Guide · 6 min read · Updated
A wedding in Ibiza or Mallorca:how to choose
Two islands, two scales and two ways of receiving the light: what changes and how to decide before choosing the venue.
Few couples start with the venue. They start with an image: a cove, a stone village, a sunset, and have to decide whether that image is in Ibiza or in Mallorca. The two islands are alike in sea and climate, and differ in what is hardest to see from afar: scale, light and how the day is organised.
Two islands, two scales
Mallorca is the largest of the Balearics and has a little over six times the area of Ibiza. That difference shows in the plan. In Mallorca you must allow for long journeys between one area and another; in Ibiza, a compact island, almost everything is close by. The comparison, in figures you can check:
| Mallorca | Ibiza | |
|---|---|---|
| Area | 3,623 km² | 572 km² |
| UNESCO World Heritage | Serra de Tramuntana (2011) | Dalt Vila and other sites (1999) |
| Airport | Palma | Ibiza |
| Sunset, 15 June 2027 | 21:17 | 21:20 |
| Mean minimum temperature in January | 3.8 °C | 8.1 °C |
Both islands have heritage recognised by UNESCO: in Mallorca, the cultural landscape of the Serra de Tramuntana; in Ibiza, the fortified town of Dalt Vila, along with other sites. It is context, not a rule for choosing, but it helps show what each offers guests: a mountain range to explore, an old town to stroll through.
Light: the mountains and the horizon
In a wedding timetable there is a clear difference. In Mallorca, the Tramuntana range covers a good part of the western horizon, so, depending on where the place is, the light can go up to half an hour before the table says. We explain it in the guide to the light of the island. Ibiza has no range on that scale, and what decides is whether the coast faces west or east: facing west, the sun sets head-on over the water, and facing east it leaves a pink band over the sea after sunset.
As for the hour, the sun sets in Ibiza between three and six minutes later than in Palma, depending on the month. It is little, but it shows you cannot copy timetables from one island to the other without checking: the one that counts is that of the place you choose. And on either island the best light is short; to pin it down, see Ibiza and Mallorca.
Climate: similar summers, different winters
AEMET's averages for Palma airport and Ibiza airport (1981-2010) show that summer is very similar: in August the mean maximum is 31.3 °C in Palma and 30.3 °C in Ibiza, and rainfall is 17 to 18 mm. The difference appears in winter: the mean minimum in January is 3.8 °C in Palma and 8.1 °C in Ibiza.
September and October are wetter on both: 50 and 62 mm in Palma, and 57 and 58 mm in Ibiza. These are multi-year averages, not a forecast, and each station sits at one specific point on the island; they tell you how much of a plan B you need. To see both islands month by month, read when to marry in Mallorca and Ibiza.
Venues and ceremony
Each island's venues differ. Mallorca has many possessions, large rural estates with a manor house, which we review by area; Ibiza has country estates and houses, hotels and spaces with sea views. The useful question is the same on both: what does the place do with the afternoon light, and what is the plan if it rains? The types of venue in Ibiza and what to ask each one: country estates, hotels and spaces with sea views.
The legal ceremony does not change from one island to the other, because the law is the same across Spain: a prior file, handled by a notary, a court clerk (letrado de la Administración de Justicia) or the Civil Registry, showing that you can marry. What does change is the registry, the town hall and the deadlines at each place. We summarise it for destination weddings and for a civil ceremony at a private venue.
If you are thinking of a beach ceremony, the same holds on both: the Coastal Law declares common uses, such as walking or bathing, free, and requires authorisation for those needing installations. In the ses Salines Natural Park, between Ibiza and Formentera, the Balearic Government also states that photo sessions and filming are authorised beforehand. Always ask the town hall of the specific beach. Un solo equipo para foto y película: photo and film from one team.
Getting there and housing guests
Each island has its own airport, Palma and Ibiza, so guests arrive separately depending on where the wedding is. The practical question is another: where they sleep and how they get around. In Mallorca, given the size, work out the journeys between lodging and venue carefully; in Ibiza they tend to be shorter. We cover it in more detail in a wedding with guests from abroad: where they will sleep. And what lies between the airport, the port and the estate: getting to Ibiza for a wedding.
And if the idea of an even smaller island appeals, look at getting married in Formentera: you reach it by boat from Ibiza and it has its own rules.
How to decide: three questions
- How many guests are coming and where will they sleep? The more there are, the more Mallorca's scale, with its long journeys, weighs.
- What image of the afternoon do you want? A mountain range behind the house and warm stone point to Mallorca; an open coast with sunset over the sea, to either, depending on which way the chosen coast faces.
- Which month? If it is September or October, settle the covered space in writing, whichever island it is.
With those three answers the choice usually sorts itself out. And if you then want to compare venues, you can tell us your story; the different ways we work are in Services.
Frequently asked questions
Is Ibiza or Mallorca better for a September wedding?
Both get more rain in September and October than in summer, according to AEMET averages: 50 and 62 mm in Palma and 57 and 58 mm in Ibiza. What decides is having a covered space confirmed in writing, on either island.
Is it hotter in Ibiza or in Mallorca?
In summer the averages are very similar; in August the mean maximum is 31.3 °C in Palma and 30.3 °C in Ibiza. Winter nights are milder in Ibiza: the mean minimum in January is 8.1 °C against 3.8 °C.
What time does the sun set on each island?
In Ibiza it sets between three and six minutes later than in Palma, depending on the month: on 15 June 2027, at 21:20 in Ibiza and 21:17 in Palma. What counts is what stands between the sun and your venue, above all the mountain range in Mallorca.
Does the legal wedding procedure change from one island to the other?
Not in essentials: the prior file is the same across Spain. The registry, the town hall and the specific deadlines change at each place; check them before choosing a date.
Does each island have an airport?
Yes: Mallorca has Palma airport and Ibiza has its own. Formentera has no airport and is reached by boat from Ibiza. El trámite legal, paso a paso, en getting married in Mallorca while living abroad.
If you are planning a wedding in Ibiza, explore MAKERSWED's wedding photography and film collections, read the frequently asked questions or shape your story in three short questions.