Spanish Fascinators or Tocados de Boda are a Must at Andalusian Weddings
I had the pleasure of seeing my brother-in-law get married last weekend in gorgeous El Puerto de Santa María, Cadiz. In true Andalusian wedding fashion, one of the best parts of the event were the colorful fascinators the women wore to the wedding. Being an afternoon wedding, bright colors were abundant and I must admit that I really regretted not having bought one to have worn. I have been so caught up in work and moving that I completely forgot about Spanish wedding protocol-- at least for Andalusia!
My aunt-in-law took care of my hair style, weaving a brightly colored scarf around a low bun (I thought it was strange and showy at first, but then realized I had the most boring hairdo at the wedding!). I didn't want to come off as a total creep to all of these girls and women I'd never met before, so unfortunately I don't have too many pictures. But take a look at the Spanish fascination with fascinators; you just have to love them!
My Favorite Fascinators from a Southern Spanish Wedding
My mother-in-law wanted to wear something different to her last son's wedding. She opted for a traditional Spanish mantilla (the lace veil). Worn atop a gorgeous ivory comb, it was simply stunning.
Antonia and I pose for a picture-- my "crazy" bun is nothing compared to the fascinators we are about to see!
The mother of the bride wore a beautiful green ensemble with flowers and lace adorning her fascinator.
This group opted for smaller, less elaborate fascinators (yes, those are small compared to others!).
I loved this girl's purple fascinator and the pink dragonfly fascinator wins points for creativity!
Another big and beautiful Spanish wedding tocado.
Here you can see some more of the feathers on the purple hat, and the mauve colored hat was just stunning too. The girl on the far left opted for a headband, another popular choice for a tocado.
I juts love the colorful dresses and matching fascinators that the women choose to wear. Next time I am coming prepared, tocado and all!
Which is your favorite fascinator?
Maribel
these women are all so lovely and super elegant. I've seen the mantilla (and cute hats - not sure why they are called fascinators) in southern Spain: Granada and Sevilla. Even the kids are dressed up.
Kaley [Y Mucho Más]
This is great! My mother-in-law definitely had her tocado at our wedidng (being the mother of the groom and all). My mom later said she wished she had gotten one too, and I honeslty had thought there was NO way she'd want one!
I've not seen the mantilla at any weddings here, do you think it's a southern Spain thing?
lucy
i can't choose my favourite picture!!!I love colorful dresses.. I love Spain!
Laura @Travelocafe
Oh, this makes me now so home sick. I am currently traveling through Scandinavia, and I miss so much the Spanish sunny weather.
Lauren Aloise
Lucky you in Scandinavia! I'm here in Madrid-- plenty of sun, heat, etc. but no pool, lake, or ocean for me! 🙁 I think I would trade places now...
Andrew
As an American guy I think that's one of the goofiest and funniest things I've every seen, and the fact that they're called "fascinators" like they're supposed to fascinate you and make you stare at them like some kind of magical twinkly charm makes it even funnier. I thought that sort of stuff went out of style a long time ago, like at the end of the Victorian era in England!
Cheers,
Andrew
Lauren
Hey Lauren- Maybe I missed it, but where are you moving?
Lauren Aloise
Just to another apartment here in Madrid-- will definitely explain in a future post (with pics of the new place!).