Traditional church wedding Spain | Classic Spanish Hacienda
A traditional church wedding in Spain follows the Catholic tradition and Malaga is home to a stunning selection of churches and chapels.
Today’s bridal story whisks us away to the heart of La Cala de Mijas where you can find a beautiful church, small and simple but at the same time radiant. It has a semicircular plan with two floors, and in the centre of the ground floor is the main altar.
It was at this quaint Mijas church, on the last Saturday of August 2021, that the lovely Irish bridal couple Fionnuala and Jonathan said “I do.”
Today’s feature article goes over some of the fabulous highlights of their very special day, including a last minute stop at an Irish pub after the church ceremony, before everyone made their way to the classic Spanish Hacienda where the wedding breakfast was held.
On a brilliant summer’s day, Fionnuala and Jonathan’s wedding guests gathered inside the bridal couple’s chosen wedding ceremony venue, expectant on the arrival of the radiant bride, and it was to the entrance song “This I promise you” sung by duet Edward and Conan (Jonathan’s brothers) that sounded on acoustic guitar, as the blushing bride entered the traditional church venue on the arm of her father.
The sibling performance as Fionnuala glided through the entrance and down the aisle to meet her husband-to-be, made the start to the ceremony all the more special.
Surrounded by friends and family, the vows were said and rings exchanged to the beautiful service music “One Bread, One Cup”, sung once more by Edward.
Once the service had completed the wedding party was taken to an Irish Pub, the reason being, football!!
Just one week before the wedding day, Tyrone football club (the wedding party’s home football team) had reached the All-Ireland Senior Football Championship Semi-final against Kerry. A game that couldn’t be missed, even if it meant putting back the wedding breakfast by a couple of hours.
A few extra rounds of Magnus later and everyone, including the bride, were having a great time, especially as, after reaching extra time, Tyrone won the match making the All-Ireland Senior Football Championship final. As soon as the final whistle blew, everyone was led directly to the coaches for a double celebration at the Hacienda where glasses of bubbly were waiting for all on their arrival.
There at the grounds of this typical Spanish hacienda, set on the foothills of Mijas Costa where large expanses of grass, orchards and flowing fountains make for the perfect outdoor wedding venue, the guests were offered a delicious selection of drinks and a wide range of canapes and tapas treats including garlic and herb bruschetta with fresh basil and baby tomatoes, seared beef drizzled with balsamic truffle oil, baby smokey chorizo and canapé spoons of paprika, garlic and chilli prawns to name but a few. The refined wedding reception ambience was completed with a vibrant flamenco style set by Spanish guitarist Nano.
The guests were able to enjoy a relaxed moment mingling on the front lawn, rich in tropical flowers as the sun set against the rugged mountain-ranges that surround the finca before they were invited to the rear garden for the main course. An area which had been decorated with whimsical, fairy-tale lights which created a breathtaking celestial array, overlooking the swimming pool where guests were treated to a fantastic feast of: Serrano wrapped chicken breast stuffed with herbed mascarpone topped with fried onion strings, roast chicken Jus and summer vegetables and confit potatoes or rolled slow cooked Spanish beef “Steak” filled with seasonal vegetables in Rioja and confit potatoes, followed by a delicious trio of dessert that included a portion of: sweet churros rolled in cinnamon sugar with a hot chocolate sauce for dipping, crema Catalana with a crunchy caramel topping with a white chocolate barrita and rich chocolate brownie with orange coulis topped with caramelised orange.
After the all-important speeches, bride, groom and guests made their way to the dance floor that had been set up in the lower courtyard where they partied the night away to old skool dance classics, followed by a catchy playlist at the hands of the amazing Chica DJ, all the while enjoying the flow of exquisite food and drink provided by the newlyweds.
A memorable wedding day full of tradition, sport, exquisite food and plenty of love. We thank Fionnuala and Jonathan for sharing their magical day with us, we wish you a long and happy marriage. A huge gracias also to Agata Jensen for the use of these incredible images.
