January! Oops! Luckily, we were not very stressed about the dates at all, and we knew the risk was there when we rush-planned our wedding in only 4 months. So for us it wasn’t really a big deal.
We celebrate our wedding day in October, and then in January we have a mini celebration for the actual legal date too… Because, why not? I understand perhaps this isn’t for everybody, so be careful if you plan to sign papers afterwards, you might have to wait longer than planned!
Freedom to pick any venue
You are not tied to having the wedding in a specific place or venue such as a church or town hall. This means you can get married at that beautiful venue you always dreamt of. Cliff with sea views. At the beach. A vineyard, a castle.. The officiant will travel anywhere.
A family member as officiant
Or why not a close friend? This is a possibility to consider, and it will make the ceremony much more personal! Just make sure you choose the right person for this important task.
100% customised ceremony
There are basically no limits to what you can do here, it’s all up to you. Everything the officiant says can be personalized. A fun ceremony with a lot of laughs, elegant and sophisticated ceremony with traditional or religious touches, maybe you want to sing your vows or have the ceremony in two languages. It’s possible! The officiants have long experience and are experts in their field.
I hope these ideas and information gave you a new, positive viewpoint of symbolic ceremonies and maybe helped you to make a decisions. Good luck with the planning!
