We love how today's real wedding manages to fully embrace both the beautiful interiors of the wedding venue and the coastal scenes outside of it. New Jersey natives Andrea and Hugo said their 'I dos' in the gorgeous Estoril area of Portugal. Making the most of the breathtaking architecture of the area while also heading to the beach for those all-important wedding portraits, this pair managed to create a truly unique celebration. Thankfully, Mariana Gama Photography was on hand to capture their beach wedding in Portugal, and we're so glad she did - we could just gush over these pictures all day!

Andrea and Hugo met in their native New Jersey about four years ago while enjoying dinner at a Portuguese restaurant. Since then, the pair have spent little time apart and it wasn't long until Hugo was getting down on one knee - and while the pair were on holiday in the gorgeous Turks and Caicos, no less.

When it came time to make it official, this pair knew one thing - they wanted a destination wedding. "We always knew we wanted to get married abroad," Andrea told us. "We wanted to give people a truly memorable, once-in-a-lifetime experience. We didn't just want to have a party on one day and then have it be over. Many guests opted to stay for a week, so it truly became a multi-day celebration of family and love."

From there, the couple turned their attention to food. "Food was of utmost importance," they shared. "We wanted the food and drinks to be plentiful. We always talked about how food is one of the number one aspects guests remember about weddings so we did not want to disappoint. Our caterers did an amazing job with the menu, and with keeping the food and drinks flowing all night long."

The place Andrea and Hugo decided to make it all happen was Forte da Cruz, right by the water and just 20 minutes from Lisbon. "We both love the beach," Andrea told us. "Forte da Cruz is a fortress on the beach and we couldn't think of a better setting for our fairytale wedding. We truly felt like royalty driving up to the Forte in our vintage car for the reception. We also loved how we had the whole venue to ourselves. Our guests could just wander through the space, inside and out, and it was a photographer's dream - there is no bad spot to take a picture!"

For Andrea and Hugo, Portugal wasn't just the backdrop for their wedding but also a very important part of their big day. "We definitely wanted to incorporate elements of Portuguese culture to show appreciation for the country we are getting married in, which also happens to be Hugo’s home country," Andrea told us. "The church ceremony was spoken in half English and half Portuguese. We incorporated some Portuguese music in the playlist and the giveaways were hand-painted traditional Portuguese blue and white tiles."

The big take-homes for this pair were how they managed to minimise stress in the wedding planning process. "Get a wedding planner if you can," they advise. "It makes everything so much easier. On the wedding day itself, you will be able to focus on what really matters and not on all the minor details. We were also told and now would pass on, to make sure that on the wedding day itself, take a breath and look around. Really try to soak in the moment because it will go so quickly!"

Thanks so much to today's couple Andrea and Hugo for sharing their stunning beach weddig in Portugal with us and to Mariana Gama Photography for providing the beautiful imagery.