Seville holds its breath in anticipation of the season’s most important social event. This Saturday, October 4, aristocrat Cayetano Martínez de Irujo and event organizer Bárbara Mirján will formalize their ten-year relationship with marriage. The ceremony, which will gather over three hundred guests, will take place at noon at the emblematic Church of Cristo de los Gitanos. After exchanging vows, the celebration will move to the duke of Arjona’s family estate, Las Arroyuelas.
This vast agricultural estate, located in the municipality of Carmona, is the largest latifundium of the House of Alba in Andalusia, covering nearly one and a half thousand hectares. The banquet for the guests will be held in the very heart of the estate, at the Cortijo de la Motilla. Once an old roadside inn, Cayetano and his former wife Genoveva Casanova transformed it into a luxurious manor, filled with family antiques and travel souvenirs.
For the son of the late Duchess of Alba, this will be his second marriage. He will be escorted to the altar by his own daughter Amina, who will act as matron of honor. It is expected that, as before, the groom will appear in the full-dress uniform of the Real Maestranza de Caballería de Sevilla. The bride will be walked down the aisle by her father, Lebanese entrepreneur Bashar Mirján. The creation of the wedding dress was entrusted to the renowned fashion house Navascués.
However, the main intrigue of the pre-wedding preparations centered around the financial aspect. It became known that, contrary to tradition, where expenses are usually split between families, the bride’s parents will pay for the entire celebration. Javier Mirían and María Lourdes Allende, who comes from a wealthy Basque family, have taken on all the costs—from the banquet and decorations to the musical entertainment. Moreover, the couple refused to sell exclusive rights to film their event, thus forfeiting a significant amount that could have covered the expenses.
This decision indirectly confirms Cayetano’s own recent revelations about his financial situation. Several months ago, in an interview, he admitted that he is learning how to do business without money, just like most entrepreneurs. According to him, managing inherited capital is relatively easy, but building a business by seeking bank loans is something else entirely. The duke also complained that, since his mother’s death, his business affairs have not been going well.
Despite all the twists and turns, almost the entire family will support Caetano on this important day. The current Duke of Alba and his sister, Eugenia Martínez de Irujo—who was originally considered for the role of matron of honor—will attend the wedding. His brother Fernando, who managed to recover his health in time, will also be there. The only one missing from the celebration will be Jacobo Siruela. He sent a letter to the family explaining his absence due to pressing work commitments and a planned trip.
Among the distinguished guests expected are former footballer Emilio Butragueño, singer Bertín Osborne, the late Duchess of Alba’s widower Alfonso Díez, as well as Carmen Tello with her husband Curro Romero. Also attending will be the bride’s longtime friend Carmen Lomana, who, according to rumors, plans to officially introduce her new companion Antonio Gutiérrez to the public for the first time at this event.
