Barcelona & Catalonia

Gaudí’s city by the sea, the coves and fishing villages of the Costa Brava, and vineyards and old stone farmhouses inland.

Photographers When to marry here

Barcelona is a city of modernista façades, Gothic lanes and a long seafront, with green hills behind it. To the north-east the Costa Brava breaks into pine-backed coves and whitewashed fishing villages; inland, Penedès is cava country, and the saw-toothed mountain of Montserrat rises over the vines.

Catalan weddings often happen in a masia — an old stone farmhouse turned country estate — with a long dinner in the courtyard and dancing until late. Couples who want the city hold the ceremony in town and take the portraits in its streets and on its hills.

A couple on a hill watching the sun set over Barcelona

Rows of vines in Penedès, seen from above

A small stone chapel among rocks and green trees in Catalonia

Through the year

When to marry in Barcelona & Catalonia

May, June and September are warm without the August crowds. September and October are also the wettest months on this coast — the rain tends to come in short, heavy storms, so keep a covered plan. July and August are hot and humid in the city; the coast and the hills are kinder.

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

SpringGreen hills, the vines coming into leaf and a sea still too cool for most swimmers. Late April and May are bright and mild.
SummerLong, warm days. On the night of 23 June Catalonia celebrates Sant Joan with bonfires and fireworks — festive, and loud. In August the city slows down and the beaches fill.
AutumnA warm sea, the grape harvest in Penedès and softer evening light. Storms are more likely, but between them the days are clear and golden.

Places

Where couples marry here

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

Masias and country estates
Old stone farmhouses with courtyards, olive trees and long tables — the classic Catalan wedding, often for the whole weekend.
Coves and fishing villages on the Costa Brava
Pines down to the water, small beaches and white houses — vows on the rocks, dinner by the sea.
The city itself
Modernista buildings, the Gothic Quarter’s lanes at dusk and views from the hills — a ceremony in town and portraits before dinner.
Vineyards and mountain chapels
Cava estates in Penedès and small Romanesque chapels in the hills — quiet places for a ceremony, and wide views for portraits.

Light

How the light falls

Barcelona’s coast faces south-east, so the sun rises out of the sea and sets behind the hills — dawn on the beach, and the evening from a hilltop over the city, are the moments to plan for. Spain keeps Central European time, so in summer the light lasts late by the clock. On the Costa Brava the coves catch the morning, and the old villages glow in the evening.

Travel

Getting there

Barcelona’s airport has flights from all over Europe and beyond; Girona’s is closer to the Costa Brava. High-speed trains link Barcelona with Madrid and with France. A car makes the coast and the vineyards easy.

Photographers