Andalusia

Moorish palaces, white villages, olive groves to the horizon and two coasts — Spain’s warm, bright south.

Andalusia is the Spain of postcards: Seville’s orange trees and tiled patios, the Alhambra in Granada under the snowy peaks of the Sierra Nevada, Ronda on its gorge, white villages on the hilltops — and two coasts, the Mediterranean Costa del Sol and the wilder Atlantic Costa de la Luz.

Weddings here move to the rhythm of the heat: a ceremony late in the afternoon, dinner after dark in the courtyard of a cortijo or hacienda — the old farm estates of the south — and dancing under the stars.

A couple kissing at a viewpoint above Granada at sunset

Turquoise water and a long sandy beach near Tarifa, on the Atlantic coast

Through the year

When to marry in Andalusia

April, May, late September and October are warm and golden. July and August are fiercely hot inland, in Seville, Córdoba and Granada; the coast stays easier. Spring also brings Holy Week and Seville’s April Fair — beautiful, and hard for finding rooms.

January: Quieter
February: Quieter
March: Good with planning
April: Best
May: Best
June: Good with planning
July: Quieter
August: Quieter
September: Best
October: Best
November: Good with planning
December: Quieter

SpringOrange blossom in the streets, green fields and wild flowers in the hills. Holy Week processions and the spring fairs fill the cities.
SummerLong, blazing days inland; on the coast, sea breezes and late sunsets. Plan everything that happens outside for the last hours of light.
AutumnThe heat breaks, the sea is still warm and the light turns soft and gold. Rain returns from October, heaviest in November and December.

Places

Where couples marry here

The kinds of places — ask your photographer which ones they know well.

Cortijos and haciendas
Whitewashed farm estates among the olive groves, with arcaded courtyards, fountains and room for everyone.
Palaces, patios and old quarters
Tiled courtyards, orange trees and Moorish arches in Seville, Córdoba and Granada. A photo session inside the Alhambra needs the monument’s own permission, asked for well ahead.
White villages and mountain towns
Hilltop villages, cliff-edge towns and gorges — for a small ceremony, or portraits with the whole valley behind you.
Two coasts
Beach clubs and villas on the Mediterranean; long, wild Atlantic beaches with dunes and wind on the Costa de la Luz.

Light

How the light falls

The southern sun is strong and high: midday light is hard and white, and bounces off every wall. The Atlantic coast faces west, so the sun sets into the ocean; in Granada the classic moment is the Alhambra turning red at sunset, seen from the hill opposite.

Travel

Getting there

Málaga and Seville have the main airports, Granada and Jerez smaller ones. High-speed trains link Seville, Córdoba, Málaga and Granada with Madrid. Distances are bigger than they look — choose one area for the weekend.

Photographers