A Rustic Summer Wedding in the Spanish Countryside

When Georgina Gullick and Samuel Nava began planning their June wedding, the pair knew exactly where to tie the knot—at the bride’s childhood home in Villanueva de los Infantes in La Mancha, Spain. “The countryside is so beautiful, and it was the perfect place for us to escape from our busy lives as doctors,” says Georgina. From there, Samuel and Georgina embraced the idea of getting married at home and even worked with local vendors to give their wedding a true sense of place. “We didn’t work with a planner, but thankfully my mother was a superstar organizer and really kept everything on track, even though we were planning from another country,” says the bride.

On June 23, 2018, Georgina and Samuel, who now call Bath, England, their home, invited 165 guests (including 15 children!) to join them in Spain for an alfresco wedding celebration at the house where Georgina lived as a child. The day was filled with spectacular views, a delicious meal, and dancing ’til dawn, so keep reading to see how they threw an effortlessly chic wedding in the Spanish countryside. Sara Lobla was on hand to capture all the pretty moments!

Georgina’s family home, India Alta, is located in the rural Spanish countryside. The bride describes it as a "pastoral getaway surrounded by hundreds of kilometers of open, uninhabited land."

Georgina and her bridesmaids got ready at the house. The bride topped her half-up hairstyle with clusters of fresh white blooms and olive branches to coordinate with the rest of the day's natural aesthetic.

The ceremony took place at the top of a hill, where the couple placed an ivory runner leading to the altar. Guests were seated on each side, on bales of hay topped with white cushions. Also, because they knew the ceremony would be sunny, Georgina and Samuel handed out straw hats so guests could choose to shade themselves from the strong afternoon rays.

When it was finally time for the ceremony, a gaggle of ring bearers and flower girls made their way down the aisle behind the wedding party. The boys wore blue shorts and suspenders, while the girls wore white dresses with blue sashes. The bridesmaids all wore blue linen dresses from Cos, which ended up being perfect for a warm day in the sun.

The bride herself dressed in a Laure de Sagazan gown featuring a delicately beautiful guipure lace bodice. “I thought I should try on a few more dresses before I made my decision, so after discovering Laure de Sagazan at the Mews in London, I went to two other bridal boutiques," she says. "But I quickly realized wedding dress shopping wasn’t for me!” Looking back, Georgina says she loved that the simple gown made her feel like herself, with no crazy frills.

After walking down the aisle with her father, Georgina met her cousin at the altar, as he was officiating the open-air ceremony. “It was so special to be married by someone who knows us so well, and who was able to truly convey the importance of this moment,” she says. “Being joined in marriage by someone who will really support our union made everything so much more meaningful.”

During the ceremony, the couple’s best friend, Peter, played the guitar, and other family members and close friends offered readings. As the proceedings concluded, Samuel and Georgina shared a kiss in front of the picturesque altar.

Guests tossed handfuls of olive leaves over the bride and groom as they made their way back down the aisle. The leaves matched the greenery in Georgina’s white peony bouquet, and popped against Samuel’s pale blue linen jacket.

The stucco siding and tile roof of Georgina’s family home made for a beautiful yet rustic reception backdrop. As guests returned from the ceremony, they gathered around the pool for cocktails and tapas before sitting down for dinner.

Dinner was served in the courtyard, where tables were draped in white linens and topped with white roses and olive branches in clay vessels. Each seat was topped with a pair of classic Spanish espadrilles so guests could quite literally change into their dancing shoes!

“Months later, Samuel and I still can’t stop talking about how much love and emotion we felt on our wedding day,” recalls Georgina. “We looked around and saw our loved ones crying tears of happiness for us, and that’s something we’ll never forget!”

The couple’s band, the Gypsy Queens, began to play as dinner ended, and had guests dancing on the tables. “Once they started, no one stopped dancing until 7 a.m.!” she says. “It was totally unforgettable.”

Looking back on their special day, the bride encourages couples to make decisions that feel authentic to them. “I don’t regret much about our wedding, but the few things I do regret were decisions I made because I felt I needed to please other people,” she says. “It’s your day, so do it your way!”