Joey and Anthony celebrated their love at the luxurious and mysterious La Baronia Castle in Barcelona. Their wedding ceremony was filled with traditional national elements as well as stylish details and amazingly stunning décor. The wedding venue created an atmosphere of sophistication and elegance, reminiscent of the spirit of magic of the past. This truly dream wedding story was the epitome of romance and elegance, which were combined with family traditions, loyalty and love of the couple.
Tell us a little about yourselves. How did you meet? What do you do for a living? What are your hobbies?
We both grew up in Los Angeles and met in 7th grade. Anthony, in typical middle-schooler fashion, insulted Joey at first sight and she drilled her thumb into his back. He asked her to prom in high school and for some reason she agreed. We didn’t start officially dating until freshman year in college. Anthony is an actuary at an insurance company. Joey is a pharmacist at a cancer hospital. Anthony is always picking up new hobbies and interests. He takes pictures of birds and the night sky. He plays the piano and guitar, and loves the Red Hot Chili Peppers and Radiohead. His favorite games include Final Fantasy VII, Bloodborne, Age of Empires II, The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion, and many more. His digital libraries contain over 700 games, he’s working on it… Play any Taylor Swift song and Joey can identify it within the first second. Besides being a die-hard Swiftie, she’s a typical Aries — fiery, tumultuous, and ready to go on a trip to a new destination at any time (if only her job allowed for that kind of freedom). You can always count on her to plan out a trip that’s jam-packed with museums, photo-worthy attractions, and coffee shops that serve delicious pastries! She's happiest when she finds a great fashion find at a bargain price, has a strong espresso drink, and is eating ice cream, sushi, or some form of carbs. She also enjoys practicing amateur photography, reading fiction, drawing, listening to sad songs, and cold rainy weather. Her dreams in life are to own a dog and getting paid to travel (basic, she knows).
Can you share your engagement story?
We went hiking in Sequoia National Forest, known for the towering giant sequoia trees. In the midst of winter everything was covered in snow and in absolute silence. We felt like we were the only ones in the whole world. Anthony spent a long time fidgeting with the camera and seeing Joey looking suspiciously, he pulled out the ring, got down on one knee, and simply asked “Well?”
Did you have any pre-wedding events, like a rehearsal dinner or bridal shower?
The day before the wedding, we hopped on a sunset jazz cruise in Barcelona. It was a nice way to greet everyone coming all this way to celebrate with us, and to help set the mood and have everyone settle into the fact that it was finally happening!
Where was your wedding? Why did you choose this venue?
Our vision was an intimate laid-back celebration at a villa with natural greenery. La Baronia in Barcelona was the perfect place. It had the feel of a countryside castle and was tucked away in the mountains far enough from the bustling city yet still easily accessible. We loved that it included catering and other services, simplifying the vendor search. The ideal was to have both the ceremony and reception outdoors with dinner served at a long table and this venue had wonderful spaces for it all. The interior of La Baronia served as an elegant warm setting for our private first dance and vow readings.
What was the concept behind your wedding and how did you find your inspiration?
Since our honeymoon would be in Europe, we decided to have a destination wedding so we could curate a smaller event and minimize travel time. Joey created a master vision board while planning the wedding, saving photos from across social media. Her Pinterest board had separate sections for each aspect of the wedding from the visual concept and florals to makeup and photography style. From her saves, she realized she was drawn to relaxed intimate weddings with black-and-white timeless photos capturing the natural feel of the event.
How long did it take to plan your wedding? Did you encounter any challenges during the planning process?
The entire process took about a year. The most pressing decision was the venue, because Joey’s idea was “somewhere in Europe” and most somewheres in Europe were already booked as a result of delayed events from the pandemic. Thankfully our planners, Alex and Emma, scouted out this wonderful place. Once we had the location down, it was much easier to choose everything else since we stuck with local vendors. Our main disagreement came from the size of the guest list and how many people to invite. We eventually agreed on a target number of guests, but didn’t know how to approach the number of invitations because of uncertainty over who was likely to go and who wasn’t, especially since it was a destination wedding. We set rules and agreed to stick by them. The ultimate challenge was having our wedding in the middle of a month-long vacation and planning both at the same time. It was our first time in Spain, where we held the wedding, and also Italy, the honeymoon. Due to our busy schedules, we had to set times just to plan for the wedding and the trip. Joey prefers a maximalist travel style doing and eating everything with little down time, whereas Anthony likes to relax. With a month in Europe though, we both enjoyed ourselves.
How many guests did you have? And what was the seating arrangement at the wedding like?
We celebrated with 25 guests who traveled from the US, UK, and Hong Kong. Dinner was served at a long table with us in the middle surrounded by our family and friends.
Tell us about your outfits. How many different styles have you tried?
Anthony: I bought a tailored suit from a notorious online site. It was a high risk move and I really don’t recommend it for such an important event. I was lucky it worked out fine and ordered it early enough in case for alterations. There are plenty of nightmare reviews and my own experience was not the best. To complete the look, I wore a bowtie, a studded shirt, and a cummerbund. Don’t forget the boutonnière. I also recommend shirt-stays to prevent your shirt from riding up. Joey: I was almost certain from the start that an A-line dress was for me but wanted to try on other styles to be sure. After going to several bridal boutiques, I was disappointed because most carried dresses that were too traditional, heavy, and full of tulle and beading. I came across Truvelle by Lovenote Bridal a couple of years ago and have been following them ever since. I was instantly drawn to their romantic and minimal designs and luckily one boutique near me carried their dresses. When I tried them on, I loved how much lighter they felt and I ended up choosing the dress that I actually had saved in my Instagram from before my engagement! For the veil, I chose a pearl one to complement and wore simple Dolce Vita block heels.
What was your first dance song? Did you choreograph or improvise?
We had a private first dance to Roberta Flack’s rendition of Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow which set the mood for a perfectly romantic moment. We improvised since we don’t know how to dance and stumbled all over the place but we loved that we could enjoy the moment without the pressure of performing in front of our guests.
Did you have any special performances or entertainment?
The venue had an option for a flamenco show and we happily said yes to adding some Spanish flair and entertainment to our wedding. The guitarist, singer, and dancer had so much passion and it really capped off the evening.
What was the most memorable moment from your wedding day?
We both loved the food, especially the jamón ibérico carving station. It was a fun addition to the cocktail hour and so delicious our guests ate it all. Since we and our parents don’t dance, we opted to dedicate a song to our parents instead. In true Swiftie fashion, Joey chose The Best Day by Taylor Swift which reminds her of many childhood moments with her parents.
Were there national/religious traditions at your wedding and how did you implement them?
We had a small civil ceremony and a Chinese tea ceremony at home for family that couldn’t attend our celebration in Spain. At our wedding, we did a pseudo-pouring by serving the first drink to our guests.
Are there any vendors that you would like to tell us a little more about?
All the people we worked with were incredible. Our planners from The Bijou Studio, Alex and Emma were essential to the whole process, and we are so thankful for them. Their taste is impeccable and we never felt worried because of how well they took care of every matter. Planning a wedding is like a marathon and Joey would’ve gone insane were it not for Alex and Emma’s help guiding us through every step of the way and advising us on even the tiniest of details. The venue was La Baronia. The location is absolutely picturesque and the included options in their package made planning much easier. The appetizers were some of the best food we had on our whole trip. Xavier, our celebrant, did a wonderful job telling our story and expressing our affections in a warm and sentimental way with a little humor. Our photographer from Wild Horses Studio really has an eye for capturing stunning moments. We loved their moody style and their use of light and shadows to highlight beautiful details and moments. Part of the reason why we chose them was their cinematography and options for film photos too. We really wanted a timeless feel to our photos and their work captured the intimate feel we were aiming for. Florals were another important part of Joey’s vision. She wanted a natural feel to the flowers and really loved the concept of flowing drapery above the dinner table for a romantic vibe. Yolanda from Best Day Ever executed everything to perfection from the drapery setup to the asymmetrical broken floral pillars and Joey’s favorite - the bridesmaids flower baskets in lieu of bouquets! Make Up Artist Imanol and his assistant made Joey, the bride and groom’s mothers, and bridesmaids look effortlessly perfect. He spent so much time really understanding how we wanted our hair and makeup to look and it all held up all day long. Thanks to him, we all looked naturally beautiful.
What advice would you give to couples who are currently planning their wedding?
Anthony: Don’t care too much about it. Joey: Making a vision board helps so much. It tells you what you’re drawn to and you can refer back to it when struggling with deciding on which vendor to pick by seeing which one’s work would fit in best. It’s also helpful as a reference to send to your vendors if they ask about specific photo shots you want or what style of ceremony flower arrangement you like. At the end of the day, no one will know what options you had and what you didn’t choose so make your decision and be happy with it! I loved that we chose to do an intimate wedding surrounded by our closest family and friends because we were able to enjoy the day with them (and eat the delicious food!). The day really does pass by so quickly and I wish we had even more time with everyone.
Bride & Groom: @joeythelamb , @ipdiot
Wedding Planners: @thebijoustudio
Photographer: @wildhorses_studio
Florist: @bestdayever_es
Hair and Makeup: @imanol_fuentes
Venue: @la_baronia
Wedding Dress: @truvellebridal , @lovenotebride
Shoes: @dolcevita
