Tina grew up in Hong Kong and Australia, with half of her family in Scotland, and Zac is from Australia. Their close family and friends live all over the world, so what better way to celebrate their union than with a destination wedding in Barcelona, where they were living when Zac proposed? Their vision of an intimate, personal wedding came to life when they found Casa Felix, a Spanish villa in Barcelona’s wine region, with a relaxed, peaceful ambiance. The couple worked with A Spanish Do to create a poolside reception highlighting the stunning locale. They selected a pastel color palette with pops of berry tones and an abundance of greenery, and Paradiso Barcelona designed rich, organic florals to complement the natural beauty of the villa. The result is positively breathtaking! Prepare to transport yourself to Spain with these lovely images from En Route Photography!
In their own words
How did you meet?
Zac and I met in our final years of high-school in Australia through a mutual friend. We got to know each other at social gatherings and became close friends over the years. Before starting university, we spent quite a bit more time together during the summer months and after a little while Zac made the first move, and we officially started dating. We have been together for 11 years, and have grown up, traveled the world and have now lived in Australia, Spain and the UK together.
What is your proposal story?
We were living in Barcelona as Zac was studying for a MBA. Zac wanted to organise a surprise trip to celebrate our 9-year anniversary and my birthday. I was really excited to find out at the airport that we were going to spend a week in Northern Italy. Italy is a place we both love and have many fond memories of. We started in Bergamo and he kept the following locations a surprise. From Bergamo we drove to Verona and stayed a for a few nights before arriving to the beautiful Lake Garda. On our second day by the lake, we visited the most Northerly point, the gorgeous town of Riva del Garda. At this point of our trip, I had no inkling that he was going to propose. It was here, down by the water’s edge with the snow-capped mountains surrounding us, that Zac handed me a present. As I started to unwrap it, and noticed it was a ring box, he got down on one knee and asked me to marry him. It was a very intimate and personal proposal. We spent the following couple of days in the Dolomites region calling our closest family and friends to share the exciting news.
What was the most important to the two of you while planning? Was there anything that you chose to splurge on or skip?
Our main priorities for us, as mentioned previously were, getting the right balance with the venue. We wanted to find an intimate venue where we could stay for the week and also have the charm and vibe of an Spanish villa. Having a great wedding planner was one of the first things I looked for, this was key to help coordinate our ideas. As we knew some spanish we are not fluent so it was amazing to have A Spanish Do (wedding planners) who were there through the whole journey giving us suggestions, advice and coordinating all the suppliers. Zac and I also love food, so finding a great caterer was very important to us. Live music was another thing we prioritized. I wanted to have acoustic singer as I walked down the aisle and during the ceremony and aperitivo. We saved money by only having a playlist/speakers for the dinner and then a live band for dancing.
What did you do for favors?
We thought it would be nice to give everyone something that was from the region and a keepsake from Spain. We gave everyone a bottle of olive oil that was from a small local olive grove. I made some personalized thank you stickers/labels for the bottles. My bridesmaid kindly helped stick them on and we also collected olive leaves from the villa and tied them to each bottle before the wedding day.
Did any of your wedding pros deliver a standout experience? Let us know the details!
A Spanish Do wedding planners – Elaine and Lauren were amazing. As mentioned already, they were always there to provide help or advice. They ensured the day ran smoothly. They had good suggestions on suppliers and personal experiences. Understood our vision from the beginning and kept us relaxed when we were worried about anything. It would not have been the same without them! Gabby from En Route Photography took incredible photos and captured the day and all our special moments perfectly. We wanted relaxed and less posed/formal photos of the day. Her and Ana Lui (helped assist on the day) were great! Mariana from Cabinet Bleu helped with our styling. Couldn’t have asked for someone who understood our vision more. She completely related to my ideas and the little details that I envisioned. I didn’t want anything too overstated and she got me perfectly.