Jess and Cain’s ‘Rustic Romance’ Relaxed Outdoor Mallorca Wedding by Ben Minnaar Photography 

I am back today with this gorgeous Mallorca Wedding. Jess and Cain have always been a fan of this beautiful island, so it was the obvious choice when looking for a suitable wedding location. They wanted to keep the day simple so they followed their venue and went for a natural look and filled the decoration with the most gorgeous of flowers, fruit and greenery. Simple but effective décor that really lends itself well to the over all Mallorca ‘look’. I love the bright colours, the vibrant flowers and of course all that beautiful golden hour goodness. Big thanks to Cambridge Wedding Photographer, Ben Minnaar for his beautiful  photos.

As soon as we started thinking about the wedding, we  knew we wanted something really relaxed and intimate, and once we decided on Mallorca we just wanted it to be really colourful, vibrant and in keeping with the surroundings. So the use of lemons and greenery which grow on the grounds entwined with the colourful flowers was a must. My only real request was to use bougainvillea in bright pink and purple as this reminds me of Mallorca and brings back so many memories.

Jess and Cain were married on 24th August 2019 at Alaiar, Sencelles, Mallorca. The ceremony took place in the garden of Can Ribes under the olive trees and the reception took place in the courtyard and cellar of Can Castell, the main house on site. ‘Mallorca has always held a special place in our hearts. This is mainly due to Jess’ grandparents who owned a small holiday apartment on the island for over 40 years. Jess has been visiting the island since she was 6 months old and we have been holidaying there together for the last 15 years. Jess’ grandparents have since passed away (her grandmother just a month before the wedding) so it made it even more special to be able to bring our families together and celebrate our wedding on the beautiful island that they loved and that holds such fond memories. In terms of Alaiar as a venue, we knew we wanted something really relaxed and typically Spanish. It is a gorgeous old finca in a rural setting surrounded by fields of Almond trees and mountain views. We initially went to look around Alaiar when the owners had only had it for a few months, so not much work had been carried out, but it really didn’t matter; we fell in love with its rustic charm and relaxed atmosphere and just knew it would be perfect. We had 80 guests, We booked the venue about a year in advance, but once that was done we sat back and relaxed until about 6 months before the day itself. We had never been to a destination wedding before so didn’t have a lot of knowledge, but we decided not to go with a wedding company and instead just researched venues and went out to have a look at them ourselves.’

How they met
Cain and I met at secondary school at the age of 15 and have been together ever since.

The proposal
We had saved and planned for a holiday to Florida in September 2017, going to Orlando to do the theme parks and then on to St Pete’s beach for a bit of relaxation afterwards. Unbeknown to me Cain had purchased the ring several months before and had it all planned. He had help from my mum who had sewn it into the lining of his backpack (which had been on all the rides with us!) so I was none the wiser. During our stay in Orlando, we got caught in Hurricane Irma, a category 5 hurricane, which was an experience in itself! We were not sure whether we would be able to get to St Pete’s as it had been hit quite hard, so those that knew about the proposal tried to get Cain to pop the question at Disney. But he’d had it all planned for St Pete’s so stuck to his guns and finally got to propose as planned at sunset on the beach.

How did you allocate your budget?
To be completely honest, we never really had a budget, but getting married abroad was significantly cheaper than in the UK as literally EVERYTHING was included in the price.

How did you choose your photographer?
It was easy!! Our friends got married a few years before us and we just loved their photos, so as soon as we had a date sorted we contacted Ben. He is one of the nicest guys you’ll meet and is super talented. From the first meeting he just got us and knew exactly what we wanted and how we wanted the day captured. His style is so relaxed which complimented the venue and is exactly how we wanted the day to be, so it all just fitted so well. We really couldn’t have asked for anyone better to capture our day, and couldn’t recommend him enough.

The dress 
Dress was by Gigi Galaxy by Rue De Seine Bridal. I saved massively on my wedding dress as I got it in a sample sale from a bridal boutique that was closing down, my mum is a whizz on the sewing machine so she did all the alterations too. I knew I wanted something different, not a typical or traditional wedding dress. My sister had the Elea gown for her wedding so Rue De Seine was always on the radar. As soon as I saw Gigi I was decided, even before trying it on. Its not a typical Rue gown and I think that’s what made me love it more, it’s pretty unique.

The suit and bridesmaids
Cain wanted a green suit and was particular about the shade, we managed to find one from next, and he just wore the trousers and waistcoat.
My Bridesmaid wanted a vibrant yellow dress from House of Fraser. She had shoes from Topshop, Hair comb from Ann Marie Faulkner and we also all wore an item of our nanny’s jewellery who had passed away the month before.

Flowers
We had no real preference, just to include Bougainvillea, to be really vibrant and to use lemons and foliage. I gave free reign to the venue and they surpassed expectation, my bouquet was amazing!

Decoration 
The venue spoke for itself and that what we wanted, so decoration was limited to just flowers and the festoon lighting which created the perfect atmosphere in the evening.

Food 
We wanted the whole day to be really relaxed and food is a big thing for us. We didn’t want really fancy food and wanted our guests to be full up! We had typical Spanish tapas for the drinks reception after the ceremony and for the main feast we went for a Spanish BBQ which had a selection of meats and fish, salads and accompaniments all served from market stalls. The starter and desserts were served to the table. We then had hot dogs as a midnight snack.

Wedding cake
We opted to not have a wedding cake, but knew we wanted to include the traditional Mallorcan almond cake so we had this within the selection of desserts.

Entertainment
During the ceremony and drinks reception we had a traditional Spanish guitarist. Following the market feast the doors to the cellar opened for the evening party with local DJ. We had Drake “Hold on, We’re going home”. We wanted something upbeat, something we could dance too but that still had some meaning without being too soppy!

Who supplied the stationery?
All stationary for the day was purchased from a range of sellers on Etsy.

Personal touches
We went to Hatton garden to choose our wedding rings. We both wanted something gold and old. I opted for an engraved floral ring from Andrew R Ullmann ltd.

Special moments
Everything just went perfectly! I guess the incredible sunset was a highlight and something quite unexpected. Ben was able to capture this perfectly and the pictures are breath-taking! I think because we were so relaxed about the wedding (The bridal party were still sunbathing by the pool at 1:30 in the afternoon) we didn’t get stressed and everything was just amazing.

Advice for other couples
If you are thinking of an abroad wedding, go for it! It was so easy and stress free. Do bear in mind that we did have to get officially married in the UK (we did this on the Tuesday before in a small intimate ceremony and flew out to Mallorca on the Wednesday morning) but we just saw it as extra celebrations with loved ones that couldn’t make it to Mallorca.

Supplier Shout Outs

• Dress: www.ruedeseine.com
• Photographer: www.benminnaarphotography.com
• Venue: www.alaiar.com/en
• Veil: www.annmariefaulkner.co.uk
• Denim Jacket: www.denimandbone.com
• Grooms suit: www.next.com

Ben Minnaar Photography 

www.benminnaarphotography.com / www.benminnaarphotography.com/jess-cain/ / 07912 074 328 / [email protected] / FACEBOOK / INSTAGRAM / PINTEREST / TWITTER

I would like to describe myself as a Cambridge based wedding photographer specialising in capturing moments through a reportage, candid and unobtrusive approach.