The Bride's Love of Royal Weddings Inspired Every Part of This Three-Day Celebration in Barcelona

Kevwe and Rotimi first met while attending business school in Austin, Texas, in 2013, but they didn't start dating until they found themselves in New York at the same time. By 2021, the duo decided to make the move to California as a couple, and it was there, on July 4, 2021, that Rotimi planned to pop the question. He organized a wine tour in Napa for Kevwe and her closest friends and family, during which the final stop would be at Castello di Amorosa, a winery in Calistoga with a 14th century medieval castle. In front of the castle, Rotimi dropped to one knee and asked Kevwe to marry him. “It was an easy yes,” the bride remembers.

When Kevwe and Rotimi began planning their wedding weekend, they knew they would invite family and friends from all over the world, so they prioritized finding a knew a location that was accessible from New York, London, and Nigeria. “Spain was the perfect option,” Kevwe says. “Barcelona was my top choice because it is one of the few cities in the world that offers a bustling city, a beach, and a beautiful countryside.” When the wedding weekend arrived on June 17, 2022, the couple’s 200 guests experienced all three: The celebration kicked off with a welcome party at Hotel Arts Barcelona where the city skyline served as the backdrop to the festivities. The next day, everyone gathered at Castell de Sant Marçal for a stunning countryside wedding ceremony, reception, and after-party. The weekend closed out with a Sunday brunch at Red Fish, a seaside restaurant where paella and ocean views were both on offer.

“My vision for the wedding was for our wedding to be timeless but fun,” Kevwe says. “I loved watching royal weddings growing up, and now I had the opportunity to create my own.” The couple hired Anna from Just Married Barcelona to bring their aesthetic to life throughout the weekend and execute a guest-centric wedding incorporating the couple’s Nigerian background. See all the regal décor details and genuine emotions from Kevwe and Rotimi’s weekend captured by photographer Alen Karupovic below. 

Kevwe and Rotimi’s welcome party took place at Hotel Arts Barcelona overlooking the Barcelona skyline, including El Peix, a golden fish sculpture on Barcelona’s seafront created for the 1992 Olympics. The terrace was set up with lounge seating and high top tables and the couple offered chef-action stations of local favorites like paella.

Kevwe wore a one shoulder dress with an asymmetrical hemline with feather detailing from Bronx and Banco; she accessorized with a pair of pearl earrings and chose a sleek, center-parted hairstyle. Rotimi wore white linen slacks with an ivory collared shirt and a brown jacket.

The next day, on June 18, 2022, the couple's full 200-person guest list joined them to celebrate their wedding. “Our choice to have our wedding in the country gave guests a taste of the 'old Barcelona' with castles and vineyards as far as the eye cloud see,” the bride says. “Rotimi proposed to me in front of a castle, so I thought it was  fitting to say our vows in front of one too.” The couple fell in love with Castell de Sant Marçal’s manicured gardens and 14th century architecture.  

Kevwe spent the wedding morning getting ready with her mother and bridesmaids. Her bridal party wore white smock dresses while the bride-to-be wore a white robe with billowing sleeves. “The  morning of the wedding was incredibly calm and relaxing for me,” she says.

When Kevwe started her dress search, she didn’t feel inspired by anything she came across online, so she decided to design her own wedding dress. “I am very inspired by 90s fashion and really wanted to have a beaded column dress with an exaggerated cape or train,” she says. “I have been designing suits and jewelry through my brand, Koviem, for years and thought this would be an amazing way to personalize my wedding even more!” The result was an ivory duchess silk column gown with over 40,000 beads and a ten foot cape with pearl embellishments.

The bride also designed her baroque pearl earrings and necklace with her mother. “I loved getting to choose each individual pearl that was used for my jewelry and am excited to pass them down as heirloom pieces,” Kevwe says.

As a finishing touching, the bride wore custom sheer gloves with “to have & to hold” embroidered on one arm and and "to love & to cherish” on the other. “It was a subtle detail that I loved getting to look at while we held each other’s hands at the altar,” she explains.

Rotimi wore a tuxedo that his bride-to-be, Kevwe, designed at Koviem. “My favorite accessory from the wedding day would have to be the Jaeger-LeCoultre Reverso watch that Kevwe gave me as a wedding present," he says.

He also wore Gucci Flora Gorgeous Gardenia fragrance to all of their wedding events—even the tastings! “I read somewhere that doing this creates a link between  the scent and those events,” Rotimi says. “So, when I wear that fragrance or smell it elsewhere, all the memories of this special time will come flooding back.”

The couple’s ceremony took place outside the castle, where a fountain served as the focal point behind the altar. A white stage was built at the end of the aisle so that the couple’s 200 guests were able to see them as they exchanged vows. The stage and aisle were covered with white carpet and lined with luxurious bundles of white baby’s breath.

As guests arrived, they were greeted with a welcome sign and a display of white parasols to provide relief from the Barcelona sun.

The couple had a string quartet play their ceremony music to maintain a feeling of elegance. Rotimi and the wedding party walked down the aisle to Pachelbel’s Canon. Next, Kevwe walked down the aisle with her mother to the instrumental version of Can’t Help Falling in Love. “My father passed away when I was really young and my mom raised my sister and me by herself,” Kevwe says. “I couldn’t imagine anyone other than her walking me down the aisle.”

The bride and groom wrote their own ceremony vows, mentioning all the adventures they have shared throughout their relationship. “We have traveled to many countries, driven cross-country, and been together through all milestones in the past seven years,” Kevwe says.

Their guests tossed flower petals as the happy couple recessed back down the aisle.

After the ceremony, the newlyweds took photos with their photographer around the property’s grounds. Cocktail hour took place on the lawn, where dancers on stilts entertained guests. “Our family and friends loved interacting with them and taking photos,” Kevwe says.

Instead of serving a signature cocktail, the couple made sure to have Spain’s version of champagne, cava, flowing all evening.

Dinner took place in front of the castle, where round tables were dressed with floor-length French blue tablecloths and chinoiserie patterned chargers. “We wanted to introduce more color as the night went on and went with a French Blue theme for the dinner,” Kevwe says, “We chose gold flatware to add a touch of elegance and to complement the gold trim on the wine glasses.”

The couple sat at a sweetheart table, where the table had an ivory tablecloth and a light blue runner. The floral arrangements featured pink and white roses mixed with pops of light blue blooms.

As the reception began, the couple’s wedding party made their entrance first. Kevwe’s maids of honor were her younger sister and her best friend. “I wanted both of them to know how much they meant to me and could not imagine standing at the altar without them,” she says. Rotimi’s only brother was his best man. The bridesmaids wore the same color but selected their favorite style of dress and all the groomsmen wore classic black Koviem tuxedos with white rose boutonnières.

One of the highlights of the day for Kevwe and Rotimi was their parents’ entrance. “In Nigerian culture, parents have their own big entrance with their friends,” Kevwe explains. “They really put on a performance! Our guests all loved it and it was a great way to start the reception with levity.”

Kevwe and Rotimi finally made their grand entrance as husband and wife and shared their first dance to "This Will Be (An Everlasting Love" by Natalie Cole. Then, Kevwe danced with her mom to "Ada" by Flavour and Rotimi danced with his mother to "Mama" by Adekunle Gold.

The couple served a four-tiered French blue raspberry flavored wedding cake, which was decorated with white sugar flowers. “We gave our moms full control of the wedding cake design and flavor,” Kevwe says. “They did a wonderful job.”

After dinner, Kevwe and Rotimi moved everyone into the castle for the dancing portion of the reception. They kicked the party off with a choreographed dance with the couple and their parents. “All our guests, including the vendors, danced until 2 a.m.,” Kevwe says. “This is a memory I will always have.”

The next day, the couple hosted a Sunday brunch at a restaurant on the beach called Red Fish. Guests enjoyed cocktails, paella, and a sea breeze before heading home.

Kevwe wore a white mini dress covered in feather embellishments paired with a beaded drawstring blue purse and matching sandals. Rotimi wore a collared button up shirt with a fun illustration on it paired with aviator shades.

The couple spent their honeymoon in Sardinia, Positano, and Capri. “We knew we would be exhausted after three days of non-stop events so we decided to honeymoon somewhere close,” the bride says. To other couples planning a wedding, the duo say, “Don’t let the stress of planning take away your joy. This is such a special time in your life and one that is meant to be enjoyed! Hire a great planner to make this possible.”