Andrea & Jorge

Talk about WOW. This nature infused destination wedding is certainly something to write home about. Andrea and Jorge fell in love with Luz Houses, in central Portugal after a romantic getaway there. They used their powers of persuasion and love for its natural beauty to convince the owners to allow them to say their I do's there too. Taking inspiration from all the greenery they used the gorgeous surrounding to frame their boho wedding. Adding a truly beautiful long trestle table for the wedding breakfast, and the most amazing arch to frame their dessert table. Not to mention the rustic bouquets, which were lovingly put together by the brides aunt. Maria Rão Photography has certainly captured the spirit of this carefree wedding as well as all those delicious details for you to pore over and pin. Shall we take a look?

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The Wedding

Andrea the Bride: When we started planning our wedding, we already knew exactly what we wanted, especially where we wanted to get married. Some time before the proposal, Jorge surprised me and we spent the most incredible weekend ever. Two days in a magical place that had opened a few months prior. Luz Charming Houses Boutique Hotel then became our favorite place on the planet after our own home. We call it “Heaven on earth”. Pedro, the owner, greeted us at check in and showed us around every corner of the hotel in detail. We immediately knew that we were in good hands. The enthusiasm and the way we were greeted by the entire team was simply wonderful. Outside there is a small chapel that took our breath away. That is how we immediately felt we wanted to get married in that place. It is impossible to describe this place with words only. You need to go and live the space. This place really grows on your heart.

Venue

Unfortunately, Luz Houses had never hosted any weddings before and they did not want to break their architectural concept, as a 120 attendee wedding would require certain support infrastructures for the event. Even so we decided to visit Pedro and Ana (arquitect of Luz Houses, Pedro s wife) just to double check and maybe even cheekily convince them. And they agreed to do it! We explained that we did not want to alter any aspect of what they had going on. In fact we wanted our wedding to take on the vibe of this place.

Colour Scheme & Decor

Our wedding was to be inspired on that exact atmosphere. Simplicity and tranquility. The colour pallet was automatically decided. Nature, nature, nature. Clean. A touch of white here and there to create a contrast and some elegant details in gold. The most important things was that the event was not going to change the space in any way. The concept was simple. To create a layout that would merge with the surroundings. In other words, outdoors, no tents, nothing. Just what was strictly necessary. And so we started the preparation process. Everything was chosen with maximum detail without wanting to exaggerate, because after all “Less is more”. When I started researching to find inspiration, I came across RMW blog, which was the one that mirrored exactly what I wanted.

Photographer

Choosing the photographer was clear as water/crystal clear. Maria. Because she is the only one capable of freezing the most beautiful moments of ones life, with the perfect colours and light. Exactly as we had envisioned. No one can ignore the delicacy in the way Maria performs her work.

The Wedding

Ana and Pedro were the ones who helped us make it all happen. What we dreamed of. Exceeded our expectations! The dedication of these two human beings full of love was consistent. They planned every detail as if it were for themselves. They even encouraged those ideas that were harder to accomplish.

Foliage

On September 2nd, 2016, there was no wind or rain. It was a perfect day for an outdoor party. The wedding day started with the leafy bouquets made by us. My aunt Monica managed to create mine exactly the way I had imagined it. Big, fluid and with different tones and green foliage. It had olive tree branches and eucalyptus leaves. Beautiful! The maids of honor bouquets were similar but smaller. “Minimalism is not a lack of something. it’s simply the perfect amount of something”. This is the sentence that better describes the wonderful day that we lived, surrounded by beautiful people and things.

Ceremony

Minutes before everything started I had a moment alone with my mother. Photographs, gazes, hugs and smiles. And my two sisters? How proud I am. Arent they just beautiful? The really helped me a lot. Finally the time came. The music started. A very emotional song we chose (Song to the siren – This mortal coil). I walk toward my future husband, arm in arm with my father. I see the groom crying as I get closer. When we embrace we did not know whether we were giggling away or crying. It felt so right. Everyone got emotional. During the ceremony, Kika, my aunt, Luis, my brother in law and my father all made a speech in which they described our love with pride. Later, during the welcome cocktail, we were surprised by a song sung live by my dear sister Danae and accompanied  by my brother in law, Peters acoustic guitar. It was spectacular. There are no words to describe.

Celebrations

After this we had the cake cutting and cheers to the bride and groom with champagne. The cake table ... wow ... a flower arch framing the set. You had to be there to experience it! We even had a DIY gin bar, just as the groom likes it, prepared with Luz Houses unique details.

Table Scape

The dining area had flower arrangements lighted by candles. The ambiance was very intimate. Ana and Pedro built a wooden structure with white tulle, used to house the buffet tables, where they placed some candle lanterns to illuminate the space. Everything was very romantic and cozy. Super elegant.

Final Thoughts

  The party ended with music, laughter and smiles. The memory of this day is unique. Easily described with happy words. Romantic, simple, comfortable, elegant, emotional and exclusive. This was the best experience of our lives. We loved building this dream and we could not be more proud of the choices we made. The suppliers were tireless and very dedicated. Our family and friends inspired each and every detail. Everything was as per our taste. This wedding describes us perfectly. It describes our love. Simple and very strong.