Mediterranean-Inspired Wedding at a Country Estate in Marbella, Spain

There's something about Spain that screams for a bit of bohemian love, and today's fete from A Very Beloved Wedding and Ashley Ludaescher is all the proof we need. From the charming country estate to the Bride's delicate, lace-adorned dress to the poolside reception that knocks it out of the park... it gets a 10 on the boho scale and is right off the charts for beauty factor. Join us for the party, here in the full gallery.

How and when did Akemi and Matthew meet?

It was an accidental and spontaneous date thanks to Matthew`s manager. After the date he went back to London (he`s from Liverpool). Akemi: “I was definitely intrigued and so kept talking to him everyday after that day. We talked about our dreams and together we felt out of this world.” Matthew: “I thought she was the most beautiful woman I´ve ever seen!”

When and where was the wedding?

The guests were welcomed on October 6th and the wedding itself took place on October 7th We started the weekend with a full moon. The moon was with us at all times. This was very important to Akemi and Matthew as they belief in the energy of the moon. The wedding took place at a Finca in Marbella, Spain. The place was chosen due to the golf facilities and its charm. Matthew and Akemis father are devoted golfers.

Can you describe the style and theme of this wedding?

A wedding that shouldn't feel like a typical wedding. A and M didn't want it to be uptight, because they are the total contrary of that. Their wedding was free, unscheduled, unpredictable, spontaneous, perfect but imperfect, effortless, light, fun, playful, energetic, positive, creative and absolutely unique.The theme and mood were set by A Very Beloved Wedding based on our love story, personalities and taste. As mentioned, the main wish we had is to not make it appear a wedding. We didn't want to have common white wedding flowers, a stiff wedding program, a typical wedding cake. We wanted it to be very special, spontaneous and free. Just like we are. We had two color palettes on AVBW’s Design Concept that were similar to each other but different. On day 1 we had a Moroccan, very Spanish, colorful color palette and on day 2 we turned a little more elegant, softer, Mediterranean and “weddish” without being “weddish”.

The Welcome event mood and inspiration was Spanish, Moroccan, authentic, historic, unique, joyful, effortless and relaxed. Guests were sitting on the Arabic lounge furniture and were able to enjoy Spanish food and drinks, such as Spanish Cruz del Campo, red and white wines, paellas, diverse types of hummus, hams, cheese, bred, fruits, nuts, spices, and so on. The waiters didn´t look like waiters but like Moroccans, just helping out at the stations. Nothing was served in a stiff cocktail kind of way. It was all effortless and unique get together in old Spain. Spanish guitar music set the relaxed Spanish mood and tone. Candle lights of diverse shapes and types were displayed together with flowers and fruits throughout the entire area and lounge tables.The color palette of the Welcome event was earthy, with spicy tones of red, yellows, orange and natural greens. No saturated colors or artificial accessories. Everything was organic, coming from earth, honest, meaningful and real. It was a historic and unique get together.The flowers added a touch of festivity to the Moroccan get together. They are an organic, natural and free part unifying décor and furniture. No vase looked like the other and each of the flowers moved freely like in nature. The floral design enhanced natural variations and inconsistencies found in nature. Florals were also put together on diverse places in the Finca, matching the Interior Design colors, but already giving a hint to Akemi and Matthew’s wedding weekend.As well as all the décor, furniture and attitude of the service personnel, the food were displayed in an effortless way. The food looked spontaneous and natural. Materials like wood and straw were used. No unnecessary décor was allowed, but the natural beauty of fruits, vegetables, diverse bottles, wooden pieces and interesting porcelain. The food was served in diverse stations dispersed in the inner patio of the Moroccan lounge.

The actual wedding event on Saturday 7th of October was still relaxed and untraditional, but clearly a festive, sharing and deeply energetic moment. We had a full moon night, with a changing energy and a night to embrace what comes next: a new beginning. A perfect time for new beginnings and next chapters in life. The mood was Mediterranean, elegant but relaxed, perfect but imperfect, spontaneous, unifying, original, energetic, deep, honest, meaningful and light.The color palette was softer than on day one, going towards a more ethereal mood. The colors are Mediterranean, natural and soft. Shades of blue, white, diverse olive greens and some natural soft blush colors. Crystal and sky elements will be added into that day's story.

The floral design on the Wedding day was made according to the color palette and suiting the Mediterranean full moon overall feeling. Flowers were moving freely, natural, creating a sensation of never ending. The flower theme as such was never ending, corresponding to never ending energy, never ending life, never ending sky, never ending universe and finally never-ending love. (There was always a never-ending connection of flowers from one table to another for example and the ceremony arch didn´t have endings and looked like it came out from the soil.) The ceremony took place on the entrance level of the Finca overlooking the sea. This was the upper garden. The tree areas of the garden were the spaces for the guests to experience Akemi and Matthew’s bonding. Diverse furniture was placed in a very relaxed and chilled out way amongst the trees. The arch had a never-ending movement, meaning it looked like it came out from earth and ended up in the sky going back to earth. With movement on the left side and part of the right side. A special shape of bringing together two different sides, two different persons into one interesting everlasting energetic movement.

The cocktail took place on the terrace in front of the upper garden ceremony. Flowers and candles were already setting the mood for what came next, without revealing too much. The entire next part of the evening was a big surprise. During cocktail the guests found their escort cards on the dream catcher “seating chart” construction. The Seating chart construction making a “vow” to the full moon was made of a sort of dream catchers and ropes with crystals and the name tags. The construction was made of natural wood and the ropes are typical for dream catchers. The table area names will be the phases of the moon: New moon, Quarter Moon, Half Moon, Full Moon. In order to keep the connecting positive energy, all the areas are connected and part of a big ONE. Each guest got a stone and an escort card on a rope to cut. Each escort card had their names and the table area on it.After the cocktail at the upper garden, the guests were guided towards the pool area. Each placing on the table had the same type of stone and the name “in” that stone and each table area has a cut crystal with the moon phase. We created an intimate dinner with a lot of good energy and feelings of connectivity. In that sense, the tables were connected to one another by nature: trees and never-ending naturally displayed flowers. The trees, emulating the sky were the columns for hanging lights, creating a sky roof/ceiling for the dinner tables. The area of the bars, lounge furniture and sweets were still dark during dinner, in order to keep a surprise effect. The table setting was Mediterranean, interesting, fun and festive. According to the color palette with shades of blue and white, cremes and blush, fun flowers with olive greens.

How was your wedding unique and special?

Akemi and Matthew: Our wedding was all about us, what we like, how we are, how we feel. In that sense it was special and unique. Our guests really felt “Oh this can only be Akemi's and Matthew's wedding!As we didn't want to have a “weddish” wedding, our planners came up with an "arch" for our ceremony that wasn't an actual arch. So, it was perfectly imperfect and with many greens from the area that you can also see on my bouquet.The cocktail hour was after the ceremony at 5 pm. It took place at the same spot were the ceremony was. The ceremony was not typical and didn't have a usual chair setting, but diverse lounge set ups different from one another. Also, the flowers and vases were all different from one another. After the ceremony finished everybody was on the lawn, some standing on higher tables, some sitting on pillows on the lawn, some on couches etc. It was all very relaxed and pretty. Akemi: As we are very playful people and our guests too and we love our dog Daisy (that couldn't join us due to regulations for that long flight). So, our planners came up with this oversized game having grumpy cat as the opponent of our Daisy. This game was placed on another lawn close to the dinner area behind the stage. There we had a similar playful setting as at the ceremony for everybody to chill out after dinner and eat the sweets, that were dispersed on the different couch tables (we didn't want to have a typical sweet table, so we got several small tables with mixed little, fun sweets).

As our wedding theme was not only about being spontaneous, fun, young and free, but also about having feelings of positive energy and enjoying the full moon, our planners got playful with the design of several elements. So, we had like a huge dreamcatcher like construction with escort cards hanging together with crystals. Each guest got a Crystal to keep and found the same Crystal with their names on the tables. Our table names were all about the moon phases written on big gems.The dinner reception took place by the pool. The pool area of the Finca is very big, but we still wanted to stay connected. This was very important to us and our planners made it happen. So, we had flower arrangements and greens of the area connecting the tables with each other. Also, the lights were connecting lights. As the color theme was Mediterranean we had nice blue and white ceramic plates, transparent and blue glasses and special cutlery. The napkins and the menus were placed asymmetrically to make it more interesting. As mentioned each guest had a crystal with their name on it and each table the name of a moon phase written in calligraphy on a gem.We loved our peacock chairs. Our planners still wanted to make some emphasis on us but in a non-cheesy or “weddish” way. We all know typical bridal tables, so they came up with something more suitable to our style. As per the backdrop, it was very important to keep it fresh, flowery, a little bit dry like the area we were at and playful. And our planners had to cover a horrible bar that was behind that was not possible to move.

The flowers were made by Zweigstelle based on our design. Part of our team, as we are florists too (A Very Beloved Bloom) was hands on with the flowers, too. We had flowers all over the Finca throughout the entire weekend. The flowers at the Moroccan Lounge for the Welcome Event were more colorful and suiting the Arab theme. The flowers of the wedding itself were a little softer and more blush, without making them white or too romantic.The cake was a vanilla crème cake, very soft and not too sweet. It was totally flat, because we told our planners we didn't want to have a cake under any circumstance. So, they said, what about having a full moon as a cake? It even matched with the name of the dessert that was served during dinner. The flower décor of the cake was made by our planners and the cake was not really a cake. As it was flat it was huge. Very fun!”Our first dance song was “You are the best thing” by Ray Lamontagne. Also, Matthew performed for me and sang “King-I´ll be here for you” by Robert Earl! We had a very talented band from Austria lead by a Nigerian Jazz and Soul singer, named Ola Egbowon. And yes, Matthew and his band performed too! This was not planned, but we all had a blast! He started with Tequila sunrise, then played, Let's dance to joy division, “Moving to New York” and a song of his new album “Beautiful people will ruin your life”, that is about me. This song is called “Turn”.

The welcome evening before took place at an area of the Finca that had a patio filled with palm trees and a water fountain. It was very idyllic and timeless. It was a welcome cocktail party with several food stations and Moroccan lounge furniture, including all 120 of our guests. We had an acoustic Spanish guitar player, we had Moroccan décor, Spanish food stations and Moroccan lounges. The waiters were dressed with Moroccan outfits. The flow was just hanging out together having drinks at the bar, eating at the food stations and chilling on the lounge furniture listening to a beautiful Spanish acoustic guitar. At some point Simon, Matthew’s Band Manager, who is a counter tenor, performed a beautiful song for the couple. Fruit drinks, cocktails, great wine and cava were served along with cheeses, diverse hummus types, nuts, delicious hams, lots of fruits, fish, meet and vegetarian paella rice, several dips, olives, bread etc. It was a lot of good food. A perfect welcome!

Photography: Ashley Ludaescher Photography | Videography: Sequence Five | Stationery: Jolly Edition | Engagement ring: Single Stone | Catering: Grupo Dani Garcia | Calligraphy: Rabbit Design House | Groom's Attire: Tom Ford | After ceremony dress: Bo & Luca | Bridal gown: Victoria Kyriakides | Bridal shoes: Jimmy Choo | Destination Wedding Planning and Design: A Very Beloved Wedding | Floristry: Zweigstelle | Grooms shoes and accessories: Gucci | Hair Styling wedding: Clint Mattoni | Headpiece: Gossamer | Light and sound: Visionarea | Make up and Hair Styling Rehearsal dinner: My Wedding Mirror | Make up wedding: My Wedding Mirror | Music: Ola Egwoboni | Rehearsal dinner bridal dress: Zimmermann | Tablesetting rentals: Cañigueral | Wedding rings: Single Stone