we got married in barcelona

we're back!

2007-06-10T20:18:00.000+02:00

We're exhausted, jetlagged and with plenty of things on our to do list. while we try to sort things out here are a few (we shot nearly 600 pics) of our trip. More (lots more) to come!
click here for the pictures
ciao

2007-05-13T18:14:00.000+02:00

Thank you!
Grazie!
Gracias!
Merci!

3 Days to go - We are not nervous (yet) just very excited

2007-05-08T12:33:00.000+02:00

This is probably going to be the last update for a while. Today we'll see the first few to arrive in Barcelona, and we're really looking forward to that. Mum, Dad & Serena are already here and (literally) on the starting blocks. Today is our last day at work and from this afternoon we'll be off for more than a month (looking forward to that too).
When I say I won't be updating the blog for a while it's only that you (the people for whom this website has been put together) will all be here in Barcelona, so I'll drop the blog and move to low-tech face-to-face communication.

See you all very very soon,
iacopo

5 days to go

2007-05-07T08:30:00.000+02:00

It's Monday but it feels like Thursday (probably because tomorrow is our last day of work until mid June ;o) It even looks like the weather is finally getting better. On Friday I had what I suppose you can call my stag-night. It was great even though it didn't really look like a stag night (which is a compliment to the people behind it). Big up to Daniele, Pablete, Vincent, Jose, Fernando and David for setting this up! Of course I will not disclose any information about the night out, but I'll share with you a picture I took on the way back home.

Yep, you guessed it, the sun was up and shining when I got back and it took me the entire weekend to recover from it…

Look forward to see you all very (very) soon,
iacopo

7 days

2007-05-04T09:46:00.000+02:00

One week to go. If I think about it, yes, I do tend to become panicky but if I manage to keep my mind off it, then it's all good.
Mum&Dad are flying in on Saturday and that will officially open the "celebration". Most of you will be flying in on Wed/Thu and we're really looking forward to have you all here. Some of you may have missed, but check the post below (or click here) to read about drinks on Thursday night. We're also tyring to figure something out for Saturday night as many of you will still be around. As you can imagine a bar crawl with 50 people on a Saturday night is not a good idea. If any of you has any suggestions, please, let us know. One of possible option would be to have a BBQ and our (very kind) friend Tona offered her terrace, from where you can enjoy one of the most amazing views of Barcelona. We'll keep you posted on this one.
Our only worry lately has been the weather. It is somehow frustrating to think that it's been consistently hotter in Brussels than in Barcelona for the past month. I really hope this will change or we'll have to move the wedding to Brussels ;o) On the other hand the weather is one of the few things that are completely out of our control, so we can only sit back and relax.
That's it for now. See you all very soon.
iacopo

Updated Map

2007-04-30T11:46:00.000+02:00

Well, 11 days to go and we're still OK. Let's hope it stays that way. In the meanwhile have a look at this map, hope it helps. The MAP

Mancano solo 11 giorni e per il momento va tutto bene. Eccovi una versione piu recente della nostra carta di barcellona. Spero vi piaccia. La mappa

A presto,
iacopo&teresa

2 weeks to go.

2007-04-27T13:33:00.000+02:00

Have to say that I am quite happy for all we've done. Still a few things to sort out, but the bulk is done. 2 weeks to go before we see you all over here... We had confirmation from a couple of special guests coming all the way from Cameroun and Yemen (we'll pretend they came over just for the wedding) and the grand total is now 95 guests of which 67 are not based in Barcelona. More stats will follow ;o)

Thursday night - Warm-up drinks
As many of you will already be in Barcelona on Thursday we thought it would be good to meet somewhere for a drink (or two). The idea is that we'll be at Bar Glaciar in Plaza Real, from 8ish and you're more than welcome to join us for a drink or two. Of course you can also go on your own and enjoy your time in Barcelona. I have marked the Bar Glaciar on the map (on your right). We look forward to see you.

One more thing: I've changed mobile and my number is six-two-nine-eight-eight-nine-two-zero-two

D-Day -28

2007-04-13T12:49:00.000+02:00

OK, by now you should know what's going on, how to get here and where to stay. We just received some more information yesterday about the ceremony. You don't need to know anything except that you have to be in Plaça San Jauma around 18:45 because by 19:00 we all have to be on the starting blocks.
We'll also arrange for the transfer to the restaurant afterwards, so no need to keep your comfortable shoes in your handbag ladies, we'll make sure you don't have to walk too much.

I have started to populate the google map (on your right) with places of interest, but I am starting to run out of ideas, after including some museums and my favourites spots for food and drinks. If there's anything you're interested in or if you have any suggestions, please, let us know and we'll add it to the map.

On our side the pressure is starting to build up. It's not that we're not sure about this or that we're still missing many things, but as usual we come up with new ideas every day and not sure we'll be able to do everything on time.

That's it for now. Get ready, this last month is going to fly.

See you soon over here,
iacopo

The Trailer

2007-04-07T11:37:00.000+02:00

Here's the preview of the wedding ceremony, according to Daniele & Daniela. Just click here (Italian subtitles only!)

Eccovi il trailer della cerimonia, secondo Daniele & Daniela. Cliccate qui

Ciao

The list

2007-04-02T19:58:00.000+02:00

As many of you have asked, here are the details of our wedding list:
The list is available at Vinçon and in order to get in, you have to click on "Lists" at the top of the screen. Once you've done that you should see an "Access" link on your left-hand side. Click and you'll be asked to fill in a username and password:
Username: barcelona
Password: 110507
We've tried to make this as difficult as possible because we're not interested in gifts. Your presence at the wedding is the only gift we're really interested in.

La lista e disponibile solo in spagnolo o inglese, meglio se capite (ma si capisce ;o). Le istruzioni sono semplici: andate su Vinçon e poi cliccate su Lists o Listas (in alto). Una volta cliccato, sulla sinistra apparira un link "Access". Adesso vi resta solo da completare username e password:
Username: barcelona
Password: 110507
Come ho detto nella versione inglese, il regalo che ci interessa di piu e la vostra presenza al matrimonio.

Y ahora en espanol. Hemos echo una lista en Vinçon. Para encontrar la lista teneis que clicar en el menu arriba de todo donde pone "Listas". A mano izquierda os saldra un nuevo link que pone "Acceso". Clicar y en la siguiente pagina escribir los siguientes datos:
Usuario: barcelona
contrasena: 110507
Como he dicho arriba, el regalo que mas nos interesa es vuestra presencia en nuestra boda.

Getting here

2007-03-15T11:12:00.000+01:00

Long time no post, but we're back. Invitations have now been printed, and if you want to make sure you'll receive yours, please send us your address. We're also working on a wedding list (as requested by many of you). there are only 2 months to go so I think it's time to start giving you some tips about Barcelona (just in case you need it).

Getting from the airport to the town centre:
*By Taxi
It will cost you about 20-25 euros to get a cab into town and it should take 20 minutes if it's not rush hour.
Insider's tip: if you did not check-in any luggage, try exit from terminal A (the taxi queue is a lot shorter)

*By bus
the aerobus runs from the airport to Plaza Catalunya (several stops in between) from 5:30 am until 1:00 am. A return trip costs 6,45 euros and it should take 30-45 minutes to get into town. More information can be found here

*By Train
there are trains running from the airport. You'll have to buy a T10 ticket which wil allow you to take 10 trips in the cool (thanks to the air-conditioned carriages) Barcelona's underground network. Cost of the T10 ticket is around 6 euros. The train stops at Paseo de Gracia (there is a tube station there) or Estacion de Francia (close to the parque de la ciutadela). Time table available here

* By bike
If you're travelling light (and on your own) I'd love to come pick you up with the bike. the fare is free and it'll take a lot less than any other mean of transport. You'll have to book in advance though ;o)

If you are landing in Girona, there are coaches that take you directly into Barcelona. Information can be found on the Ryanair website, but as I've never been there I have no tips for you.

coming to barcelona by other means:

*car
If you've decided to come by car, you should know that it is not easy to find a free parking spot. In most areas in barcelona you can only park if you're a resident or you'll have to pay. If you are coming by car though I strongly advise you to drop the car when you arrive. It has been proved that if you do have a foreign plate, as long as you pay for a couple of hours you will get a fine (that you'll never pay) but your car will not be towed away. On the other hand you'll be coming on a very special weekend, because of the GP so different rules may apply. Let me know if you're coming by car and I'll tell you a couple of quiet spots where to drop your car.

In the next weeks we'll be posting more information about bars, restaurants, expos and things to do when in barcelona. If there's anything specific you'd like us to cover, just let me know. I also know that many of you have already been here, so if you have any tips, bars, places you liked, let us know!

See you soon,
iacopo

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E da un po che non scrivo piu niente e soprattutto in italiano. Quindi, Mona, questo post in italiano e per te ;o) Stiamo preparando gli inviti e se volete essere sicuri di ricevere il vostro, mandateci il vostro indirizzo. Stiamo anche preparando una lista di nozze che sara accessibile via internet. Mancano meno di due mesi e adesso possiamo incominciare a darvi qualche dritta su Barcellona.

Come andare dall'aeroporto a al centro:
*In Taxi
costa tra i 20-25 euro un taxi fino al centro e ci mette 20 minuti se non e ora di punta.
Se avete solo bagaglio a mano, uscite dal terminal A per evitare la fila per i Taxi. Non so perche non c'e mai nessuno al terminal A...

*In autobus
C'e un servizio (aerobus) per andare dall'aeroporto al centro (ci sono varie fermate) e l'ultima e plaza catalunya tra le 5:30 am e l'1:00 am. Andata e ritorno costa 6,45 euro e ci mette circa 30-45 minuti. Potete trovare piu informazione qui

*In Treno
Ci sono treni dall'aeroporto al centro. dovrete comprare una scheda da 10 viaggi che potrete usare nella metro di barcellona. La scheda costa circa 6 euro. Il treno ferma a Paseo de Gracia (dove c'e la metro) oppure alla Estacion de Francia, vicino al parco della ciutadela. Gli orari li potete trovare qui

* In moto
se viaggiate leggeri (e da soli) vi posso venire a prendere all'aeroporto in moto. non vi costera niente e sara sicuramente piu veloce di qualsiasi atro mezzo. Prenotazione obbligatoria!

se volate a Girona, c'e un servizio d'autobus fino a barcellona. Visto che io non sono mai stato a Girona, vi consiglio d'andare direttamente sul sito di ryanair per sapere come funziona.

visto che l'unica persona che ha deciso di venire in macchina e francese, e non sono al corrente di nessuno che abbia deciso di venire in macchina dall'italia, vi evito i dettagli e le spiegazioni sul parcheggio. Se qualcuno dovesse decidersi a venire in macchina, fatemelo sapere e vi spiego dove parcheggiare.

Nelle prossime settimane pubblicheremo altra informazione utile per il vostro spostamento a barcellona. Se c'e qualcosa di particolare che vorreste sapere, ditemelo. so anche che molti di voi sono gia venuti qui, quindi mandateci anche le vostre dritte su posti da vedere, bar, ristoranti, pacchi, ecc.

Credo sia tutto per il momento. Un saluto a tutti,
iacopo

Off to the Zoo

2007-01-06T11:00:00.000+01:00

Hi all. I know I'm not supposed to write here anymore but I just can't resist. Yesterday we went to see a place for the wedding some of you would have really liked. We saw one major problem and it was an unusual one... The location in fact smelled of camel (or maybe elephant) shit. Yep, the spot we went to visit was inside the zoo. OK, I know it sounds funny and there could be some great stories to tell afterwards but believe me the smell was nearly the only thing I remember about that place... Anyway it would have been funny to take you all to the zoo!

2007-01-03T16:24:00.000+01:00

At the beginning we had a plan: get everything done by the end of the year so we can concentrate on minor/smaller stuff. That was the plan. Having worked in project management for a bit now I have learned that plans are only there to be updated or trashed but no plan will make it through without some sort of change. Why am I telling you this? Well you should have guessed it by now. It's January and we still haven't got anything. We wake up in the morning talking about it, go to bed at night still talking about it. As you can imagine this is taking its toll on our mental well-being (not trying to make you feel guilty, just saying).
Anyway I have also been told to stop bothering you with so many details about the organisation and apparently this page is only here to help you find your way to our wedding, not entertain you. So I'll go back next-door to justaplaceinthesun and try not to disrupt this blog anymore.
Take care and please let us know if we can help you. Ciao

Cheers!

2006-12-12T17:08:00.000+01:00

The whole idea about this blog was to keep you informed of how the (much dreaded) preparation is going, which my brain translates into "get your fat a*se off that chair and write something". I'll quote the Italian motorway company: "Stiamo lavorando per voi" (we're working for you).
First of all thanks for all your emails and comments to the previous post. Well we've been going around and visited quite a few places. Some posh (that we don't even like-which is cool) and some less posh ones. I feel like I'm discovering a whole new underground world. The amount of things people buy, rent or even simply plan for their weddings is just insane. Yesterday we went to see one of the nicest hotels in town (which happens to be one of my favourite buildings too) and the roof terrace (with pool) overlooking all paseo de gracia left me speechless. Completely speechless. here's what I'm talking about (I know it doesn't look amazing but it's the only picture I could find on google).
I know it may sound strange but we're struggling to find a place that will let us stay until 3am at least. We saw a really AMAZING spot on Sunday but it shuts down at 7pm... We could go for the shortest wedding party ever... Anyway, right now we're back to square 1.
We're literally harassing all our friends here asking them about parties they've been to, expos, etc. We've seen some amazing places but nothing that ticks all the boxes (actually it's just 3 boxes: can you put 100 people in there? can we stay until 3am at least? Has it got some sort of open space? you won't believe it but even here in Spain they're getting tough on smoking -which is good- but we don't want to have half our friends having to leave the party just to have a fag!)
We know it's not going to be a normal wedding, but it's still not easy to define. By the way if you have any ideas, suggestions and/or contacts in Barcelona, please, let us know.
On the other hand I have been very surprised that so many of you already sorted everything out! Wow! We've had a good share of flight booking (was the champagne the real motivation?) and a few of you managed to book hotel/flats too. I am very impressed. Please let us know if you're having problems finding somewhere (unless you've already sent us an email about it - please be patient "stiamo lavorando per voi").

Well, that's it I think. No, one last thing. Rob I really appreciate your environmental responsibility, but why don't you fly over and then plant a tree (or two). Would that compensate your return flight?

Well that's all for now. Don't forget to book your tickets! I'm off for a drink now. Cheers.
iacopo

P.S. Teresa is at work, and I'm working from home...

The big news

2006-12-01T17:52:00.000+01:00

All,

It is with great pleasure that we announce that we're getting married in Barcelona on 11th May 2007. More information about the wedding and the logistics is going to be pulished here very soon.
Take care and looking forward to see you all at the wedding.
Teresa & iacopo

P.S. First person to confirm his or her flight booking will get a bottle of champagne!

Ciao a tutti,
E con piacere che vi annunciamo che ci sposeremo a Barcellona l'11 maggio 2007. Cercheremo di tenervi al corrente e darvi qualche dritta per venire a Barcellona.
Speriamo di vedervi presto e fateci sapere se avete domande.
Teresa & iacopo

P.S. Il primo a confermare la prenotazione dei voli vince una bottiglia di champagne