Our couple today, Tania and Romeu, travelled back to Portugal for the completion of a romantic love story that began six years ago when they met there on holiday. Their modern celebration had a vintage twist and took place in a charming vineyard with abundant bright purple details and lots of sunshine. Tania the bride fills us in on all the planning details below, but first let these images by Cardeli Photography brighten your day!
“Romeu and I met in Portugal in 2006 while I was on a family vacation, we were together for two weeks and just fell completely in love. I came back to the U.S. while Romeu stayed in Portugal and we continued a long distance relationship for three years until Romeu moved to the U.S. Our wedding took place six years later in the place where our love story began- Portugal! We chose Portugal as our wedding destination since it was the place where we fell in love and many of our family and friends reside there. There is something so romantic and beautiful about that country too. Being in Portugal just reminded us of the beautiful first moments we shared, and we knew it was the perfect place for our wedding.
Planning the Wedding
I started the wedding planning process well in advance. I spent many, many hours of research finding inspiration for what I wanted. Deep purple with hints of green, cork and burlap were all incorporated to create a fresh, modern feel with a vintage twist. I researched endlessly to find the perfect venue, photographer and videographer to fit with our theme. I already had my favorites picked out before arriving in Portugal, over a year before our wedding. When we did arrive, we met with all the vendors and instantly fell in love with each of them. Everything seamlessly fell into place as all of our favorites had our wedding date available.
Choosing the Venue
We chose Quinta do Convento da Visitacao, a beautiful vineyard estate sitting atop a hill with panoramic views of the breathtaking scenery. It was only the second place we visited but it was definitely the last. We fell in love with the rustic yet modern feel of the vineyard… large wooden beams on the ceiling with the simple and clean table arrangements were EXACTLY what we had envisioned. We were immediately in love and cancelled the six other appointments we had to visit other venues. We knew that no matter what, this was the place for our special day.
The Big Day
Our ceremony took place in a centuries old church located in the small town of Serra do Bouro, where the groom grew up. It was small, intimate and filled with a lot of history- the perfect setting! The church was elegantly decorated with deep purple and white flowers as well as a custom-made runner made by our friends. The violinist we picked beautifully complimented the ceremony and surroundings. Our reception started with an outdoor cocktail hour which took place among the picturesque vineyards of Quinta do Convento. There the guests were able to enjoy wine tasting and some food accompanied by the sounds of Portuguese guitarists. Immediately following this was a formal dinner and dancing until the early morning. The night ended with the cake cutting which we had outside with all our family and friends, accompanied by dazzling fireworks.
Sounds pretty perfect doesn’t it? Starting to plan early is definitely great advice.
Thanks so much to Tania for sharing her story and gorgeous images, couples like her and Romeu are a constant source of inspiration and information for us!
