An Urban, Portuguese Inspired Wedding Editorial

Good evening gorgeous ones – what an insanely beautiful day – the sunshine changes everything. We’re heading out shortly to spend a little time outdoors over an evening meal. I cannot wait.

In the meantime, I’d love to share this shoot with you – sent in by Olivia de Santos at Nulyweds, who specialises in planning weddings, this set of images celebrates the stylish weddings that Olivia is responsible for planning in the beautiful sunshiney Portugal.  I am so delighted to share Olivia’s work this evening and hope it might inspire the Pinterest enthusiasts amongst us. These images have been so tastefully styled and curated and I adore the overall vibes.

“As a millennial destination wedding planner for Portugal and the UK, this shoot was inspired by Portuguese culture applied to a primary colour scheme. We aimed to create a little slice of Mediterranean prettiness in the industrial space of Walthamstow Wetlands. The Wetlands opened to the public late last year and I jumped at the chance to work there.”

Images by Marni V Photography

“The Engine House was a Victorian Railway station which still has a live track running outside.Therefore it has red-brick, warehouse vibes with high ceilings, exposed metal beams and large floor to ceiling arch windows and doors. There are also the Wetlands themselves which are a haven for local wildlife and a great location for wedding portraits. You’d be hard pressed to find a more eclectic mix of countryside and London chic in one place!”
“To help with the authentic Portuguese-ness I enlisted my favourite stationer, Jennifer’s Paper, who created a brand new Portuguese-style pattern from scratch and helped solidify the primary colour scheme into a petrol blue, tomato red, strong yellow and white. This bold colour scheme was also the perfect fit for Marni V’s moody style of photography which made every colour pop.”

“For the tables, we borrowed some stunning reclaimed wood trestle tables and vintage folding chairs from Anthology Vintage Hire. Catherine Short, florist extraordinaire, made an oh-so-Mediterranean olive, rosemary and bay leaf runner which looked and smelt amazing on the table. She then added in a few bright red and yellow flowers in jars to add the pops of colour. To tie the colour scheme together, I bought some petrol blue plates, red napkins and true blue votive candles.”

“Top tip here is that if you are working with clashing colours like this and want your menu to sit on top of or tucked into a napkin, then makes sure the menus are white. The colours will never be a perfect match so having coloured menus would just add to the clash. The lovely Katie from Malarkey Cakes made some adorable pasteis de nata (Portuguese custard tarts) that I chose to use as placecard holders.”

“Jen made some lovely little placecards with the pattern and we stuck them in the custard. This is a great idea for practical favours that serve a purpose but also are a great treat for guests! Marni shot the scene beautifully, making sure to also capture the venue’s hanging jar arrangement that floated above our table.”

“Malarkey Cakes then drew inspiration from Portuguese azulejo designs for her square, three-tiered cake. We dressed the cake table with another runner and bright colourful flower jars from Catherine Short. Even the pastel de nata stand was personalised to the shoot’s colour scheme as it had a yellow base.”

“Onto the ceremony scene and this is where the most simple things can make the most impact. I borrowed 90 jars of different shapes and sizes and 8 reclaimed wood benches from Anthology Vintage Hire to create ceremony pews, a frame for the aisle and a backdrop under the Wetlands’ arched windows. Catherine Short then added in the olive leaf runner and flowers behind the mix of bottles and some olive branches into the aisle jars for a simple, yet effective ceremony styling.”

“For the dress, I went to my favourite London dress boutique, Blackburn Bridal who helped us to find two unique, bohemian dresses. The first of which was a Rish Bridal design called Sophia, characterised by its awe-inspiring, pattern detail and long train. The second dress was a deep V-neck by Claire Pettibone called Sauvignon which we loved because of its lacey sleeves.”

“For hair and makeup, Joyce Connor expertly crafted a teal blue eyeshadow and nude lip bridal look to suit Dani (our model bride’s) deep skintone. She opted for a lighter lip indoors and then a darker, more red lip for the outdoor shots to show that you can change your look throughout your wedding day very easily.”

“For the jewellery, Erin for Addy’s Vintage came down with her jewellery box or treasures with a mix of blue zircon and sapphire rings and matching bands for the groom. She also gave us some blue cufflinks to tie in the colour scheme.”

“The navy suits and red knitted tie were provided by bespoke tailor Kwame Koranteng. Our model groom, Tashinga, looked very smart in the completed look with brown brogues.”

“Actors Tashinga and Dani played their parts beautifully and were a great pair!”

“Despite it being the hottest two days of the year, Marni and I loved working on this Mediterranean wedding inspiration and hope you love it as much as we do!”