When to start planninga wedding

The short answer: as soon as there is a date in mind, write to the venue. It alone decides when to start, and websites do not say. A review of the official pages of thirty-one wedding venues in Madrid, Mallorca and Ibiza, carried out in September 2026, found none that publishes how far ahead it is booked or a calendar of free dates.

What would have counted as an answer

A lead time stated in months or years, a calendar with occupied dates, or the announcement of an open season. A contact form or a hotel-room booking engine does not count: being able to book a hotel night in June does not say whether the garden is free that Saturday. Some venues speak of "last dates", but without a year and alongside a discount: it is a lure, not a lead time.

And "a year ahead"?

It is a widespread piece of advice, not a published fact. It may still be true; it simply appears on no website, and so should not be taken as a figure. Si la fecha se decide desde fuera de la isla: getting married in Mallorca while living abroad.

Why the venue comes first

Because the venue fixes the date. Until a venue confirms a day, there is no wedding: there is an intention. No other craft can commit against a date that does not yet exist, nor block its diary for a Saturday that may change. The venue first and, only when it confirms, the rest.

Whom to ask first

All those that suit you, the same day. Since none publishes its lead time, only the reply orders the list: whoever offers a free date moves up; whoever delays or answers without a date moves down. If you organise from afar, the email is the visit: a date is lost by delay in writing, not by not having seen the place.

What to ask in the first email

• Is the specific Saturday of such a month free? With the exact day, not a season.
• How far ahead do you usually close dates for that season?
• Can the date be held for a few days while we decide, and in exchange for what?
• If that day is taken, which is the nearest free one?

With the replies you will have built the calendar that no website offers. And with the date confirmed, you can write to the rest. Websites change: confirm each detail directly.

What does not depend on the venue: the paperwork

Whichever place you choose, one step takes its own time. To marry in a civil ceremony in Spain you must first process an authorisation file at the Civil Registry or, alternatively, before a notary, where it is checked that there are no legal impediments. Once granted, the authorisation is valid for one year; if that year passes without the ceremony, it must be repeated. It can be celebrated before the mayor, before the head of the Civil Registry or before a notary.

The practical consequence: open the file when the date is nearly settled, but with room to spare. Too early, and it expires before the wedding; too late, and you will not have the papers. At the Civil Registry in Valencia, for example, appointments are requested online only; confirm how it works at yours.

An indicative calendar, from what fills up to what adjusts

• First weeks: venue and date, asking about the exact day.
• Once the date is confirmed: photography, film, catering and music, each of which has a single diary.
• A few months ahead: the marriage paperwork, civil or religious, asking the specific office or parish for the lead time.
• Final weeks: timings for the day, a map of arrivals and a list of who calls whom if something changes.

These timings are an order of events, not official figures: ask the specific office or parish for the actual lead time.