Wedding Advice

[Sam&Adam]

Hello! My fiancé and I are planning our Camino for next year. We are looking to start our walk at SJPP and end roughly halfway and having a small wedding ceremony (we will get legally married in the US before we go.) We plan to finish the rest of the walk at our 10 year anniversary.
My question is, where would you suggest we have the ceremony? Doesn’t have to be formal, or in a church. But it needs to be about halfway and a place easy for our family/friends to travel to if they wish to be there for the ceremony. My brother will be the officiant, so that part is taken care of. Any other tips that you find helpful to share would be wonderful as well! Thank you!

 

[trecile]

Hello! My fiancé and I are planning our Camino for next year. We are looking to start our walk at SJPP and end roughly halfway and having a small wedding ceremony (we will get legally married in the US before we go.) We plan to finish the rest of the walk at our 10 year anniversary.
My question is, where would you suggest we have the ceremony? Doesn’t have to be formal, or in a church. But it needs to be about halfway and a place easy for our family/friends to travel to if they wish to be there for the ceremony. My brother will be the officiant, so that part is taken care of. Any other tips that you find helpful to share would be wonderful as well! Thank you!

I'm not sure how realistic it is to wait 10 years to finish - I know that I would never be able to wait that long to get back on the Camino!

 

[Sam&Adam]

I'm not sure how realistic it is to wait 10 years to finish - I know that I would never be able to wait that long to get back on the Camino!

Well, you’re probably right but who knows how long it’ll be We are young, we don’t have much money, we are at the beginning of our careers, and we would like to start a family soon. But it’s important to us that we at least start it, journey through it together, and then finish it when we are meant to finish it.

 

[Kiwi-family]

I'm really looking forward to you walking in ten years with ten kids;-)

 

[nycwalking]

Burgos is about halfway. The cathedral is breathtaking. Might be nice.

Smaller towns are: Fromista, Sahagun, Carrion. Leon is a bit past midway with an awe inspiring cathedral.

I have a feeling you'll return to pilgrimage before ten years elapse.

Buen camino.

 

[VNwalking]

Sam and Adam, Sahagun is easy to reach from Madrid and almost exactly the half-way point. The stretch of the Camino between Carrion de los Condes and there has some lovely places.

 

[David]

I met a young Texan couple a few years ago - Texicans - they had been childhood sweethearts and wanted to get married but they felt they had had sheltered and stress free lives and were concerned about how they would be together under duress, so they walked the Camino together to see. I met them on their second Camino, their honeymoon.
Just a thought, but have you thought of having your ceremony in St Jean and then walking off the next day under a shower of flower petals thrown by your friends and family and making your Camino your honeymoon?
Dang! You have your brother sorted as the celebrant - this is the last wedding I did

 

[William Marques]

The cities towards the middle of the CF which will be easiest for access for you family and friends will be Burgos and Leon. Both will have plenty of accommodation at all price levels unless you are there at fiesta time, though a quick search does not seem to show any major ones, perhaps a local can help here.

Perhaps your brother can use his contacts for places to hold the service. The Hostal San Marcos church would be good if it was possible with a party at the Parador after.

 

[SabsP]

Or also in Leon the chapel of the Madres Benedictinas. Besides the albergue they also have a nice hotel called Pax. Bit more democratic in price than parador.
I found the blessings of the Benedictinas one of my highlights on my first Camino.

 

[Sam&Adam]

I'm really looking forward to you walking in ten years with ten kids;-)

Haha I think that sounds perfect

 

[Sam&Adam]

thank you for your reply. My fiancé and I have discussed whether we want the ceremony before we make our Camino or afterwards to celebrate us not killing each other Unfortunately I don’t think we can have a ceremony in a cathedral because we aren’t catholic. My brother is a notary of the state of Florida in the US where we live so he is able to perform ceremonies

I met a young Texan couple a few years ago - Texicans - they had been childhood sweethearts and wanted to get married but they felt they had had sheltered and stress free lives and were concerned about how they would be together under duress, so they walked the Camino together to see. I met them on their second Camino, their honeymoon.
Just a thought, but have you thought of having your ceremony in St Jean and then walking off the next day under a shower of flower petals thrown by your friends and family and making your Camino your honeymoon?
Dang! You have your brother sorted as the celebrant - this is the last wedding I did

 

[Sam&Adam]

Sam and Adam, Sahagun is easy to reach from Madrid and almost exactly the half-way point. The stretch of the Camino between Carrion de los Condes and there has some lovely places.

Thank you, I’ll do some research on that area

 

[Sam&Adam]

The cities towards the middle of the CF which will be easiest for access for you family and friends will be Burgos and Leon. Both will have plenty of accommodation at all price levels unless you are there at fiesta time, though a quick search does not seem to show any major ones, perhaps a local can help here.

Perhaps your brother can use his contacts for places to hold the service. The Hostal San Marcos church would be good if it was possible with a party at the Parador after.

Thank you, I’ll look up the areas you’ve suggested, it’s greatly appreciated!

 

[Sam&Adam]

Burgos is about halfway. The cathedral is breathtaking. Might be nice.

Smaller towns are: Fromista, Sahagun, Carrion. Leon is a bit past midway with an awe inspiring cathedral.

I have a feeling you'll return to pilgrimage before ten years elapse.

Buen camino.

I’m sure we will return sooner too I’ll do some research on what you’ve suggested, thanks so much!

 

[GraemeHall]

Or also in Leon the chapel of the Madres Benedictinas. Besides the albergue they also have a nice hotel called Pax. Bit more democratic in price than parador.
I found the blessings of the Benedictinas one of my highlights on my first Camino.

Absolutely...their singing in the Pilgrim Mass is one of my enduring memories.

 

[naplesdon]

There is a small chapel at the proverbial “half way” point about 1 km east of Sahagun. There is also a Benedictine Monastery in Sahagun that might help you out. Sahagun is easily accessible by rail from Barcelona, Madrid, Burgos and Leon. Rebekah Scott, the author of the Moorish Whore has many connections in the area, she lives nearby in Moratinos. The chapel is part of the finale in her book. You might try to get in touch with her.

 

[Sam&Adam]

There is a small chapel at the proverbial “half way” point about 1 km east of Sahagun. There is also a Benedictine Monastery in Sahagun that might help you out. Sahagun is easily accessible by rail from Barcelona, Madrid, Burgos and Leon. Rebekah Scott, the author of the Moorish Whore has many connections in the area, she lives nearby in Moratinos. The chapel is part of the finale in her book. You might try to get in touch with her.

Thank you, I’ll send her a message!

 

[Annette london]

thank you for your reply. My fiancé and I have discussed whether we want the ceremony before we make our Camino or afterwards to celebrate us not killing each other Unfortunately I don’t think we can have a ceremony in a cathedral because we aren’t catholic. My brother is a notary of the state of Florida in the US where we live so he is able to perform ceremonies

"Before we kill each other"
I just love your reply and because you are so realistic about this .......then you won't kill each other......you might feel like it at times...but you will be fine.

Ten years...
Just in time to get the kids used to the fact that you will be taking them with you on your 10th anniversary!
Get them walking ASAP!!!
The best of luck to both of you
You sound like a great couple
Annette

 

[BeatriceKarjalainen]

I enjoyed the labyrinth Hill in Atapuerca just before going down to Burgos. There is also a big cross up there. For more nature there were some fields with big oaks just before Atapuerca. The small chapel just before Sahagún with the lovely stone floor. The Court yard of the albegue in Sahagún. Under one of the few trees on a field on the meseta.

 

[Sam&Adam]

"Before we kill each other"
I just love your reply and because you are so realistic about this .......then you won't kill each other......you might feel like it at times...but you will be fine.

Ten years...
Just in time to get the kids used to the fact that you will be taking them with you on your 10th anniversary!
Get them walking ASAP!!!
The best of luck to both of you
You sound like a great couple
Annette

I appreciate that haha we are excited to get started and create new traditions of our own.

 

[David Tallan]

It may make a difference when you are walking (spring, summer, fall, or winter) and how far you are intending to walk. That's assuming you want to have the ceremony during your Camino. If you want to have it before or after, what restrictions on where you have it? Maybe somewhere further along the route that can bring back happy memories when you return.

You also say that you don't think in a cathedral is the right place since you aren't Catholic. That may hold true for other churches I might be inclined to suggest. One alternative you may want to consider is to have the ceremony on the church steps. That was not uncommon as a medieval practice, I've been told (in keeping with the medieval origins of the Camino). With those ideas in mind, a few suggestions.

- If you want to have the ceremony during your Camino and not inside a church, perhaps at (but not inside) Eunate might be a good idea. That is a little off the beaten track, is interesting to look at, and is easy for guests to reach by taxi from Pamplona, which is itself a fairly big city by Camino standards and easy to reach by bus or train. It also has a mysterious history.

- Another option if you want to have the ceremony "on the church steps" might be Fromista. There is an exquisite Romanesque church surrounded by a large open plaza. It is still in the first half of the Camino, shortly after Burgos.

- If you are going to have the ceremony after you are done walking (assuming you are walking about half, rather than two thirds or all), then a couple of non-church options come to mind. One is at Hospital de Orbigo on the long bridge. The bridge has a very romantic medieval history where a knight (accompanied by some friends) jousted for days and days, taking on all comers to prove his love for his lady. It is also a very picturesque location. You can try and ignore the fact that after all of the jousting, his lady ended up rejecting him.

- Another non-church option a little further along is the Donativo stand that David runs just before Astorga. I think that would be a great place for a wedding ceremony.

- Finally, you could consider having the ceremony at Finisterre or Muxia by the Atlantic. Then next Camino you could walk to your wedding site.

Just a few ideas. I hope you have a great Camino and a long and happy life together.

Ultreia!

 

[MaisyQ]

In Sahagun you can also get a “half-way” certificate!

 

[Tucan_learn_english]

Hello! My fiancé and I are planning our Camino for next year. We are looking to start our walk at SJPP and end roughly halfway and having a small wedding ceremony (we will get legally married in the US before we go.) We plan to finish the rest of the walk at our 10 year anniversary.
My question is, where would you suggest we have the ceremony? Doesn’t have to be formal, or in a church. But it needs to be about halfway and a place easy for our family/friends to travel to if they wish to be there for the ceremony. My brother will be the officiant, so that part is taken care of. Any other tips that you find helpful to share would be wonderful as well! Thank you!

hi there

 

[Tucan_learn_english]

I know this post was a whole back but I just wondered how it went. I'm thinking about doing the same.

 

[André Walker]

What a great idea!

I can imagine it'll take some planning. The total distance from St. Jean to Santiago is 796 km. (give or take a couple).

About halfway there are 2 cities: Burgos (at 290 km.) and León (at 475 km.).
And a couple of towns (also mentioned in previous posts):
- Carrión de los Condes at 378 km.
- Ledigos at 402 km.
- Sahagun at 418 km.

If you'd like to look at more possibilities: take a loot at the next site. It has a very helpful camino planning tool.

Planificador - Camino de Santiago - Godesalco.com

Perfiles altitudinales, planificación de etapas y archivos GPS para el Camino de Santiago.

godesalco.com

There's a bus between Burgos and León that runs through both Carrión de Los Condes and Sahagun. So these towns can be reached by public transport from both Burgos or León:

Checkout - Alsa

www.alsa.com

Hope this helps. Enjoy the planning and looking forward to it. And, even more important: enjoy yourselves.

 

[jsalt]

I know this post was a whole back but I just wondered how it went. I'm thinking about doing the same.

Sadly, the OP [original poster] hasn't been seen since July 2018, so I don't think we'll ever hear how it went ☹.

 

[Kanga]

I'll close this thread because the OP has not been back since 2018.