Larger-than-life floral arrangements, a vibrant color palette, a show-stopping gown and the breathtaking backdrop of Barcelona—today’s editorial is the perfect way to kick off Valentine’s week. The team behind this sophisticated Spanish elopement inspiration includes floral designers RodriStudio & Maisonfrancis with invitations by Pearlyn and Paper, a Dora Sasu gown and gorgeous film photography captured by Lena Karelova Photography.
From the team: this editorial, we decided to showcase an elopement in the picturesque city of Barcelona, featuring inspiring architecture, vibrant colors, and a look into Spanish culture. Barcelona, as an autonomous city from the rest of Spain, exhibits the multidimensional sides of an incredibly diverse location with fascinating history and landmarks, as well as, a fervent society extremely proud of its heritage but also very progressive and multicultural.
With so many incredible inspirational shoots already in the region with a focus on old-world architecture and classic elegance, we wanted to bring something fresh and unique without compromising timelessness. We sought to bring the vibrancy of the city by choosing a rooftop as a setting, a much more modern and unexpected choice for the contemporary couple that provides incredible city views. We made sure to choose a couple that had immigrated to the city, as this is very representative of its culture today: multicultural, and inviting, especially to destination couples!
While still taking into account the undeniable history nestled within the city’s architecture, we chose to have the couple exchange vows in front of the Palau de Justicia, or the Supreme Court of Catalonia, located in the heart of the city’s old quarter by the Arc de Triumf.
Designed with the fashionable couple in mind, the bride wore a custom lace gown by Dora Sasu that blended timeless with sexy elegance, while the groom showed a more contemporary style with a navy-blue suit. The rentals and décor translated into a casual yet polished and vibrant reception, a clean and elegant table scape, which helped bring to life the location’s lively culture.
This elopement has a contemporary feel that manages to remain timeless and embedded with delicate fine art moments, like the hand painted invitation, featuring an ode to the florals, as well as the architecture with a hand drawn image of one of the city’s most historical landmarks, namely the Barcelona Cathedral.
Speaking of florals, designers Sandrine of Maison Francis and Angel of Rodri Studio, chose to showcase their talents as separate yet cohesive pieces, by merging the more lavish and luxurious style of the centerpiece with the timeless chic of the bridal bouquet, while making sure to focus on color as one of the most important aspects of the shoot. Inspired by the incredibly rich tones found throughout the city and the region as a whole, and with muted colors so often misconstrued as the only representation of what fine art exudes, we thought it was important to showcase this to couples who might want to infuse color into their big day, and how they can do so while remaining undeniably tasteful and sophisticated.
What is also great about Barcelona as a perfect elopement location is that not only you get to say “I do” in this vibrant city, but it also doubles as a honeymoon spot for couples to explore the city in depth and serve as a connecting point to continue the adventure in other European cities nearby.
Let’s face it, modern-day elopement in Barcelona, sounds like perfection!
Photography: Lena Karelova Photography // Floral Design: RodriStudio & Maisonfrancis // Invitations: Pearlyn and Paper // Dress: Dora Sasu // MUAH: HairLookStyle // Linen: Nüage Designs // Model: Sofya