If you’ve never experienced the surreal enchantment of Sintra, we’re pretty sure this Portugal elopement will have you booking a ticket immediately! After visiting Portugal the year before their wedding, Ruta and Vytis knew the rugged Ursa Beach and the quaint Biester Charm House would be the perfect setting for their adventurous destination elopement. This particular beach is noted on travel blogs as “not for the faint of heart,” but they strapped on their hiking boots, climbed down the cliffs, and found the perfect spot on the beach to exchange vows with Hugo Coelho Fotografia following close behind to capture every special moment. For their sweetheart dinner, MUZA Weddings Concept designed a cozy table back at the hotel with ceramics, glassware, and florals inspired by the ocean, the sand, and the forest, all of which fit seamlessly with the natural beauty of this special Portuguese town.
We decided to exchange our vows in Sintra, Portugal, which we visited a year before. We were so fascinated with this part of Portugal that we instantly knew this would be the place we would become husband and wife! We knew that it would only be the two of us, so we looked for a cozy hotel surrounded by nature. When we saw photos of The Biester Charm House with its gorgeous gardens — and read fantastic reviews online — we had no doubt this would be the best place for our stay. The house was small yet magnificent, and the gardens were great for our dinner.
The most memorable part was getting to Ursa Beach, where we exchanged our vows. We had only seen the beach in photos previously, so seeing those beautiful rocks for the first time was breathtaking. Then we had to take a short but pretty strenuous trail down the cliff to get to the beach, hence I (the bride) had to wear my hiking shoes!
Get a good wedding planner and give yourselves enough time to make sure the whole process is a great and pleasant experience! Your big day should be like a culmination of a long but good play.
If you thought part one of our favorite 2018 weddings roundup was good, just wait ’til you see these 10 beauties! Each of these weddings has a distinct style, tons of personality, killer fashion choices, and are as authentic as they are timeless. Our couples and all their vendors knocked it out of the park this year, and we can’t wait to hear which wedding(s) was your favorite!
Anastasia and Kristers’ Fairytale Wedding at Liepupe Manor
Why we love it: Anastasia and Kristers made elegance seem effortless in their fairytale outdoor wedding. From the lush manor park where they exchanged their vows to the cozy greenhouse where they dined under twinkle lights with their two witnesses, everything about this wedding felt laid-back yet sophisticated. The best part? It was all done in the prettiest pink color palette! This Latvian wedding will truly make you feel like you’ve stepped into a storybook scene.
Phong and Hoang’s Epic Tropical Bohemian Vietnam Elopement
Where it took place: Bai Tho Mountain, Vietnam
Why we love it: Between the epic mountaintop ceremony looking over the sea and the intimate sweetheart dinner on a boat, this Vietnam elopement was truly breathtaking! The couple climbed the Bai Tho Mountain for over an hour to get to the summit, where they exchanged emotional vows just as the sun was rising, and it could not have been a more romantic moment. Then they toasted to forever on a boat that was decked out with cafe lights, dreamcatchers, black and gold place settings, and organic florals, grasses, and greenery. Can you say destination elopement goals?
Why we love it: Palm Springs always brings out the creative side of couples, and Rachel and Matthew were no exception! The crafty couple created three separate lounge areas with Moroccan rugs, couches, and lanterns, set up a mini paper burning altar for their ceremony, and designed tablescapes that were full of texture and color. Plus, the day began with the bride serenading her hubby-to-be during their first look, so our hearts didn’t stand a chance!
Why we love it: When a wedding is full of as much joy, handmade magic, and killer style as Tyler and Graham’s winter celebration, we can’t possibly only share it once! Not only did the bride rock a glamorous ruffled gown and a hand-me-down pearl crown, but the groom pulled off an epic style surprise with a black sparkly jacket. The couple also incorporated Christmas trees into their ceremony decor, asked their friends to bake a variety of cakes for their reception, and surprised everyone with a late-night taco delivery on the dance floor. No detail was left unattended and the result was the epitome of a winter wonderland!
Why we love it: Samantha and Chantal’s wedding was essentially in a secret garden but had a minimalist and modern vibe that was totally their own. The crisp white flowers and gold accents were the perfect balance against the loads of greenery that filled both their ceremony and reception. And the brides’ complementary strappy lace wedding gowns and romantic, flowing hairstyles were bridal style goals!
Why we love it: A cozy picnic on the beach, crystal clear water, a boho-luxe bridal gown, and a groom that plays guitar…do we need any more reasons to obsess over Anastasia and Aleksandr’s bohemian Bali wedding? Their vibe was totally chill, but every element was also designed to perfection. We still don’t know what we love most: the bride’s chic-meets-boho style, the stunning views, or the contagious energy that radiated from every image. So, we’ll just go with all of the above!
Why we love it: Not only was this Dia De Los Muertos wedding perfect for Halloween but the idea of honoring those who have passed as you embark on the beginning of your forever resonated with us on such a deep level. Set in a California desert, this wedding was spooktacular from top to bottom with vibrant red and orange florals, traditional attire, skeleton makeup, a mariachi band, and a sweetheart table that doubled as an Offrenda with photos and treats for Tirza and Chris’ loved ones.
Why we love it: We never realized how much we love wedding balloons until we saw Anna and Davis’ gorgeous wedding, and now we can’t help but hope that balloons are a 2019 wedding trend! This Latvian wedding was filled to the brim with cozy lounge seating, moody florals, gold accents, bohemian-inspired teepees, and anything else you could dream of for an upscale outdoor wedding. Not to mention the watercolor-inspired paper goods and signage and the cascading greenery in every corner were out-of-control gorgeous!
Midori and Chris’ Retro Hawaiian Wedding at Kualoa Ranch
Where it took place: Kualoa Ranch, Honolulu, Hawaii
Why we love it: Midori and Chris’ intimate beach wedding was full of aloha spirit! The couple exchanged vows and traditional Hawaiian leis in the company of their nearest and dearest family and friends, then made their way to a Hawaiian garden for an open-air reception under the palm trees and the stars. With pineapples, tons of vibrant blooms, tropical greenery, string lights, hand-stitched napkins, reusable totes bags, and a retro photo booth van, they created the coziest island reception we can imagine. (And made us want to pack our bags and head for the islands immediately!)
Allie and Jesse’s Urban Boho Wedding in Downtown Seattle
Where it took place: MadArt Studio, Seattle, Washington
Why we love it: It should come as no surprise that this stunning art gallery wedding was put together by a bride who is both a wedding planner and floral designer herself! Allie and Jesse chose the venue because it was a blank canvas on which they could make their mark. Then they added seasonal blooms, pampas grass, a handmade hexagonal ceremony backdrop, black linens, a pink and gold accents to the space that gave it a totally distinct, fun-loving look. They also indulged in a champagne tower unity ceremony, which really is just as cool as it sounds!
Our hearts can barely handle the incredible colors and unbelievable setting of Stella and Stirling’s Moroccan destination wedding at La Pause Marrakech! This adventurous couple had never even been to Morocco before booking their venue, but they had fallen in love from afar with the vibrancy, the textures, and the energy of Marrakech, so they took a leap — and it paid off big time. Their photographer and event planner, Lilly Red Creative, was instrumental not only in capturing every dreamy angle of this wedding but also in setting up the most romantic ceremony in the desert with a Moroccan rug and red Italian drapery over a wooden frame. The only things that could outshine this surreal location were the bride’s stunning — and we mean stunning — Zahavit Tshuba dresses, which combined chic and whimsical in ways we’ve never seen before!
Planning an elopement is so much more different than planning a wedding; it was a lot of letting go of the details and allowing the spontaneity of choosing to elope in a foreign country take over. So in essence, the most important part of planning was to not plan! We had never traveled to Morocco and we had no idea what to expect, so we decided that whatever happened, happened.
Our ceremony took place in the Agafay stone desert, an hour outside of Marrakech at an oasis called Le Pause. I’m talking Moroccan textile pillows and throws on the floor, fire pits, sheltered by giant canvases allowing you to see the vast sky speckled stars. As chaotic as all wedding days were, I remember the moment after our ceremony when Stirling and I walked off hand in hand and watched the sunset. Aside from basking in bliss, we were running off of a natural high that everything timed perfectly as we took in the last bit of sunlight on our final night in Morocco.
From across the world, I had already loved how rich in culture and color Morocco was. Yves Saint Laurent once said, “A visit to Marrakech was a shock to me. This city taught me color”. Stirling and I have an affinity towards nature, and the desert most of all; that paired with the romantic architecture of the city, every corner with tile design more intricate than the next, it seemed like such an exotic place to recite our vows. Because the destination was so lively and photogenic, we barely had to bring anything with us to decorate.
A few days prior to our ceremony, Stirling and I made a trek out to the Sahara, riding camels out to glamp in the middle of the desert! Along the way, we bought a rug that we decided we would stand on, reciting our vows, to become husband and wife. That rug is now in our bedroom, a piece from that day that we would pass down to our kids. We both share a love for film scores and brought a portable speaker (as there is no electricity out in the desert) and had a playlist of our favorite instrumental songs during the ceremony. To be noted, we serendipitously got married on May the Fourth (be with you!) and I walked down the aisle to John William’s “Across the Stars” from Star Wars — Stirling‘s favorite movies. Lilly and Vic also bought lanterns from the Moroccan medina and beautiful silks from Italy to drape on the wooden arch for the ceremony. Lastly, my Parisian aunt flew in last minute and officiated our wedding — with my mother translating from French to English — and my sister was our ring bearer.
I had not seen my dresses until the morning of the wedding; my only criteria was that they have a lot of movement and fabric and was see through to allow the natural light to pass through. Lilly had hand-carried a few beautiful Zahavit Tshuba pieces from Italy and, when I arrived at our first look Riad, I tried them on. It was that meant-to-be happy moment when they all fit like a glove! The only things I was sure of were my accessories: beautiful and ornate statement earrings by Ranjana Khan, studded 3.1 Phillip Lim sandals, and a custom boho style veil by Julie Harris Designs. I chose these things to complement our destination. To relieve any wedding day pressures, I also did my own hair and makeup and loved that it wasn’t perfect, but it was effortlessly me.
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