Getting Married in Spain
Recently many brides have asked me about getting married in Spain and if the ceremony can be legal. It is only possible to legally get married in Spain if:
- You are Catholic and wish to marry in a Catholic Church – you will liaise with your local priest in your home town and send the necessary paperwork to the Diocese in Malaga. They will then send the correct information and documents to your chosen church on the Coast. We will assist you from the very beginning if you are planning a Catholic Church wedding – from the choice of church, contacting priests, arranging paperwork, translation and legalizing the marriage with the relevant registry departments in Spain after the marriage itself.
- If you are legally registered as a resident in Spain. You can then have a civil ceremony in your local town hall conducted by the Town Mayor.
Unfortunately, there aren’t any exceptions to these rules, so if you are neither of the above then you must do the legal aspect either in a registry office in your home country or in Gibraltar. However, the blessing ceremonies that our brides then have in front of all their guests at their weddings in Spain can be tailored exactly to your wishes so your guests need not even realise that the ceremony here is not legal. You can keep your vows and special moments for the blessing ceremony and treat the legal side as obtaining the necessary paperwork.
If you are still keen to have a wedding in a church, there is the possibility of using a small chapel in Marbella but it can only hold around 50 guests. This would also be just a blessing ceremony rather than a legal service.
