Spain! The country of bullfighters, delicious dishes like Paella Valenciana, and running with the bulls. It is a nation where typical Spanish weddings can be both lively and expensive. Like many other countries around the world, there are two methods of tying the knot in Spain. The first one has the happy couple walking into their local town hall and signing a few papers, exchanging rings, a quick kiss and its over. The newlyweds then rush down to a local restaurant and have a shindig with relations and friends. There are no centerpieces on each table, not even the best wedding centerpieces money can buy, just a table cloth and bottles of bubbly waiting to be opened.

The second method of getting married in this colorful land is the traditional church wedding. Spanish church weddings are, usually quite long (over an hour). Guests are therefore advised to use the restrooms prior to the beginning of the service. The main religion in Spain is Roman Catholic; consequently most church weddings are performed in the Roman Catholic format. Needless to say, there is a great deal of kneeling and sitting as well as the groaning of hymns. The priest makes the Novia (bride) and Novio (groom) promise to raise their children in the Catholic denomination, he makes the Novios (the couple) promise to be faithful to God. As this man of the cloth pontificates, the Novios nod and agree to do what’s asked of them. These promises are not always kept, of course, but when you’re in a huge church, surrounded by Gothic arrangements which seem more like some of the best wedding centerpieces in Spain rather than religious displays, one has to agree.

Following the church service everyone heads to the reception venue, where there is enough booze to quench the thirst of a small country. The Novios arrive and everyone begins eating. The décor at these wedding receptions is magnificent with color everywhere and on each table some of the best wedding centerpieces in Spain.

There are no speeches at Spanish weddings, just drinking and eating. As the night rolls on, most of the men are drunk and start heckling the Novios – insisting they kiss. The heckling is so bad that the Novios finally give up their resistance and kiss. Attending one of these Spanish affairs makes you realize that although we are all different, we are also all the same.