More than a week after the event, which society pages have already dubbed the “wedding of the year,” intriguing details continue to emerge about the marriage of Cayetano Martínez de Irujo and Bárbara Mirjan. The ceremony, held on October 4 at the Iglesia del Cristo de los Gitanos in Seville, was followed by a lavish celebration at Las Arroyuelas estate and took place exactly as the couple had wished—surrounded by close friends and family. However, before reaching the happy culmination of their ten-year romance, there was one important and rather unusual step for such occasions, initiated by the bride.
Shortly before exchanging vows, Bárbara Mirjan made a delicate request to her future husband: to sign a prenuptial agreement. The aristocrat reportedly reacted calmly and raised no objections. The couple’s inner circle insists this decision should not be seen as a sign of distrust, but rather as a thoughtful and reasonable choice by two modern individuals entering a marriage, each with their own life experience and financial background. There were no tense negotiations or disputes between the bride and groom; everything went smoothly.
What exactly are these ‘capitulaciones matrimoniales’? Essentially, it is a contract that determines the economic regime of married life. In Spain, if a couple does not agree otherwise, the default setting is a community property regime. However, a prenuptial agreement allows, for example, for the choice of separate property ownership. This document can be formalized with a notary either before or after the wedding, and it comes into effect once it is registered in the civil registry. For the Duke of Archon, who from a young age was accustomed to the legal and financial intricacies of managing his noble family’s affairs, such a procedure was nothing unusual.
Barbara’s decision seems even more logical when you consider her own financial position. She comes from a wealthy family and is the only daughter, making her the sole heir to a substantial fortune. Her maternal ancestors own businesses in the Basque Country specializing in wood processing, while her father, Javier Miryan, of Lebanese descent, is known as a successful entrepreneur. Thus, Barbara entered into marriage as a woman who was financially completely independent.
Cayetano Martínez de Irujo also has his own assets and ventures. After several business projects with mixed results, he has focused entirely on the agricultural sector. The duke is developing his farmland in the Las Arroyuelas estate in Seville, which he inherited from his mother, the famous Duchess of Alba. As for his aristocratic titles—Duke of Arjona, Count of Salvatierra, and Grandee of Spain—they cannot be transferred or shared in marriage. By law, only direct descendants can inherit these titles, so in the future they will pass to twins Luis and Amina, Cayetano’s children from his first marriage to Genoveva Casanova.
