Weddings in City Hall’s Saló de Cent
For presiding over civil weddings, the responsible authority at Barcelona City Council is the mayor, who then delegates this function to city councillors.
The ceremony takes place in City Hall’s Saló de Cent, located on the first floor of the Pl. de St. Jaume building. It has a capacity for 250 people and is adapted for people with limited mobility. The ceremony lasts approximately thirty minutes. The languages available for holding the ceremony are Catalan and Spanish.
What days are weddings held on?
Friday afternoons and Saturday mornings, except for the last week of each month. No weddings are held in August, or at weekends that coincide with open days or other official acts.
Times:
- Fridays: 5 pm, 6 pm, 7 pm, 8 pm.
- Saturdays: 11 am, 12 noon, 1 pm, 2 pm.
Then you have to apply for the date on which the civil wedding will be held.These procedures can be done online, or in person if you have an appointment [Es], at Citizen Help and Information Offices(OAC).
When the Protocol Department receives the requested documents, it will get in touch with the couple to arrange the date of the wedding.
Once the Saló de Cent has been reserved, around two months before the wedding, there will be an interview with the couple so that they can visit the venue and arrange the details for the ceremony.
The Saló de Cent does not offer a photography or video service.
If the bride and groom require this service, it is their responsibility to organise and pay for it.
Constructed by master builder Pere Llobet in 1372, it is one of the best examples of civil Gothic architecture in Catalonia. It is characterised by diaphanous spaces and a flat ceiling, where sections of wooden beams alternate with stone arches. Its name refers to the Consell de Cent [Council of One Hundred] established by King Jaume I in 1249. It was in this room where the Council used to meet.
Today, the Saló de Cent is used for the most significant ceremonies held in the city: awarding the City Medals of Honour, the ceremony in which the councillors take office, civil weddings, commemorative events, and so on.
The couple will have two parking permits for C/ Gegants (next to Plaça Sant Miquel), which they will be given on the day of the interview.
For all the other guests, we recommend that you look at the information on car parks and public transport available in the area.
The couple may request their own flower arrangements. The couple will be responsible for placing the flower arrangement and removing it once the ceremony has been concluded, so that it does not affect other weddings that are to be held on the same day.
The flower arrangements will be two floral centre pieces (we recommend light colours, so that they will stand out in the Saló), which should be around 1.20 m in height. In order to preserve the integrity of the room, the decoration must be in a base that does not contain water, which might spill onto the wooden platform or the carpet. The base should also be lightweight and easy to handle.
Holding a wedding in the Saló de Cent involves some obligatory expenses, which must be paid to the service company according to current rates [Es].
- for ceremony support services (2 stewards) to attend to contractors and attendees.
- for services that include the speaker system, music and technical assistance.