A greenhouse dining room filled with fairy lights, flowers in shades of peach, and a string quartet playing as the couple watched the sunset together. Anna and Gabe’s Casa dos Penedos wedding made full use of the palace’s architecture and sweeping views of Sintra, Portugal. The setting was exactly what Anna had pictured when she imagined a colorful fairytale wedding.

The couple, who met in high school in 2016 and have been together ever since, planned a three-day celebration that began in Lisbon. A boat cruise along the Tagus River and a welcome party at a historic palace gave their guests plenty of time to get acquainted before heading to Sintra for the wedding.

What We Love About This Casa dos Penedos Wedding:

• A three-day celebration that took guests from Lisbon to Sintra
• Handpicked songs performed by a string quartet for the ceremony
• A quiet sunset dance shared by the newlyweds
• An intimate greenhouse reception beneath fairy lights

A Palace Overlooking Sintra Was Exactly What They Had in Mind

Sintra’s mountains, castles, and historic architecture were a major reason Anna and Gabe chose Portugal for their wedding. Anna had always pictured a colorful fairytale setting, and the town offered plenty of it.

“If you’ve ever been to Sintra, you would understand that it is the perfect place for that,” Anna shares. “Its mountains, castles, and architecture are so magical, it looks like a town in a fairytale.”

When they found Casa dos Penedos, the palace already had much of what they were looking for. Its architectural details and views over Sintra were impressive enough without additional decoration. Flowers coordinated with the building’s peach tones, while the greenhouse dining room was arranged beneath strands of fairy lights.

A String Quartet Accompanied the Ceremony and a Private Sunset Dance

Live music was one of Anna’s favorite parts of the ceremony. The couple selected individual songs for each moment, all performed by a string quartet.

After a year of planning, Anna remembers how happy they were to finally be there with their closest friends and family. The ceremony was a chance to enjoy everything they had spent so long preparing for.

Later, during dinner, Anna and Gabe stepped away for a few minutes together. They watched the sunset and shared a dance from a balcony while the string quartet played. “It was such a beautiful and quiet moment that we got to share together,” Anna recalls.

Two Days of Celebrations Before the Wedding

The festivities began two days before the ceremony with a boat cruise along the Tagus River. Guests had the chance to see Lisbon from the water and spend time together before the wedding day.

The following day, everyone gathered at Palácio Conde D’Óbidos for a welcome party. The historic venue, with its traditional Portuguese azulejo tiles, was another opportunity to enjoy the city’s charming aesthetic.

Both events gave guests time to meet and get to know one another. By the time everyone arrived in Sintra, they had already spent two days celebrating together.

How They Planned Their Destination Wedding From Afar

Most of the planning happened virtually. Anna and Gabe worked closely with their wedding planner, sharing reference photos of how they envisioned different parts of the celebration. Their planner handled the arrangements locally.

“Our wedding planner was amazing at bringing our vision to life,” Anna says. “We communicated with her virtually leading up to the wedding and sent her pictures of how we wanted every aspect of the wedding to look, and she executed it flawlessly.”

Anna was equally thorough when choosing the rest of their wedding team. She researched vendors through Instagram and online searches, read reviews, and spent time looking through photography galleries before making her selections.

Her sister also contributed to the preparations, designing the invitations and save-the-dates and addressing every envelope by hand.

Why Anna Would Recommend a Destination Wedding

Anna says she wouldn’t change anything about the celebration or the months leading up to it. She especially appreciated having a planner who could manage the arrangements while they were abroad.

“I think having a destination wedding is a great option if you don’t want to micromanage the details because you are not near your venue,” she shares.

For Anna and Gabe, the combination of careful vendor research, clear communication, and a trusted local planner made it possible to organize their wedding from a distance.