Danielle & Will’s Barcelona Wedding at This Must Be The Place

When Duncan, the owner of This Must Be The Place shared these photos with us we LOVED them… obvs! So it was such a JOY to be told that this gorgeous couple found their venue right here on our Venue Finder. Fast-forward to April 2022 and Danielle & Will’s dreams of a destination wedding came true.

We just adore this stylish pair and their rustic/glam celebration.

Danielle says…

After a huge online search due to COVID, looking at destinations from Dubai to Donegal we stumbled across This Must Be The Place. It was the perfect mix of quirky, rustic and glam that we had been looking for. We wanted the barn vibes but without it looking like it had recently hosted animals! We held a video tour and meeting with Duncan and Jo. We knew even in the bleak January weather that this was the place for us! Duncan and Jo put us at ease and the atmosphere they have created at their venue is magical. The attention to detail such as hanging disco balls, neon lighting, themed musician bedrooms and a hidden Millennium Falcon just sum up the cool vibes of the venue.

This Must Be The Place provides gorgeous scenery in the Catalonian countryside with impeccable interior design. The Plan B here for rainy days is better than the Plan A in most venues and we chose to have our meal inside to make the most of the beautiful barn that Duncan and Jo have created. From an industrial look staircase to a giant disco ball – it truly is perfection. Pictures and video of this venue do not do it justice. We were overcome with emotion when we drove to the top of the hilled driveway and got our first glimpse of the venue – the day before our wedding! The mountain landscape, the rolling fields, the church perched on top of the hill. It is all hard to explain until you see it. We couldn’t have wished for more and feel so lucky to have stumbled across This Must Be The Place.

Both wedding day outfits were custom made by local designers in Dubai. I tried on dresses in Scotland, England and Dubai but couldn’t find the one, so the amazing HOM Bridal created a bespoke gown bringing together my favourite elements and matching those to the theme of the wedding. The gown was silk crepe and fitted with a thigh high slit, rounded neckline and thick shoulder straps. It was paired with a long, trailing plain ivory veil. The dress was switched up from day to night by removing the pearl, lace fluted sleeves and attaching a cowl to the rounded low back. The thigh high slit also had an inset of the same lace from the sleeves providing a peek-a-boo effect. My shoes were the platinum penny mule from Loeffler Randall and I wore rose gold and pearl hooped earrings for day time by Mags Jewel Studio on Etsy and at night a pair of sparkly dangly earrings from a marketplace. My hair and makeup was done by the talented Teresa Snowball and we opted for a curled french ponytail with natural look makeup.

Will’s suit was a bespoke Tuxedo made by Suited & Booted. The jacket was a white double breasted tuxedo with a matching black bow tie. His trousers were ankle length and fitted which he teamed with monk style velvet shoes from ASOS. Suited & Booted added gorgeous details such as our wedding date on the inside of the jacket and Will’s initials on the sleeves of his shirt. Will wore a vintage gold watch which his Mum picked up for him on Ebay and teamed this with his grandfather’s cufflinks.

The bridesmaids wore copper bronze v-neck slip dresses from Pretty Lavish and chose to wear their hair in relaxed curled styles with natural, glam makeup looks. Our groomsmen wore black tuxedos and monk shoes from Next. These items were a bargain and the quality was excellent.

Our planner, Miriea from Cocó & Carl,introduced us to our wonderful stylist Andrea Llacer of Andrea Llacer Styling. They helped us tie together our original ideas and vendors and create a seamless vision. Our overall theme was Earth tones and atmosphere. We knew we wanted a relaxed wedding with our main focus being on our guests enjoying themselves but WOW flowers were a must! We wanted to blend traditional elements with more quirky modern pieces such as a neon sign above the bar and disco balls!

Our flowers were done by Molist Floristes and were sensational. They created a wonderful deconstructed aisle archway of wild flowers and greenery which looked unbelievable against the dramatic backdrop. The table top flowers were a mix of toffee, blush and caramel tones and created a relaxed but cool atmosphere surrounded by earth toned thin taper candles. This was paired with cheesecloth napkins and a gauze table runner in shades of cinnamon and sand. The industrial look staircase was decorated with a mix of dried flowers and baby’s breath which set the scene behind the top table. My bouquet was a relaxed mix of roses and orchids in similar toffee, earth and blush tones while the bridesmaids carried small baby’s breath posies.

Catering was provided by Moncho’s Catering and was absolutely sensational. Our guests raved about the quality of the produce and most said it was the best food they have ever had at a wedding. For aperitivo we went with a Spanish tapas theme and guests were served gorgeous elevated versions of classics such as padron peppers, iberian ham and prawns in garlic oil. For our meal we decided to opt for live cooking stations rather than a formal sit down meal. We didn’t have a formal wedding cake and chose to cut an iced carrot cake from our dessert bar! The cake bar included lemon meringue complete with popping candy and baked NY cheesecake. The carrot cake was one of Will’s favourite parts of the day!

Anna Svobodova was recommended to us by our venue. We could not be happier with her work. She came on our day and made us feel so special – like her work was so much more than just a job! She brought along a second photographer Heidi Sigler who helped her capture a range of moments from our day. The pictures are sensational and the ladies felt like guests at our wedding rather than vendors. You can feel the happiness and love that the day oozed in every image she took! We can’t believe it is our wedding when looking through!

Best part of the day

Our day was better than we ever could have imagined! As migrants who met abroad we have never been with everyone we love in the same place before, so walking down the industrial staircase in the venue to one of our favourite songs – ‘You Got the Love’ by Florence and the Machine and seeing all of the people who mean the most to us sitting below is a moment we will never forget for the rest of our lives! Standing in L’Era in the Spanish sunshine on a crisp, cool day for our aperitivo with the wonderful musical duet Tina and Joe playing ‘Redemption Song’ by Bob Marley, watching over our friends while sipping cocktails – magical!

From one couple to another…

It is not just a cliche when people say that your wedding day is the best day of your life. It truly is worth every stressful moment and every penny spent, but getting the right suppliers and help is crucial. Our wedding was made by the providers we chose.

Take advice from your venue and if you are having a destination wedding choose a local wedding planner. Their insight and logistical knowledge will be crucial to making your day run smoothly. Your guests remember the music, the food and the mood. Our DJ Oscar Marimon is still being spoken about more than a month on – all of our guests want his playlist – especially those still to get married!

On the day of the wedding we vowed not to be stressed and just to relax and enjoy every moment – we spent our wedding morning eating gorgeous locally produced Spanish produce and pastries with Cava/Whisky surrounded by the people we love most! We could only do this by having the help and support of our venue owners and our wonderful planners Miriea and Alba.

We didn’t have a videographer and this would be my only wedding regret – I would love to relive the emotion of our wedding speeches!