We’re giddier than a kid on Christmas morning to show you Emma and Nick’s unbelievable destination wedding, hosted in Barcelona. The couple’s vision was a relaxed, fun celebration centred around amazing food, wine, and party vibes. “We intentionally avoided having too much structure because we wanted everyone to feel like they were simply enjoying a long Spanish celebration with us.”
The venue: magical. The styling: just WOW. And the details: highly personal. They had a close mate (and matchmaker) lead the ceremony, an original song performed by friends, a tequila shot table, croquette bar and countless more considered, bespoke bits making the day uniquely theirs. “Every element reflected our personalities and the people we love.”
Planned by Mia Events and captured by Juan Cordero, dive into Emma and Nick’s nuptials below.
The Barcelona destination wedding venue
“From the very beginning, we knew we wanted our wedding to feel like a three-day celebration with all of our friends travelling abroad. We also loved the idea of having the freedom to choose all of our own suppliers and create something that felt completely personal. We had visited Codorníu a few years before the engagement and instantly fallen in love with it. My family had always joked that one day we’d get married there, so when we returned after getting engaged, we genuinely couldn’t picture celebrating anywhere else. It just felt like the perfect place for us.”
Standout wedding details – smoke machine & bespoke stationery
“There were so many favourite details, but the flowers were absolutely incredible and created the most beautiful atmosphere. Walking down to dinner with candlelight and the smoke machine effect was such a magical moment, and it’s still something our guests talk about today. Another detail that meant so much to us was all of the stationery. Our invitations, table plan and every printed element were designed by one of my closest school friends, Flow Creative. We spent countless hours working on every little detail together, so seeing it all come to life was incredibly special.”
Unique, sustainable wedding styling
“We also wanted to be as thoughtful and sustainable as possible with the styling. Our table plan was created using leftover Cava bottles from Codorníu, while the table names were displayed using corks that we also sourced from the winery. It was important to us to reuse materials that already existed on site rather than creating unnecessary waste, and we loved that these details also tied everything back to the venue in such an authentic way.”
Wise wedding dress advice
“My ceremony dress was from The Own Studio, and I changed into a Retrofête dress for the evening celebrations. Before finding them, I tried on lots of more traditional wedding dresses, but none of them ever felt quite like me. The dress I eventually chose was probably exactly what all of my friends would have expected me to wear, which actually made me hesitate because I thought I should choose something completely different. Then one wonderful consultant at another bridal boutique said something that changed my perspective: the goal isn’t to become someone else on your wedding day, it’s simply to be an elevated version of yourself. The moment she said that, I knew I had found my dress.”
The dance floor
“One of our favourite memories was making the last-minute decision to extend the band’s set for another hour because the dance floor was still absolutely packed. Nobody wanted the night to end, and with plenty of enthusiastic singing from the crowd, it turned into one of those unforgettable moments where everyone was completely in the moment together.”
More good stuff – destination wedding places & wedding ideas
Visit our real weddings blog to explore and get inspired by more destination weddings in Europe, the US, and beyond.
CONTRIBUTING VENDORS Photographer Juan Cordero Event Planner Mia Events Stylist Kelvin Liscano Florist La parra flors Stationery Flow Creative, Emma (Bride) Venue Cavas Codorniu Catering Aspic Catering Lighting & Sound Hire Sitec Audiovisual Transport Sagales DJ Roger Mask THE BRIDE Bridal Gown Designer The Own Studio, Retrofête Shoes Bella Belle THE GROOM Suit Casely Hayford
FAQs
Yes. Emma and Nick hosted their destination wedding at Codorníu, a winery venue in the Barcelona region of Spain, with their friends travelling abroad for a multi-day celebration. Choosing a venue that allows you to bring in your own suppliers, as they did with planner Mia Events and photographer Juan Cordero, gives you more control over the look and feel of the day.
Keep the schedule light and build the day around food, wine and music. Emma and Nick avoided too much structure so guests could enjoy it like a long Spanish celebration, with a croquette bar, a tequila shot table and a band that played an extra hour.
Start with a venue that lets you choose your own suppliers, then build a multi-day celebration around it so guests make the most of the trip. Emma and Nick chose Codorníu, hired Barcelona-based planner Mia Events and photographer Juan Cordero, and framed the weekend as a three-day party with friends travelling abroad. They kept the schedule loose and led with food, wine and music, so the day felt like a long Spanish celebration rather than a rigid timeline.
Reuse materials that already exist at your venue. Emma and Nick made their table plan from leftover Cava bottles and displayed table names on corks, both sourced from Codorníu, which cut waste and tied the styling back to the winery.
Look for an elevated version of yourself rather than a different person. Emma wore The Own Studio for her ceremony and changed into Retrofête for the evening, after trying more traditional bridal styles that never felt right.
