T&A // Rustic Villa Wedding

Thinking of a villa wedding in Ibiza?

Check out Thim & Ashley´s country shin-dig before making any life changing decisions folks!

This divine couple and their two young laddies chose an oldy-worldy ibicencan villa behind San Rafael church to tie the knot.

Surrounded by the distinctive Olive and Sabina trees Ibiza has become renowned for.

The day started off cloudy, threatening rain all morning, but the sun, fighting the good fight, kept it at bay all day, finally proving victorious at sunset, regaling us to a luxurious golden hour that keeps couples flocking to marry here year after year.

One of the great things about holding your ceremony at your villa, is that with everything happening all under one roof (from a photographer's p.o.v of course), I can flit from bride to groom to ceremony set up, grabbing all my key shots (and then some) along the way, making time for more candid moments to naturally occur right under my nose.

On a day you would like to remember forever, not only what you saw, but also what you didn't see .....this proves priceless.

Bride & Groom prepared themselves for their big reveal, in adjacent rooms, with their two youngsters dipping in & out as they pleased.

With no time wasted travelling to the ceremony location, it all felt extremely relaxed.

Groom and the boys got ready together next door, and having built a rapport with the little munchkins from the get go, (I'm a mother of two boys....I've basically got it in the bag pdq) it allowed me literally hundreds of shots any mother & father would sell their own grandmother for!

Thim greeted his guests on the lush on site gardens, decorated beautifully for the occasion.

As soon as he caught sight of his stunning bride, dressed in understated vintage togs, being slowly guided down the aisle by her father, he couldn't help but shed a tear.

Then came the laughs... so many of them.

Then the tears..... again.

Brave speech from their eldest son, exchange of vows. quid pro quo of the rings, first kiss as man and wife and a whole load of confetti later....... That was a wrap.

An all round charming & emotional parade. Full of every kind of tear & laughter. Ashley, Thim & co. can be etched up there with one of my fave wedding ceremonies to date without a doubt!

But is a villa wedding for you?

Are you on the fence between a country, beach or cliff top wedding?

As a wedding photographer, I have seen it all pretty much, and I mean, from beginning to end, I'm on the front row yet behind the scenes simultaneously. The bridesmaids bra pops...I´m there.... Theres a fight between the waiters... I know about it.

I'm practically the all - seeing eye in the wedding sky.

And you lucky guys and gals are about to reap my fruits.

Read on for my humble opinion of having a villa wedding and a hopefully a cold, hard push off that fence where you currently reside.

PRO´S //

. Saving hugely on time (and money) on transportation, from hotel to ceremony venue and vice versa.

. Combining your accommodation with ceremony location will also save you a fair amount on venue hire and all other expenses incurred by marrying off site.

. You have all of your belongings on hand throughout the day, so you needn't worry about carting around your wedding paraphernalia, an extra set of shoes, top-up make-up, deodorant, suncream, accessories for the kids etc.etc...The list can be endless.

. A feeling of being at a home away from home. Making the wedding day stretch out over the weekend or even the whole week, instead of just one day.

. You can choose your own timeline for the run of the day without having to work around a venue who will obviously choose a timetable to fit in with what works best for themselves, as well as you. You call the shots here 100%

. You can stay up or retire for the night whenever you goddamn please and not when the venue or taxi driver tell you to.

. And finally, If you wisely choose a villa lacking neighbours within close proximity, then you can let the party continue at full speed & volume way into the night as opposed to most venues who cut you off at midnight.

CON´S //

. Some couples feel special arriving at a wedding venue, set up, ready to go and awaiting their appearance.

. Can be more costly, having to rent out altar, tables, chairs, deco, servers, caterers etc etc for a one time affair, as opposed to a wedding ready venue who already have their own supply.

. Unless you want to do all the leg work yourself, on the day, decorating, organising and everything in between, along with all correspondence and research beforehand, you are going to have to hire a wedding planner & coordinator. Hiking the prices even further.

. Your villa may require an event fee that can in some cases go into the thousands.

. Who's cleaning up?