Heartfelt & Intimate Destination Wedding in Portugal: Tony & Jaclyn

What is love if not an adventure? You know you’ve found your soul’s truest counterpart when tracing the globe’s every corner hand-in-hand is your finest definition of bliss. To see the world and experience life together is a blessing indeed, and Tony & Jaclyn decided very early on that their wedding should reflect just that!

A word from photographer Jo-Anne Haley of Haley Photography:

“This was not just an adventure, this was a more meaningful destination wedding for Jaclyn and Tony. The groom’s family roots are in Portugal and still to this day his family live in the little town where his mother grew up…

Sintra is a romantic Portuguese town that has an abundance of wonderful tourist attractions, ancient castles, and monumental palaces. The town is famed for its Romanticism style of architecture and there are numerous fine examples of this elaborate and decorative construction type found throughout the forested hills of the Serra da Sintra national park. When you are in the town, you look up to the mountains where castles are somedays hidden by the clouds.

The Chalet Saudade has the charm of Portugal taste with decorative tiles and a mix of art nouveau style. There is so much to see and do and definitely a town you will want to visit over and over again. The perfect place to host a destination wedding!”

Love notes from the couple, Tony & Jaclyn:

How did you two meet? What were your first impressions of one another?

Jaclyn: “Our mutual friends were getting married and although I knew who Tony was for years he did not know me as he was 4 years older. We saw each other at our mutual friends Jack and Jill where I proceeded to say ‘Hi’ to Tony and said ‘You may not recognize me because I used to be blonde’, but Tony still had to ask a friend who I was. We saw each other again at the friends wedding, where Tony had an eye out for me and asked for my number at the end of the night and then asked me on a date shortly after.”

Why did you decide to have a destination wedding?

Jaclyn: “We’re Canadian travel bugs and we knew we didn’t want the typical big wedding. We wanted a wedding that was intimate and about our love more than everything else.

Tony’s mother was born in Peniche, Portugal and we travelled to Portugal two times prior together and loved it. With Tony being a teacher it always made more sense to travel to Europe rather than a typical all-inclusive hot-spot. We chose the area of Sintra because we went on a day trip there once and it is known for its beauty, romance, picturesque castles and landscape. We knew the picture opportunities would be endless and it would be a great place for guests to site see.”

What part of your wedding day was most important to you?

“The most important part of our wedding day was our love and ensuring we kept to the wedding idea we wanted: something small and intimate. We knew guests were coming from a far distance and we wanted to ensure them a good time — overall the wedding was exactly what we wanted and envisioned.”

What was your favorite part about planning your wedding?

“Our favourite part about planning a destination wedding in Portugal was that we were on an adventure together and we were bringing our guests along for the ride! It was something they would have never experienced before!”

What is the best thing you’ve learned from one another?

Jaclyn: “I think the most important thing we’ve learned from each other is to always communicate and stay a team. We are no longer just individuals but we are also a unit.”