Happy Friday gorgeous people!
Today's wedding all the way from Portugal is so dreamy I had to pinch myself when it landed in my inbox.
Here's just a few reasons why…
A ribbon wrapped bouquet of fluffy pale pink peonies.
The peaches and cream colour palette accented with lovely lace details and a flock of white doves.
An elegant bride in layer upon layer of tulle ruffles teamed with a stunning statement necklace & a chic ballerina bun.
The bride and groom's happily-ever-after kisses and beaming smiles under a billowing veil.
Piteira Photography captured all the romance and beauty of Lucia and João's wedding day perfectly.
From The Bride…
We love tradition and we are very lucky as we each brought a rich cultural heritage in our new life together – me from Romania and Joao from Portugal. We counted on having all our loved ones with us and that is what I think made it so special. There was no theme really, we just picked things we like – simple, elegant but not pretentious. As a colour palette we used pink, blush, coral, and nude.
For my wedding I wanted to use Romanian designers. The dress was created by Natalia Vasiliev, and customized in her atelier, and the accessories came from an extremely talented young lady called Raluca Buzura, who works wonders with ceramics and gold.
My shoes were pretty much the only thing from London, where I live and were by Freya Rose. Simple and elegant.
The Flowers
I always loved peonies, so I had a simple bouquet made out of big pale pink, fragrant peonies tied with a coral/ pink ribbon. For the centrepieces we used roses, daisies, and other flowers I don’t know the name of!
Decor & Details
The venue came second as a big part of the wedding was outside. The beauty of the surrounding hills, covered in grapevines was really breathtaking, and part of the charm of the Quinta is its “time stood still here” feel. When we first visited the place we feel in love with the scenery, but also with the colour and warmth of the Quinta. We knew before even touring the place that we had found the perfect location for our wedding. Then came the added bonuses of a small idyllic chapel, wine cellars, and white doves perched on the golden yellow walls.
Inside we had oat coloured table cloths, and flowers adorning the candleholders on each table. It was de-cluttered, simple, yet organic and extremely romantic, especially as the day was drawing to a close. Favours were bottles of Rosé wine from the Quinta de Sant'Ana, which apart from being a wedding venue is a family run wine estate.
The Refreshments
Our wedding had everything – a cocktail bar, wine tasting (it was in a vineyard after all), traditional Portuguese BBQ, a formal sit-down meal, cheese and cakes buffet (delicious I was told, although I didn’t have time to try – which I really regretted the day after), wedding cake, and a mid-night snack (best pregos ever, or might have been me starving around 1 in the morning). Food is very important in both of our cultures so we tried to pick familiar dishes, which we knew everybody would enjoy and give them a modern flavour twist.
The Wedding Music
I walked to meet my husband on Elvis Presley’s “Can’t help falling in love.” It was a magical moment that I will never forget. For our first dance my husband surprised me by singing the perfect song – Nat King Cole – “Unforgettable” It was one of the most beautiful love declarations he ever made me.
Piteira Photography
Our wedding planner, Ann, showed us some of Piteira Photography‘s pictures and we fell in love with their style. Then it was hard part – convincing Kerry and Luis to work with us via Skype from Kinshasa, Africa! (Where we were based during much of the wedding planning process). But once we met them we knew they would not just take pretty pictures, but also capture what makes us unique. The engagement session helped break the ice (and I found out my husband is a natural at posing!) and the wedding was – well you can see the results – a dream come true.
We can’t wait to move in our new place so we can hang the photos everywhere.
Advice For Other Couples
1. You should always stay true to what they really want. It’s your wedding and no one else’s – don’t worry about trends, or looking cool.
2. You can never have it all perfectly planned; there will always be last minute changes. Take it with a smile, kiss your partner and thank God for being blessed with someone to share your life with.
Many congratulations Lucia and João!
