Rita and Ryan’s big day was a serious celebration! Their villa wedding in Portugal took place with the scenic Estoril Coast as their backdrop and was witnessed by their family and friends who travelled over with them from the States. I just adore the pops of colour in this wedding, from Rita’s absolutely perfect pair of yellow shoes and the green ties and socks for the boys to the blues of their stunning seashore ceremony location. With fire breathers and balloon showers, guests were kept well entertained and we can’t help but feel a little sorry for ourselves that we weren’t there in real life…

So, how did Rita and Ryan get to this trip down a Portugese aisle?

“On Labor day weekend, Ryan and I drove up the coast of Maine, to Deer Isle. We kayaked before sunset, exploring the coastal islands around Stonington, until we decided to set up tent on a tiny empty island. We got three scrumptions lobsters cooked for us and took them with us on the kayak. That would be our dinner, but not before Ryan picked a lobster and offered it to me, with a beautiful ring on the pincher claw. It was a weekend I will never forget.”

Rita and Ryan were super planners, giving themselves just 7 months to plan their Portugese wedding from the States.

“We decided to have our wedding in Portugal within a month or two of getting engaged. We looked for a few wedding venues in Portugal online and booked Villa São Paulo in December with a wedding date 5 months later. We then made a list of our family and friends we hoped could share in our special day and sent them a Save the Date before before the year ended. By February, when we had a better idea of numbers, we were able to send our wedding invitation and booked our own flights. I also purchased my wedding dress that month and left everything else to be done until 5 weeks before the wedding.”

“We wanted our wedding to be a casual beach wedding, inspired by our travels and a fusion of Portuguese and US wedding traditions. It truly became the “Ryan and Rita” wedding!! We picked the traditions we enjoyed most from both countries and added a few of our own ideas. We used maps, cork details and tree trunks slabs to tie it all together.  The travel notes came with the use of maps, and music from different countries, and photos of our travels.”

“The most important thing for us was that after two years of friends and family hearing all about each other, they all had a good time at our wedding and so we wanted to make sure that the music and food was good and that we created the right atmosphere.”

Well, judging from these images.. both the bridal party and their guests had an absolute blast! Thanks so much to Rita and Ryan our god friends at R2Arte for sharing this fun wedding with us today! We will see you guys back here tomorrow for some more destination wedding inspiration!

Photography: R2Arte | Ceremony and Reception Venue: Villa São Paulo |  Catering:  Casa do Marquês |Hair and make-up: Sandra Senra | Invitations: Handmade | Groom’s suit, shoes and tie: Express, Macy’s, Zara, Clarks |Bride dress, shoes and jewellery : Vera Wang, Pepe Jeans, Ayala Bar | Wedding rings:  Folia| Flowers: Florista Orquídea Sapatinho | Wedding favours: Handmade Doorstops

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