Oh the joys of immigration! It's funny how much easier it is to get things done outside the country. MM, I didn't know you had it in you, I caught that before I read you hint! Ha!
Getting married in Spain is virtually painless, much more so than I had anticipated. As long as you know what's expected of you and you don't forget to do something ahead of time, it's easy. I got everything together in 4 weeks and it took another three to file the paperwork. We had to do a bit of running around because we filed in Madrid but were married outside of Madrid.
My husband got his greencard with ease as well. He filed outside the US (and outside of Spain) and ALL BY HIMSELF. I never once had to go to the embassy with him. Amazing if you think about it. The part that took the longest was waiting for Spain to release his police record (or lack of one).
What I find amazing is how hard it is to marry a non-US citizen in the US. They've changed the regulations in the past 4 years or so making it quite difficult if you don't plan ahead. If you don't file for the fiancee visa ahead of time, they won't allow your spouse to enter the US for 9 months or they'll slap you with a big fine and won't allow your spouse to leave the country until the greencard is secure (or something to that nature, it's been a while and I may have this mixed up a bit). We were fortunate because I got a job overseas and didn't need to live in the US. That was the only option if we wanted to be together immediately after marriage.
If anyone is contemplating getting married in Spain, I recommend they pick up a booklet published by the US Embassy, it clearly outlines all the necessary paperwork. If you're planning to marry in the US (and live there afterwards), check into the fiancee visa more than 6 months before the marriage. Without it your spouse will be facing the F-U 180 back to his/her country!