The armored wedding of Ortega Smith and his banquet of 60,000 euros

What happens in Toledo is nothing other than Javier Ortega Smith’s wedding, secretary general of Vox, deputy, councilor of the Madrid city council and right hand of Santiago Abascal in the green party.

“I have been working here for more than 50 years and I have not seen anything like it in my life; From Kissinger to Perón they have passed through here, I have seen Reyes and the highest personalities of the State pass by, and in life I have seen a similar display”, says Miguel, a neighbor who works in a business of his property near the square.

Unprecedented police deployment

With the passing of the minutes the square where the wedding takes place begins to accumulate troops from the National Police, Local Police and private bodyguards that in some cases overlap with each other, without much coordination.

The press, accustomed to working in the square even during the official visits of the Kings, are ordered to move to the sidewalk in front claiming “security reasons”.

No one knows what measures or what eventuality they protect: “It is what it is, I have orders”, Laconically communicates a number of the National Police who presents himself as the head of the operation.

It is 1 pm and with some commotion, a tinted Mercedes van makes its entrance on the pavement of the Cathedral. Several policemen give way to the area delimited between the catenaries.

From it, Javier Ortega Smith gets off. Accompanied by his mother, who descends from the opposite side of the van, he wears a rigorous black morning coat, gray waistcoat and matching dark striped tie.

He wears two badges on his lapel, one of them with the flag of Spain, impossible to identify at such a distance. With a side parting and his hair perfectly combed with the help of the fixer, the protagonist of the day greets the commanders of the two deployed police officers amicably.

Around him are the guests, who have just arrived in two buses arranged by the bride and groom. From him descend a hundred guests who sleep in some of the hotels managed by the bride and groom for the occasion.

Then the square is already abuzz with people, a mixture of passing tourists and neighbors who attend eager for salsa. Not for less, the good number of zeta police cars that are mixed with vans of the IPU (the old riot police) are striking.

Several motorcycles, strategically placed at the two exits of the square, complete the operation. Some of the policemen carry rifles of a considerable size that jump into the eye of passersby.

¡Santi president!

Several escorts posted behind a new van, which enters without stopping to the back street of the square, warn of the arrival of Santiago Abascal. The leader of Vox arrives accompanied by his wife, Lidia Bedman, and their two young children, but they are not about to offer photographers the family image they expect.

Lidia appears down the side street that leads to the church without Abascal, accompanied in this case by her two children, Jimena, five, and Santiago, seven. She wears an aubergine-colored dress with her hair gathered under an elegant feathered headdress.

The influencer Lidia Bedman, wife of the leader of Vox, Santiago Abascal, arrives at the wedding of the councilor of the Madrid community for Vox, Javier Ortega Smith

A few minutes later her husband, Santiago Abascal, appears in the same place. receives the cheers of those present shouting “Santi Presidente!”. The Vox leader, who walks without a mask and is accompanied by several escorts, greets gratefully for the compliment with his hand on his chest.

By then the square is already a tumult of people, a mixture of politicians with guests of lesser pedigree. Ortega Smith continues to receive hugs and congratulations at the foot of the red carpet that leads into the temple. Macarena Olona, with a pink dress and pleated skirt set is another of the most applauded.

Macarena Olona at the wedding of Ortega Smith and Paulina Sánchez

She greets attendees and has time to pose for photographers who are struggling to get a decent shot amid the crowd of guests and onlookers. Oblivious to the evil fario of pearls at weddings (it is said that they symbolize the bride’s tears and attract misery in marriage), she wears a necklace with a good number of them around her neck.

Others of her fellow party members chat outside the temple. Jorge Buxadé, spokesman for Vox in Congress, cheerfully parted with Ignacio Garriga, a strong man from Vox in Catalonia who arrives accompanied by his partner.

Others of the most applauded are Iván Espinosa de los Monteros and his wife Rocío Monastery. The architect and deputy of Vox in the Madrid Assembly wears a passion red dress with a generous neckline and a cream-colored hat that barely allows her to kiss the rest of the guests.

The parliamentary spokesperson for Vox in Congress, Iván Espinosa de los Monteros and his wife, the deputy of Vox Rocío Monasterio.

It is already 1:30 p.m. and the priest in charge of officiating the ceremony comes to the door to invite the groom to enter the church, as the bride is about to arrive.

Just a few seconds later, the bride, Paulina Sánchez del Río, arrives riding in a gray Rolls Royce. The HSBC executive arrives in the wedding car with a friend who acts as a bridesmaid and helps her get out of the car by placing her tail.

The bride wears a dress fitted at the waist, has escaped the typical white flower bridal bouquet and wears one with the most colorful flowers. In her hair, a white headband and simple earrings complete the bridal look. P

aulina, who appears to be quite serene, greets the audience that is gathering at the temple with a smile. It is surprising, yes, that the bride is not accompanied by a best man, and enters alone.

Paulina Sánchez on her wedding day with Ortega Smith

Religious ceremony and restaurant of 60,000 euros

The ceremony lasts an hour and a half, in which there is time for a string trio to perform, sandwiched between the liturgy. During the time that it lasts, several members of security with ear pieces prevent the passage of the curious.

“It’s a private ceremony, it can’t happen,” they laconically warn intrepid tourists. After the religious service, the newly married couple leaves the tempo among the rice thrown at them by the guests. The newlyweds want to have a detail and leave the group of guests to greet the curious who meet in the street.

They pose for photos and the bride agrees to give her new husband a shy kiss at the insistence of the photographers.

The glass room of the Venta de Aires restaurant

The newlyweds get on the Rolls on their way to Venta de Aires, the restaurant the couple has closed for the celebration. In this case and with the intention of not leaving anything to improvisation, the bride and groom have scratched their pockets by closing the restaurant for them upon payment of €60,000.

The discretion that is sought is such that the couple have made sure that no one leaks anything from the treat or subsequent celebration. The waiters and other staff who are in charge of the service have their mobile phones seized to avoid any temptation to filter images of the celebration. An armored wedding even in that.