We’re going to start the year as we mean to go on with fantastic, inspirational and breathtaking real weddings. We begin with Debora and James, the beautiful couple tied the knot in sunny Portugal under the watchful eye of Carina Ferreira and her team at the stunning Sheraton Algrave Hotel. Their sunset wedding reception is glorious and makes you want to pack your bags and head to the beach. Enjoy.
Bride and Groom… Debora and James
Wedding date… Friday 21st September 2012
We met… On a video conference program online on the 7th of December 2006. At that time we lived in different continents, I lived in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil and James lived in Southport, UK. After three months talking online, James came to meet me in Rio and that was how our story began.
The proposal… James took me to our favourite Botanic Garden in Rio. He carved our initials and the date of our then engagement on a bamboo tree and proposed to me soon after that.
I knew he was ‘the one’… It may sound cliché, but I knew he was “Mr. Right” when my eyes saw him for the first time at the airport. It was love at first sight!
Length of engagement… About 2 and half years.
How did Confetti.co.uk help in your big day? We bought our confetti and lots of other decoration pieces to make our day special.
My dress was from… The Brides room of Birkdale, in Southport. It was the second dress I tried. My mother-in-law and sister-in-law went shopping with me and they said it looked like the dress had been specially made for me! I was really happy with my choice.
Our wedding ceremony and reception was… At the Sheraton Algarve Hotel, in the Algarve, Portugal. We had a very intimate wedding, with just 45 guests. We had our civil union in the UK and our blessing, which we celebrated as our real wedding date, a couple of weeks later in Portugal. The ceremony readings and my brother’s surprise speech made our wedding extra special. We absolutely loved our after party, because we could see and talk to everyone who attended the wedding while dancing on the dance floor. We went to the Algarve the year before our big day. We visited a few venues and were lucky enough to book our wedding in the same hotel we stayed at during our trip. We fell in love with the scenery and the atmosphere of the place.
Our favourite part of the wedding was… Without a shadow of a doubt, the ceremony! Nothing beats walking down the aisle towards the love of your life! It’s just priceless!
The bridesmaids… We had 4 bridesmaids. They wore off the shoulder, long flare dresses with a flower details on the strap and a Greek look to it. Two friends from Brazil wore it in burgundy and the other two from the UK wore it in champagne. I just thought they were very romantic colours and matched our meaning of love.
Our wedding colour scheme was… Burgundy and Champagne.
Our wedding photographer was… Mark Sloan from Expression Photography. He worked alongside with his wife who took amazing shots of everyone. We also take our hats off to the fantastic Richard Knight from the White Dress Films, who did an amazing job capturing very special moments from our big day.
Our wedding was unique and special because… Of the view from the deck at the Sheraton Algarve where we had our dinner. The sun was setting during the speeches and all you could see was that orangey glow coming from the sun and surrounding everyone. Just an incredible feeling!
Our first dance was… At Last by Beyoncé
What is your advice for other brides? We had a very tranquil wedding planning process. I think this is due to having a great events team at the Sheraton Algarve who really looked after all our needs throughout the whole process.
Our honeymoon was… To Australia for 3 weeks, 6 months after our wedding. It was absolutely amazing! We highly recommend it if you are a couple who loves adventure and exploring new places like us.
Suppliers
Wedding Dress: The Brides room of Birkdale, Southport | Wedding Shoes: Bourne Collection | Wedding Suits: Flannels | Bridesmaid Dresses: Jane Normann | Wedding Flowers: Florist from the hotel, Raimunda Jensen | Wedding Entertainment: Entertainment Solutions Algarve | Wedding Photographer: Expression Photography | Wedding Videographer: White Dress Films | Wedding Stationery: Confetti.co.uk | Wedding Venue stylist/planner: Carina Ferreira at the Sheraton Pine Cliffs, Algarve, Portugal.
