CASTELL DE TAMARIT

Castell de Tamarit stands on a rocky promontory on the Mediterranean, beside the mouth of the Gaià river on the Costa Daurada. It is on the N-340 about 10 km from Tarragona, between Tarragona and Altafulla.

The history runs deep. The first written records date from the 11th century, and the site includes a walled old town, a 14th-century battery and a Romanesque church, the Church of Santa María. The castle's own website says that over about a thousand years Tamarit has been two castles, a town in its own right, a port, a church and a mansion, and it now offers the whole setting for weddings, with sea views.

The castle's wedding team, AG Planning, runs the day and handles catering, decoration, lighting and music. Religious ceremonies take place in the Romanesque Chapel of Santa María, set in the main tower, which holds about 180. Civil ceremonies can be held in the parade ground, an open courtyard inside ivy-covered walls with a weeping willow for summer shade, or at the mirador above the sea and the small Cala Jovera cove.

Dinner is in the glass-walled main hall, which seats up to 300, or for up to 130 in a pine grove inside the walls. Drinks can be served in the pool garden. Ask the team about the music curfew and the plan if the wind picks up.

Guest rooms are not part of the published information, so ask whether anyone can sleep at the castle and which hotels the team suggests. Tarragona is close and has plenty of choice, with an old town to explore between events. The castle is also reachable by bus, on line 12, which stops at Castell de Tamarit, though most wedding parties will want private coaches. Ask the team which airport they recommend, how long the transfer takes and how to plan coaches for the group. Allow a few days for the coast.