Some places have a magic of their own and they captivate you. Quite often this stems from childhood memories of visiting family or summer vacations in far-flung places. Later these places can become significant in your life so when you start planning for a special event you dream of celebrating it there. Such is Cathy and Ben’s story.
Living together in London but organising an intimate Mallorca finca wedding without a wedding planner takes some determination, and plenty of spreadsheets. It can be done and it can be done exceptionally well. Cathy and Ben definitely pulled it off! They located a beautiful traditional Mallorcan finca in the countryside outside Pollensa with grounds for the ceremony and the outdoor wedding breakfast. Local wedding suppliers provided scrumptious food, amazing music and beautiful flowers but fortunately they decided to hire me as their Mallorca wedding photographer!
I arrived early in the day as Cathy, her bridal party and her mum and dad enjoyed a late breakfast with a few drops of Cava. It was lovely to capture those intimate moments as Cathy shared special messages and gifts with everyone, and yes, a few tears. It’s moments like this that reinforce the privilege that documentary wedding photographers experience every time we share such a special day in a couple’s life.
Cathy’s dad is an excellent restaurant chef in the beautiful village of Fornalutx so she had appropriately assigned him to prepare the canapés. Ben and his groomsmen ensured the tables and chairs were all set up for the ceremony. Helen and her team laid out the place settings and decorated the tables with all of Cathy and Ben’s personal touches. It all looked so lovely.
Cathy eventually retired upstairs to get ready for her big day. Ria, Cathy’s maid of honour, her bridesmaid Tasha and bridesmen Sean and Mike, all accompanied her in the ‘bridal suite’ along with her mum Linda. Time flies during the bridal preparations and before long Cathy was ready. Her dad was invited in to the room. As he entered, he was clearly moved to see his beautiful daughter. Cathy threw him a big, excited smile across the room and the two hugged. A special moment for both of them.
Before long, the wedding guests were seated and Paul Betts, the celebrant, was ready to begin the ceremony. Cathy and her dad made their way to meet Ben and the guests. Cathy had a humongous smile throughout the whole ceremony, only broken occasionally by moments of deep emotion. You could just feel the happiness and love they have for one another and this was reflected in their friends and family too.
After a kiss on the finca’s balcony and a confetti walk their guests began sampling the delicious canapés and Cava. A circle of guests enjoyed ‘the lemon game’ as the Muntaner Duo strummed away in the background of the beautiful Mallorca finca. It was such a fun and relaxed occasion.
As the sun dipped below the trees, Martijn and Lia Wijn started cooking a gigantic paella for the wedding guests. It was absolutely delicious! With the guests all fed and watered, Cathy’s dad David stood up and gave the most beautiful and emotional father-of-the-bride speech you could ever hear. I just loved the way that Cathy was beaming with her huge smile one moment and soon after a tear rolled down her cheek. Nothing changed when Ben professed his love for his new wife. So many moments of tenderness, touches, smiles and tears.
The best man Oli followed and, as is the tradition, made a great attempt to embarrass Ben with some great stories supported by numerous photos as evidence. Absolutely hilarious! As a lovely touch, Cathy stood up at the end of the wedding breakfast and thanked Ben and all her friends and family.
The evening ended with their first dance beside the swimming pool and everyone dancing in to the night. Cathy and Ben are an amazing couple and they should be so proud of all their efforts to put together such a memorable, fun and intimate Mallorca finca wedding. We will certainly never forget all those incredible smiles!
Hopefully these photos have captured the spirit of Cathy and Ben’s beautiful wedding day. If you’d like to see more, take a look at a highlights version of Cathy and Ben’s wedding photofilm of their Mallorca finca wedding set to the music “London” by Benjamin Dunn (4 mins). As Cathy’s father said, “Never, ever forget why you fell in love in the first place. Never, ever forget it!”
Like Cathy and Ben, Mallorca has captivated us too. I’m always happy to hear from you if you are seeking a destination wedding photographer, especially a Mallorca wedding photographer! If you are considering an intimate destination wedding then consider a Mallorca finca wedding for the occasion. There are many beautiful fincas and more modern villas on the island in fantastic locations. With a little work and help you too can create something very special and personal. Good luck!