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"...
people were going to travel anyway, so we decided lets marry
& celebrate with a few fun days of touring, golfing &
dining in a historic place in Europe”
Stacy and Brad Roberts
MagicalSpain
clients in 1999
*see story below
SEEKING
something different?.. a unique way to celebrate
your wedding + create an unforgettable bond with the
family and friends you REALLY want to see + the most
unique & fun wedding photos?
IMAGINE
the memories and emotions: celebrating, laughing,
golfing, touring, talking, bonding, dining, wine tasting,
relaxing, ...enjoying memorable quality time with loved
ones that is so hard to find today.
IMAGINE
Your Dream Wedding in a Land of Medieval Castles
& Mediterranean Tradition.
Made to Fit Memories - Wed in Spain!
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*
Modern Fairy Tale?
American Stacy Ryan grew up
in Chicago, went to college in New York, and then moved to
California for work where she met Brad Roberts, a US military
officer. A year later they were engaged but with family and
friends all over USA they were unsure where to plan wedding.
The
solution...MagicalSpain? Stacy and Brad enjoyed 4
days in Madrid in 1999 with 48 guests and enjoyed walking
tours, great food & wine, golf, and finally a romantic
wedding ceremony and celebration like royalty in a medieval
castle!
Possible
Venues - Medieval castles, 1920’s mansions
in cities, historic builidings, walled gardens, select bodega
wineries, Andalusian cortijo ranches or ancient stone villages,
Barcelona, Madrid, Seville, Mallorca, Granada or Lisbon, Portugal.
   
Why do people do destination
weddings? For the unique memories
with family and friends, wedding anniversary vow renewals
or for romance and adventure.
Why
Spain? Not to mention the romance of European culture
& festive Mediterranean life in Spain......timeless tradition,
cultural fun, medieval castles, fine food & wine, passionate
music & dance, and even Roman Empire sights!
Your
wedding in Spain is planned by our English-speaking staff
that manages all aspects of the wedding... the most romantic
venues, hotels, catering, flowers, music, transport, ect...
plus activities and tours for you and your guest.
Guest
Activities- Sightseeing, nightlife, sports/natural
sights, dining/wine country, hot air ballooning, hiking, biking,
river cruising, arts, dance & music, in a romantic foreign
culture.
What about the cost?
- In 2002 according to Conde Nast magazine the average
US wedding cost over $20,000 .....+ planning and family stress
for free.Our basic destination weddings have been priced from
2500 to 48,000 euros depending on your needs and style + we
handle everything saving you the family and planning stress.
 Hotels
- Huge selection from 5 star urban luxury hotel to village
inns or even centuries-old ranch house hotel with horseback
riding.
Some of our custom Spain wedding services:
- Personal Service and Communication in English
- Romantic Ceremony, Celebration & Activities
Made to Fit
- Magical SPAIN phone hotline in English
while in Spain
- Great food & wine + cocktail and 3
course wedding dinners
- Wedding Photographer
- Customized wedding cake to your specifications
- Deluxe hotels for guest
- Unforgettable performers: bands, flamenco
dancers & musicians
- Airport meet and greet with hotel transfer
for bride and groom
- Designer made wedding gowns
- FUN Activities... city & wine tours,
golf, tours or stag party
- Rent Helicopter or other special transportation
- Fireworks, special effects or lighting
- Theatrical performances with Medieval Theme
ceremony
- Transportation for guests to and from ceremony
/ reception
- Transportation & Airport shuttles
- Wedding in unique historic property
- Management of logistics, legal and religious
matters
- Bilingual coordinator present to assist
couple before the event.
- Massage & beauty treatment for the
bride.
- Flower arrangements for the castle, church
or town hall
- Bouquet for the bride and boutonniere for
the groom
- Private guided tour in English of medieval
Sevilla and Cordoba or wine country
- Horse & Carriage rides
- Hot air balloon ride with champagne, hiking
day or riverboat cruise
Spain Europe Destination Wedding
with USA specialist - Wedding in Spain - Destination Weddings
in Spain - Spain Castle Wedding - Get Married in Europe -
Portugal or Spain Wedding Event Planning - Your Way &
in English since 1998!
By Charis Atlas Heelan
August 19, 2005
There's nothing quite like a destination wedding -- all your
guests have flown in to see you walk down the aisle, you're
probably already at your honeymoon location and best of all,
your marriage is actually legal there. "I now pronounce
you husband and husband" (or "wife and wife")
takes on a real meaning when you choose to have a gay wedding
in one of the four countries where same-sex marriages are
legal.
The Netherlands became the first country in the world to
offer full, legal marriages to same-sex couples in 2001, closely
followed by Belgium. Same-sex marriages had been legal in
most provinces in Canada for several years, but last month
(July 2005) it became legal throughout the country. Spain's
gay marriage laws were passed on June 30, 2005, and it is
expected that South Africa will introduce its new gay marriage
laws later this year or in 2006.
No wedding is ever easy and there are a few obstacles to
getting married in the three European countries if you are
not actually a resident or citizen. The Netherlands requires
that at least one of the intended brides or grooms must be
a resident in the country for a period of four months. Gay
couples from the other 14 nations that are members of the
European Union can come to the Netherlands and marry without
establishing residency. In Belgium the requirement is three
months. In Spain, the law is still so fresh that the question
of whether two foreigners of the same-sex can get married
in Spain apparently has not even been addressed yet.
Canada has a "come one, come all" approach, so
any foreign same-sex couple can marry there, but you should
bear in mind that although you may legally marry in these
countries, if you are a US citizen, unfortunately your marriage
will not be legally recognized at home. Marriages in all these
countries are conducted as civil ceremonies, although they
can be also be blessed by a religious leader or institution
following a civil service. A special mention must of course
be made to the great state of Massachusetts, who in their
wisdom, have legalized same-sex marriages. At this point,
only residents of Massachusetts are allowed to marry there
(although often a town clerk who will issue a license will
turn a blind eye to the residency restriction) and Massachusetts
is the only state in the United States to recognize gay marriages.
Readers of De Gay Krant (www.gaykrant.nl) magazine in The
Netherlands are offering to assist gay couples from non-European
Union nations in establishing a legal address in Amsterdam
so they can get married there. Not that we are advocating
an illegal activity, but it seems that the Dutch gay community
is trying hard to do everything they can to make everyone
feel welcome and give those who really want to marry, a chance
to do so. Anyone interested in this should e-mail h.krol@gaykrant.nl.
Even if you don't choose to marry your partner, at least
travel to these progressive countries (and states), spend
your tourist dollars there and show your support for these
forward-thinking, non-discriminatory governments.
Traveling to The Netherlands is a wonderful tourism experience
regardless of whether you're there to marry or just to enjoy
the grand cities, beautiful scenery, historic architecture
and bountiful museums. Gay-friendly wedding venues, hotels
and restaurants can be easily found at www.gayamsterdam.com.
For more information about gay weddings in The Netherlands,
visit www.minbuza.nl and www.gay-civil-unions.com/International/Netherlands.htm.
The small country of Belgium is often overlooked as a tourism
destination, but it boasts some of the most romantic locations
in Europe, from the canals of Bruges, known as the Venice
of the west, to the grandeur and artistic heritage of Antwerp.
same-sex marriages appear to be more popular in the Flemish
part of the country, rather than the French-speaking area,
i.e. Brussels, but both regions are gay-friendly. The main
gay Belgium information website (www.gaybelgium.be) unfortunately
does not feature any information in English, only Flemish
and French but both www.outinbelgium.com and www.welcome.to/gaybelgium
provide general English language information about everything
from hotels and tourism attractions.
Spain's historic legalization of gay marriage led to it being
awarded PlanetOut's Out and About Travel Awards Destination
of the Year for 2005. Nowhere is Spain's gay heritage more
celebrated than in Barcelona and the nearby beach resort of
Sitges. Stay Gay Barcelona (www.staygaybarcelona.net) is a
website dedicated to providing great lodging options, from
rooms in houses to comfortable apartments or luxury villas
with all budgets catered for. Located in the gay Eixample
district of Barcelona, Porquesi Restaurant (tel. +34/93454-8245;
www.porquesi.com/spain/gays) is a popular place for the gay
market for everything from dinner and drinks to gay speed-dating.
Porquesi prides itself on being a sensational gay wedding
venue too with a private area set aside for grand functions
and celebrations with 10-course banquets for its mainly gay
clientele. In the Spanish beach resort town of Benidorm, potential
gay wedding venues are growing with the introduction of a
new gay wedding market, including The Babylon Hotel (www.thebabylonhotel.com),
Villa de los Sue=F1os (www.villadelossuenos.com/vdls1.html)
and Queens (www.queensbenidorm.com).
Oh Canada! Our northern neighbors provide the most popular
destination for a quick trip over the border to get married.
Ontario, in particular, offers a number of gay-friendly venues
and wedding packages. Hebden House Bed and Breakfast (tel.888/273-4621;
www.homeandweb.com/ontario-gay-lesbian-weddings.htm) offers
a scenic, rural setting for a same-sex wedding on the shores
of Upper Rideau Lake in Eastern Ontario. They can arrange
all the details from the romantic location, to the catering
and refreshments, the photography, accommodations, honeymoon
pampering and more. Gloucester Square Inns (www.gloucestersquare.com)
is a group of three historic mansions located in Toronto that
also hosts gay weddings on a regular basis. In Montreal, where
the estimated gay community is 10% to15% of the total population,
several hotels cater to gay weddings. Auberge du Vieux-Port
(www.aubergeduvieuxport.com) and Hotel Place D'Armes (www.hotelplacedarmes.com)
are both stunning boutique hotels that offer romantic and
personalized wedding options. I Do Toronto (tel. 888/418-1188;
www.idointoronto.com) are professional gay wedding planners
that will take care of all your wedding details including
legal requirements and ensuring that your special day is an
event to remember.
If you are specifically looking for international gay-friendly
accommodations and travel ideas, it may be worth checking
out the U.K. based website Gaydar Travel (www.gaydartravel.com).
Likewise PlanetOut (www.planetout.com/travel) can provide
you with great gay-specific travel information to help you
plan your perfect getaway, wedding or honeymoon.
If you are not that concerned with the legality of the marriage,
but rather with the idea of the actual ceremony, you may want
to consider Costa Rica as a destination for your commitment
ceremony. Costa Rica Gay and Lesbian Weddings (www.costaricapages.com/gayweddings/index.htm)
can arrange the entire event for you -- from the ceremony
to the travel, the honeymoon suite to the catering, the flowers
to the champagne. Prices start from $2,699 for a basic wedding
package that includes the wedding ceremony, flowers and table
settings, a wedding cake, a three-hour photography package,
a personal bridal consultant (who will arrange all travel
plans, lodging, ceremony details, witnesses, and pampering
the happy couple), legal requirements and bridal bouquets
(or grooms' boutonniere). Rates vary greatly depending on
location, size of wedding party and services desired. Airfare
and accommodations are additional.
Gay wedding planning sites includes Gay Weddings (www.gayweddings.com)for
US and Canadian ceremonies only, Gay Marriage World (www.gaymarriageworld.com)
and Purple Unions (www.purpleunions.com). Lambda Business
(www.lambdabusiness.com) can provide you with information
on ordained ministers and celebrants who can officiate at
gay weddings, civil unions and commitments ceremonies across
the world. Looking for that perfect cake top to adorn your
special wedding cake? The Baking Shop (www.bakingshop.com)
can provide just what you're looking for in gender and race
specific varieties.
For help planning your ceremony, pick up a copy of The Complete
Guide to Gay and Lesbian Weddings by K.C. David and the experts
at gayweddings.com or consider attending the next GLBT Wedding
Expo (www.rainbowweddingexpo.com) which will be held, appropriately,
in the city of brotherly love, Philadelphia on October 2,
2005. Expo admission is free.
For more information about which countries offer which rights
to same-sex couples visit the International Gay and Lesbian
Human Rights Commission's website (www.iglhrc.org/site/iglhrc).
Connect with other travelers on the Gay and Lesbian Message
Boards to get advice and recommendations for planning your
perfect wedding.
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