March 8, 2025

Our First Night at the Venue: Wine, Games & Pre-Wedding Relaxation

We arrived in Spain three days before our families, which gave us time to settle in, shake off any nerves, and properly relax before the wedding weekend kicked off. Since we had a lot of luggage—my dress, Andrew’s tux, bridesmaid and groomsmen gifts, and more outfits than we probably needed—we hired a car for the weekend. It made things so much easier!

On our way to Cortijo Rosa Blanca, we stopped by the supermarket to stock up on essentials. While catering was arranged for all our meals leading up to the wedding, we needed provisions for the first night. We picked up everything for a meat and cheese board, snacks, and plenty of crisps to enjoy when our families arrived later that evening.

To make our arrival smoother, we had arranged for the venue to stock up on wine, a keg, soft drinks, and essentials like bread, milk, and juice. This was a lifesaver and one less thing to worry about—though, looking back, we should’ve grabbed way more water since we went through it so quickly!

Settling Into The Venue

We had rented the villa from Thursday to Monday (four nights in total), which meant we could really settle in and enjoy the space rather than feeling rushed.

When we arrived, Laura from the wedding team welcomed us. She handled guest transport after the wedding and ensured we had everything we needed. We also met her to settle the final wedding payment, which we were relieved to tick off before our families arrived. After a quick tour and a rundown of the essentials, she left us to enjoy the peace and quiet.

With the house to ourselves, we got to work. We had prepared welcome bags and a custom wedding newspaper for our guests staying at the Cortijo, so we allocated rooms and placed them inside. Then, we took advantage of the empty house to iron all our outfits for the weekend before finally kicking back with a game of table tennis. 

welcome bag for guests

Family Arrivals & Our First Evening

After playing some table tennis and enjoying a quiet moment with a glass of wine and beer, we were ready to get ourselves ready before our guests arrived.  I wore a beautiful linen embroidered dress from Zara—comfortable and light, perfect for the warm weather and low-key vibe of the evening.

By the time we were ready, our guests started to trickle in, with the first ones arriving around 5pm. With everyone there by evening, it was time for us to relax, play some games, and enjoy a wonderful first night at the Cortijo with our families.

That first night was all about letting our hair down. We drank wine, played games, and just soaked in the excitement of the weekend ahead. I might have gone a bit too hard (rookie mistake), but thankfully, I had no real plans until the following evening! It was such a special night, and I’m so glad we made the time to have it.

my outfit for our guest arriving

Easing Into the Wedding Festivities

The next day was super chilled for the girls, while the lads headed off to play golf. We had a leisurely lunch at a nearby hotel, where I got to meet some of our other guests who had arrived in advance of the wedding. The rest of the afternoon was spent lounging by the pool, enjoying the Spanish sun before getting ready for our rehearsal dinner that evening.

If you’re planning a wedding and can schedule a chill night before the madness begins, I highly recommend it. Having that extra evening to unwind, enjoy time with family, and ease into the celebrations was completely worth it—it set the tone for the entire weekend and made everything feel more relaxed.

The Wedding Collection is just getting started—next up is the rehearsal dinner! Stay tuned for all the details on how we kicked off the celebrations with our nearest and dearest.