Some couples want a wedding that feels like a beautiful dinner with the people they love most, in the middle of the city, without a long day of logistics. This October celebration at Only YOU Hotel Valencia was exactly that. As a wedding photographer in Valencia, we followed the couple from their portraits in the old town to a welcome drink downstairs and a dinner on the ninth floor, with the Miguelete bell tower framed in the windows.
Only YOU stands 100 meters from Plaza del Ayuntamiento, on the site of what was once the city’s first luxury hotel. To compare it with other hotels we work in, see our guide to the best wedding hotels in Valencia. This story shows a small selection from the day, focused on the hotel, the details and the view.
Planning an intimate dinner at Only YOU Hotel Valencia? Tell us your date and let’s plan your portraits on the ninth-floor balconies.
Why Couples Choose Only YOU for an Intimate City Wedding
The hotel works best for weddings of around 50 guests who want everything in one building: drinks on one floor, dinner on another, and the old town right outside the door. Its ninth-floor City Lover room is a 200 m² space with small balconies and panoramic views over the rooftops of central Valencia. For guests flying in, the location is hard to beat: most city hotels, the Cathedral and the Central Market are a short walk away.
Arrival After a Portrait Session in the City Center
Before the celebration, we took the couple for a wedding photoshoot in Valencia’s city center, through the streets around the old town. They arrived at the hotel together and walked down the entrance stairs while their guests were already waiting inside. The bride wore a white satin shirt with a champagne skirt embroidered in sequins, the groom a grey three-piece suit. Elegant, relaxed and very much their own style.
Welcome Drink and Canapés Downstairs
The guests gathered in one of the hotel’s lower rooms for a welcome drink while they waited for the couple. Waiters moved through the room with canapés, including a smoking appetizer served on a gold tray that disappeared in seconds and became one of the most photographed moments of the evening.
A projector showed photos from the couple’s life together on the wall. It is a simple idea we recommend to many couples: guests who do not know each other suddenly have something to talk about, and the wait for the couple turns into part of the entertainment.
Dinner on the Ninth Floor
Later, everyone moved up to the ninth floor for dinner. The decor followed the hotel’s palette: white linen, clear crystal mixed with blue diamond-cut glasses, and low arrangements of white roses, anthurium, snapdragons and silver foliage. The tables were numbered with simple wooden figures.
The room mixes round tables with a long wooden table set against a carved terracotta wall, over a floor of patterned Valencian tiles and blue wood paneling. Small personal touches finished the setting: a devotional card tied to each napkin and a little bowl of rolled messages for the guests at every table.
The menu was light and Mediterranean: fresh tuna with coconut and ginger vichyssoise, a lime and basil sorbet, beef cheek finished with a crisp lace tuile, and a coconut and almond tart to close.
Portraits on the Balcony Above the Old Town
The balconies of the ninth floor are the hotel’s secret. Between courses, we stepped outside with the couple for a few minutes of portraits, with the Miguelete, the bell tower of Santa Catalina and the mountains beyond the city behind them. Then they were back at the table before the next course arrived.
As the dinner ended, the light over the rooftops turned warm and gold. The celebration closed at sunset, and the guests headed home after a calm, intimate day in the heart of Valencia.
CHOOSING A HOTEL FOR YOUR VALENCIA WEDDING?
Send us your date and guest count. We will tell you which rooms and balconies work best for photos at that time of year.
Tips for a Wedding at Only YOU Hotel Valencia
- Plan dinner around sunset. The best light on the ninth floor comes in the last hour before the sun goes down. Schedule your balcony portraits between courses at that time.
- Use two spaces. A welcome drink downstairs and dinner upstairs gives the day a natural rhythm and a moment of surprise when guests see the view.
- Add a slideshow. A projector with your photos keeps guests entertained while you finish your portraits.
- Keep the guest list intimate. The ninth-floor room is at its best for smaller weddings; the hotel can host up to 200 guests in total across its spaces.
An Intimate City Wedding, Photographed by Darista
We are Yuri and Darina, a husband-and-wife photography duo living in Valencia, with more than 300 weddings photographed since 2010. Small weddings in the city have their own rhythm: a portrait walk through the old town, a relaxed welcome drink, a dinner where every guest is close to the couple. We work quietly in that space, so people forget the camera and simply enjoy the evening.
We know Valencia’s hotels from the inside, from palace suites and rooftops to ninth-floor dining rooms, and we know where the light falls at each hour. Darina creates the portraits and the details of the table, while Yuri captures the toasts, the laughter and the moments between courses.
FAQ: Weddings at Only YOU Hotel Valencia
How many guests can Only YOU Hotel Valencia host for a wedding?
The hotel hosts weddings of up to 200 guests. The ninth-floor City Lover room, with its balconies and city views, suits intimate celebrations best. We photographed a dinner there for around 50 guests.
Can we have a welcome drink and dinner in different rooms?
Yes, and it works very well. Guests gather downstairs for drinks and canapés while the couple finishes their portraits, then everyone moves up to the ninth floor for dinner. The change of room gives the evening a natural rhythm and a moment of surprise when guests see the view.
Does Only YOU Hotel Valencia have views of the old town?
Yes. From the ninth floor you look straight at the Miguelete, the Cathedral bell tower, the tower of Santa Catalina and the rooftops of the old town, with the mountains on the horizon.
When is the best time for portraits on the ninth-floor balconies?
In the last hour before sunset. The light turns warm over the rooftops and the bell towers glow against the sky. We plan a few minutes on the balcony between courses, so the couple is back at the table before the next dish arrives.
Only YOU Hotel, Valencia
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