Traditional Spanish Love

Nestled in the foothills of the Sierra Mijas Mountains with panoramic views of the Costa del Sol is the beautiful village of Mijas. With its whitewashed houses and maze of narrow cobbled streets dotted with quaint boutiques, beautiful gardens, traditional churches and restaurants that fill the warm air with the heavenly scent of Spanish cuisine, it’s no surprise that Tracy and Danny chose this traditional Spanish village as the location for their wedding abroad.

The Bride & Groom:
Tracy Redmond to Danny McDonagh

From:
Co. Mayo, Ireland

Wedding Location:
Los Boliches & Mijas, Spain

No. of Guests:
40


The Perfect Setting
Having settled on Spain as their wedding destination, Tracy truthfully admitted that they were originally planning to have their wedding in Marbella as “it just sounded good!” However on a planning trip a year prior to their wedding, they were captivated by the village of Mijas and they fell in love with Val Paraiso restaurant, instantly knowing it would be the perfect setting for their wedding reception.

A Unique & Intimate Occasion
For Tracy and Danny, the key criterion for their wedding was “intimacy”. They wanted to create a wedding day that was both meaningful and unique, a wedding that reflected their personalities and captured what marriage meant to them.

Tracy and Danny felt by having their wedding abroad they would not be tied by convention and would have more freedom to personalise their day than if they got married in their home country of Ireland. Another advantage over an Irish wedding was the glorious Spanish sunshine and Tracy and Danny were blessed with the most magnificent day, “the weather was fantastic”, said Tracy, “not many brides can say they caught a suntan on their wedding day!”

A Ceremony to Remember
Due to the daytime heat, Tracy and Danny’s wedding ceremony commenced at 5.00pm, giving Tracy sufficient time for “her nerves to build up” and Danny sufficient time to “just chill out!” However, once she walked up the isle of the beautiful quaint Church in the fishing village of Los Boliches, Tracy’s nerves where replaced with sheer excitement. Tracy and Danny’s wedding planner had organised an Irish priest to conduct their ceremony, “the mass was beautiful, and everything was so relaxed. I actually didn’t want it to end I was enjoying it so much”, said Tracy.

A Royal Couple
After the ceremony the couple’s 40 guests made the scenic journey from Los Boliches to Mijas. Despite being popular with tourists, Mijas has managed to retain its traditional Andalucian way of life and the friendly locals have a contagious passion for all things festive. For Tracy and Danny this made their wedding even more special as the local residents made them feel like royalty. As Tracy explained “in Spain weddings are such a big thing and everyone is so excited for you”.

While their guests were being serenaded with traditional Spanish music and being served pre-dinner drinks by the Val Paraiso restaurant’s private pool, the newly married couple took advantage of their beautiful surroundings and had some spectacular photographs taken in the village. Upon their return Tracy and Danny make a grand entrance and symbolically cut a white ribbon and released a dove into the evening sky.

A Soft Romantic Glow
As dusk fell the restaurant was lit with hundreds of tiny fairly lights creating a wonderfully romantic atmosphere. After their speeches took place by the pool, the couple’s guests were treated to an exceptional Spanish wedding dinner and were entertained by live musicians and flamenco dancers throughout the evening.

A Fabulous Wedding Planner
Their wedding day completely exceeded their expectations and Tracy’s key piece of advice for other couples planning a wedding in Spain is to “get a wedding planner and choose one you have read good reports on”. Tracy had nothing but praise for her wedding planner, “she was constantly at hand in the months before the wedding, always e-mailing and answering my questions without delay. I lost count of the e-mails that were sent to and fro! On the day she made sure everything ran smoothly and was at hand for anything we needed. I really couldn’t fault her, in my opinion she was A1”.

The Perfect Partners