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This Nature-Filled Portugal Destination Wedding at Areias do Seixo Incorporated a Persian Sofreh Aghd

October 17, 2026 | justine

Mona and Kamran chose Areias do Seixo without ever seeing it in person. Set near the ocean and surrounded by dunes and gardens, the eco-conscious hotel had the natural, organic setting Mona had been searching for. For their May Portugal destination wedding, spring flowers filled long wooden tables, candles glowed throughout the reception, and a traditional Persian Sofreh Aghd brought Mona’s heritage into the ceremony.

Portugal already had a place in their relationship. Mona and Kamran met on Hinge while living in different Southern California cities, with Kamran in San Diego and Mona in Los Angeles. Travel soon became something they loved doing together, and a previous trip to Portugal made returning there to get married an easy choice.

What We Love About This Portugal Destination Wedding:

  • A Persian Sofreh Aghd complete with a mirror, candles, honey, sweets, fruits, nuts, and sugar cones
  • An eco-conscious hotel near the ocean, booked entirely sight unseen
  • A sparkler-lined cake cutting followed by disco balls and a packed dance floor

Featured Vendor:
Nuno Lopes Photography

Planning the Entire Wedding and Hiring Their Vendors From Afar

Areias do Seixo came with a wedding planner who already knew the property and had coordinated many celebrations there. Mona arrived with a clear idea of the look she liked, using Pinterest images of flowers, tablescapes, and other details to communicate it. The planner then translated those references into plans that worked with the property.

The rest of the vendor search happened online, too. Mona spent hours looking through weddings on Instagram, then researching the teams behind the work that caught her attention. She and Kamran ultimately booked their entire team without meeting anyone in person beforehand. Junebug vendor Nuno Lopes was among those finds, along with hair and makeup artist Tom Perdigao. “We actually chose our entire team through the power of the internet without meeting them in person beforehand, which definitely required a little trust!” Mona says.

Keeping the guest list smaller also helped them decide where to spend. The venue, food and drinks, and details for the people traveling to Portugal took priority. Mona admits there was some flexibility involved: “We definitely had a budget, and I definitely went a little over it. Kamran knows now!”

Areias do Seixo Was a Sight-Unseen Gamble That Paid Off

Mona was initially drawn to Areias do Seixo for its eco-conscious approach, proximity to the ocean, and architecture surrounded by nature. The hotel grows flowers and greenery in its own garden, while natural materials appear throughout the property. Ocean views, dunes, gardens, and the hotel’s distinctive design gave them several different settings without leaving the venue.

For the tables, spring flowers in reds, pinks, purples, and softer seasonal shades were arranged loosely in glass vases along long wooden tables. Clear ghost chairs kept the tables visually open, while candles and greenery filled the spaces between place settings.

Booking the property without visiting first could have been one of the bigger risks of their Portugal destination wedding. Once Mona finally saw it in person, the property exceeded what she had imagined.

Mona and Kamran Saved Their First Look for the Aisle

Mona skipped a first look because she wanted Kamran to see her wedding dress for the first time during the ceremony. She wore a Tom Sébastien gown covered from top to bottom in intricate beading and lace, while Kamran chose a custom Enzo suit in deep maroon. The couple also skipped traditional bridesmaids and groomsmen, inviting their family members to walk down the aisle instead.

As an aesthetics nurse, Mona started preparing her skin about six months before the wedding. Tom Perdigao handled her wedding-day hair and makeup, with Mona asking for a look that still resembled her usual self.

Of waiting until the ceremony to see each other, she says, “Seeing his reaction as I walked toward him, surrounded by all of our closest friends and family, was incredibly emotional and something I’ll never forget.”

Their Persian Sofreh Aghd Brought Family and Heritage Into the Ceremony

A traditional Persian Sofreh Aghd was one of the central elements of the ceremony. The display included a mirror and candles representing light and a bright future, honey for sweetness in married life, and nuts, fruits, and sweets associated with abundance and prosperity. During the ceremony, sugar cones were rubbed above the couple, symbolically showering their marriage with sweetness.

Mona’s sister officiated. With family surrounding them and the Sofreh Aghd arranged beneath an arch overflowing with flowers and greenery, Mona and Kamran exchanged vows with traditions from her Persian heritage incorporated into the ceremony.

They Actually Stayed for Cocktail Hour

After the ceremony,food stations opened for cocktail hour. Instead of spending the entire stretch taking portraits, Mona and Kamran stayed long enough to mingle, grab a drink, and spend time with their guests. They later slipped away for a shorter portrait session together before joining everyone again for the reception.

It was one of the choices Mona appreciated in hindsight. Wedding days move quickly, and staying for part of the cocktail hour meant they actually got to enjoy some of the time they had planned for their guests.

A Heavy Wedding Dress Changed the Reception Plan

Real-flame candles and flowers filled the dining space for dinner before the evening shifted toward dancing. Mona and Kamran cut their cake with guests holding sparklers along the way, and later, disco balls and their DJ took over as everyone moved to the dance floor.

One part of the timeline changed earlier than expected. Mona loved her beaded wedding gown, but after wearing it for several hours, its weight became difficult to manage. She changed into her second dress sooner than planned and didn’t end up doing the couple’s first dance in her original gown. “It wasn’t what I had pictured, but in the moment, I just went with it,” she says. “Honestly, being comfortable made it so much easier to enjoy the rest of the night and actually dance!”

The other surprisingly tricky task was gathering relatives for family photos while everyone was busy talking and enjoying themselves. Mona’s practical recommendation for other couples is simple: designate someone ahead of time to round up the necessary people.

Their Advice: Build in Time to Step Away Together

For Mona, one of the biggest surprises was simply how fast the wedding passed after months of planning. She recommends deliberately finding a few moments when both people can leave the activity around them and be alone together. 

That was something she and Kamran managed during their own Portugal destination wedding, particularly when they briefly left cocktail hour for portraits. “Make sure you carve out a few moments throughout the day to step away together, just the two of you, and soak it all in,” Mona says. “Enjoy the planning, trust your vendors, and on the wedding day, let go and have the best time!”

The Wedding Team:

Photography – Nuno Lopes
Event Planning –
Venue – Areias do Seixo
DJ – Puyan Moselhi
Videography – Torga Films
Makeup + Hair Styling – Tom Perdigao
Wedding Dress – Tom Sebastien
Bridesmaids’ Apparel – Bronx Banco
Groom’s Apparel – Enzo Custom Suits
Rings – Lanore Fine Jewelry

 

Sponsors
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A Sangjit, Tea Ceremony, and Night Reception in This Meaningful Chinese Malaysian Wedding

October 16, 2026 | justine

Yvonne and Marco’s wedding moved through several distinct celebrations, each with its own look. The morning began at home amid red double-happiness symbols, family traditions, and door games before the couple changed for a colorful tea ceremony. By night, the reds and oranges had given way to white, navy, and emperor yellow, the couple’s feng shui colors, with orchids, sheer draping, low-lying fog, projections, and blue light filling the reception.

There was plenty happening between those two settings. Yvonne wore three different outfits across the day, the family remained closely involved in the celebrations, and the evening moved from dinner and speeches into performances and a lion dance. Junebug vendor Rotikahwin documented those shifts as they unfolded, from the quieter getting-ready moments to the full scale of the nighttime festivities.

What We Love About This Tea Ceremony:

  • Three distinct bridal looks
  • Playful door games with Marco and his friends
  • A gold double-happiness symbol surrounded by orange and white flowers
  • Feng shui colors of white, navy, and emperor yellow for the reception
  • A night celebration with projections, theatrical lighting, fog, and a lion dance

Featured Vendor:
ROTIKAHWIN

For the Tea Ceremony, Yvonne Leaned Into Color and Tradition

Yvonne had a clear design direction for the sangjit and tea ceremony. She changed into an intricately embroidered high-neck dress covered in colorful floral motifs, finished with detailed hair accessories and earrings. Marco wore black alongside her colorful look.

“For our sangjit and tea ceremony, I knew I wanted something bold, colourful and playful, while bringing together the richness of traditional Chinese colours with a touch of French-inspired elegance,” Yvonne says.

White draping framed the family ceremony, with a large gold double-happiness symbol positioned above the couple. Orange flowers punctuated arrangements of white blooms and greenery around the seating area.

Yvonne and Marco moved through the tea ceremony with their families, kneeling to serve tea and receiving red envelopes in return. Formalities quickly gave way to hugs and conversation, with several relatives eventually gathering around Yvonne in a group embrace.

The Wedding Day Started With Door Games and Family Traditions

Yvonne began the day  surrounded by her bridal party and family in a home filled with signs of what was ahead. Red double-happiness symbols appeared throughout the space, while red and orange florals framed the entrance.

Before Marco could make his way inside, he and his friends had the door games to contend with. The challenges quickly became one of the livelier parts of the morning, with Yvonne’s bridal party looking on as the group worked their way through them and red envelopes went flying across the room. The morning stayed close to family, with relatives appearing throughout the preparations and traditions.

A Clear Vision Made Vendor Selection Easier

Yvonne was decisive about the look of the wedding and equally selective about the people she trusted to execute it. She discovered most of her vendors online, paying close attention to portfolios and choosing teams whose existing work already aligned with what she had in mind.

“Their style and attention to detail already aligned closely with the vision and vibe I had in mind, so I was quite firm about the vendors I wanted from the beginning,” she says.

Working with a planner also meant Yvonne and Marco could stay focused on the bigger picture while the details, coordination, and execution were handled for them. They shared their ideas and color direction, then worked together on the styling, florals, and atmosphere for the different parts of the day.

Feng Shui Colors Gave the Night Reception a Completely New Look

The reception introduced another color palette altogether. White, navy blue, and emperor yellow, chosen from Yvonne and Marco’s feng shui colors, became the basis for the evening design. White orchids and baby’s breath filled the floral installations, joined by yellow chrysanthemums. Sheer fabric descended around the reception space, while the couple’s monogram appeared across the room and in the projections behind their table.

The navy remained more subtle, just as Yvonne had planned. Both mothers wore navy evening gowns, while soft blue lighting introduced the color across the room after dark. As the evening progressed, the lighting shifted between warm amber and deep blue, with beams crossing overhead and projections changing the appearance of the space.

   

A Fog-Filled Entrance Kicked Off the Evening

Yvonne changed for the reception, this time into a fitted white gown with intricate detailing and a long train, while Marco wore a black tuxedo.

For their entrance, low-lying fog covered the aisle as the couple walked beneath the fabric installations and lighting overhead. Later in the evening, the room was washed in blue as Yvonne’s train stretched behind her through the reception space.

Dinner gave way to speeches, cake cutting, and live entertainment. A colorful lion dance brought the performance into the middle of the room, with guests gathering around to watch. 

The Connection Was Immediate, Just in Different Ways

Yvonne and Marco met through work while collaborating on a mutual friend’s project. Both were in the same field, and Yvonne quickly noticed how naturally they complemented one another. “For him, it was love at first sight,” she says. “For me, it was meeting someone who simply felt right.”

There was a similar balance to the wedding they planned. The playful door games, family traditions, colorful tea ceremony, and polished evening reception were distinct from one another, but none seemed out of place beside the next. Different colors, traditions, and moods could all exist within the same celebration, and somehow, together, they simply made sense.

The Wedding Team:

Photography – Rotikahwin
Venue – Shangrila Tanjung Aru Resort

 

Sponsors
Email [email protected] to advertise on Junebug Weddings

This Dutch Wedding Inside the Marl Caves of Chateau Neercanne Is Completely Transporting

October 13, 2026 | justine

Lena and Koen had always pictured getting married in Italy. Then they visited Chateau Neercanne in the Netherlands and found a little street winding through the property, multiple spaces that could take guests through each part of the day, and, most unexpectedly, marl caves built into the hillside. They viewed exactly one venue and booked it.

Inside the caves, candlelight flickered against rough stone walls while videos from their lives played before the ceremony. Later, 50 guests sat down for a three-hour dinner, opened personal letters waiting at their places, and followed a saxophonist straight from dinner to the dance floor. It was the kind of destination atmosphere Lena and Koen had been looking for, without asking everyone they loved to leave the country. 

What We Love About This Chateau Neercanne Wedding

  • Home videos projected onto the cave walls before the ceremony
  • A ring warming that ended with their mothers handing them the rings
  • A pub quiz organized by friends while Lena and Koen took portraits
  • Handwritten letters waiting at the table for every guest
  • A regional music battle complete with flags carried by the newlyweds

Finding the Destination Wedding Atmosphere They Wanted Close to Home

A wedding abroad had been the original idea, but finding a venue at home that gave Lena and Koen the same atmosphere made the logistics much easier. The property didn’t read as particularly Dutch to them. Instead, its architecture and narrow street reminded them of somewhere in the South of France or Italy.

Then they saw the caves. “We ultimately fell in love with the caves that were connected to the venue,” they shared. “No venue could ever top that combination. So, we simply viewed one venue, fell in love and booked it.”

Staying in one place didn’t mean spending the entire day in the same setting. Different areas hosted each part of the wedding, so guests could move from one space to another without traveling between locations.

It also helped them save on decor. They loved the property as it was, so there was little need to add much more.

Knowing Which Wedding Expenses They Didn’t Want to Compromise On

Lena and Koen took on the planning without a planner, turning to Pinterest, Instagram, wedding blogs, and plenty of Google searches. They didn’t already have a network of wedding vendors to call, so building their team involved online meetings, portfolios, reviews, and a lot of instinct.

“No specific criteria, mostly just a gut feeling,” they explained. “Luckily, we couldn’t be happier with the team we picked.” Photography was one expense Lena had decided on long before the rest. Junebug vendor Stance Photography was actually the first vendor they searched for, even before finding their venue. Videography became another priority once they found a filmmaker whose work they loved, and they adjusted the budget to make room for both.

Their final budget ended up 25 percent higher than the number they originally had in mind. They made the adjustment early, though, and stuck to the revised amount for the rest of planning. Taking on the work themselves was intense enough that Lena describes it as essentially having another full-time job. Surprisingly, she misses it.

A  Cave Ceremony Illuminated by  Candlelight

Much of the decor throughout the day was DIY, including menus, a welcome flag, candles, and even the chairs they brought in instead of using the venue’s existing ones. Large floral installations were one of the exceptions.

Lena loves flowers and initially couldn’t imagine the wedding without plenty of them. But inside the caves, flowers and candles together began to seem like too much. Their florist agreed that additional flowers weren’t needed for the ceremony, so the couple scaled back.

Guests entered through a candlelit space where videos from Lena and Koen’s lives were projected directly onto the rough cave walls with piano music playing. The couple saved their own first look for the aisle, but had separate first looks with family beforehand. Koen saw his mom, while Lena shared hers with her mom, niece, and grandmother. They had been unsure whether her grandmother would be able to attend, which made having her there all the more special. She passed away just six weeks later.

A Meaningful Moment Before Saying I Do

During the ceremony, Lena and Koen included a ring warming. Their rings passed from person to person among family members and the bridesmaids, with each person holding them briefly before sending them along. Their mothers eventually handed the rings back to the couple.

Koen hadn’t been entirely convinced about including the ritual beforehand. It ended up being one of his favorite parts of the ceremony.

“Now getting to wear these rings every day knowing they all held them is extra special,” they shared, including Lena’s grandmother among the family members who had held the rings that day.

Featured Vendor:
Stance Photography

Keeping Guests Busy While They Stepped Away for Portraits

Skipping a pre-ceremony first look created one small logistical problem: Lena and Koen still needed time for couple portraits later in the day. They didn’t want their guests standing around waiting for them to return.

Their solution was to recruit three friends to host a pub quiz about them. Lena and Koen missed the whole thing, something they joke still gives them “massive FOMO.” According to everyone who was actually there, guests got highly competitive. The mixed teams also put people together who might not otherwise have spent much time talking before the reception.

By dinner, another surprise was waiting. Lena and Koen had written an individual letter for every guest and placed them at their seats.

Making Time for a Long Dinner They Love

Long dinners with friends are something Lena and Koen already love, so they gave dinner a full three hours in the wedding timeline.

They had worried that three hours might be pushing it. Instead, guests settled around long tables for food, speeches, wine, and conversation. Despite having 50 people there, the dinner retained the atmosphere of one of the long meals the couple enjoys with friends.

One guest later told them his cheeks hurt from laughing so much. There was also a plan for the newlyweds to make their reception entrance in a 1956 Mercedes 190SL. Immediately after the ceremony, its transmission broke down.

Their coordinator quickly reorganized the entrance so Lena and Koen could walk in instead. The Mercedes was eventually pushed into place for photographs, meaning they got the pictures even if they never got the drive. “In the end, it is a good story,” they said.

 

Guiding Everyone Straight From Dinner to the Dance Floor

After three hours at the table, Lena and Koen had a saxophonist appear as a surprise and lead everyone from dinner into the party area. There wasn’t much opportunity for an after-dinner lull.

The DJ also had something prepared specifically for their families and friends. Lena and Koen come from different parts of the Netherlands, each with its own particular music style. They asked the DJ to mix songs from both regions into a music battle between the two sides of the room.

Lena and Koen joined in, walking around the dance floor carrying flags representing their respective regions.

A photo booth stayed open during the party, giving guests something else to do and leaving the couple with digital photographs of nearly everyone, including plenty taken after their photographer had finished for the night.

How the Couple Turned A Stressful Process Into an Enjoyable One

For Lena and Koen, some of the best parts of planning came from treating wedding tasks like dates. “Enjoy the process! Yes, it will be stressful. And yes, it will be a lot,” they said. “But it is also an amazing time, which I could have never imagined before getting engaged.”

Their practical suggestion is to make the errands part of it. Add champagne to the cake tasting. Have a nice lunch when visiting the venue. Find small reasons to make the appointments themselves something to look forward to.

One of their favorite planning dates involved choosing a perfume for each other to wear at the wedding. They plan to bring those scents back out for their anniversaries.

And when the celebration was over, they didn’t try to squeeze in another elaborate event. The next morning, some of their guests joined them for brunch. Everyone was nursing a hangover, talking through what had happened the day before, and getting the chance to say a proper goodbye.

The Wedding Team:

Photography – Stance Photography
Venue – Chateau Neercanne
Floral Design – Rae Blooms
Cake – Delicataart
DJ + Live Music – DJ Lars
Videography – Liefste dag
Makeup + Hair Styling – Ellen Sijm
Rings – Nadien Kieft
Photobooth – Happy Booth

 

Sponsors
Email [email protected] to advertise on Junebug Weddings
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