Green, Atlantic Spain, where the vineyards of La Rioja give way to the Basque coast and its glittering food scene around San Sebastián. This is the gastronomic corner of the country, so a wedding here is organised, more than anywhere, around the table, whether that is a bodega dinner among the vines or pintxos above the bay.
Spain has had full marriage equality since 2005, so a wedding in the Rioja and Basque Country is legally binding for every couple, with no asterisk. The practical catch is residency. A Spanish civil marriage usually requires one partner to have lived in Spain for about two years, so most foreign couples, whatever their orientation, marry legally at home and hold their ceremony here. A Catholic wedding is the exception and skips the residency rule.
It is a wedding for people who care about what is on the plate. The region has more celebrated kitchens per square mile than almost anywhere in Europe, so couples build the day around a bodega feast among the vines or a long Basque dinner above the sea, and the catering is rarely an afterthought. The climate is the trade-off, since this is green, Atlantic Spain, cooler and wetter than the south, which is why most couples aim for high summer.
Three corners of the region pull in slightly different directions. None is more correct than another; they are simply moods. The three below are the ones worth knowing first.
We are mapping Rioja and the Basque Country sub-area by sub-area, from the Rioja vineyards to San Sebastián to Bilbao. Be first as each one opens, with the honest legal notes that come with it.
The quiz reads your taste and points you to the regions, and the kind of ceremony, that fit you.