JALO was not a conventional wedding. It was an exclusive wedding in Valencia conceived as an immersive experience at Cartuja de Ara Christi by Gourmet Catering & Eventos.
Javier Navarro and Lola Villar chose New Year’s Eve and the Cartuja de Ara Christi by Gourmet Catering & Eventos to get married. It wasn’t just any date or any place. They chose to enter the year 2026 surrounded by the people they love most, experiencing something that none of their 174 guests will ever forget. For us, being a part of it has been one of the greatest challenges and one of the greatest privileges in our recent history.
From the first moment we knew that JALO, the name with which creative director Ales, of Miladyland As the event was dubbed, it wasn’t going to be a conventional wedding. Lola and Javier were clear about it: they wanted a complete production, a story with its own identity that began long before their guests crossed the monastery door. And from the very first moment, we did everything we could to make it happen.
An exceptional piece of gear
Bringing Javier and Lola’s vision to life required building an extraordinary team. Ales, from Miladyland, defined the overall concept and narrative of each space with a precision and creative ambition that set the course for the entire project.. Natalia, from The PromiseJandro, from Jandro Wedding Planner, led the execution alongside a team of four assistants: six people coordinating every move to ensure everything followed an extremely precise plan. And alongside them, 39 suppliers were involved in this large-scale production, which we had the privilege of hosting at La Cartuja de Ara Christi.
It’s not easy to describe what a project of this scale entails. The months of meetings. The collaborative discussions that refined every detail. The last-minute adjustments. Each team contributing from their own discipline, but all pushing in the same direction, with the same ambition and the same dedication. It’s that team spirit that makes possible what initially seems impossible.
Months of planning. Four days of setup. One unforgettable night.
Javier and Lola’s wedding was a spectacle in the most literal sense. Three dresses of Lorenzo#atfp_close_translate_span# Caprile. A horseback entrance kicked off the night in spectacular fashion. Live performances followed, with Pol 3.14 on stage and a ten-piece jazz band integrated into the very arches of the architecture, as if the monastery itself were coming to life. A personalized masquerade ball followed. And the bells were projected using a video mapping of the newlyweds in one of the historic arches of Ara Christi, welcoming the New Year together, now as husband and wife.
The setup began on Sunday and continued until Wednesday. La Cartuja operated virtually 24 hours a day throughout that week. This unprecedented human and technical deployment involved receiving and coordinating suppliers, specialized teams, and all types of personnel in a space that, at the same time, had to be protected and prepared with the utmost care.
Our team was there, on every shift, every watch, every decision. They spared no energy. That’s the commitment we feel to every project, and at JALO we experience it with a special intensity.
An immersive experience: six environments, one story
The celebration was designed as a journey through six distinct spaces, each with its own name and personality, all connected by a visual and emotional narrative that offered no respite. From the red carpet that descended the façade of the Cartuja upon the arrival of the bride and groom to the installation of the seatingA laser-engraved methacrylate installation, every element was intentional. The lighting evolved with each moment of the night, transforming the monastery spaces into something that went far beyond mere decoration.
Gastronomy at the service of the script
At an event of this nature, gastronomy cannot simply be an accompaniment. It has to be part of the story. And that is exactly what we aim for.
The pre-party cocktail set the tone from the very beginning, with gastronomic stations with their own personality: a central cheese buffet, a vermouth bar with gildas, torreznos and pickles, a selection of Iberian products with Joselito ham and a showcooking of scallops and clams that anticipated the level of what was to come.
The menu took shape throughout the entire preparation process. It began with grilled local lobster, added at the couple’s request after the menu tasting, followed by a prawn bisque with scallop and sautéed king prawn. A lemon sorbet with vodka and basil provided the necessary pause and freshness before the salt-crusted beef tenderloin with potato mille-feuille, sweet potato purée, and fried leek. Dessert was a brownie “soil” with vanilla ice cream and hot chocolate soup, petit fours, and liqueurs.
But the real challenge wasn’t the menu itself. It was the precision. As Miguel Ángel Sánchez, director of Cartuja de Ara Christi by gourmet Catering & Events, explains: “At a conventional wedding, the timings can be flexible. Not here. We had one critical point: the midnight chimes. Everything had to happen on time so that the guests would arrive having finished dinner. There was no room for error.
And there wasn’t one. Every pass, every transition, every movement on the court was meticulously planned. And the team responded with the dedication and high standards that define us.
Trust, involvement, and an extraordinary rapport
From Gourmet Catering & Events and Cartuja de Ara Christi, our role was twofold: to provide the venue and all its resources, and to act as the organizing body for everything related to timing, protocol, and service flow. A role we assumed with the utmost responsibility and, also, with enormous enthusiasm.
What has impressed us most about this experience, beyond the technical complexity, is Javier and Lola’s attitude. In a project of this magnitude, it would be understandable for the couple to delegate and disconnect from the process. They did the exact opposite: they were present at every step, made decisions, and validated every detail. And they trusted—completely—each of the teams involved. That collaboration—that alignment between the couple’s vision and the work of all the professionals—is what allows great projects to take shape.
To Javier and Lola: thank you. Thank you for daring to dream so big and for trusting us to make it a reality. It has been an honor to be with you on one of the most important days of your lives.
And thanks also to Ales and the entire Miladyland team, to Natalia from La Promesse, to Jandro from Jandro Wedding Planner, and to each of the 39 professionals who were part of JALO. Working alongside passionate, demanding, and committed people is what gives this profession true meaning.
For us, JALO was a technical and human challenge of enormous magnitude. But above all, it was a confirmation of what drives us every day: that some weddings are much more than just a wedding. And that when talent, dedication, and a genuine desire to create something extraordinary come together, the result can be, quite simply, unforgettable.
Photograph Francesco Vignozzi