The placechanges everything
Your venue decides the light, the guest list, the timings and half the budget. It deserves real judgement.
Tell me your storyEvery venue looks perfect in its brochure. The questions that matter aren't in it: how late the music can play, who you're obliged to hire, where your guests will sleep, and what happens if it rains.
I ask them before you fall in love with a place, so you only visit the ones that truly fit.
Which one is yours?
Private villas
Privacy, a ceremony facing the sea and the party in the garden. Total freedom to design, with every supplier brought in. Capacity depends on each villa.
Fincas & country houses
Olive groves, stone courtyards and room for a long table under the trees. Often more space, more flexible timings and a cooler night.
Hotels
Everything in one place: ceremony, dinner and rooms for your guests. One contract, in-house catering and a team that does this every week.
Restaurants by the sea
For smaller weddings and long, relaxed dinners right on the water. Simple, delicious and beautifully informal.
The honest comparison
Freedom, and more to organise
- Exclusive: the place is yours for the day
- Any caterer, any style, any timings the rules allow
- Music curfews are common, set by local rules
- Furniture, lighting and facilities brought in
- Limited rooms: guests stay nearby
- More design freedom, more coordination
Simplicity, with set limits
- One contract and one team
- In-house catering and set menus
- Rooms on site for your guests
- Indoor Plan B usually ready
- Other guests may be around
- Less freedom on suppliers and timings
Venues for reference
Meliá Villaitana
Hotel · BenidormGardens, views over the bay and space for larger weddings with guests staying on site.
Asia Gardens Hotel
Hotel · FinestratTropical gardens and terraced pools in the hills.
SH Villa Gadea
Hotel · AlteaOn the seafront in Altea, with terraces for the ceremony.
Parador de Jávea
Hotel · JáveaA palm garden right above Arenal beach.
Private villas in Jávea and Moraira
Villa · Marina AltaPrivacy and sea views; capacity depends on each villa.
Inland fincas
Finca · Guadalest & Jalón valleysOlive trees, almond blossom and mountains half an hour from the coast.
Venues listed for reference only. There is no commercial agreement with any of them: your venue is chosen with you, for your idea and your budget. Exact capacities are confirmed with each venue.
Four questions before any visit
How many of you?
Your real guest list rules out half the venues on the coast.
What time, what light?
A sunset ceremony, dinner under the stars or a long lunch.
Where will guests sleep?
Rooms on site or nearby, and transfers there and back.
What does the contract say?
Exclusivity, curfews, compulsory suppliers, cancellation. I read it for you.
Costs that aren't in the brochure
None of these is unusual. They only hurt when nobody mentions them until the final invoice.
Compulsory suppliers
Some venues require their own caterer, or charge a fee to bring in your own.
Music curfews
When the music has to stop, and what an extra hour costs, if it's allowed at all.
Furniture and facilities
At villas and fincas: tables, chairs, lighting, power and toilets are often brought in.
Staff and security
Cleaning, parking and security that some venues add to the bill.
VAT
Whether a quote includes IVA, Spanish VAT, and at which rate. It isn't always the same for every service.
Cancellation and changes
What you lose, and when, if the date moves or numbers change.
See it in your light
A venue at eleven in the morning is a different place at seven in the evening. When you visit, I take you to the ceremony spot at the hour you'll marry, so you see where the sun falls, where the shade is and how the sea looks behind you.
The contract, read by a lawyer
Your venue contract is the most important document of your wedding. I read every clause before you sign and tell you, in plain English, what it means and what to ask for.
About venues
Can we get married on the beach?
Beaches are public in Spain, and a ceremony on the sand usually needs permission from the town hall. Some towns don't allow it. Beach clubs and venues right by the sand are often simpler, and I check what's possible for your date.
How far ahead should we book the venue?
As soon as you can: popular venues on the coast book up early, especially for weekends in September.
What if it rains?
Every venue we consider has a real Plan B, designed from the start, not the week before.
Can we visit before we decide?
Yes, and I recommend it. I shortlist first so your visit is spent only on places that truly fit.
Do you receive commission from venues?
No. There's no commercial agreement with any venue: the choice is yours, for your idea and your budget.
