Lisbon Destination Wedding in a Palace with a Yacht

Every so often an editorial catches our eye for the simplicity, romance, and timelessness that it evokes. Throw in a romantic adventure and it’s the icing on the cake – like this stunning editorial shoot set in Lisbon that starts in a palace, and ends in a yacht. Prepare yourself for visual overload – seriously!

from the designer: “Our design inspiration was bringing old world charm elements into a modern-day wedding – using the Portuguese extensive sailing culture and weaving those elements into a timeless, romantic and luxurious day. Maritime elements, such as seashells, the blue color of the river, ocean and the endless Lisbon sky, and a passion for sailing – which in this case was translated to a yacht – became the foundation for this concept. The flowers were elegant and modern, where you can scent each one of them, and all the scents evoke a walk in a beautifully curated garden. There is the occasional blue orchid that gives it a modern look and acts as the thread that connects the different settings – from the centerpiece to the bouquet. The buttonhole, bouquet and centerpiece and in all flowers used, one sees them as an embodiment of refinement and has a sense of understated luxury. The staircase was adorned with ferns as many royal and noble households had greenhouses that allowed them to grow and display them. Having the wedding reception in a palace, helped us to connect the staircase elegantly decorated with ferns and candles. The yacht had a very simple decoration with greenery and small white flowers as the focus was the couple, the sunset and Lisbon as a backdrop. The cake was simple, modern and contrasting. We wanted to add another modern element to a young couple’s wedding, and we did so by placing a square, three-tiered cake in an 18th-century palace. This cake has some blue accents that connect it to the palette used.”

“For the Groom we went clean and elegant. Navy suit, white shirt, green Salvatore Ferragamo silk tie. The bride had a versatile look. This beautiful Pronovias dress has long sleeves and has some lace details. It has a more “compact” look for the ceremony, which takes place in a yacht. To wow the Groom and guests and to be more in line with the romantic palace ambiance, a large ball gown skirt was then attached to it, making it look like it is one dress. An extra belt was used to add some shimmer and bring the two pieces together. A lightly laced cathedral veil brings the look together and makes it timeless.

This dress doesn’t exist – it is absolutely bespoke to this Bride. We constructed the full look by using a Pronovias dress, a Pronovias ball gown skirt (that is meant for another dress) and a Pronovias belt.”

“All the elements are from Vista Alegre. We played with colour and texture, using biscuit seashells, vases and charger plates. Blue and gold were used in the formal looking plates and the crystal glasses were clean and modern, as was the cutlery. A traditional white tablecloth was complemented with a bit of color by using a grey-blueish asymmetrical runner. There are also some smaller vases which have gold, hand painted dragonflies which are common guests by the river in Lisbon. Tall and lower candle holders were used, playing with gold and old silver.

The placeholders and menus were part of a beautiful hand-painted watercolour suite, using again blue and gold and a mix of calligraphy and printed text. We played with different heights to make this sweetheart table the centre of attention and to blend in and stand out at the same time with the Noble room where the reception takes place.”

Brent Deitrich

Publisher at The White Wren | + posts

Publisher at The White Wren and Bajan Wed, Award Winning Photography + Videographer at Live View Studios, Dad, 80s music lover, crunchy health advocate