Stéphanie & Joao
Today we meet Stéphanie and Joao. We'll let you discover all Stéphanie's useful tips for planning her wedding in Portugal, her spouse's hometown. She also gives her opinion on her shoe design and lets us experience her wedding proposal as if we were there! A wonderful discovery :)
Photo credit : Coelhos Audiovisuais
The meeting and the proposal :
We have known each other since 2006, but spent five years without seeing each other. In the summer of 2011, when we met again, we fell in love at first sight and jumped into each other's arms. We then spent a year in a long-distance relationship, which was extremely difficult because we only saw each other three times in the year. Then, the following summer, in 2012, he decided to leave his family, his friends, his life and Portugal to join me in France. That was the most important day of our lives, followed by the proposal and our wedding day, of course ! :)
The proposal was magical ! We had the wedding of one of his cousins on 27 August 2017. I had no idea but Joao was actually in cahoots with the bride and groom. When the bride's bouquet was handed over, to make it more original, instead of throwing it, the bride gave a safe key to the different single women. We then had to take it in turns to try and open the safe. Imagine my surprise when I discovered a ring box with a small photobooth accessory bearing the sentence ‘We'll be next’. Joao appeared with a wonderful bouquet of red roses, got down on one knee and asked me if I wanted to become his wife in front of his entire family and everyone at the wedding. We celebrated this ‘YES’ with a little slow dance to the applause and amazement of the guests. It was just wonderful.
The venue and inspirations :
The venue :
The wedding took place in the little church of our village in Portugal. Then came the reception and party at the Lago dos Cisnes estate (Swan Lake in Portuguese) near Braga, the Portuguese city that is now the name of both of us! A funny little coincidence :). The estate was decorated with white flowers, lots of matte greenery and the place is truly fascinating. We didn't have to worry about a thing, the staff prepared everything and took great care of us and our guests - pure delight ! It was a magical atmosphere, and the whole thing went off even better than my wildest dreams !
Inspirations for the wedding :
I found most of my inspirations on Instagram on our venue's page, but also on the casamento.pt app which is like mariage.net in France, on Pinterest, and on various websites on Google.
I picked up my witness invitations, bridesmaids and souvenirs from Etsy. I think they offer really cute and original things. I like the idea of supporting small businesses :).
The dress and the shoes :
The dress :
I found my dress in Portugal. I had photos of princess-style dresses on my phone for years. When I arrived at the store, I showed these photos of similar-looking dresses. It turned out that the saleswoman had one similar. I tried it on, and I immediately knew it was the one! I tried on other styles to confirm my choice and not have any regrets, but none pleased me as much. Once I tried on the dress of my dreams, it was hard to top it ;).
The shoe creation :
I was amazed by the quantity of choice and quality offered by Dessine-moi un soulier. The shoes are wonderful and I loved the ability to customise the whole shoe, from the inside to the sole, including the height of the heel and the addition of an accessory.
I wanted something very simple because I really wanted to be able to wear them on other occasions. I hesitated a lot about the height of the heel : between 6 and 8cm. I wanted to be comfortable, not be higher than my husband and have something aesthetically pleasing. In the end I opted for the 8cm and it was very comfortable ! They were much appreciated and complimented. What's more, I wore them all day! I didn't have the chance to go to the showroom, which was a shame, but the customer service team is very available to answer all our questions, either by email or by phone. Which is very reassuring for something as important as the shoes for our long-awaited day !
Their favorite service providers :
Photos/Videos : Coelhos Audiovisuais
Venue : Quinta do Lago dos Cisnes
Wedding Dress : Felicidade Noivas
Shoes : Dessine-moi un soulier
Groom's Suit : Empire du marié
Hair Stylist / Makeup Artist : Atelier Paula Lage
Bridesmaids Dresses : Au palais des princesses
Musicians : DJ happy events
Bride's Advice :
My most precious advice is to follow your heart and make the most of this day that goes by so quickly !
Our day lasted 24 hours, and I would have given anything for it to last 2 or 3 more days. I still feel like I enjoyed myself and managed to talk a bit with each of my 200 guests, but it's so wonderful that I would have loved it to have lasted twice or even three times as long. I must admit I had a bit of blues at the end of the party, but the photos, videos, and the little brunch the next day help extend this feeling of absolute happiness a bit longer !
