Wedding Design With the Landscape: Spanish Olive Grove
Designing with the Landscape
How I Used Vernacular Elements to Design My Andalusian Autumn Matrimony.
[Guest Writer: Aliza Sovani (AJ’s sister) is a landscape architect and urban designer, who specializes in sustainability and cultural heritage conservation. She obtained her Masters Degree from Harvard University’s Graduate School of Design, and currently lives in the south of France.]
On a sunny November day with blue skies and warm Spanish temperatures, Miguel and I (AJ’s little sister Aliza), stood hand in hand amongst the most important people in our lives, and all we could feel was pure bliss and gratefulness.
It was a clear choice for us to celebrate our marriage in Andalusia, Spain. Sevilla, beyond being the groom’s hometown or even beyond the fact that I spent a summer working at the Andalusian Institute for Cultural Heritage in Sevilla and at the Alhambra in nearby Granada, to us, Sevilla embodies the strength and spirit of diversity and is uniquely connected to both of our cultures, histories, and religions.
Sevilla has been one of the most important cities in Spain since ancient times. In the 8th century, Seville was the first seat of the Caliphate of Cordoba in al-Andalus, Muslim-ruled Iberia. The regions rich cultural history where Christianity, Islam and Judaism once flourished in harmony can still be seen in the region’s architecture, language, music and cultural landscapes.
Hacienda Molinillos, our venue for the wedding, is itself located within an important cultural landscape with olive oil production dating back to Moorish-Spain.
Yes. If you haven’t noticed already, I am a bit (very) academic. This Hispano-Muslim heritage and the richness of the cultural landscape of the venue within a historic olive grove is what led the design concept for the wedding decor.
Aliza’s Concept Board for her Spanish Wedding Design.
The Olive Branch and the Pomegranate, as plants not only present on the venue but also as symbols of a shared cultural heritage, were used as central elements in the wedding color palette and consequently influenced many details such as table settings, bridesmaid outfits (my sister AJ as maid of honour wore the color of pomegranate!!), hair accessories, bouquets, boutonnieres and stationary.
Our narrative was so strong and meaningful on why we elected this venue for our wedding and so we opted for a minimalist aesthetic that played up as many of the site’s natural strengths as possible so as to not distract from the beauty of the olive grove (this is also why we chose not to have an arch at the end of our aisle, so we could focus on the natural vista created by a narrow path within the grove.)
Professionally, as a landscape architect and urban designer focused on sustainability, I was eager to work with the florist on selecting local plant species for our wedding floral decor. We worked to develop what ended up being quite a rustic plant palette. The idea was that the flowers should look as if someone just put combinations together with what they found while strolling around the venue. I like to call the result Botanic-Minimalism. I am so so happy that it turned out to be much more romantic and grounded than I imagined!
If you are thinking of a destination wedding in Sevilla, Spain reach out to our incredible team:
Wedding Planners: @LoveaTope
Venue: @hmolinillos
Photo: @ahr_photos
Video: @Unpardemedias
Hair & Makeup: @marietanogueras (Bride, MOB & MOH) ; @nuriavmakeup (Bridesmaids)
Flowers: @cartamoflores
Officiant: @weddingcelebrantinspain
Cake: @aquarelacakes
Dress (Top): @mademoiselledeguise
Dress (Skirt): by Natasha Saviuk from @willandzack