Getting Married on The Orihuela Costa - Some Sound Advice.
The idea of getting married on the Orihuela Costa, in the Sun, on a beach framed by romantic sunsets and all of the guests swooning in linen suits, drinking sundowners to congratuate you is a fantasy that can become a reality.Coming to Spain for your wedding can make those dreams come true, the perfect climate, the chance of an outdoor wedding, getting married in an old Finca or a Gothic Spanish Church really is only a few hours away.
With the dreams, however, comes the reality.
Getting married in Spain, the Costa Blanca or the Orihuela Costa produces it's own sets of rules, paperwork (LOTS OF) and running around, in a country where you may not know the laws or only partially understand them.
Spanish law is changing all of the time and will vary from each area or town hall you may want the wedding to take place in. Some areas prohibit legally-binding civil ceremonies for non-residents, whilst others will allow a civil service and there are many other problems to overcome besides.
For example:- Did you know that same sex civil marriages are recognised in exactly the same way as male-female marriages in Spain ?
There are many rules to follow and the whole process can be painfully slow. That said however, the Orihuela Costa, the Costa Blanca and Spain definitely provides that dream setting.
The Blessing Option.
For a vast amount of couples, the best and by far, easiest option is to get married in their own country and come out here to have a blessing, (especially for non-residents of Spain) and have their dream celebrations.
This can can generally work out to be the cheaper option, as prices here may be less expensive than in your own country.
As well as this, the couple, family, witnesses and friends and guests do not have the strain & stresses of all of the paperwork, legallities and headaches that getting married in Spain can bring.
Finally, if you decide you want the whole kit and kaboodle and decide to opt for the big Spanish day, even with the stress, running around, paperwork and visits to the Town Hall and the Palacio, IT IS ALL WORTH IT...and you've learned new customs, new laws and are thet little bit more aware of the Spanish ways of doing things, bringing you a bit closer to integrating into the country you have decided to make home.
Trust us at the O.C. team, we've done it ourselves
A Church Wedding.
A beautiful Church Wedding is possibly the biggest dream of a girl's life. Spain has some of the most beautiful Churches in Europe and if you are seeking a Church Wedding on the Orihuela Costa, Costa Blanca or in Spain, you need to get your skates on, as Church weddings are booked out years in advance.
In order for you to be married in Spain, you must produce the following documents to your priest in the UK in order to open your marriage file:
For a Church Wedding, you will need:-
- Original Passport (& copies)
- Baptism certificate solicited at the chapels where each member of the couple has been baptized.
- The certificate must be legalized by the Bishops office from the diocese of origin.
- These certificates have a 6-month validity.
- Birth certificate with the number and file in the register.
- Passport identification of each member of the couple.
- The evidence that the couple has taken the pre-marriage course (obligatory). The priest will arrange a course.
Both the bride and groom will need to provide a witness, witnesses cannot be relatives of the bride or groom.
Once the file is finished, you will be given an extract to present at the Bishops office.
The Bishops office will send the file to the Bishops office in Spain and from there it is sent to the church or chapel where the wedding will take place.
6 - 7 months before the wedding you will then need to consult your priest with details such as:
1. Name of the priest conducting the ceremony.
2. Name of Bishop and his address.
3. Name of church and diocese.
At this time the priest will get the papers authorised by their "Communication of Canonical Marriage", to be added at the Registry Office in their home county, where they will be granted their Family Book. Despensation is required, which must be requested from their Bishopric.
NEITHER PARTY CAN BE DIVORCED.
The Civil Wedding.
Civil weddings in Spain, for 2 foreigners are permitted in certain regions,where some regions will only allow marriage where 1 of the couple is a Spanish National.
There are certain legallities need to be in place before the big day takes place. This can take months to complete and can be a logistical nightmare, especially if you are having all of your guests out.
While the legalities for Civil Ceremonies in Spain vary from town hall to town hall, the basic documents remain the same.
Spanish Law requires that foreigners are resident in Spain for at least two years prior to the wedding date, although some town halls will marry a couple with correct paperwork.
What you will need for a Civil Wedding-
- ORIGINAL birth Certificate (& copies)
- Passport (and copies)
- Translation of Birth Certificate into Spanish
- Certificate of Residence
- Padron
- Registration at the British Consulate ( Alicante is the nearest)
- Your marriage bans posted at the Consulate
- Translations of all of your documents into Spanish(can be arranged at the British Consulate or with a wedding planner)
- Register your intention to marry at the Palacio de Justo (Palace of Justice) in Orihuela.
For the Hague Apostil to be placed on the required paperwork, the Britsih Consulate can arrange this or you can get it done yoursel by contacting:-
The Legislation Office Foreign and Commonwealth Office Admiralty Office.
King Charles Street
London
SW1A 2AH
(0044) 207 008 1500
Here in the Orihuela Costa, there may be more paperwork required, so it is best to check with the Town Hall as to EXACTLY what will be required.
Make sure that you ask them about EVERYTHING that you will need, as there is a tendancy for the officials to let you know what you didn't bring each visit, resuting in many trips to the Palacio and creating even more stress than you are already in.
Plan your Big Day better. Employ a Wedding Planner.
With all of the stress involved in pulling off the biggest day of your life, many couples and families now employ the serices of a Wedding Planner. Wedding Planners acn ease the pressure, do all of the groundwork, assist with the paperwork and do a lot of the running around, especially if you do not live on the Orihuela Costa or in Spain. This can allow you to relax a little, knowing that everything is in hand. A Wedding Planner can assist you, based upon their experience and wealth of knowledge right from the very start:- Making the decision about getting married in Spain, whether it be a church wedding or civil wedding or just a blessing, information about the paperwork required, a venue chioce, running around, getting you to the Consulate of your country and all sorts of advice from colour schemes to flowers to cars to whatever you think of (or indeed may not have thought of). It may just be the best way to plan your big day here on the Orihuela Costa or Spain, leaving you secure in the knowledge that you can share the burden.
One thing you must remember:- Many people come to Spain and re-invent themselves. When bnooking the services of any professional, make sure that all of your questions are answered to your satisfaction, especially the final cost. Don' t fall foul of the bargain...it may prove way more expensive than you imagined, in more ways than just financial. Always ask for testimonials, cedentials and references if at all possible. Always seek advice form a well reputed source, or have a planner referred to you by someone who has used their services.
Valerie Latham owns & runs Valerie's Novias, Calle Mayor, 9 - Pilar de la Horadada - 966 766 689 / www.valeries-novias.com and have an instore wedding planner to take all the stress out of this very special occassion. Visit the shop or call to make an appointment with the wedding planner.
