Rustic DIY Wedding on Mallorca – Roben & Craig

If you’re thinking of getting married in Mallorca on a budget you should read on as this kickass bride has some excellent tips. You’re also in for a treat because it was STUNNING…

How did you guys meet?

Craig and I met when I was 19 and in Uni, we were set up by mutual friends. By the time he finally popped the question 10 years later I was definitely ready! We were engaged a year and a half.

What made your wedding unique?

Ours was certainly a DIY wedding – to the extent that our friends had to clear the sheep poop from the ‘aisle’ the morning of the wedding. The fantastic thing about the place we got married is that it is a complete blank canvas – a very rustic blank canvas. So we got to choose every element, and ensure that it was exactly how we wanted it – reflective of our style and personalities with a focus on the things that are important to us. Our aim was to have a fun, relaxed, unfussy day. We didn’t worry too much about traditions and just wanted everyone to have a great time, with amazing food and atmosphere.

The venue is set amongst beautiful ancient olive groves and I wanted to incorporate these natural surroundings into the wedding, so (with permission) we harvested olive branches and combined these with flowers from the local market to make the bouquets and added candles for the table decorations.

Where did you get married and why did you choose your venue?

Son Rullan is a 12th Century villa owned by a friend of my mums, which I’ve been visiting since childhood. It has always held a very special place in my heart and since I was a little girl I dreamt of getting married there. Craig and I have visited Deia together many times and there was never anywhere else we could have gotten married.

The location, Son Rullan and Deia, are so special to us, so it meant the world to be able to gather all of our nearest and dearest together there.   

Who was your photographer and how did you choose them?

As soon as we visited the website of Made in Video and saw their style of work, we knew they were right for us. They captured authentic moments from our day in a beautiful, uninterrupted way. Esther and Jonas are a great team who became part of our day, seamlessly fitting in with the celebrations whilst documenting it.

Did you write your own vows?

We kept our vows short and simple, choosing words that felt fitting to us. We had also each written 3 things that we love about the other person and had asked our celebrant to read them out. On the day, she actually forgot the piece of paper and we had to skip over that bit. This is a good example that things can (and do) go wrong but that none of your guests will notice and as long as you can move on from it quickly, it won’t put a dent in your day.

Did you have any readings at your wedding?  

Readings are such a lovely way to include important people in your day. We had three, from Craig’s sister, my dad and our dear friend Laura, who we had asked to pick a reading but to keep it a surprise. She chose ‘Oh, The Places You’ll Go’ by Dr Seuss, which was perfect and brought me to tears.

What song played as you walked down the aisle?

Our good friend John played ‘Your Love Gets Sweeter Every Day’ by Finley Quaye on the guitar, he looked so cool perched on a rock in his sunnies.

What was your first dance song?

We chose Louis Armstrongs’ La Vie en Rose. It didn’t have any specific significance, we just liked it.

REAL Moments

• Being able to have our nearest and dearest celebrate with us in a place which is so special and magical to us.
• Great food, wine, cocktails and music gave our celebrations a fun, laid-back, party vibe.
• The phenomenal setting, vows overlooking the sea, cocktails by the pool, dinner in the sunshine and partying under the stars.

Tell me about your catering…

The catering was one of the most important parts of the wedding for us and the team at the Cutting Edge really ‘made’ the day. I came across them whilst scrolling through wedding blogs and immediately knew they were ‘the one’. Headed up by the brilliant Andreas, a culinary rockstar, I knew his ethos and approach was the perfect fit. They combine sensational cooking with a rustic vibe to create a mediterranean feast. We had beautifully presented canapés; sharing platters piled high with local produce and meats cooked over a wood burning fire, together with delicious wines, boozy cocktails and gin and tonics the size of your head.

How did you get everyone up on the dancefloor?

We had the amazing swing, jazz band Money Doo. These guys were so much fun, decked out in Hawaiian shirts with ukuleles, trumpets and a skiffle board and their music was such high energy – different from anything I’d experienced at a wedding before, no cheesy cover tunes! They had everyone on their feet, dancing and partying all night long. And whenever I hear their music now it fills me with so much happiness.

How did you choose to decorate your venue?

We really kept the decor to a minimum and let the setting do all the talking. We kept it simple with rows of large festoon lights which hung above us, candles and vases filled with olive foliage and flowers.

The only other thing that we did was create a table with pictures of our grandparents, all of whom have sadly passed, to honour and include them in our day.

What made your wedding extra special?

My mum and maid-of-honour Gaia were by my side during the whole planning process. Gaia bought me a wedding planner the moment I got engaged and my mum used all of her contacts and knowledge of the local area to help make our dreams a reality.

It’s lovely to get friends and family involved in the wedding, if they want to be. All of our friends and family really pitched in to make the day special. For example, my very crafty mother-in-law created our place settings.

Our dear family friend Lesley was such a superhero in the days running up to the weddings. Her help was invaluable, coordinating the preparations, creating the floral displays and bouquets and generally helping my vision come to life. Lesley’s daughter Pema created a beautiful Welcome sign for us.

Who walked you down the aisle?

My mum and I are very close and it was her who first brought me to Deia, so it was only right that she walk with me down the aisle.

Any tips for saving money?

Our budget was fairly tight so we chose the things that were most important to us and prioritised our budget accordingly. For us this was the catering, music and of course, the location. We stripped everything else back and kept it simple. This allowed us to have our dream wedding without breaking the bank.

One way that I saved money, which may come as quite a surprise to some brides, was my dress. I wanted something simple and ethereal to fit the setting and warm weather. I found my dream dress by an American designer but there were no stockists in the UK, and all the dresses I was trying just felt too heavy and over the top for our style of wedding. Then by chance, as I was trying on dresses, my mum was browsing through the shop and came across a Dessy bridesmaid dress which was the exact style that I wanted. I was able to order it in ivory for the fraction of the price of a real wedding dress. I dressed it up with a floor length veil and grecian style headdress.

Would you do anything differently?

Whilst we really wanted to have a ‘DIY’ wedding, there were moments in the days and weeks leading up to the wedding that felt quite stressful as we were trying to get everything ready. I don’t necessarily think there is anything I could have done differently, but I just wish I’d had a little more faith that everything would come together. In the end we hired a Wedding Planner to oversee the coordination of everything on the day, which certainly put my mind at ease that everything would run smoothly and I could enjoy myself.

Final thoughts…

Putting on a welcome party the night before the wedding was a great way to kick start the celebrations. Everyone had made such an effort to travel we wanted to extend the party and spend as much time with them as possible.

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Bride’s dress & veil: Dessy by Wedding Daze | Shoes: Kurt Geiger | Hair accessories: Richard Designs | Bridesmaids: Zara and Coast | Bridesmaids jewellery: Oliver Bonas | Photographer: Made in Video | Hair & Makeup: Bride’s sister did makeup, bride did her own hair. Local hairdresser created up-do’s for the bridesmaids | Grooms & ushers suits: Hawes and Curtis | Catering: The Cutting Edge Wedding Planner: M Moments | Entertainment: Monkey Doo