Hello everyone,
My wife and I visited Spain last year and loved Madrid. We want to come back with a different mission, this time around. We would like to "formalize" our marriage by getting married in Madrid. It'll be a Catholic wedding. Problem is we don't know where to start. We want a simple ceremony and reception afterwards but should be romantic. Any suggestions?

You'll first have to come and pick a nice church. Suggesting one might be a fascinating topic in itself. You'll then have to book the church - the more charming the longer the wait, perhaps a year or more.
Back home you'll have to undergo one of those pre-marriage courses, check baptism, communion and confession certificates are in order and havre them translated, and probably a letter vouching for your Catholic credentials from a friendly, or easily bribed priest.
Remember too that your Catholic wedding in Spain will probably have no legal status.
I'll look into it in more detail.
Good luck, and congratulations!

You know, putting a message like that on the MM Board could be very dangerous... You will have to invite all the MM Board members to the reception!! Count me in!

And AndyBoy, if you think two "Americans" getting married in Spain is tough, try 1 American marrying a Spaniard in Spain! Sheesh! That'll make your head spin! :o

AndyBoy writes: Forget it! By the time you go through all the rigamarole associated with getting married in a Catholic ceremony in Spain your 90-day tourist visas will have expired. It's not just a matter of finding a nice Church and an accomodating priest. You will need Baptism and Confirmation certificates and a statement concerning your legal status from a legal authority in your Home city/state/country. All of these must be in Spanish and carry a raised seal of the Church or Legal authority. And finally, each of you will need a witness to attest to the fact that you are not married.
Yes, I was married in Spain - in la Iglesia de Nuestra Señora del Pilar in Madrid, and all that stuff took more than 3-months.

Andy,

Just a thought, but different than the advice you got. Why not contact your local Parish in San Francisco, and ask them if they can help you in expediting the procedure, and getting the paper work done before you go to Spain? They could handle it through the church itself for a few bucks, Parish to Parish.

If that could be done, and all the preparations are made in advance, you could confirm a date with the specific church in Spain, then show up in a timely manner for the ceremony, and have avoided all the hassles.

Since it would be a "second ceremony," per se, I'm not even certain there would be any problem with Spanish law, since it would only be a confirmation of the marriage in consort with the church.

Just a few thoughts. They might offer an interesting approach to reaching your goal.

Good luck!

Wolf

Hi everyone,
Thanks for all your valuable info. This is a once in a lifetime event for the both of us. I guess, this'll take a lot of effort and determination on our part. Nevertheless, this is committment that we have to validate with God's blessing. Our gratitude to all.

I just wanted to share an alternative to a European wedding (though this doesn't really apply to renewals of vows, which is what I think this thread was initially about)...my husband and I wanted to get married in Italy a few years ago, and found that the "red tape" was pretty daunting. Instead, we were married here in the US (at 8:30 a.m., by a very kind and cooperative minister!), then went directly to the airport and boarded our flight to Italy (we even had wedding cupcakes while waiting in line to board!). It didn't make for the most romantic of wedding nights (no jokes about the "mile-high club," you guys--it DIDN'T HAPPEN!), but we loved our honeymoon and our different style of wedding (it was a second wedding for both of us, so having a tiny "audience" and a simple ceremony was just right). And just to add a bit more fun to the event, we were married on Leap Day!!

Andyboy,
I got married in Spain and it was a nightmare. But the good news is that at the end of the process they told me that I just needed to go to the "obispado" and they would have done everything there. You only need the baptism certificate, my husband didn't take the first comunion or confirmation and that was fine.
My advice is to go to a small cute little church in a popular neighborhood and find a good restaurant if the wedding party is not too big. "Salones" usually are not as good as a restaurant. You can book a whole restaurant and it might be even cheaper than a "salon". The only thing is that you wouldn't have the flowers and decoration.
Please, ask Madridman for my email if you need assistance with the paperwork or if you have questions. I went through that 2 years ago so I can assist you if needed. I am from Madrid and I have a pretty good knowledge of churches and "salones" so please don't hesitate to contact me.

Nuria

Hi,

I don't have any idea about the paperwork involved, but regarding the romantic part, I once saw a report on a place in a village in Segovia called Hostal del Buen Amor, and it was a perfect place for a small wedding(few guests), the owner was even authorized to officiate civil weddings right there.