Blue-and-white Portuguese tiles, lemons picked from the bride’s family garden, a surprise song for devoted Liverpool FC fans, and a cocktail hour that had everyone singing before dinner was even served—Eloise and Josh’s Pousada Palacio de Estoi wedding was filled with details that could only have happened here.

Portugal wasn’t just a scenic destination on a map. Eloise’s parents live in the nearby village of Estoi, and she’d imagined getting married at the palace long before she met Josh. After the two fell in love during London’s first COVID lockdown, planning a wedding that introduced their favorite corner of Portugal to family and friends felt like the natural next step.

What We Love About This Pousada Palacio de Estoi Wedding

• Yellow and blue details inspired by Portuguese azulejos and lemons growing at the bride’s family home
• A welcome party hosted at the bride’s parents’ house the night before the wedding
• A surprise string quartet performance of “You’ll Never Walk Alone” for the groom’s Liverpool-loving family
• A cocktail hour that turned into a singalong with a live acoustic performer
• A beachside recovery party with cocktails and sushi to wrap up the weekend

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Giving Everyone a Reason to Spend the Weekend in Portugal

Since everyone would be traveling to Portugal, Eloise and Josh built an itinerary that extended well beyond the wedding itself.

The weekend opened with a welcome party at Eloise’s parents’ home, just ten minutes from the venue. Much of the styling carried over from the wedding day, giving everyone a preview of the yellow-and-blue palette that would appear again the following afternoon. Instead of ordering fresh flowers twice, they arranged faux florals themselves in a similar style to the wedding arrangements.

Before everyone headed home, the celebrations continued with cocktails and sushi at a nearby beach bar, giving family and friends one more chance to spend time together.

A Venue That Had Been Part of the Story Long Before the Proposal

Long before Josh entered the picture, Eloise already knew where she hoped to get married. Growing up with her parents living nearby meant she had spent years visiting Pousada Palacio de Estoi, making it much more than a venue she discovered while wedding planning.

Its grand architecture, romantic atmosphere, and mix of indoor and outdoor spaces suited the black-tie celebration they envisioned, while its location made it easy to gather everyone for an entire weekend.

Planning everything from London could have been a challenge, which made finding the right planner especially important. They chose a team familiar with the venue, allowing them to manage the logistics from abroad without relying on Eloise’s parents to coordinate every detail.

“My advice is that if you’re planning a wedding abroad, a local wedding planner is a must. It wouldn’t have been possible without Junebug vendor Love and Lace Weddings.”

The Ceremony Started With a Song Everyone Recognized

The couple skipped a first look, saving Josh’s first glimpse of Eloise for the walk down the aisle. Guests, however, were treated to their own surprise beforehand. Knowing how much Liverpool FC means to Josh and his family, Eloise secretly arranged for the string quartet to play “You’ll Never Walk Alone” (the club’s beloved anthem) while everyone was taking their seats. “Everyone absolutely loved it.”

Music continued to shape the rest of the day. During cocktail hour, an acoustic performer moved through singalong favorites as drinks and canapés circulated. Before dinner had even started, groups were already singing together and making their way onto the dance floor.

A Spreadsheet Led to the Right Dress

Eloise laughs that she approached dress shopping exactly as you’d expect from someone who describes herself as “a bit type A.” She visited more than ten bridal boutiques, keeping a spreadsheet of designers, gowns, and notes from every appointment. The dress she thought she’d choose turned out to be very different from the one she ultimately fell in love with.

“The saying that you don’t know what kind of dress you’ll go for until you start to try them on is so true.” The Salomé gown by Saint offered the balance she was looking for: classic at first glance with enough fashion-forward details to suit the formality of the day. Her bridesmaids wore pale blue Bec + Bridge dresses that looked more like occasion wear than traditional bridesmaid dresses, while Josh wore a bespoke suit tailored on London’s Savile Row.

Looking to Portugal for the Wedding’s Color Palette

The wedding’s color palette wasn’t chosen from a trend forecast or mood board.

Blue-and-white azulejo tiles found throughout Portugal inspired the blue accents, while the lemons growing naturally in Eloise’s parents’ garden introduced the yellow. Together, the colors tied the wedding to its surroundings without competing with the elegance of the black-tie dress code.

Pinterest helped Eloise collect ideas early on, but working alongside their planner refined those ideas into a design that suited Pousada Palacio de Estoi and its surroundings.

Focusing on Hospitality, Memories, and Great Music

After attending plenty of weddings themselves, Eloise and Josh noticed one thing: the atmosphere starts long before the reception.

That thinking influenced several early budget decisions. Welcome drinks greeted everyone on arrival, photography and videography were booked together to capture as much of the weekend as possible, and a content creator made it easy to relive the day almost immediately.

Live music also carried from one chapter of the celebration to the next. A string quartet welcomed everyone to the ceremony, an acoustic musician entertained during cocktail hour, a live band took over after dinner, and a DJ kept the dance floor full late into the night.

The Biggest Surprise Wasn’t the Weather They Expected

Rain had been Eloise’s biggest concern while planning a summer wedding. Instead, temperatures climbed to 35 degrees. Portraits became more challenging than expected with the combination of summer heat and a dramatic gown, but slowing down for breaks made it possible to capture the outdoor photos she had hoped for.

Looking back, there isn’t much she’d change. If anything, her biggest recommendation is simple: hire someone local if you’re planning from abroad. Having a planner made the entire process far more manageable, allowing Eloise and Josh to focus on sharing a place that already meant so much to them with the people they love.