Spanish Themed Wedding Ideas

A Spanish themed wedding combines high drama, vibrant color and intense romance. And few languages express the fires of passion quite as well as Spanish.

There are so many ways to give your own wedding a romantic Spanish flair. You can make this the main theme of your special day, or use deft touches here and there to lend your wedding a swirl of romantic fire.

The right venue sets a magical tone for your wedding. Consider these beautiful possibilties:

• Spanish mission

• Monastery

• Spanish hacienda-style resort or hotel

• Ranch with picturesque grounds

• Spanish-style gardens

Decorate with wrought iron lampstands or chandeliers, garlands incorporating deep red roses or traditional orange blossoms, and use antique Spanish colonial furniture for the wedding dinner.

Give your wedding invitations a touch of romance by:

• sprinkling red silk rose petals into the envelope
• selecting cardstock with an antique or parchment look
• using a design with a black lace, Spanish tile or wrought iron motif
• choosing a design with a splash of vivid color, rather than an all-white invitation

Consider these Spanish-inspired ideas for the wedding party:

• A wedding gown with a touch (or more) of color. Many Spanish brides wear wedding gowns accented with black lace trim. Others prefer color and choose gowns brightened with vibrant floral embroidery.
• A mantilla lace bridal veil, with or without the traditional Spanish comb.
• Antique jewelry for the bride, such as a silver necklace or ropes of black pearls
• Fringed and embroidered silk shawls for the bridesmaids
• Bridesmaid's dresses with flameco-inspired ruffles, especially if the bride's gown also has them
• Beautiful lacy Spanish fans instead of floral bouquets for the bridesmaids
• A matador's jacket and tailored black slacks for the groom. Matador's jackets may be embroidered with black or silver beadwork

The warm notes of a Spanish guitar make a lovely accompaniment to this romantic wedding theme.

• Consider hiring a Spanish wedding singer to render the drowsy, sensuous "Besame Mucho," or "Have You Ever Really Loved a Woman."
• Or, engage a classical guitarist to perform selections such as the gorgeous "Aranquez," or "Asturias," named after a breathtaking mountainous region in northern Spain.

A Spanish wedding feast may include delights such as

• seafood paella, a spicy dish of rice, shrimp, onions, tomatoes and peppers
• sangria, a red wine punch with sliced citrus fruit
• wedding cake with almonds and fruit
• Spanish wedding cookies, rich almond or pecan cookies dusted with powdered sugar
• flan, a creamy custard

The wedding cake might be:

• a deep red cake covered with intricate white lacework, finer than the finest wedding veil
• a simple white tiered cake with black ribbon and accented with a single red flower
• a cake painted to resemble an intricate silk shawl or embroidered wedding blouse

If you want excitement at your wedding reception, it's a sure bet that flamenco dancers will set it on fire. You might also engage a larger band to play samba, tango or mariachi dance music.

And after the reception, it's tradition for the bride and groom to be showered with orange blossoms or rose petals and greeted by wedding fireworks to give them a joyous sendoff into their new life together.

Special thanks to Frank Hiemenz for permission to share his beautiful concert performance

And Chirag Pandya, Montreal, for the lovely firework video (www.weddingproart.com)