AJ and Pedro got married by the sea in La Manga del Mar Menor, a narrow sandbar in Murcia, Spain, which separates the Mediterranean Sea from the Mar Menor lagoon. They are both archaeologists, and their work and love of books became the starting point for the theme.

Pedro is an author, and AJ also translated that idea into the visual side of the wedding. She designed everything herself, from stationery to signage to décor, keeping it consistent across the whole day.

Guests were asked to wear black with orange and pink accents. The choice raised a few eyebrows with some guests, but they knew how they wanted the day to look and stuck to it.

The Flemish bride and Spanish groom also wanted to include both their backgrounds into the day. “Since we have different nationalities, we needed to find a way to make the wedding ‘us’ without making one of those backgrounds step over the other”, AJ said. “So we chose a middle way between the more formal/traditional Spanish weddings and the more informal/laid back Flemish weddings.”

The day started with a first look at the lighthouse of Cabo de Palos. From there, they headed to their ceremony together. They chose to walk down the aisle together, as the bride didn’t want to be given away. Their mothers walked down the aisle together to Bohemian Rhapsody. The ‘BeerBoys’ followed, who were four friends handing our drinks to the guests as Drink by Alestorm played. AJ and Pedro then entered together to Another One Bites the Dust!

The reception began with a bang too. The band played and the couple were accompanied from the ceremony to reception led by Romans in full costume, honouring their shared passion for history and archaeology!

DIY was a big part of this wedding. AJ created the welcome board, bilingual menus, ceremony signage and small printed details across the day. The invitations were handbound books, written by Pedro in two languages, combining their story with practical information for guests. “The DIY was basically everything!” she laughed. “Crafting it all was the best part of the planning for me.”

However they kept the focus on the atmosphere and the people in the room. “Seeing everyone together, with good weather, good mood, good music, good food and better drinks was a real highlight”, they concluded. “Our advice to others? Just have fun and plan YOUR party, not anyone else’s!”