Can’t Decide Between Tying The Knot In The Uk Or Spain? Gibraltar Gives You The Best Of Both!

by Liz Seyi Digital marketing manager

A lot of hype tends to build up around one’s ‘special day’, and of course, on one level, that’s really exciting! But on another level, it might mean that you find yourself setting overly high expectations, and wanting a bit of everything from your wedding.

“Why can’t my wedding be somewhere close enough for all of my friends and family to attend, but also somewhere sunnier and more exotic than the grey and drizzly UK?”, you might ask yourself. Or maybe you’re in love with the idea of an overseas wedding, but your British partner wants to be surrounded by all of the reassuring signs of home.

It can be a real minefield to manage these competing priorities and wishes. But one of the great things about Gibraltar weddings is that getting married in the British Overseas Territory really can give you a bit of everything on your big day, and you won’t even necessarily have to pay that much for it.

Yes, there’s a corner of Europe that’s both British and Mediterranean

OK, we know what you’re thinking. If you’re trying to decide between getting married somewhere British or somewhere Spanish, there are plenty of parts of Spain itself with strong British expat communities. Couldn’t you just formalise your union with your beloved there?

In theory you could, but in reality, there are tough residency requirements for doing so. Presuming neither of you is a Spanish citizen, it’s normally the case that one of you needs to have been legally resident in Spain for the previous two years. Even applying to get married in Spain usually involves a lot of time-consuming bureaucracy. It’s just a big hassle.

By contrast, in Gibraltar – which is literally just a walk away from Spain – there are no residency restrictions at all. You can also get married quite quickly in Gibraltar – we’re talking literally within 48 hours – under a special licence. And of course, you’ll get to enjoy much the same kind of fabulous Mediterranean climate, natural beauty and architectural heritage as Spain offers!

But it’ll feel like a true ‘home from home’, too

Putting aside what Gibraltar shares with Spain, it’s also important to appreciate that this is a British Overseas Territory, as it has been for more than 300 years. What’s more, that Britishness is seen all around Gibraltar, encompassing everything from classic red post boxes and phone boxes to familiar UK high-street shops like Debenhams, Holland & Barrett and Marks and Spencer.

Oh, and the lack of a language barrier greatly helps, too! Gibraltar’s official language is English, so all of your relevant documents will be easy to understand, with no need to pay what might be significant sums for translation services. Again, it’s just one more way in which Gibraltar weddings effectively combine the best of both the British and Spanish wedding experience.

It’s worth noting, too, that all of your nearest and dearest should even be able to get to your wedding easily, thanks to the existence of direct UK-to-Gibraltar flights that take less than three hours.

So, you really can ‘have it all’ on your big day – don’t accept anyone telling you otherwise! Contact the Sweet Gibraltar Weddings team by phone or email today, and you’ll soon learn just how convenient, affordable and romantic Gibraltar weddings can be.