Jeanette & Abraham’s Castell de Tamarit Wedding: Interview with our Bride

Jeanette and Abraham’s fairytale Castell Tamarit wedding was every Disney fan’s dream. With Cuban origins, this New Jersey bride knew exactly what her wedding vision was. The proposal came at Christmas when the couple visited Paris, like a true fairytale Abraham proposed at the top of the Eiffel Tower of all places. Jeanette told us she wanted a fairytale wedding in a castle with lots of flowers and pixie lights, surrounded by their closest family and friends. And she looked every inch the princess in her amazing wedding gown and stunning natural flowing hair. Iván from And I Love You So captured this fairytale Castell Tamarit wedding like only he knows how and florist Pepe Von Strudel made sure the flowers were abundant and truly out of a fairytale. 

With stunning views over the Costa Daurada Mediterranean coast Castell Tamarit was the absolute dream wedding venue for this gorgeous couple. They loved castles but also wanted something by the sea and not too far from Barcelona. When we visited they were blown away by the views and all the history. This venue dates back to the eleventh century and is one of the earliest examples of Romanesque architecture. Originally built by the lords of Claramunt, Castell Tamarit was named after the family who built it. From 1681 until the turn of the 20th century, it belonged to the Archbishop of Tarragona and the Marquises of Tamarit. In the 20th century it was purchased by an American collector and after being restored it now serves as an amazing wedding venue. Complete with prison, watchtowers and Romanesque church. What better place to write their wedding story? It was an honour to interview Jeanette and hear what she thought of her Castell Tamarit wedding.

So Jeanette describe your Castell Tamarit wedding day in 3 words!

Dream, fairytale, perfect.

What was your favourite memory from your Castell Tamarit wedding?

There is no specific memory… Everything was so beautiful and amazing. Most brides say to expect something will go wrong on the day of your wedding… in ours, everything was perfect. We look at our pictures and reflect back at our wedding day and still have a hard time believing just how beautiful our wedding went and that we got married in a REAL castle. All of our guests were in awe of everything. If we had to choose a memory I think it would be when we both arrived to the castle and then remembered how breath taking the castle is and sharing that experience with our friends and family. Rediscovering the castle and it’s beautiful views of the Mediterranean Sea, while getting ready and enjoying the anticipation and excitement of our wedding is one of our best memories of that day.

Why did you chose Barcelona as you wedding destination?

We chose Barcelona because we wanted to have a destination wedding but not on a beach as many people do. It was Abraham’s idea to choose Spain because it is a country with so much beauty, history, Spanish is the main language (as is ours at home) and most importantly the FOOD. We love to travel and are history and art nerds so we thought that there could be no other place in the world to do this. We also dreamt of having a castle wedding and we knew we could only do that in Europe and Barcelona was our first choice because it is a coastal city with so many options.

What did you love most about your wedding dress? How and where did you find it?

I’ve always dreamt of having a big dress.I loved the train and the lace the most on my dress. Especially since we got married in a castle, I knew I had to have a big dress. I always knew what kind of dress I wanted but didn’t think it would be so hard to find! I started with a list of New Jersey’s (our home state in the US) top 10 bridal stores. About half way down the list I found my dress at a small shop in the countryside and when I tried it on I knew it was the one!

If you did it all again what might you change?

If I did it again, I wouldn’t change a thing. The only thing I would change is how nervous I felt about everything being perfect. Everything was so easy and smooth that there was no need to worry!

Tell us about the blooms. What was your favourite thing about your wedding flowers?

I loved the color tones of the flowers and the variety of them. I loved that they were fall colors and that they didn’t look as “stiff” or as traditional as most bridal bouquets which are often white toned. I love the color and I loved how colorful my bouquet was and it was colorful in a very soft way.

What is your advice for other couples getting married in Barcelona?

If you are getting married in Barcelona, my advice would be not to worry or stress out. With Becky and her team, there was no need to worry. Despite having a destination wedding in another continent and having family go from all over the world to our wedding, she and her team really made sure everything was seamless. I have to say….I was not a bridezilla as many brides are and was able to enjoy the process of wedding planning.

What cultural aspects did you include in your big day?

We are Cuban but with some Spanish heritage since all of our great grandparents from both sides are from Spain and that love for Spanish culture has really continued with the generations. We had to make sure we had croquetas at our wedding (although it’s not wedding food) because what Cuban or Spaniard could ever resist them (and they were a hit)! We also had our ceremony in Spanish, made sure our open bar included mojitos made with authentic Havana club rum from Cuba, had Cuban music for the dancing part of our wedding, and had a Cuban band play during the cocktail hour!

Vendor credits

Hair & Makeup stylist Teresa Snowball

Cake Lolita Bakery

Planning Barcelona Brides

Florals Pepe Von Strudel