Tell us a little about yourselves!
We met and live in New York. Andrea’s mother’s family is from Spain and very tight knit, so we have spent a lot of time there with them and our Spanish friends. When we got engaged, we were eager to find a way to incorporate Spain into the celebrations – although that seemed hard to conceive in November 2020! We both love to travel and in planning our wedding we hoped that we could inspire others to travel to celebrate with us. We felt so lucky that about 40 people travelled from the US and other places in Europe to Valencia to be with us on this beautiful day!
Why did you decide to get married where you did?
Naranjas del Carmen is a very special place to us – a working organic orange farm and “Masia” that our dear friends brought back to life. We were overjoyed when they invited us to celebrate our wedding there, and knew that our loved ones would adore it as much as we do.
How many guests did you have?
75.
Tell us about your outfits.
Outfits are important to us! We both wanted to be true to our personalities and feel like our attire was fun and not too traditional. We each designed our outfits – Evan from scratch under the guidance of some very chic designer friends and Andrea by choosing and customising separates from a small bridal salon in NYC (Steven Birnbaum Bridal) that makes every piece in their studio.
What was the most important aspect for you, in terms of planning your wedding?
We live in New York and invited guests from as far away as Arizona (Evan’s parents) and California to a wedding in Spain in the middle of a pandemic! The most important aspect was making the trip worth it – no pressure! – and creating a day that a 4-year-old and 84 year old could enjoy equally. We think we succeeded!
Were there any elements that were important for you to incorporate?
We really wanted to incorporate the joyful and delicious experience that is eating in Spain, so we choose to have 17(!!) passed hors d’oeuvres from Catering Cinco during an extended cocktail hour, serve good wines, and have a gin and tonic dominated bar. It was also important to us to give people time to explore the grounds of Naranjas del Carmen so after lunch, there was a built in linger and wander hour – and our beautifully dressed guests wandered about in the orange grove enjoying the afternoon sun.
Any tips for couples getting married, particularly during the pandemic?
Cultivate joy, even in those moments of uncertainty. We did our best to communicate to our guests – both in words and through the decisions we made (like having an 100% outdoor wedding) that their wellbeing and comfort was our number 1 priority. In turn, we earned their trust and everyone had a great time!
Are there any vendors that you would like to tell us a little more about?
We loved all our vendors, who went beyond our wildest expectations in creating a beautiful and joy-filled day. Our photographer, Norwud, was especially committed to getting to know us ahead of time and they had the best vibes. All around, a love fest.
Photographer :Norwud @norwud_ | Ceremony + Reception Location : Private House Naranjas del Carmen | Celebrant : Gabi Urculo (friend) | Entertainment : Somos Gente de Bien @somosgentedebien | Planning, Styling + Catering : Catering Cinco @cateringcinco | Flora : The Taller Valencia @thetallervalencia | Andrea's Dress : Steven Birnbaum Bridal @stevenbirnbaumbespoke | Evan's Suit : Freeman’s Sporting Club (now closed) @freemanssportingclub | Engagement + Wedding Rings : Anna Sheffield @annasheffield | Shoes : Loov Shoes @loovshoes Valencia (Andrea) + John Fluevog @fluevog (Evan) | Andrea's Jewellery : Vintage from Brides grandmothers (Katy and Carla)