Balance and Contrast: A Modern Barcelona Wedding

Amidst Catalan’s countryside, Alannah and Robin’s wedding at Rectoria Godmar was a tour de force of both minimalism and opulence, timeless charm and modern design, intimacy and grandeur. The historic venue, once the site of the 10th-century Castle of Godmar, provided a striking architectural backdrop, with views of Montserrat that captured the essence of the region.

The ceremony unfolded in a walled courtyard, where a grounded floral installation gently blended with ivy-covered walls. For the reception, long table was set with with tapered candles resting on mounds of salt, while soft blooms, flowing fabrics, and metallic accents contrasted with the building’s old world features, creating a striking balance of rustic charm and modern elegance.

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Our Story

Names / Alannah Madliger & Robin Burns

Location / Callús, Barcelona, Spain

Wedding Date / September 29th, 2024

Guest Numbers / 59

Budget / Not disclosed

How We Met

We met 11 years ago, shortly after we both moved to Germany to work at the Adidas Headquarters. I was working in brand marketing and Robin in product creation. After a few months, our friendship developed into a romantic relationship, and we’ve been together ever since!

Our Engagement Story

An engagement was a long time coming, and we always knew that we would want to pick out a ring together. Robin proposed at home with a placeholder ring, and we decided to keep it a secret until we had chosen the ring. After a few months, once we had the ring, we took a weekend trip to the Veluwe, a national park in the Netherlands. Robin got down on one knee again, and we shared the news with all of our family and friends. It was really special to keep the engagement a secret for those two months and not tell a soul. It gave us time to be in a little bubble and get excited about the wedding without the pressures you often feel in those first days of engagement.

What we love most about each other…

We’re truly partners in everything we do. We found wedding planning a really collaborative and enjoyable experience. Our personalities and skills complemented each other so well: Robin is driven, empathetic, generous, and humble, and he says I am creative, thoughtful, bold, and confident.

“We love juxtaposition: between minimalism and maximalism, architecture and nature, and old and new. The minute we saw Rectoria Godmar, we knew it was exactly the venue we had been dreaming about.”

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The Setting

Wedding Location

We’ve fallen in love with Barcelona and the surrounding countryside in our many visits to friends who live just outside the city. They have always been the greatest ambassadors for Catalonia, and we wanted our guests to experience everything we have grown to love about this area. We were searching for a venue that felt unique and unexpected. We love juxtaposition: between minimalism and maximalism, architecture and nature, and old and new. The minute we saw Rectoria Godmar, we knew it was exactly the venue we had been dreaming about.

Sitting on a hill above the small town of Callús (70 km from Barcelona) at the site of the ruined 10th-century Castle of Godmar, Rectoria Godmar is an architectural complex made up of the deconsecrated church of Sant Sadurní, its rectory, and newly built surroundings. From the garden, where we hosted cocktail hour, there is a front-row view of Montserrat, an iconic symbol of the Catalan countryside.

Aesthetic

We wanted our wedding to feel “spirited, unfussy, and striking.” As relaxed people with a passion for design, we aimed to blend casualness with elements of wow, creating something grounded yet memorable.

The venue and its natural surroundings were key sources of inspiration. We envisioned the space as a central part of the experience. Our Pinterest board was filled with personal photos, architecture, art, and fashion, and our color palette drew from the surrounding nature, church interiors, and rich wine reds.

Food and drink played a big role in the décor, and many choices were made to shape the atmosphere of each moment. We also wanted every detail to feel personal, so our guests could sense our presence throughout the day.

Preparation

We exchanged vows privately in the morning, focusing on writing them for each other, not an audience. Later, we shared some of those vows during the ceremony, which felt surprisingly intimate to our guests.

Afterward, we had breakfast with close friends, including our celebrant and maid of honor. The women went to the venue for hair and makeup, while the men stayed at the farmhouse for a barbecue.

Though we got ready in different places, we wanted the morning to feel like a shared experience. We bought a candle together – Acqua Di Parma’s Grazie – that still brings us back to that special morning every time we light it.

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Photography

Dos Mas En La Mesa photographed the wedding, and they were one of the first vendors we knew we wanted to work with. We were drawn to them because they capture what feels like moments in time, not still images. They are able to bring emotions to the forefront of their pictures while still honoring the aesthetics of the wedding. This is also what we love about our photos. Our day was so visually stunning, but our favorite photos are the ones where you can see how aesthetically beautiful it was but also feel how we felt being there in the moment.

Videography

For us, video was all about capturing the moments that photos could not. We asked HoiPoi to focus on the little behind-the-scenes moments, our guests’ reactions, and the words that were said so we can look back at the video and really remember what it was like in the moment.

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Style Notes

Ceremony Décor

Our ceremony took place in the walled courtyard – the former church rectory. In this space, you really feel transported back to the 1800s (when it was built), and it gave us the feeling of a super small, private ceremony we imagined. We wanted the ceremony décor to feel seamless and minimal. The space spoke for itself, and we wanted the people to be the center of this moment. Our guests sat on simple wooden benches. The focal point was the corner of the courtyard where a grounded floral installation seamlessly met the ivy growing up the courtyard walls.

Reception Décor

A single long table was the focal point of the design for the reception. Our goal was for it to feel intimate, generous, and have the buzz of a crowded restaurant. We opted for no flowers on the table and instead anchored hundreds of candles in dunes of salt. Above, we hung giant silver balls that drew the eye to the details on the ceiling and reflected the candlelight.

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Wedding Planner & Stylist

We worked with Jess from Happy Endings Barcelona, who made wedding planning a breeze. She understood what we wanted from the start and was able to work with our creative vision and only enhance it.

Flowers

While we love florals, the concept was to have them complement us and the setting, not be the star of the show. During the ceremony and cocktail hour, we used floral installations and grapes to connect to the natural environment. Molist, our florists, masterfully created a cohesive floral story using color and texture, where the arrangements were both striking and, at the same time, felt like they could have already been there.

For my bouquet, it was important to me that there was contrast with the round rose motif of my skirt and that the florals looked but natural, to reflect my dramatic styling and how I wanted to feel on the day. We opted for a slightly cascading bouquet of fresh greens and whites, using anthuriums and amaranthus to give structure and contrast from my dress.

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Stationery

We chose to be as paperless as possible, as we felt we weren’t able to keep the personal touch we were looking for with printed stationery. When sending out our save-the-dates, we weren’t yet set on an aesthetic style, so we chose to send all of our guests a short video of both of us doodling the save-the-date on a piece of paper with to Sharpie.

A few months later, we were at the restaurant 101 Gowrie in Amsterdam and were presented with a printed menu that, in the margins, had the chef’s notes written in Sharpie. This served as inspiration for the signage and menus for the wedding day, all of which we designed ourselves.

We love entertaining, and one of our concerns was that when we hosted a party for 60 people, we would lose the chance to have the little points of connection with all of our guests throughout the night—whether that might be explaining a choice we made on the menu, the tasting note of a wine, or just making an offhand joke. Being able to make those remarks, in our hand and in our voice, gave us the opportunity to communicate and connect more directly with our guests.

Instead of a traditional guestbook, we opted for an audio guestbook. Guests were able to pick up a phone and leave us a message. We love listening back to these messages. It’s so special to be able to hear the voices of our loved ones, and you can feel the energy of the day in the messages.

Cake

We chose not to serve a cake and instead opted for a dessert buffet. As an after-dinner moment, we invited our guests over to an espresso martini tower, where we gave a short thank-you toast and served our guests the caffeinated cocktails to kick off the party.

Food & Beverages

We wanted our wedding to reflect the essence of Catalonia, from the venue to the food and wine. We chose Caravan Made for their commitment to local, seasonal ingredients, aiming for a plentiful, adventurous spread. At cocktail hour, we served paella, tinned fish, tapas, carved jamón, and local vermouth. We hoped guests would try new dishes, and many ended up declaring guilds their new favorite food. For dinner, we opted for simpler flavors served family-style to foster intimacy. We paired the meal with five local Catalonian wines, focusing on small, low-intervention producers.

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Fashion & Beauty Notes

Bride’s Dress & Shoes

I knew I wanted my bridal look to have elements of drama but still feel relaxed and lived-in. The bridal separates from Halfpenny London allowed me to achieve that balance and let me fully curate my looks for the day. I chose an organza skirt with ruffle rose details, which was huge and dramatic but still light and fluid, paired with a satin crepe corset.

For dinner, I removed the overskirt, revealing a close-to-body wrap skirt underneath for a sexier evening look that was easier to sit and move in.

For the first dance and the party afterward, I brought back the ruffle rose skirt and played with the transparency of the organza for a more cheeky (literally) look. I wore a pair of French knickers underneath and tucked the sleeves of the top into the corset for more freedom of movement.

I love fashion and creating a statement with my looks, but it was just as important that the clothes felt good and worked with me throughout the day and night. The same went for my shoes. For the ceremony, I opted for a comfortable and relaxed pair I already had in my wardrobe—the Balla Mesh flats by Dear Frances. I liked that they gave me the comfort and freedom to move as I wanted, so I could be fully present during the ceremony.

For dinner and dancing, I changed into a pair of satin Prada mules in bright green for a pop of color. I also carried the Simone Rocha Egg Clutch—it was my first bridal wardrobe purchase in February 2023, and I’d been waiting to wear it since then!

Wedding Rings, Jewelry & Accessories

My engagement ring is a rose-cut trilogy ring in rose gold with a white gold setting. It’s an Edwardian-era antique, and I struggled to find a wedding ring that wouldn’t detract from its uniqueness. Instead of stacking, I decided to wear my engagement ring on my right hand and was gifted Robin’s late grandma’s ring to wear as my wedding ring. It’s a beautiful etched thick white gold band that perfectly offsets the daintiness of my engagement ring. To make it even more special, I also wear my grandma’s wedding ring as a pinky ring on my left hand.

Robin knew he wanted some bling in his ring, so he opted for an eternity band with black diamonds and yellow gold from our local jeweler, Lyppens. It’s a bit glitzy but still masculine, and it perfectly suits his sense of style.

Hair & Makeup

I wanted my hair and makeup to look relaxed and a bit undone, giving my overall look a sense of ease. I wore my hair down with a bit of movement at the ends, and for dinner, I pulled it into a loose ponytail. For makeup, we went with a very natural base, a soft pink eye, and a touch of baby blue iridescent glitter for a bit of fun and playfulness.

Groom’s Attire

Robin wore a dark olive suit by Emporio Armani, Weejuns by GH Bass, and a custom shirt. He’s not a “tie guy,” but wanted his look to still feel formal, so he opted for a string of freshwater pearls (gifted from his mom’s collection) in place of a tie.

“In the corner of the courtyard a grounded floral installation seamlessly met the ivy growing up the courtyard walls”

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The Details

Honeymoon

We decided to drive from our home in Amsterdam to Barcelona and back, giving us a few days on either side of the wedding to relax, decompress, and spend time together. On the way back, our first stop was the Costa Brava. We stayed at La Bionda in Begur, a beautiful boutique hotel, which made an amazing base for visiting beaches, art galleries, and wineries in the area. From there, we drove north, spending time in Bordeaux and along the coast of Normandy.

Entertainment

After dinner, we had Gigi McFarlane singing live with a saxophonist to kick off the party. They brought incredible energy, and before long, people were dancing on chairs, ready for a long night of fun. We then moved outside to the dance floor, where Gabs Terry was DJing. Around 1 am, we opened the karaoke cave, and for the rest of the night, we were running between the dance floor and karaoke. We knew it was a risk to bring in karaoke – we worried it might dilute the dance floor vibe – but in the end, it was just double the fun!

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A memorable moment…

There were a couple of moments during the night that were a complete surprise to us and involved (literally) fire. The first was when the sax player with Gigi lit a huge sparkler attached to his sax and passed it around to our guests. He was an incredible hype man and really amped up the party.

The second was during our first dance. On a prior trip, we had seen correfocs (Catalan firework dancers) and joked with our friends that it would be amazing to have them at our wedding. Those friends brought a firework with them to surprise us. Just by chance, the venue owner offered to show them the view from the bell tower overlooking the dance floor at the exact moment we started our first dance. This gave them the perfect opportunity to light the firework over us just as we finished our dance. The timing was so serendipitous, it made the moment even more special.

We were so excited to surprise our friends with the different elements of the wedding, but these moments of awe and surprise for us were truly unforgettable.

One thing I wish I knew before I started my wedding plans…

If you’re struggling to make something work or feel “perfect,” it might be time to pivot. There were a few design decisions we were struggling with and trying to adjust, but after weeks of discussion, we decided to abandon them and go in a completely different direction. That’s when everything clicked. Once we learned this, we applied the same approach throughout our planning, which allowed us to follow our instincts, break with convention, and throw a wedding that felt personal to us.

Sources of inspiration…

We found a lot of inspiration outside of typical wedding resources. We pulled from our own experiences with entertaining, dining, and traveling, and also collected images of shapes, textures, patterns, and colors that we were drawn to. Once we did start looking at wedding vendors and how other weddings were executed, this helped us pinpoint the elements we liked and didn’t like, and allowed us to create a day with a very clear point of view.

If I could give other couples one piece of advice…

Think less about what you want your wedding to look like and more about how you want the day to feel. Discuss the vibe and emotions you want to evoke during different parts of the celebration, and let that guide your aesthetic choices.

When collaborating with creatives, I find it important to give them a clear brief but also the freedom to explore and play as much as possible. We took the same approach with our wedding vendors. You get the best and most out of people when they’re creatively fulfilled!

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