Cecilia & Dylan

The couple

Cecilia is Italian, Dylan is American, and Cecilia's mother was closely involved from the start. They wanted a wedding that honoured their Jewish heritage while feeling at home on a Mediterranean island. Planning began a year ahead, and the wedding was held at Finca Lush, an estate that hosts only four weddings a year and is booked exclusively through Bliss Ibiza Weddings, who planned it. The ingredients were set early: romantic flowers, Spanish music and Italian food.

The ceremony

The ceremony started later in the day, once the June heat had eased into a warm evening. Guests gathered among the trees in the garden as the couple took their places under a chuppah covered in flowers that seemed to grow out of the garden itself. A liberal rabbi, flown in for the wedding, led a ceremony rooted in Jewish tradition, and when the glass was broken all 140 guests answered with "Mazel tov".

A small summer courtesy made a difference: on arrival, women were handed personalised fans and men were given hats. For religious ceremonies on the island, see church and religious ceremonies.

Dinner and party

A traditional Ibizan flute player welcomed the newlyweds after the ceremony, a local touch, and a Spanish guitarist played through the aperitif. It lasted two unhurried hours, with cocktails and food stations spread around the house, so guests moved from one corner to the next instead of waiting in one place. The catering was Italian, as it had to be, and the guests' outfits were as colourful as the food. Cecilia chose a vintage-style gown finished with a cape and Dylan a light linen suit; their dog, Dino, came too.

Dinner was a long candlelit table in the back garden, among flowers in full bloom. To open the dance floor, the Italian chefs staged a show of their own: an enormous pavlova finished at the table with red fruit and a dusting of sugar, with the couple joining in. Nearly 140 sparklers were lit at once, and a DJ kept the party going under soft lighting until late.

The details

• Personalised fans and hats for a June afternoon
• An Ibizan flute player, then a Spanish guitarist
• Food stations around the house during a two-hour aperitif
• A pavlova finished as a show to open the dance floor

Good to know

Finca Lush has no bedrooms, so guests stay together at a nearby hotel. Arrival is through an arched entrance and up a flight of steps to welcome drinks, with the first view of the sea-facing ceremony space. The old trees shade the garden even in July and August, and with few neighbours the music can run late. The best months to book are May, June, September and October. There is no parking on site and everything has to be brought in, so transport and deliveries need planning; see transport.