Riad Yasmine

The place

Riad Yasmine is a riad of eight bedrooms in the north of the medina, near Bab Taghzout, and its courtyard is one of the most photographed in Marrakech: a plunge pool of green and white zellige, striped cushions in the same green, and a jungle of banana leaves, palms and cactus all around. It is a place for a very small wedding. The whole riad rents for up to 16 guests from 1,500 euros a night, and for that you get a house of your own, with its team, in the middle of the old city. If you are eloping, renewing your vows or marrying with only your closest family, it is one of the most charming places in the medina to do it.

Background

The riad opened in 2002, and in November 2015 it was taken over by Gabriel and Alice, a couple from the south of France, who renovated it and turned it into what they call an urban jungle in the heart of the medina. They still run it with a small team, and Bowie, the resident cat, greets guests in the courtyard. The rooms carry the names of Moroccan places, Chefchaouen, Mhamid, Legzira, Agafay, each in its own palette, from blue tiles to terracotta walls. Next door they opened Le Petit Yasmine, a sister riad with three suites, which helps if your group is a little bigger than sixteen.

Setting and photographs

Everything here happens around the courtyard. Shot from the gallery above, the green pool, the patterned floor and the plants make the picture couples come for, so make sure your photographer climbs the stairs. In the rooms you find canopy beds, curtained alcoves, carved arches and Berber rugs in soft natural light, which suits getting-ready photos. The medina gives you the rest: the alleys of Bab Taghzout and the nearby souks for a walk with your photographer the morning after.

Ceremony and reception

A ceremony takes place in the courtyard around the pool, with your guests on the cushions and the gallery above them. Think of an evening for 16 people at one long table rather than a reception: the courtyard is intimate by design, and there is no dance floor to speak of. Ask the team whether their cook can prepare the dinner or whether you should bring in a caterer, and how late music can play, because you are in a residential corner of the medina. Plan a quiet, candlelit evening here, and take the party elsewhere if you want to dance until late.

Who it suits

It suits elopements, vow renewals and micro weddings of 2 to 16 guests, especially couples who care about design and photographs. It suits a group of friends who want a whole house in the medina for a few days around a small ceremony. It does not suit a wedding with a dance floor or a guest list above twenty, even with the sister riad next door. Most foreign couples cannot marry legally in Morocco, so the ceremony here is symbolic: sign the legal papers at home, before or after, and let the courtyard be about the vows, the readings and the people you love.

Accommodation

The eight rooms sleep 16 in total. Several open onto the pool on the ground floor: the Chefchaouen suite with its blue tiles and a small sitting area, the Legzira suite where a curtain separates the bed from the lounge, and the Mhamid room with a king-size bed that can become twins. Upstairs, rooms have private terraces. Booking the whole riad means your guests share one house, and Le Petit Yasmine next door adds three suites if you need a few more beds.

Getting there

The riad is at 209 rue Ank Jemel, in the Bab Taghzout quarter in the north of the medina, about fifteen minutes on foot from Jemaa el-Fna. Cars cannot reach the door, as in most of the medina, so arrange porters with carts to meet your guests at the nearest parking, and walk everyone in the first time so nobody gets lost. The airport is about 25 minutes away by car. For an evening ceremony in the courtyard, spring and autumn are ideal; in winter, an afternoon ceremony is warmer, and in July and August, wait for the evening.

Costs

Riad Yasmine is one of the few venues that publishes its price: the whole riad from 1,500 euros a night, and suites from 170 to 200 euros a night when booked one by one. For an exclusive weekend of two nights, plan on 3,000 to 5,000 euros for the house, depending on the season. Add the dinner, flowers, a photographer and someone to lead a symbolic ceremony: with photographers in Marrakech typically at 1,500 to 1,900 euros and florists at 700 to 1,100, a complete wedding for 16 guests can stay between 7,000 and 12,000 euros, a fraction of a hotel wedding. Ask about the minimum stay for exclusive use and what the team can arrange for the dinner.

Prices here are grounded estimates from published rates, direct enquiries and what couples report paying. Treat them as a starting point and confirm the exclusive-use and per-head figures in writing for your own dates.

Verdict

For a wedding of 16 people or fewer, Riad Yasmine is one of the most beautiful and best-value places in the medina: a house to yourselves, a courtyard that photographs wonderfully, and a price you can read before you call. Its limits are those of any small riad, no room for a party and a residential street outside. If you are a few more than 16, take Le Petit Yasmine next door as well; if you need space for 40 or more, look at Riad Kniza or La Sultana instead.