Antonio and Niels: Full of Spanish flare

For this Spanish and Dutch pair the excitement of being able to have all their friends and family in the one room for the first was such an integral part of their wedding. Antonio and Niels’ Spanish wedding celebrates their deep bond they share with each other and the unique love they have for their loved ones around them.

Location Parque de la Marquesa, Spain | Photographer Enfok2

How and when did you meet? We actually met online five years ago. After 3 weeks of speaking on WhatsApp, we decided to go out for date and well, the rest is history.

Tell us a little about the earlier days of your relationship... We had to learn to understand each other and the cultures from which we are from. Antonio is from Spain and Niels from The Netherlands, so our cultures are entirely different. In the beginning, Niels didn’t speak any Spanish so communication with his family was somewhat tricky. Antonio spoke his basic Dutch, but it wasn’t always enough to understand what we were saying. Our friends are the best and our workplaces as well. Both the Netherlands and Spain are good countries to live in as same-sex couples.

What does Marriage mean to you? Marriage to us is saying yes to each other for life. A connection that, although already inside of you, makes the bond you have even deeper. This next to the fact that we wanted to share our love for each other with the world, but even more to share the love we have for our loved ones around us. We created a unique moment that for the only time in our lives (due to the distances) all our family and friends were together for this one time.

Who proposed and how? Antonio proposed to Niels at our ‘registered partnership’ party. In some European countries, you can be partners but not marry, something that was developed as a pre-same-sex marriage solution. It is a common thing to do when you, for example, buy a house or get children. At this small party during dessert, all of a sudden Antonio started a speech in front of the 40 guests and got down on his knee to ask the question!

When did you get married? We got married last summer, June 16th 2018.

Their story continues below >

What was the primary influence behind your wedding day? Our guests and the region Antonio is from. Because a little over half the guests were from abroad, we wanted to show the region, its architecture, its beautiful nature and more importantly its fantastic food and lovely people.

Where did you find the bulk of your inspiration? The bulk of our inspiration we found on Pinterest and with our marvellous wedding planner.

How did you choose your suppliers? We went by reviews, experiences of people we know but, mostly our gut instinct. You need to feel comfortable with the people you work with.

Any standout suppliers? We were fortunate to have all of these great people working with us. Our 24/7 standby wedding planner from Eterna Prometida was the best. The photographer, Enfok2 Studios exactly got our style and Pedro Navarro, the stylist/florist, directly felt what we wanted. Not to state that the best tailor of The Netherlands, New Tailor, finished it off with the best possible blazer ever.

Next to that the service of Gourmet Catering at Parque de la Marquesa, with Isabel as the main star, was impeccable. Of course, all our other suppliers for the pre-wedding, the extra food, the sweets, music and more made this day possible.

Did you find it challenging to translate more common traditions into a ‘same-sex’ wedding? Not at all. Really, open your mind and do the things you want to do. We dare to say that our wedding was a very traditional wedding. Our mothers walked the aisle with us, which was beautiful to see and had a different touch to it. Next to that, we dressed each other in the morning instead of not knowing what the other would look like. The wedding itself was done in a traditional Spanish way. Starting with the ceremony, then a cocktail party afterwards followed by dinner to have the big party with a first dance afterwards.

What was the most challenging thing about planning your wedding? It was probably living abroad and planning an event in another country. The distance doesn’t always make thing easy. Next to that, we had a particular style in mind which stands or falls with the precision of the suppliers, that was a thing which gave us some quite stressful moments, but in the end, everything was perfect.

Where did you spend your honeymoon? First, we made a pitstop in Altea, to relax for a few days. We then made the best road trip ever seeing Joshua Tree Park, the Grand Canyon, Death Valley and much more.

Any advice for other couples planning their day and finding it difficult to navigate the journey? Stick to what you like! It’s your day and the celebration of your love. Do whatever you want, break all the rules if you must and celebrate the love you have with everyone around you. Don’t let people who look different upon your celebration influence what you want. If you have no idea what to do then go online. In The Netherlands we have a saying: ‘Better stolen well than invented poorly’.