In exactly a month we will be in the northern region of Portugal, in a quaint Chapel nestled amongst a tiny village, watching Christie and Mario say “I Do” before their family and friends who will travel from different countries to witness their special day. Taking inspiration from not only the couples’ culture and their wedding destination, we created a Bridal Shower for Christie that highlighted her love of simple vintage details, traditional handwoven linens and painted blue tile designs native to their region of Portugal.
Instead of making details distinctly “blue” or “rustic”, we wanted the look and feel to be simple and romantic, but most importantly as natural as possible, as if the styling of this party could have easily fit in another time when our parents, grandparents and great-grandparents would host the whole family for a special meal. Together with amazing vendors like Dovetail Vintage Rentals and CloDecor, we were able to curate a beautiful selection of vintage pieces that made this bridal shower truly one of a kind. And the rustic brick walls, wood beams and antique wrought iron chandeliers at The Castle was the perfect setting to make this bride-to-be’s shower dreams come true!
Let’s take a moment to fully appreciate the beauty in these envelopes!! Sure, it’s the one thing people overlook, often sending it right into the trash, but these Portuguese blue tile envelope liners were one of the biggest inspirations for the entire vision of this party. Rebecca Green Design did such an amazing job creating these to pair alongside classic and simple invitations. This time, when guests opened their invitation envelopes, they knew exactly what to expect not only at Christie’s upcoming bridal shower, but on the wedding day too.
As a stylist and planner it’s hard to choose favorites, but this simple detail absolutely ranks as one of my favorites! Wait until you see what Rebecca created for their wedding invitations 🙂
Guests were welcomed with a beautiful display of traditional Portuguese tiles which served as their seating cards. Each tile uniquely special, featuring the Viana do Castelo flower all brought over from Portugal by Christie’s mother. Placed atop a beautiful vintage bar cart, a family heirloom linen and Singer sewing machine that guests couldn’t help but remark how much it reminded them of memories sewing with their mothers and grandmothers.
To keep things simple and natural, we went with a floral color palette of green and white, a favorite of the bride. A mixture of lush White Hydrangeas, Playa Blanca Roses and Ranunculus were lovely statements amongst the textured beauty of white Feathered Tulips, dainty Spray Roses, Queen Anne’s Lace and wisps of Salal Leaves.
Having just returned from Portugal, I made sure to bring a few unique pieces for the shower, including the blue vintage glasses that were the perfect old world charm and hint of blue. It paired beautifully with the custom hand painted tiles that were used as the table numbers, along with the sparkling twinkle of silver votive candles.
Stop everything! This dessert table display is sure to make your vintage-loving heart pitter patter!! An elegant white credenza table was adorned with another family heirloom linen and the most gorgeous desserts, including a stunning cake made to look like an exact replica of common tile designs Portuguese homes often have displayed on their facades. There were chocolates and cake pops, as well as Champagne flavored gummy candies and a decadent Macaron tower, favorites of the bride-to-be. Another very sweet and stunning touch, the sugar cookie tiles that made guests question if they were actually real! Love is most certainly sweet when it looks like this!
To complete the look I added in more lush flowers, sweet springs of Baby’s Breath and these stunning vintage suitcases! Christie and get guests couldn’t get enough of these charming and one of a kind pieces from Dovetail.
The Photo Booth was a lovely white flower wall decorated with the prettiest green suitcase set that I’m still on the hunt for my own personal desires. Mixed lanterns and a wooden trunk chest adorned with linens, vintage bottles and a blue and white ceramic urn completed the look. These chests commonly known in Portugal as “arcas” are a staple in almost any Portuguese home, some simple and rustic like this rental piece, others more ornate with intricate carvings and hardware. Naturally the Bride-to-Be was excited at the sight of it, jokingly wishing she could bring it back home with her.
It’s these small details and personal touches I always hope to incorporate in my events and stylings, although someone else might have thought it was just a a regular “pretty” detail, the client was instantly connected to it on a personal level.
How adorable are the flower girls! These Alves’ sisters are just the sweetest, most fun little darlings.
Have you noticed these sparkling rings in almost every photo?? It was one of the fun games we had for guests! Although the flower girls had the most fun hunting the rings, it certainly added a sweet detail to the overall decor.
Along with great conversations, guests were kept entertained with “Would She Rather…” activity sheets placed at each table, as well as a “How Old Were They?” game in which they had to guess the ages of the couple in photos that were displayed on a gorgeous bronze antique frame.
It’s always fun to pass down family traditions and recipes to a newly married couple. Christie had a recipe book displayed where guests filled with an array of classic Portuguese and American favorite recipes.
More flowers, vintage glasses and Portuguese silver pieces decorated the Card and Gifts table. The tiles were also custom painted. Using simple tiles make for easy and unique signs to display at any party!
As guests departed from a lovely afternoon, they were treated to individually wrapped gift boxes, each one with a traditional Portuguese white ceramic tray perfect for them to use for years to come!
The day was nothing short of beautiful, filled with so much traditional family details and love. We can’t wait celebrate their wedding in Portugal next month!
Planning, Styling + Florals : Dreamery Events | Custom Tile Signs + Seating Cards : Dreamery Events | Photography : Maklian Photography | Venue : The Castle | Large Vintage Decor Pieces : Dovetail Vintage Rentals | Wood + Flower Wall Backdrops : CloDecor | Invitations : Rebecca Green Design | Cake + Cupcakes : Patty Cake Bake Me A Cake | Cake Pops : Spoonful of Heaven | Macaron Tower : Woops! | Activity Sheets : Dreamery Events | Favors : Lorczaks Gift Shop
Beautiful! I’m thinking of doing a similar theme for my nieces bridal shower. Her wedding is in Portugal in 2027. Do you have a picture or a link to the ceramic trays you gave as gifts to your guests?
Hi Maureen! Thank you, I don’t have a picture of the actual favors as my client got them on her own and had them wrapped. They were purchased from a local Portuguese store that gets pieces shipped directly from there. But there are many sites were you can no readily find Portuguese ceramics, often Macy’s, Sur la Table, Williams Sonoma, Anthropologie and other similar stores have pieces made there. Hope that helps.