romantic first look elopement at penha longa sintra
romantic first look elopement at penha longa sintra
Nicole and John planned their elopement as a reflection of who they are as a couple. Adventurous, untraditional, and uncomplicated. The day started with a romantic first look elopement at Penha Longa Sintra. Penha Longa Resort is a former palace built on 14th century nestled in the mountains of Sintra, surrounded by the forest. The cloister gives an unique experience with the tiles, hand-painted walls and a mystical atmosphere that allows you to enjoy the spacious silence of the vaults. For the first look the couple chose a small old chapel with green tiles and round vaulted ceiling. We spent some lovely time just walking around the monastery and gardens recreating us on the beauty of the hand-painted walls and the beautiful tile mosaics of the seasons.
As a Sintra elopement photographer this time to be unhurried and focused on the story of the couple is what I like most. We had fun scouting some special places like the Nuncio garden, dated from the 16th century, created for meditation and contemplation. This monastery offered us an unique setting to create a fairy tale at the beginning of this modern elopement.
During the Nicole getting ready, John bought the wedding bouquet at the local mall. He walked into a flower shop while the lady who worked there only spoke Portuguese. With hand signals he managed to communicate that he needed a bouquet. She wound up having one made with pink roses and sea pink flowers, the favorites of Nicole.
Nicole wanted a dress that was modern, untraditional, and moved beautifully. She settled on Leanne Marshall’s rain cloud dress because it had all the things she was looking for. As the dress had no beading or embellishments, she opted for a dramatic headpiece. She settled on Jennifer Behr’s Vega headpiece beacuse the celestial theme again creating something not quite traditional. John settled on a linen suit from J. Crew since it was still pretty warm. All his accessories were from Brooks Brothers.
This elopement was featured at Green Wedding Shoes Blog, thank you very much!
wedding dress: Leanne Marshall // wedding dress boutique: Leanne Marshall Bridal // hairpiece: Jennifer Behr // bride’s ring: Doyle and Doyle 1930’s art deco ring // hair stylist: Cati Beauty // makeup artist: Cati Beauty // groom attire: J.Crew and Brooks Brothers // groom’s shoes: Cole Haan // groom’s ring: Blue Nile