“Sitting at the dinner table with all my loved ones surrounding me with the romantic yet relaxing decorations I’d envisaged was like a dream come true!”
The couple: Crystal & Brian
Length of engagement: 1 Year | Wedding Date: 23rd September 2016
Wedding venue: Vila Monte, Algarve | Wedding Photographer: Mar a Sul Weddings
Wedding Coordinator: Glamour Algarve Weddings
We met… in University (2004), studying the same course.
Our proposal… was in Primrose Hill in London where we often walk our dog.
My dress… I had three dresses:
Beach: Catherine Dean and Forever 21
Dinner: Alexander McQueen
After party: Zara
Our ceremony… we had a non-religious celebrant and he did a very good job! He was very funny and lighthearted, exactly what you would need for a beach wedding on a hot sunny Algarvian day. We chose a beach/island location, recommended by our planner with totally different scenery. Our guests had to travel by local boats to get there!
We chose our venue because… Vila Monte was the loveliest Portuguese style setting in the countryside – the perfect combination along with our beach ceremony!
We chose our wedding coordinator because… Patricia (Glamour Algarve Weddings) was recommended to us by a hotel which we were considering, and she was so amazing at organising everything – way beyond our expectations. She has wealth of experience dealing with all types of unexpected scenarios while planning and during the wedding, and is very efficient at getting things done to a very high standard. She would reply to emails after normal working hours to put your mind at ease. We both really enjoyed her service and would definitely recommend her to any couples who are thinking of getting married in Portugal!
Our wedding theme/colours… our theme was ‘rustic opulence’ and our colours were green, gold and pale pink.
We chose our photographer because… We really liked his style and the engagement photos turned out great!
His suits… were from ASOS and Reiss.
My favourite part of the wedding day… there are so many! But if I had to pick, it has to be the dinner. It was just magical seeing the sun slowly sunken below the horizon, it’s like someone is slowly dimming the lights to get ready for a heart-warming romantic film. And we are all lucky enough to be the stars of the show! Also sitting at the dinner table with all my loved ones surrounding me with the romantic yet relaxing decorations I’d envisaged was like a dream come true! Thanks to the florist Elyzabeth who turned my vision into a reality!
My piece of advice for other brides… do as much preparation as possible before the big day, but you really need to let go of the details on the day. Let people help you with all the trivial details so you can relax on the day. After all, you would want to remember the day with all your friends and family, not that the decoration isn’t perfect. Champagne during hair and makeup would help!
