Today we've got BEAUTIFUL rustic destination wedding we’ve been dying to share with you guys! It’s the perfect summery, boho feel to get you excited about wedding season kicking off! Marian & Damien tied the knot at Os Agostos, a hillside wedding venue in the Algarve in Portugal. The day is laden with gorgeous steal-worthy ideas, all captured by Black Diamond Photography. And just wait ‘til you see how the bride’s artistic talents were used to create a cute keepsake for each of the guests!
The beginnings of this love story bring a whole new meaning to seeing the glass as half-full! In fact, it was because of the River Arra in Limerick bursting its banks in 2008, that these two were brought together. Damien was called to do electrical repairs on Marian’s flooded home, and well, sparks flew (pun very much intended).
And it would seem flood-prone areas are a good omen for the couple. This time, far from the River Arra, while sitting underneath the stars and on a bridge in Venice, Damien popped the question!
Marian’s incredible artistic skills meant the wedding was filled with special touches. “Two suitcases packed to the brim with handmade decorations accompanied us to Portugal,” the crafty couple tell us.
“I made personalised fans for the guests in the church with drawings of the bridal party on the back. There were lots of personalised creations dotted around the venue, every guest got a personalised place name- a flat round piece of wood with their named burned into it.” Marian explains.
“When I arrived outside the church there was a beautiful vintage prosecco van parked up waiting for the guests to raise a toast after the ceremony. Damien had organised this as a surprise,” Marian tells us.
In terms of the overall feel for the day, Marian and Damien couldn’t be happier with how it went; “It was everything we dreamed and planned for it to be. It was rustic, relaxed, romantic, intimate and chilled. We were on a cloud.”
“Nestled in the hills of Santa Bárbara de Nexe, we knew Os Agostos was the perfect location for our wedding the minute we stepped foot inside the country gates. The ambience, the look, the peace and quiet and the décor were just exquisite. Marian is an artist so the appearance of the place was a huge deciding factor. It ticked every box from the moment we arrived to visit in April 2016. We also knew that nobody else would be at the venue on the day except for our wedding party,” Damien says of their choice of venue.
“Our priority was that our guests would have a day to remember. We wanted a day we knew we could relax and embrace the love, we wanted sunshine, great food and a venue that would help us achieve all of this”, says Marian.
And it wasn’t just the wedding day itself that guests had to look forward to; “We loved the idea of having the wedding in the country side. Welcome drinks were held on the harbour a few nights previous and the day after party was held on the beach so guests got a taste of the harbour, countryside and the beach.”
Because we were so taken with this cool couple’s unique day, we just had to get them to share their advice. Here’s what they had to say; “Embrace every moment of the planning and do it together. Make a list, compromise and enjoy the process. Create positivity so that you can look back on your planning journey as a fabulous experience where you made fun memories in the lead up to it. Your wedding is not all about one day- it’s also about the journey you make along the way.”
We want to say a massive thank you to Marian and Damien for sharing their gorgeous day with us! To see even more, make sure you check out the gallery for additional pics.
