This article was translated by John R. Bopp
In July of 2016, a surprising event took place in Bilbao: two young Brits of Indian origin got married: Shamik and Toral.
The ceremony lasted four days, and was held at the Guggenheim Museum Bilbao and at the Loizaga Tower Palace. There were over 400 guests in attendance, from Europe, the US, India, Kenya, and the UAE, who stayed in over 350 rooms at the Meliá and Domine luxury hotels.
The wedding, and the choice to hold it in this Basque city, was widely covered by local and international media. But it also served to give those guests, many of whom knew nothing of Bilbao or the Basque Country, their first taste of our land. To help them get to know the place better, a wide variety of events were arranged for the guests, as Deia tells us:
“at Bilbao, airport, a stand was set up to welcome the wedding guests with a information packet and maps. The Bilbao Dendak merchants’ association collaborated in designing the pamphlets, which included the addressed to clothing boutiques, jewelry shops, art galleries, wine shops, and hairdressers. Furthermore, Basquetour, the Basque tourism agency, created a thorough guide of all the different entertainment options available – spas, pintxo tours, excursions to San Sebastian, La Rioja, and around Biscay – so that the guests could make the most of their free time.”
We’re bringing all this up because, among the many services the bride and groom hire for their Basque wedding, they hired local Anton Uribe to film the wedding.
This video, since February 8, is now available on this filmmaker’s YouTube and Vimeo pages, and it seems like a fairy tale that takes place in a fantastic place, which just so happens to be the Basque Country.
We’re mentioning this in our blog because we believes it helps to show just how well known this young couple’s decision has reached, and how much they love Bilbao–they even got engaged there. It’s also an exquisitely well done film that is especially interesting for the mix of cultures that happened during those four days. It’s a marvelous cocktail of ancient cultures, modernity, and eclecticism that by definition events that bring people from all over the world creates.
We hope the bride and groom and their guests return frequently to the Land of the Basques.
Toral and Shamik Indian Wedding Bilbao, by Anton Uribe
Last Updated on Dec 20, 2020 by About Basque Country