What do you do when there’s rain in the forecast? Bring the outside inside!
Bride and groom Karolina + Didac are no strangers to rolling with the punches. When the pandemic threw the brakes on their wedding in April of 2020 they regrouped, and, three reschedulings later, they’d set their sights on September of 2022. When the week of the wedding came, life threw these two another curveball. Unseasonal rain meant that everything would need to move inside. But they made the most of the switch by increasing the floral budget at the last minute and turning their venue into a lush and moody indoor garden!
Karolina + Didac met and fell in love in Seattle where they both worked for the same company. Didac’s from outside Barcelona, and Karolina’s from Poland, so when they were planning the wedding they decided to bring their friends and family together at La Baronia, a stunning, ivy-covered hilltop estate near Didac’s hometown in Spain.
When rain brought the celebration indoors, wedding planner Paloma Cruz made it her mission to realize Karolina + Didac’s one-of-a-kind indoor floral fantasy. The plan? Create an organic, magical feel by enveloping everything from tables to chairs to fireplaces in rich floral installations and finishing it all off with dramatic lighting moments like glowy candelabras, low-hanging chandeliers, and shimmery disco balls!
And photographer Pablo Laguia was there to catch every romantic detail.
OBSESSED with these full, textured florals by El Jardin del Cabo in this rich autumnal palette.
The pivot to indoor festivities only amped up the excitement of the day. Karolina says: When we arrived at the venue to get ready, there was a beautiful symphony of floral chaos, in the best way possible. Our wedding planning team pulled off an incredible art installation in a very short time window. While I was getting my hair and makeup done, I popped out of the room every chance I got to admire the detailed craftsmanship and beauty of the transformation. It was truly a brilliant live art installation happening in front of my eyes.
A Moment For the Dress
Karolina found her stunning off-the-shoulder Reem Acra gown way back in 2019 on an epic dress shopping trip with family and loved ones, and even after years of waiting to walk down the aisle in it, she and this timeless beauty were still meant to be.
Karolina says: The best part of finding my dress was that it gave me an excuse to get my mom, sister, and best friends together in San Francisco and Seattle for shopping, food, and fun. I had no idea that I wouldn’t see many of those dear friends for so many years because a pandemic was quietly brewing. I also had no idea that I would ultimately wear my dress after having a baby. The universe must have known, because my dream dress ended up graciously being a forgiving fit-and-flare silhouette.
Enchanted Ceremony
Karolina and Didac set their original wedding date to coincide with St. Jordi, a holiday in Barcelona full of romance.
The couple tells us more about how the holiday inspired their big day:
Sant Jordi is a celebration of love and books where traditionally the man gives his lady a red rose and the woman gives her knight a book. Barcelona turns into a cacophony of books and roses to celebrate the day. Didac has taken a more modern feminist approach and has always given Karolina plenty of books on this holiday. We capitalized on this romantic theme and opted for a fairytale vibe with warm tones for our special day. We wanted our guests to feel transported to a faraway, beautiful place.
After the pandemic postponed their original wedding date, Karolina and Didac stayed busy by welcoming their first child!
Processional: "Spring" - Vivaldi - Recomposed by Max Richter
Recessional: "Dancing Queen" - ABBA
First Dance: "Put Your Head On My Shoulder" - Paul Anka
Fairytale Reception
These winding floral installations paired with the taper candles? Straight out of a storybook.
Mericakes embraced the major floral moment and created this tiered stunner covered with petals.
Our wedding was in Barcelona near Didac's hometown, but Karolina's family comes from Poland. To honor Karolina's Polish heritage, her parents recreated a traditional vodka, water and bread toast. With this toast, one shot is secretly filled with vodka while the other is filled with water. Then the glasses are offered to the bride first for her choosing. It is said that whoever gets the shot of vodka will be the leader in the marriage. Karolina's parents gave everyone a good laugh when both shots ended up being water!
Rainy Day Disco
Karolina + Didac made the most of their stormy weather by bringing the party inside. If you’re stressed about the chance of a not-so-sunny wedding day, check out our tips for how to handle tying the knot in the rain!
After having to reschedule our wedding so many times, we almost gave up even though our wedding planning team made it so easy. We are so glad we didn't! We are so grateful for Paloma and Eugenio for supporting us, our vendors for being so accommodating with all of the changes, and grateful for our guests for cheerfully rescheduling travel plans to be there for us.
This rainy day fairytale full of romance was well worth the wait!
Congratulations Karolina + Didac! GWS wishes you two all the very best!!
photography: Pablo Laguia // venue name: La baronia, Sant Feliu de Codines, Barcelona, Spain // event design: Paloma Cruz // planning: Paloma Cruz // florals: El jardín del cabo // wedding dress: Reem Acra // bride's shoes: Jimmy Choo // hair stylist: Laia Martin // makeup artist: Laia Martin // videography: Ayvideo // paper goods: JDN paper // catering: La baronia // cake: Mericakes // tabletop rentals: Kava // furniture rentals: Ahrental // music: Piano bar // lighting: Ledilux // Sound : Ilsotec // DJ: Betuned
Great :)