14 guests, a cheerful summer color palette, floral magic by Flow and a stunning, sun-soaked indoor reception… these are just a few things we’re falling head over heels for in today’s gorgeous wedding planned by Splendida Weddings. Don’t miss out on the full gallery for every inspiring detail for your intimate wedding – taken by Diane Sotero Photography.
From the photographer, Diane Sotero… When Kayla and Carlos contacted me and we had a video call, I quickly felt the sweetness and love between both of them. They had booked me before even having chosen a venue for their wedding. For the next month, Nikolina Silva (From Splendida Weddings) and I spent a few days visiting a number of wedding venues to help them decide which one would be a better match to their personalities, wedding style and to fulfill their wedding dreams. Kayla & Carlos chose a beautiful Portuguese palace to hold their celebration. On the day of their wedding it was a beautiful warm afternoon, filled with the best light. The styling and design were just stunning, and their family and guests were so lovely. One of my personal favorite moments was their first look, they had such an emotional first look. During the entire time while I was photographing this precious moment, I could feel how their hearts were full of happiness and love. All of their feelings were overflowing through their eyes and movements which made a remarkable moment that I was honored to capture and that I’m sure they will remember forever. The ceremony was small and intimate. It was guided by the delightful sound of precious violins, Kayla entered the isle holding hands with both of her parents, such a sweet way to show her gratitude for them. Carlos and Kayla said “I do” in the presence of 14 guests, including family and friends. Kayla and Carlos shared with me that from the beginning all they wanted was to share a beautiful and meaningful celebration with the most important people in their lives and they were so happy when they saw their dining table that they even shed a few tears. It was very emotional when each guest read their place card where Kayla and Carlos had written a personal message stating why each guest was special to them. Photographing this wedding gave me precious insights into their beautiful love story. I could feel the love that each guest had for them and the love Kayla and Carlos felt for each other. Intimate destination weddings like this one are magical.
From the Wedding Planner…Kayla and Carlos decided to get married abroad and elected Portugal as their wedding destination. They have never visited Lisbon prior to their wedding day but their desire to experience something new and enjoy all unique experiences regarding well known Portuguese cuisine, good late summer weather, unique picturesque felt as they have always new that it was the one! Selecting the wedding venues was challenging and as they have never visited this beautiful country before, but they deposited all their trust in our team. After a while beautiful their heart won unique Pestana Palace in Lisbon and beautiful indoor and outdoor spaces, just perfect fit for their intimate wedding celebration that counted with 16 guests. Wedding ceremony had palace as a perfect backdrop and neutral chairs with beautiful floral arch and live string duo created magical moment of the union. Regarding wedding design all the aesthetic and wedding paper got inspired by couples ‘love story, favorite colors, desired royal-like dining experience and a bit of modern tweaks with unique floral design. The exquisite table setting was carefully hand-picked to improve overall dining experience and unique intimate atmosphere at the most elegant and delicate way. Many details had personal and hand-written messages by bride and groom and one interesting detail is that each place card had unique and meaningful message that the couple Kayla and Carlos wrote for each guest, so they feel how special and unique their presence is for them. The speeches made all the guests crying of how emotional and unique their love union is.
From the Bride… What did you envision your wedding being prior to planning? We had many different thoughts about our wedding prior to planning. Ultimately we decided we wanted an adventure. Portugal quickly became our choice, a place we had both never traveled to but seemed to have all of the things we enjoyed. Once we decided on an intimate destination wedding, we knew we wanted to highlight a unique Portuguese venue that would create an exceptional experience for our guests celebrating with us. We found our planner, Splendida weddings who helped us work through finding our ideal venue from a far. We chose a palace setting in Lisbon, that had a mix of regal elegance, beautiful grounds and top quality food. You felt like you are in a different world as soon as you enter the property, not right in Lisbon. What was your color palette and your style vision? We wanted to enhance the incredible palace which had so many beautiful details while incorporating some of our color preferences. The color palette was light purple, sage green, blues with accents of pinks and gold. Our paper details were handmade with aquarelle modern tie dye pattern softly tying in our colors. The ceremony and cocktails were in the gardens with the palace as the back drop. We then moved inside the palace where we dined for a five course meal. This allowed us to have the best of both worlds and take in all the venue had to offer with elegant and romantic details in each setting. What unique elements or DIY details did you include? Our planner suggested to include a personalized quote for each individual on their place card. Our guests loved them and everyone went around and read their personalized quote out-loud and it ended up being such an emotional and beautiful moment in the day that wasn’t expected. It was another small way to show our appreciation and love for our guests.
Our photographer, Diane Sotero, shot the wedding in film. That combination with her artistic ability to compose and capture beautiful moments and details gave us everlasting memories. What was your favorite moment? There are so many small moments of the day that pop into my mind but the ceremony was incredible. We had been together almost six years before getting married but expressing our love and vows to one another with my husband’s life long friend conducting our ceremony, surrounded by our loved ones was incredibly meaningful and joyful. We had written the ceremony together so it was special to see it all come to life and share our own vows with each other. It was way more emotional than I ever imagined. Your favorite crafted detail? All of the little details are what made the day so personal and tied everything together creating the vision of the day. I loved our guestbook, it was a sketch of Pestana Palace and it is something that we will have framed in our home forever! But overall the way our dinner table came together was another moment that took my breath away. The flowers, place settings, candle light enhanced the atmosphere. It felt so regal yet inviting with beautiful light through the large windows, that faded as the night went on as we ate, drank and celebrated in candle light with our fourteen guests. Tell us about your flowers, your gown, your favors, your cake, etc. My Modern Tousseau guipure lace fit and flare gown beautiful and had a timeless feel. I loved my Bella Belle shoes in soft blue with pearl and bead flower details. For jewelry I kept it simple with statement earrings from Kate and Mari Jewelry and bracelet from Kendra Scott, both with mother of pearl details. Our florist was so talented. The flowers and arrangements were breath taking. There was a mixture of roses and other garden flowers that added so much movement, texture and color. The floral arch was incredible, it felt like a dream and evoked such a romantic setting in the garden for our ceremony. It was one of my favorite elements of the day. My bouquet was also out of this world and made me smile every time. Our favors were all items made in Portugal: Port (of course!), handmade soaps, traditional Portuguese pastry for a late night/early morning snack, with handwritten thank you notes to each of our guests. What is one piece of advice that you could give brides-to-be? Prioritize which elements are the most important to you.
Photographer: Diane Sotero Photography | Floral Design: Flow | Shoes : Bella Belle | Calligraphy : In Love Weddings | Wedding Venue: Pestana Palace | Hair & Make Up : Vanessa Marinho Makeup And Hair | Wedding Planner & Styling : Splendida Weddings