TrÊS DELICIAS
Beatriz & Diogo
When Beatriz and Diogo chose to be married at Quinta do Alto, the rest fell into place. Backed by the bride’s family home, their wedding would be an ode to tradition, to family history, and to the future they’d build together, surrounded by those they love. Read on for Beatriz’s story behind her stunning southern Portuguese ceremony, complete with bow shoes so beautiful, she hemmed her dress to let them shine.
Photography by Hugo Vidal
"Besides being one of the greatest wedding dress designers in Portugal, Susana Agostinho actually designed my mother’s wedding dress 28 years ago..I called her atelier to book my first appointment the day I got engaged. At our first meeting, I already had some idea of what I would like in terms of the structure of the dress, and I knew I really wanted to stand out from every other dress that I had seen. Inspired by my mother’s wedding dress, which had some very little light pink flowers in silk on the sleeves, we agreed on faint pink details throughout.
"Then the time came to try on the fabrics for the outside of the dress. One of the fabrics Susana and her team shared with me looked like a big fish net. When placed over the base of the dress, I immediately loved how different it was while still classical and organic. The dress had depth, texture, movement, light and shadow, and it reminded me of the typical doors from Algarve (and the front door from Quinta do Alto, our wedding venue) which have a distinctive lacy design.
"So the final concept for the dress was born! A strapless corset, with off-the-shoulder detachable sleeves, an interesting and beautiful net texture over the simple white gown and some very light pink cloth flowers which flowed from the bottom of the skirt to the tail, to give off the impression that they had simply landed there when thrown at the exit of the church. We had the dress!"
"I was holding off on choosing any shoes until after I had a concrete idea of how the dress would look. Although I was looking for something classy and traditional in a sense, I did not want some boring and bland shoes. I knew I wanted to stay within the off-white territory, and I was really into bows. I don’t really remember where I first saw the Margot heel but I immediately knew I was onto something. It had everything I was looking for in a wedding shoe: it was not too high, soI would be comfortable all night long, it was not a bright white but had more of a pearly and silky look. The bows gave the shoe the perfect mood between modern and bold, classical and timeless.
"The next dress appointment I had I took the shoes with me so Susana and I could agree on the length of the dress and although we had initially conceived that the dress would be on the front just above the ground, when Susana saw the shoes I had chosen she loved them and told me we had to rise the hem of the dress a few centimetres so that every time I took a step, the bows at the front of the shoes could be seen. Shoes so beautiful, they made my wedding dress designer raise the dress hem on purpose just so they could shine even more."
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"We got married in a family estate — a small but charming farmhouse — on my father’s side. The house was built around 1909 by my great-great-grandfather and it has since then been the scene of many important moments in my family’s history. My great-grandmother, Felipa was the first in the family to get married at Quinta do Alto. My father and uncles used to spend every summer there with their grandparent and cousins. and I was lucky enough to spend a few summers there as a child, too. Running around on the farm, chasing the dogs and ducks, napping in the terrace in the afternoon and eating at the big table every night after a day at the beach would be a typical summer day very well spent at Quinta do Alto.
"When Diogo and I first got engaged, we looked at venues in Lisbon, but found that they lacked authenticity and originality. After a few weeksI got the idea: what about Quinta do Alto? It is a bit far, but it is beautiful, it has meaning and it is unique. I took Diogo to see it for the first time that summer, and he immediately fell in love with the idea. There was no going back — we were going to get married at Quinta do Alto the next summer in an outdoor reception, in the warmth of the Portuguese summer."
"The ceremony was held in a beautiful and ancient church in Faro, Algarve — Igreja da Ordem Terceira de Nossa Senhora do Monte do Carmo, the same church where my great-grandmother and great-aunt had gotten married. It was one of the most beautiful moments of the day, since for me it was the one more emotionally changed. Driving there with my little brother, walking down the aisle with my father and getting to see my soon-to-be husband. The surge of excitement in leaving the church, the petals from the flowers floating around. All magical.
"After the ceremony, we got into my father’s classic Porsche 911 — my dream car — and Diogo drove me to Quinta do Alto. Those first minutes alone in the car were also super special, since it was our time to wind down and relax for a bit.
"Then came the reception. We had carefully selected some of our favourite cocktails, the food was amazing and we were actually able to enjoy the party, walk around among our guests and talk to everyone. It was such fun! Also I think, for me, I was really happy to see my vision for the space come to life — the flower arrangements as I had envisaged them, the decorations and the overall effect of everything finally put together. I was really happy with the result. We had chosen to have only hydrangeas as flowers throughout the whole wedding day: light pink hydrangeas for the bouquet, white hydrangeas for the church and multi-coloured ones for the dining tables and overall décor of the Quinta and I think, looking back on the photos, that everything blended in so seamlessly."
"Shoes so beautiful, they made my wedding dress designer raise the dress hem on purpose just so they could shine even more."
"The wedding planning process I think is a bit of a rollercoaster for every bride and couple. I can say that from the get go, both Diogo and I were very much involved in every aspect, especially since we decided to get married at 'home' and not in a prepared wedding venue and environment. We had to figure out everything by ourselves. I must say it was not easy, but I think in the end it was perfectly us, down to the detail. It was really a team effort and everyone helped. Diogo designed the monogram for the wedding invitations, which were really simple but elegant, two of my cousins did all of the stationary for the big day, including the booklet for the church and the menu and table cards as well. We loved seeing our vision come to life."
"Apart from those I’ve already said, which were absolute favourites to me, I have to mention a couple more moments I will never forget.
"Getting ready with my mother, my cousins and all of my closest friends. Having make up and hair done while drinking some chilled Portuguese rosé wine — the perfect aperitif to take the edge off.
"During the seating down dinner course of the reception, both my husband and I gave speeches for the opening of the dinner and my father, one groomsmen and one bridesmaid spoke as well while coffee was being served at the end of the meal, For sure the speeches and all the love we received will forever stay in my memory.
"We cut the cake, which was a traditional cake from Algarve made from raw figs, almonds and carobs, called a Três Delícias (three delights). After that we were officially in party mode and danced until the sun rose. It was truly an epic day."
