The Intimate Spain Wedding Was Written in the Stars

Anna and Ania

Anna first spotted Ania across the room of their college statistics classroom wearing a jacket she used to have. After noticing the coincidence, Anna looked at her and somehow thought they might have more in common and that Ania might be the kind of person she'd like to be around. That night, she browsed the online student list until she matched a name to the face, then lurked a bit on Facebook, and finally gathered the strength to invite her to a party a few days later. That's where they clicked, but sadly they lost touch. As luck would have it, a year later they landed in the same class again. Though in their own relationships, it was only a matter of three months before they realized they were made for each other and they haven't left each other's sides since.

Anna proposed to Ania, and on May 2, 2015, their fourth anniversary, the psychologists and artisans (they have an Etsy shop called The Wandering Orion) made things official with an intimate wedding in their rural town of Perafita, Spain, just north of Barcelona.

With 50 guests, and nature all around, the celebration wove in a theme of astronomy and constellations-something the couple has always loved. Family and friends came together at La Roca, to rejoice and share in the festivities, even incorporating a bit of leather, and plenty of stars, along the way.

Watch Anna and Ania's Wedding Video

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The Invitations

Lucía Irureta designed the stationery—which was created to feel like it came from an old astronomy book of constellations and could be something guests might frame. Printed mostly in Catalan, with some French translations for a few of Anna's relatives, it boasted a copper-foiled Orion constellation onto a heavy, dark blue cotton paper.

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The Style

Anna and Ania visited three shops together on their search for dresses. Used to helping each other out with clothing, they felt it wouldn't feel natural to miss that moment. They tried on about twenty gowns each until they found the winners at Pronovias. Anna opted for a dress with cap sleeves and a v-shaped neckline, while Ania opted for a strapless number.

The twosome paired their gauzy gowns with Toms shoes. "Afterwards, we realized it was the best decision we could have ever made," Anna says of their footwear selection.

Wanting to keep the floral simple, green, and fresh throughout the day they started with minimal headpieces made by Oh Fleurs! Using pistachio, eryngium, wax flower, viburnum, rice flower, and succulents.

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Bridal Bouquets

Anna and Ania's bouquets reflected their own styles. Anna's was a bit more colorful with blue thistle, white rice flower, and dark red-toned berries. Ania's incorporated wax flower and scabiosa pods.

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By Their Sides

The bride's best friends served as bridesmaids and wore corsages that matched the bridal bouquets. But they also partook in a Catalonian tradition of choosing a man significant in their life to hand over the bouquet before the ceremony and read heartfelt words they've written to the bride. Ania chose her cousin, Jose, and Anna asked her brother, Xavi.

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Ceremony Décor

The service took place to the side of the house by a weeping willow tree. To set the scene for the ceremony, a wood table was decorated with a glass and brass boxes filled with air plants and vintage brass light bulbs and their bases. "We filament light bulbs found at a local flea market and vintage electrical materials because it offered an alternative décor moment and a metallic touch that was hinted at on the invitation," planner Laura Perez of Fueron Felices notes.

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Something Blue

Blue chairs added color to the outdoor ceremony.

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The Ceremony

In keeping with the theme, "Cosmic Love" by Florence and the Machine played as the brides entered the ceremony on the arms of their fathers, with Ania entering first and Anna following a few seconds after. "When I saw her walking down the aisle, it was a really emotional moment," Ania recalls. "I felt like our love for each other had brought us there."

Anna and Ania didn't want to know if anyone was going to read anything to them, they wanted it to be a surprise. But Anna's cousin and a close friend shared words about the couple's story as part of the service. They followed that by exchanging vows they'd personalized and their simple, thin rose gold wedding bands.

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Confetti

A small bag of colorful paper confetti was attached to a piece of cardboard stamped with the Orion constellation. Bridesmaids handed them out before the ceremony so that attendees could shower the brides as they recessed up the aisle to "Pogo" by Digitalism.

The Orion constellation made one more appearance—on the favors—which were customized Muji notebooks with the collection of stars on the front and the bride's initials. Anna and Ania wrote a personal message to each guest on the first page.

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Cocktail Hour

Stacked cheeses were just one of the cocktail hour offerings—including Mexican tacos, mini burgers, and quail eggs on toast with sobrassada and cheese. Aside from a few stationary buffets, waiters also passed canapés, such as spring rolls with sweet chili sauce and crusty bread with anchovies and red pepper.

Strawberry mojitos—one of the brides' favorite cocktails—were also served, with red-and-white polka dotted straws in each glass.

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Notes for the Brides

A stack of books relevant to Anna and Ania's lives—one on psychology (their profession), another on astrology (their passion)—and in honor of their love of reading anchored a note-writing station. Notecards were set out for guests to write their well wishes on and went into a tin box that they would open on their fifth anniversary. Each card also asked "do you think we will manage to wait five years to read this? Mark yes or no."

A print designed by their stationer also spotlighted a favorite quote by Vincent Van Gogh, "I know nothing with any certainty, but the sight of the stars makes me dream."

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Keeping Warm

With the wedding taking place in a chillier region of the Barcelona province, the brides set out fleece blankets (some even bearing constellations) in case guests felt cold.

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Seeing Stars

"We thought having a telescope would really fit the vibe and our guests could use it at night," Ania says. "That telescope was the first gift Anna ever gave me, so it was extra special."

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Photo Ops

Anna and Ania threw on their sunglasses and snapped a few photos in front of a vintage car owned by Anna's dad before the sun set.

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The Reception

The reception took place in a tent erected in front of the house, with open views of the surroundings. Mismatched chairs set at wooden tables added interest to the space, with handcrafted blue glasses giving it an extra pop of blue.

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The Menu

Guests dined on sea scallops with potato and truffle puree and beef stuffed with mushrooms and Iberian ham. The circular menu hung from the tent's poles.

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The Place Settings

Denim napkins were wrapped with leather tags that doubled as place cards and could even be used as luggage tags post-wedding.

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Non-Floral Centerpieces

Only strong greens (including sword ferns, monster deliciosa leaves, and leaucadendron) were set in the clear and amber glass vessels set amongst unique centerpieces made of raw wood mousetraps and light bulbs.

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The First Dance

The newlyweds chose "You've Got The Love" by Florence and the Machine for their first dance—a song they always knew would be played during that momentous part of their celebration.

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The Cake

After discovering Magnolia Bakery in New York City during a visit, the pair dreamt that the bakery would open a branch in Spain by the time they got married. Though that didn't happen, Cup&Cake Barcelona came to the rescue, making a red velvet cake for the brides to cut into.

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An Intergalactic Photobooth

A photobooth backdrop was created using chalk paint pens, and guests took out-of-this-world snapshots by posing with props like inflatable planets, sunglasses, and some custom felt banners made by the brides.

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