If you are looking to get married at a villa in Barcelona/Catalonia, what you should be looking for are so called “masias”. Masias are old Catalan farmhouses or mansions with accommodation and often date back to the middle ages. In this post I will share useful information about these type of venues.

Location

They are always located on the country side, often surrounded by wine fields, olive groves, forest or mountains. They are perfect locations for those couples who want a relaxed, intimate wedding venue with a lot of privacy away from the city. Since they are always located a bit inlands, they hardly never have sea views. However, the masias that we tend to use for weddings are not located too far away from the sea, but you would need a car.

Guest accommodation

Besides being beautiful wedding venues, the masias are also a handy solution if you want to celebrate it all in one place. By opting for a venue with accommodation included, you don’t need to think about separate accommodation for your guests and/or transfer for them on the wedding day. The venues usually offer accommodation for between 15-30 guests, although there are also a couple of bigger ones that can sleep up to 50 guests. This is obviously a huge benefit for your guests and they will be very thankful!

The rooms

As these are old buildings, many rooms are on the smaller side, and they won’t be identical. The property owners usually have to build/renovate respecting the original building which is another reason for why they can’t build identical rooms. That’s why you sometimes will find that one specific bedroom doesn’t have an en suite bathroom, but instead a bathroom just outside of the room in the hallway. It’s also a good idea to check with the owners regarding AC. It’s not always available because the stone houses usually provide a more refreshing temperature and it’s basically not necessary, with that said, most venues today do have AC.

Other things to keep in mind

Before committing to a masia venue, make sure that it’s allowed to celebrate weddings there – there are endless masias out there, but not all of them have the permission for events.

You also need to check if the masia has a designated area for the caterer, is there electricity and running water? How far away is this area from the dinner area?

Check if the venue has enough electricity/power to cover for a wedding, or if a electric generator needs to be rented.

Check that there is a reliable Plan B for all the different moments of the wedding. Some masias don’t have any indoor spaces at all, so it would be necessary to budget for a marquee tent.

Ask the owners if there are any sound restrictions. Some properties have really strict rules and won’t allow music outdoors any later than 10 PM, while others don’t have any sound restrictions at all. In majority of the cases, the dancing needs to take place in an indoor space, but the rest of the wedding can be held outdoors.

Remember that even if the masia owners are used to housing guests and weddings at their premises, at the end of the day they are not wedding planners, so you cannot expect them to do the same job as a wedding planner. They will most likely help out with a lot of different things and will be a great source of information and help just as any other venue coordinator. But it’s not their job to make sure that everything runs according to schedule on the wedding day, or take care of the guests. Most venues will directly ask you if you have a wedding planner, specially if you are an international couple.

Rental fees

Most properties apply a minimum stay depending on the time of the year. In high season (June-September/October) many villas require a minimum stay of 7 nights. In mid-season which will be spring and autumn, they can offer minimum stay of 3-4 nights. During low season some venues offer 2 nights.

What does it cost to rent a masia?

The prices will obviously vary. But to give you an idea:

High Season, when the minimum stay is 7 nights (usually mid June, July, August and mid September), prices will range from 19 000 – 40 000 EUR/week.

Mid-season, when the minimum stay is 3-4 nights (usually April, May, September, October) prices will range from 12 000 – 19 000 EUR. Price per night is around 3000-6000 EUR. A part from this, some venues will charge a separate events fee (wear and tear), which can be between 500-700 EUR approx.

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