A same sex destination wedding elopement dream came true for two British brides as they literally tied the knot high on a cliff top in Nerja, southern Spain.
What is the backstory?
Love is a sort of perfect accident, a chance meeting, a series of coincidences – but it was a lucky swipe right on Tinder that first connected J and E .
Fast forward five years and the two beautiful brides were saying their personal promises and words of commitment to each other on a breathtakingly high cliff top overlooking the sparkling Mediterranean as the sun set behind them.
Why choose Spain for your same sex elopement?
Spain was one of the first European countries to recognise gay marriage in 2005 so when the brides were looking for a destination wedding elopement location it was obviously going to be high on their list of LGBTQ+ friendly venues.
Southern Spain in particular boasts 320 days of sunshine and they discovered that their wedding budget stretched much further on the lesser known Eastern Costa del Sol near Nerja than on the glitzy, glamorous Western coast of Marbella. Add to that a budget flight into Malaga International Airport and an easy transfer along the Mediterranean highway and the brides soon booked their tickets.
Legal gay marriage or symbolic ceremony?
There is a lot to be said for not having to translate all of your necessary documentation into a foreign language and having a marriage certificate in English – so the girls were happy to contract their legal marriage with the registrar in their hometown in the UK. The marriage was conducted without any ceremony and consisted of saying the 40 statutory words plus the couple’s names with a witnessed entry to the register – no exchange of wedding rings, no personal vows – all of the “ceremony” was saved for their special symbolic wedding in the Spanish sunshine.
Click here to read more about the difference between a “marriage” and a “wedding”
Describe your perfect wild elopement in Spain
The ceremony was actually planned and organised by the photographer Michal Carbol. He scouted the perfect location with 180 degree views of the sea and mountains behind. With local knowledge, Michal was also able to time the ceremony to perfection to make the most of what is known in Andalucia as “the golden hour” – the amazing light in the hour just before the sun sets.
With no guests, the two brides made the short climb up the mountain from the parking area and entered their cliff top ceremony space together.
Top tip: “Wear comfortable trainers to walk to your wild elopement location, then change into your wedding shoes”
The two brides had a triangular wooden wedding bower that perfectly matched the mountain silhouettes. Their altar was decorated with pale pink and white flowers to match the brides’ trouser suit and fitted boho wedding dress and their officiant, Debbie Skyrme aka “Celebrant Spain” wore a muted gold to reflect the amazing light.
What was the elopement ceremony like?
Celebrant Debbie, had gotten to know the brides over the preceding months and wrote a bespoke ceremony for them that included wording based on the Buddhist promises where the girls said “We Do” together. After an emotional exchange of personal vows the brides exchanged rings and then literally tied the knot with three ribbons to represent joining their past, their present and their future lives together – a modern take on the traditional Celtic handfasting ritual.
It would be hard to choose a more romantic spot to pledge your everlasting love to your soul mate. These two brides’ perfect elopement in Spain will be etched into their memories forever.
Author bio: Debbie Skyrme is Celebrant Spain. Award winning bilingual officiant of elopement, vow renewal and wedding ceremonies in the Spanish sunshine – former UK registrar.
Photo Credits: Real gay wedding elopement photos in Spain by kind permission of MichalCarbol.com
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