What it costs to marry in Mallorcawhat it depends on

An island is not a big city

It is the question asked most and the one a bare number answers worst, so there is none here, on purpose. What can be explained is what marrying on an island adds, so that you know which items to look for and which ones get forgotten when comparing. How a photography and film proposal is put together is covered in how a wedding is budgeted and in what your wedding budget depends on; this text deals only with what is particular to Mallorca.

In a city, guests sleep nearby, suppliers live nearby and the venue is on the same road as the hotel. On the island, the wedding is often a destination within a destination: you arrive, sleep in one place, celebrate in another and travel back. That draws four items of its own: getting there, sleeping, moving around and waiting for permits. Catering, flowers or music exist anywhere; these four change in weight from one island to the next.

Getting there and moving around: transfers for suppliers and guests

There are two journeys to add up. The first is that of suppliers who do not live on the island: flight or boat, a day of margin and, sometimes, a hotel night. How to approach it, and arriving the day before, is covered in wedding suppliers in Mallorca; one idea is enough here: a supplier who lives on the island already works with the distances in mind, and one from elsewhere adds them to the proposal. Ask each how it shows.

The second journey is that of the guests, and it is the one most often forgotten. Before sending invitations, decide who organises and who bears the transfer between the airport or port, the accommodation and the ceremony, and whether there will be coaches. If there are, ask the venue where they stop and turn: we list it among the questions for the visit.

And there is movement within the day itself. A ceremony in one area, dinner in another and the hotel in a third add road time, vehicles and, above all, light: each journey eats minutes of the last sun. The sunset table is in the light of the island, month by month and the areas, one by one, in the guide to light by area.

Sleeping, and the tourist stay tax

If the venue does not accommodate guests, someone has to solve where the wedding sleeps: it is the cost that appears latest. One detail often stays out of the calculation: the Balearic Islands have a tax on tourist stays, and the law applies it to those staying in hotels, tourist apartments, rural hotels, agrotourism and holiday homes, among other establishments. It is paid by the person staying and remitted by the establishment's owner.

We do not give its amount or conditions here, because they are updated and depend on the case: check them for the date of your wedding. The useful point is another. If you are going to pay for guests' rooms, ask whether the price you receive includes the tax or adds it separately, and the same goes for the accommodation of a team that travels. Have it in writing in every offer.

The season: the date weighs on everything

On an island, the date does not only decide the light or the rain; it decides who is free, how many weddings take place on the same weekend and how much margin is left to solve something unforeseen. Light and rain are covered in the best time of year to marry; what matters for this bill is something else: each proposal should say what changes if the day changes.

So ask whether the proposal is the same for a Saturday in high summer as for a weekday or a month of lower demand, and ask for it in writing. If you consider moving the date to gain margin, do it with the light in front of you: two hours separate the sunset of June from that of October, and that difference rules the schedule more than any other decision. What changes depending on the day: choosing a wedding date in Mallorca.

Permits and music: what a town hall decides

Two things that depend on no supplier and have deadlines: the authorisation of the place and the hour until which music may play.

If you are thinking of a ceremony on the beach, the coastal side is explained in the article on suppliers: occupying the shore with removable installations requires prior authorisation from the coastal authority, and its official website does not mention weddings expressly. For this bill, what counts is that it is a procedure with a deadline and someone must take it on: ask your planner or the town hall of the beach who handles it and how far ahead.

Music is the other half. The Balearic law against noise pollution requires a prior acoustic study for outdoor activities with music when the sound or the number of people exceed certain thresholds, and provides that, if the permitted noise level cannot be guaranteed, the town hall may authorise the activity with a limited schedule. In practice, the hour at which the party ends is decided neither by the couple nor by the band, but by the venue's licence and the municipal authorisation.

That has knock-on effects. The band or DJ adjust their set, the caterer adjusts dinner, and photography and film adjust the hours of presence: a party that ends early is not the same as one that runs long. So, before closing anything, ask the venue until what hour music may play, in writing, with the name of whoever authorises it. With an email template: outside catering and music.

What this means for photography and film

Hours of presence are not decided by the clock of the banquet, but by the real shape of the day: where each of you gets ready, where the ceremony is, where dinner is and when the music ends. When you ask any house for a proposal, ours included, give it that whole map, with the transfers between one point and another; it is what allows us to talk about specific hours, and not a general rate.

And ask the proposal to say clearly what is included in the team's travel and accommodation, if any, and what is yours to cover. If you are comparing with a wedding in another city, the general factors are in what a wedding photographer costs, which we do not repeat here.

A list to compare proposals on an island

This is the practical part. None of these items carries a number here; they are there so that every proposal you receive answers the same things.

If you already have a date or a place in mind, tell us your story and we will reply with a written proposal; the different ways of working are under Services.

Frequently asked questions

What does a wedding in Mallorca cost?

We give no figure, because a single one describes no wedding: it depends on the place, the date, how many guests come from elsewhere and what you wish to keep. Ask for the proposal in writing and compare it with the list in this article; the general workings are in «what your wedding budget depends on».

Is a wedding on an island more expensive?

We cannot say without seeing each case. What does change is that items appear, such as transfers, accommodation and procedures, that weigh less on the mainland. Ask for them in writing.

Who pays for the guests' accommodation?

Each couple decides. What matters is to settle it before sending invitations and to check whether the accommodation price includes the tourist stay tax.

Do I need a permit for a ceremony on the beach?

It depends on the place and on what is installed. Occupying the maritime-terrestrial public domain with removable installations requires prior authorisation from the coastal authority; also ask the town hall of the beach who handles the procedure.

Until what hour may music play?

It depends on the venue and the municipality. The Balearic law against noise pollution sets the conditions for outdoor activities and leaves the town hall to authorise, with a limited schedule if needed. Get the hours in writing before signing.

If you are planning a wedding in Mallorca, explore MAKERSWED's wedding photography and film collections, read the frequently asked questions or shape your story in three short questions.