The dream of marrying abroad with the warm sun, clear blue skies and golden beaches is fast becoming a reality for many of our brides; and it’s wedding planners like Sonho a Dois that make this dream come true. Annette and Brendan’s real wedding is breathtaking from the very start, we love the ocean view from their outdoor ceremony and we can’t get enough of the woodland themed reception, one of the hottest trends for this season. Congratulations to the happy couple and the team at Sonho a Dois, we couldn’t have planned it better ourselves!
Bride and Groom… Annette and Brendan
Wedding date… Monday 24th June 2013
We met… Briefly for 10 minutes at a rented house in Dublin when Brendan came to view the room I was moving out of to commence a year’s travel. He moved into my room when I left. Almost 2 years later we met by chance on a night out in Waterford and shared a few jokes about sharing the same bedroom! Instant spark and the chase began.
The proposal… Brendan proposed by complete surprise on Christmas day, I didn’t realise the ring had been hanging from our Christmas tree for days before.
I knew he was ‘the one’… Soon after that first night in Waterford, we just sat and chatted for hours on end.
Length of engagement… 3 and a half years
How did Confetti.co.uk help in your big day? Confetti provided endless inspiration and ideas which helped us get an overall idea of what we wanted to achieve on the day.
My dress was… A Sassi Holford dress and the complete opposite of what I thought I would wear. It had little daisy designs on the bodice I just loved it. My cousin Sabrina helped me choose the dress on our second dress shopping outing and she did get emotional. My wedge shoes were picked out in five minutes in between a hair appointment and a dress fitting, they were perfect.
Our bridesmaids were… My first cousin and best friend Sabrina who was responsible for introducing me to Brendan and my two sisters Michelle and Caroline.
Our wedding ceremony was… At Nossa Senhora da Rocha (Lady of the Rock), Algarve. It’s a very magical place; we both had a moment on our first visit and just felt it was perfect for us. Apart from being an absolutely stunning location, there is a small shrine to our Lady where fishermen’s wives used to light a candle to safeguard their husband’s journey; coming from a small fishing village ourselves we just thought it was fitting. It was a glorious day and our florist had done the most amazing job of preparing the venue to make it even more beautiful which we didn’t think possible. We were delighted that almost 100 of our close friends and family had travelled to share our vows from as far as Australia and Brendan’s cousin had travelled from Ireland to perform the ceremony. Twin Flames duo provided the vocals while we filled the glass jar with sand, this was very special as this involved our kids in the ceremony.
Our groomsmen were… Brendan’s brother Kevin was his best man and his groomsmen were his best friends Thomas “Noddy” and Cormac “Superman” who flew in from Australia
Our wedding was unique and special because… It was how we envisaged and with the help of Sonho a Dois that dream became a reality. Everything was personalised and tailored to suit our needs.
Suppliers
Wedding Dress: Sharon Hoey | Wedding Shoes: Jimmy Choo | Wedding Suits: Louis Copeland | Bridesmaid Dresses: Embrace Bridal | Wedding Photographer: Yes I Do! Algarve | Wedding Planners: Sonho a Dois – Algarve Weddings | Wedding Rings: Steven Bourke
Our wedding photographers were… Ana and Fernando from Yes I Do! Algarve, the most passionate photographers you could meet!
Our wedding reception was… At the Sheraton Hotel, Algarve. We both fell in love with it the second we arrived. It had everything we had hoped for and more. The hotel and staff were superb and the garden was extremely child friendly which was priority. Our wedding planner Noelia knew exactly what we wanted.
Our wedding style was… Flowers and trees. Adding our own personal touch to the day was important as I felt so many people were making the effort to travel for us it was nice to make the effort for them. My sister and dad helped me make some of the items such as the ash tree place holders and the table plan and my friend prepared the thumb print tree. Our invites had a beautiful tree feature, as did the wedding cake stand.
Our first dance was… Who is the lucky one? By Paddy Casey
Our favourite part of the wedding was… Brendan’s favourite part was the fireworks on the beach at the end of the day; it was the perfect end of a perfect day. Mine was walking into the welcome party back at the Sheraton and being greeted as Mr and Mrs Butler surrounded by our family and friends. Words cannot express how fantastic the reception was. The kid’s favourite part was the bouncy castle, kid’s entertainers, face painting and piñata.
What is your advice for our brides? If planning abroad get the help of a good wedding planner! We had a trip over to Portugal a few months before our wedding to finalise details and would recommend it if at all possible. And delegate as much as possible to family and friends.
For our honeymoon… We stayed on in the Algarve in the Sheraton Hotel to spend time with our two kids after all of the excitement.
Suppliers
Wedding Dress: Sharon Hoey | Wedding Shoes: Jimmy Choo | Wedding Suits: Louis Copeland | Bridesmaid Dresses: Embrace Bridal | Wedding Photographer: Yes I Do! Algarve | Wedding Planners: Sonho a Dois – Algarve Weddings | Wedding Rings: Steven Bourke
Create the look
Annette and Brendan’s Real Wedding was an absolute delight! If you loved their garden themed reception then you’re going to love our Woodland collection and the mini mood board below. Enjoy!
Above, clockwise from top left: Medium Wedding Birdcage | Faux Birch Log Card Holders | Pink Finger Print Tree | Natural Birch Wood Circle Slices
