Old Stone, New Angles and a Wedding in Full Color

A Closer Look

Finca La Concepción in Marbella came with plenty of history, from aged brick ruins under curtains of ivy to palms towering over the lawns. Belen and David gave it a celebration that was entirely of the moment. Donna Weddings and Studio 8 Event Design filled the old estate with contemporary florals in soft pink, coral, peach and green. Belen set the tone herself. She was fun, relaxed and completely herself, and the day followed her lead.

The welcome made that clear before anyone reached a seat. Green satin was bunched and swagged into a doorway over the garden path, with pink hydrangeas and magenta dahlias tumbling from its pedestals. Walking through it felt less like arriving at a ceremony and more like being let in on a party.

Then came the surprise. Against the crumbling brick, the ceremony was all clean, contemporary angles. An angled aisle cut across a white plaza between sand-colored geometric panels. Pink hydrangeas and garden roses piled up along it, and two floral columns topped in magenta bougainvillea shot up beside the couple. Old stone, new lines and bright blooms made the whole scene pop.

Belen wore a strapless lace ball gown by Liza Ray New York and carried orange calla lilies, gloriosa and blush orchids. Guests came in coral, lemon, lime and fuchsia, so the crowd looked like one more arrangement. Nobody stayed formal for long. When the vows were done, David dipped Belen right there in the aisle.

By the pool, moss-covered islands of flowers floated on the blue water, and a brass band in red suspenders played among the palms. Even the bites were small pieces of design, with olives perched on miniature wooden chairs. The scene had all the ease of a Slim Aarons poolside, with even more flowers.

Dinner on the lawn mixed old and new the same way. Arches of greenery hung with vintage lampshades in green fringe rose over long tables spilling with coral, pink, orange and magenta flowers. Next door, a green pergola over the dance floor glittered with clusters of mirrored silver spheres. The lawn felt like a sitting room and a nightclub at once.

Once the sun went down, nobody held back. The lamps glowed, and Belen changed into a silver beaded mini whose hem swung like the trim on the shades overhead. Real anthuriums, callas and dahlias burst out of the sculpted cake. Then Belen took over the dance floor with her guests all around her. The brick ruins had watched over Finca La Concepción long before Belen and David arrived. For one night, they looked down on mirror balls and a dance floor full of color.