It was about this time last year that we began planning the destination wedding in El Ciego, Spain. About a month into the planning process our client sent us a photo of a colorful football field sized structure with a note that the couple wanted to "make this happen" for their wedding guests. I was a bit stunned but immediately contacted Architects of Air, who designed and produced the Luminarium, to see how this could happen. I promptly received a response from Mado, who proved to be a great help with this project and who advised that we could certainly make the Luminarium happen in El Ciego.
The one question we both had was, where are we going to put this huge structure? While I am good at making things happen for my clients, certain logistics in the Rioja region of Spain made this a major task. If you have ever been to the area you know that there are a lot of rolling hills but very few flat, empty, football sized areas such as what we needed for the Luminarium. So, when I went to Spain last November for my first site visit, one of my priorities was finding a location for the Luminarium.
This is where Ana Pedrero, our main contact at the Hotel Marques de Riscal came in to save the day. I do know that when we first mentioned the possibility of bringing the Luminarium to Ana she thought we were out of our minds, however, she sprung into action and was instrumental in bringing the structure to life. This was especially true when she found the perfect location, right across the street from the Hotel! Ana was also key to our interaction with the town and obtaining all of the necessary permits.
Now we had the site, next we had to get the structure from Nottingham, England to El Ciego, Spain, erect it, secure it and staff it. We were fortunate to have the amazing Flor Guerin and her crew on hand to pull everything together. Flor was instrumental in securing the equipment needed such as generators and air conditioning which had to be brought in from Madrid and Barcelona as well as the crew that came in from all regions of Spain.
Bringing the structure to life was no small undertaking. The site had to be leveled, a protective layer had to be laid and all of the mechanical elements put in place.
When I was posting pictures from Spain on Facebook a lot of people were asking, What is it? Well, one thing I must say is that to appreciate the Luminarium you really have to experience it. It is an interactive combination of light and sound that you experience as you walk through the various chambers. As the sun moves throughout the day, the reflections and experience inside of the Luminarium changes so we would have guests just sit and experience how the light moves throughout the day. Architects of Air does have a structure touring the US so if you see it coming to your area I highly recommend a visit.
While it was a lot of work that took months of planning, the end result was a spectacular installation that wowed not only our clients and their guests, but also people throughout the Rioja region as we opened the Luminarium to the public and donated all ticket proceeds to Unicef. I really owe a big thank you to Ana, Rosa, Flor, Mado and all of the staff who worked so hard to make the Luminarium a reality for everyone.
There is much more to come about this beautiful destination wedding and the Rioja region of Spain.
Until next time,
Cheers!
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