After a very romantic beach proposal (read about it below), Jesse and Theresa set about planning a small rustic wedding with their closest family and friends. However they were torn between beautiful venues that were above budget and not so beautiful places that were in budget but ultimately disappointed. The fact that it would mean a costly trip for their mostly East Coast family to fly to the West Coast was also a factor in their decision to elope to Portugal. Being that it had been on their honeymoon list it solved a few problems and once they came across their (very helpful) photographers, PITEIRA PHOTOGRAPHY it was set in motion. With their parent’s blessing, planning began for a combined elopement/honeymoon, and KERRY & LUIS were integral in helping them plan, with scouting locations for them and offering local knowledge.
I love the story about how this couple met tooééò dated, broke up, were apart for five years, and finally found their way back to each other. It’s not too often you hear stories like this but I think this is when you truly know it’s meant to be!
Tell us about your proposal: (We now live in California after living in NYC for over 10 years.) Jesse suggested hiking one Saturday. He’s not one to suggest specific things to do, so I jumped at his initiative. He knew a place in Malibu we had never gone before. I was game, but very hungry, and Malibu isn’t close. After oddly avoiding my suggestions to stop for food, we finally had arrived at a beach. He said there is a “great place to eat here”. I kept looking and looking for this cafe. We walked on the pathway and around the corner, but all I saw are beach goers and sand, no restaurant. Suddenly we stopped at this alcove. There was another couple a bit further away and a blanket, umbrella and picnic basket, set neatly nearby. My stomach was growling but the beach towels on the blanket distracted me. I thought to myself, ‘That’s so cool. We have that towel too!” Suddenly Jesse pulled out a piece of paper and got down on one knee. He spoke his love for me and proposed. Tears fill my eyes. I say yes and he then ushered me to sit on OUR blanket and under OUR umbrella and opened our NEW basket full of my favorite foods. We spent the afternoon picnicking on the coast, one of our favorite places to be in California. Little did I know, his co-worker had also helped and took photos of the big moment. A month later on my birthday, Jesse gave me a framed display of the proposal.
Tell us about finding your wedding dress: I was looking for a cream lace gown with a slight open back. No beading, no sparkle. After much research online I found my perfect dress. But as things sometimes go, when I tried it on it didn’t work with my body shape. It would take quite a bit of tailoring to make it work. Since I started my dress search later than normal, my options were now slim. So I decided to make a bunch of appointments at random boutiques. One of the boutiques was Lovely, in Los Angeles. Most of the dresses weren’t available for me since they took 8 months to order. I was only able to try on a tiny handful of dresses, none of which caught my eye in the store. But as fate would have it, I was wrong about this too. When I put on my dress, I felt stunning. It suited my body type, my personality and (luckily) my budget. I knew it was the one. The best advice that helped me was: let the dress fit you. You shouldn’t have to change to fit the dress.
Favourite detail of the day: Our self-written individual vows. We had an officiant write our ceremony that was personalized to us, but it was really important to us, that we were able to speak from our hearts to each other. We kept these as a surprise for one another until our ceremony.
What advise would you give out to a couple planning their wedding? One of the biggest things that people tell me about their wedding (elopement or not) was they don’t really remember it – it goes by too fast and they get caught up in the details. So I made a conscious effort to be really present that day and so did Jesse. At one point when the photographers and video folks were setting up and we were standing in our positions, waiting, Jesse goes, “Listen. Do you hear that? Remember what this moment sounds like.” He works in sound so it is nice to be reminded to have multi-dimentional memories. Don’t forget to be present with just one another, look around, listen and tuck those memories in your heart.
Most memorable moment? After the wedding ceremony we had some time to spare as we waited for the correct lighting for the rest of the photographs in Pena Palace. We ended up sharing beers/drinks with the photographers and videographers at the park’s caf . It was such a surreal moment sitting in our outfits, casually having a drink and chatting about art and life. It made us feel very fortunate and incredibly happy to have met these wonderful people.
Also, a dear friend from Singapore surprised us by organizing, with our officiant and photographers, surprise wishes to be read at the end of the wedding ceremony from each of our closest friends and family members. This was so incredibly special. We were alone in our elopement, but we felt surrounded by love. One of the best gifts we ever received.
Photographer PITEIRA PHOTOGRAPHY / Videographer | CARLOS FERREIRA / Ceremony Venue | PALACIO DE PENA, SINTRA, PORTUGAL / Reception Venue A REPOSA (dinner for two)/ Dress Designer NICOLE MILLER / Shoes BADGLEY MISCHKA / Hairpiece LAVENDER ROSE ACCESSORIES / Celebrant BECKY DE SANCHA
