Marrying in Mallorca from abroad:the decisions, in order

Marrying in Mallorca while living in another country is not a harder wedding, but it is one decided in a different order. What at home is settled with an afternoon of visits is here spread across emails, one trip and a person you trust. This guide puts the decisions in the order in which it helps to take them, from the first to the last.

1. Which ceremony will be the legal one, and where

It is the decision on which all the others hang. If you marry in Spain, a civil marriage requires a prior file showing that you are free to marry and that there are no impediments. Under the Civil Registry Act, it is handled by a notary, a court clerk (letrado de la Administración de Justicia) or the head of the Civil Registry for the home address of one of the two. The wedding is then held before the mayor or the councillor the mayor delegates, a court clerk or a notary, with one exception: if the Civil Registry ran the file, the ceremony must be before the mayor or the councillor.

Living abroad does not oblige you to combine the legal act and the party. Many couples hold the legal ceremony on one day, at the town hall or before a notary, and the celebration at the estate on another, with whatever ceremony they like. It is an option, and it helps to tell your guests so nobody assumes you are already married that day. What is legal and what is symbolic, in civil wedding in Mallorca.

If the legal ceremony is to be at a town hall, ask which days and months it holds weddings: each town hall sets its own, and some hold none at certain times of year. Worth knowing before you fix the date of the legal part. Long weekends and day of the week for those travelling: choosing a wedding date in Mallorca.

The specific documents (apostille, translation, witnesses) are explained in destination weddings: arriving the day before, and the question of whether the estate can host the civil ceremony in civil ceremony at the same estate as the wedding. Here only the order matters: without knowing where and before whom you marry, you cannot fix the day.

2. The file, at a distance

The file is handled where one of the two has their home. If neither lives in Spain, the Administration's official portal says that a person living abroad can submit the application to the diplomatic or consular official in charge of the Civil Registry in their consular district. In other words, your first contact is usually in your own country, not in Mallorca.

Three habits save trouble. First, start in writing, with the registry or consulate that applies to you, before booking anything that depends on the date. Second, ask them to confirm by email the full list of documents, because obtaining and legalising papers in another country is what takes longest. Third, ask whether either of you must appear in person at any point: if so, that trip is the best one for the visit described below.

No one can give you a fixed timeframe here, because each registry and consulate sets its own. That is why the wedding day is fixed at the end of this stage and not at the start: file under way first, date second. For a general idea of when to begin, see when to start planning a wedding.

3. Who coordinates on the ground

From another country, what you miss most is not information but someone who decides on the island. It can be a relative who lives nearby, the venue's own coordination team or someone hired for the purpose. What matters is that it is one person, with a phone, who can make a decision without consulting you in the middle of the day.

Put three things in writing: who that person is, what they may decide alone and which decisions are always referred to you. The most delicate is rain: who decides the move to the covered space and at what time that decision is closed. In estates for weddings in Mallorca, by area you will find the questions to put to the venue about its plan B.

From photography and film, what helps most is that same figure: one reference person who knows the schedule, the places and the important people. And for how organisation changes on an island, see wedding suppliers in Mallorca: what changes on an island.

4. Visiting the island, or not

A visit is not compulsory, but it is what removes the most surprises. If you can make only one, make it at the time of day and, if possible, in the month of your ceremony: the sun falls in a different place in April than in September, and a lovely courtyard at noon can be in shadow at cocktail hour. The sunset time for each month is in when the light goes in Mallorca, month by month.

If you cannot travel beforehand, ask the venue for three things in writing: a video of the space at the time of the ceremony, photographs of the covered back-up space and the name of the person who will look after you. It does not replace a visit, but it avoids deciding with a sales sheet in front of you.

And if you do come, arrive with your questions ready: where guests sleep, how they get there, what happens if it rains and what can be prepared the day before. A visit without questions stays a pleasant walk. And for few guests: an intimate wedding in Mallorca.

5. When each person arrives

Far from home, a delay has no plan B. So it helps to have in writing when each person the wedding depends on arrives: you, your close family, each supplier and whoever coordinates. Arrivals are staggered, and those that depend on a plane or a boat are counted with a margin.

The useful rule is the one already set out in destination weddings: arriving the day before: nobody essential arrives on the day. And for those coming to the wedding, the guide out-of-town guests: where they sleep and how they arrive covers lodging, journeys and entry requirements for travellers from outside the EU.

If you wish, add one more day: a welcome dinner the evening before gives the two families time to meet.

6. In which language everything is settled

Official procedures are carried out in Spanish; documents from other countries arrive with a translation, as explained in the text on destination weddings. For everything else, language is decided couple by couple and family by family. A timetable of the day written in two languages, with meeting points and a phone number, avoids calls on the day itself.How to set up the ceremony in two languages.

At MAKERSWED we work in Spanish and English: you can write to us in either, and the calendar of the day and the rest of the correspondence arrive in the language you prefer. If you need another language, say so at the start and we will confirm in writing whether it is possible.

7. What can wait

From afar, everything seems urgent. It is not. These can wait: the dinner music, the seating plan, the wording of the vows, the bouquet and the decorative details. These cannot: the file, the date, the place, who coordinates and the arrivals.

If any of this order sounds like a to-do list, that makes sense: it is the list. With the first four decisions closed, the rest is done by email and without hurry.

When you have the date and the place, tell us your story: we will reply in writing, and the ways we work are in Services.

Frequently asked questions

Can I marry in Mallorca if I do not live in Spain?

Yes. The Administration's official portal says foreign couples can marry in Spain, and that a person living abroad can submit the application to the consular or diplomatic official in charge of the Civil Registry in their district. Ask your consulate which documents it requires and within what timeframe.

Do we need to travel before the wedding?

For the wedding itself, it is not compulsory. Ask the registry or consulate whether the procedure requires either of you to appear in person and, if so, use that trip to visit the place. If you cannot travel, ask the venue for a video of the space at the time of the ceremony.

Who coordinates the wedding if we are not on the island?

One trusted person who lives nearby, the venue's coordination team or someone hired for it. What matters is that they have a phone, can decide and know in writing what is always referred to you, such as the move indoors for rain.

Can the legal ceremony be one day and the celebration another?

Yes. The legal ceremony can be held at a town hall or before a notary once the file is resolved, and the celebration at the estate on the date of your trip. Just tell your guests so nobody is confused.

Which languages do you work in?

Spanish and English. You can write to us in either and receive the calendar of the day in the same language.