Costa del Sol Wedding

What exactly is the role of the celebrant at your Perfect Spanish Wedding?

As a former UK Deputy Superintendent Registrar and now full time wedding celebrant in southern Spain, Debbie Skyrme, gives us the benefit of her wealth of knowledge and answers all of your questions.

Debbie explains:

“MARRIAGE is purely a legal contract between two partners. At its simplest in the UK for example, your marriage agreement can comprise saying 40 obligatory words plus your names with a signed and witnessed entry to a register. That’s it. You can contract your legal marriage without any kind of ceremony – just like many couples had to do during the pandemic restrictions.”

“A WEDDING is all of the ceremonial celebration surrounding the marriage – the ring exchange, the personal vows, any rituals or customs including religious traditions are all part of the wedding rather than the marriage.”

Can I exchange rings for the first time at my symbolic ceremony in Spain?

Yes! When you register your legal marriage in your home country, you have the option of including as much or as little “ceremony” as you want to. Some couples make a big thing of signing their marriage contract and like to include a certain amount of ceremony, other couples prefer to save all of the personal elements until they are standing at their altar space on the Costa del Sol in front of the family and friend. Debbie adds:

“When you contract your legal marriage, you don’t have to exchange rings – that is not a legal requirement –many couples at Perfect Spanish Weddings choose to save this ritual element and do it for the first time at their wedding ceremony in Spain.

“Wedding vows are not actually legally binding either, so you can choose to make personal promises to each other at your Spanish altar space too. It all adds to the special excitement and emotion of your Big Day”

What other rituals, customs or traditions can I have at my Spanish wedding?

In addition to exchanging rings, you might want your celebrant to get to know you both really well so they can tell your love story as background to your journey to the altar! Depending on your influences and cultural beliefs you might also like to include. Debbie give us an example:

You may have heard of the expressions “bonds of matrimony” and “tying the knot”, well the Celtic Handfasting ritual is the origin of these phrases and comes from a time before the registration of marriages, when couples wanted to demonstrate their commitment to each other in front of their community. The couple would hold each other at the wrist so that their pulses were connected and bind their joined hands together with a length of cloth, ribbons or rope perhaps with an infinity knot as a symbol of never ending love.

Many modern couples choose to literally “tie the knot” in front of their guests so they have a visual element to their ceremony, it’s not just words.

Can a friend officiate my Perfect Spanish Wedding?

Of course anyone can take photos, organise a party, arrange flowers and read a script – so why not do everything yourself?

All of the team at Perfect Spanish Weddings are professionals. This is what we do. Full time! And we stake our reputation on recommending the best venues and suppliers to fit your particular needs within your budget. Right along the Costa del Sol from Marbella to Nerja, we are delighted to connect you with trusted providers that we have worked with before - our teamwork makes your dream work and that includes your celebrant!

Your wedding ceremony is at the heart of your special day, and there is only one chance to get it right - why trust the responsibility to somebody with little or no experience of officiating weddings?! Celebrant, Debbie says:

These days anyone can create an AI template wedding, but there is a real skill to writing a personal script that captures the vibe that the couple wants and reflects their personalities whilst maintaining the right degree of meaning.

I know that your guests might have travelled a long way to be at your wedding and they are going to want to feel like they are at the “marriage” as well as the wedding – that’s where my unique experience as a former registrar comes into its own.

A great celebrant will make everything look easy. Officiating a wedding is not just reading a script, there are many different theatrical elements involved. As your celebrant, I am not just your narrator; I am your director, producer, prompt and one of the leading actors in a “first night performance” all without rehearsal!

From signalling to your musician to start the ceremony music, getting guests to stand up/sit down and positioning your bridesmaids and groomsmen at the altar, to surreptitiously handing a tearful groom a tissue, arranging a bride’s dress or taking her bouquet… all whilst giving a warm welcome to your guests with a gentle injection of humour. 

Whlist organising your guest speaker to come up, your ring bearer to face the front and your witnesses to look up at the camera as they sign the commemorative certificate.  From your first step down the aisle to the altar to the petal confetti throw as your start your celebrations, I have your back. I have got this. Why trust the heart of your wedding to anyone else?!

From keeping half an eye on the photographer, videographer and content creator to make sure they are getting the best shot to chatting to the couple 

One last question, can I get legally married in Spain?

Specific details differ between the autonomous regions of Spain, but in essence you can contract your legal marriage in Spain if

• You or your partner has Spanish citizenship i.e. one of you holds a Spanish passport

• You both have two years residency in Spain

• You want a Catholic church marriage and wedding orchestrated through the Bishopric

Debbie explains:

Getting legally married in Spain can be frustrating at best and many native Spanish couples actually contract their marriage on one day and have their wedding ceremony on a totally different day anyway – it is the norm here.

Contracting your legal marriage in your home country means everything is in your native language (no official document translations needed) and you can order as many copies of your marriage certificate as you need at a later date – also future generations can more easily research family births, deaths and marriages!

By separating your legal marriage from your beautiful, symbolic wedding ceremony in the Spanish sunshine means it can be when and where you want, including whatever wording and rituals you would like – totally stress free! What’s not to love?!”