Romance and sunshine - a match made in heaven
As the pages in the calendar turn towards another 14th February, love is surely in the air. Saint Valentine’s Day is when our thoughts turn to... well, all things to do with romance. Chocolates, roses, teddy-bears, champagne and yes, wedding bells.
Everybody is entitled to the wedding day of their dreams, whatever that dream may be. If you opt to get married in the Algarve, it is just that bit easier to have a fairy tale wedding. For one thing, the sun is likely to be among the first guests to appear. With over 3,000 hours of sunshine per year, the odds are in every bride's favour for a sunny wedding day.
Getting from dream Algarve wedding to reality can be a challenge though. That’s where the advice and services of a professional wedding planner can save the day – literally. A good wedding planner will be able to source that perfect location, will smooth the paperwork path and aid with the legal requirements to marry in Portugal, and will deal with local suppliers on your behalf. Perhaps most importantly, a good wedding planner will keep the stress levels low, allowing the happy couple to enjoy all the fuss rather than argue about who was supposed to do what. And on the big day your Algarve wedding planner will be a discreet master of ceremonies, making sure everything goes to plan.
The idea that using a wedding planner is going to hit your budget very hard is not actually accurate. Individually contracting hotels, caterers, florists, musicians and what have you, is time-consuming and costly, particularly if you are in one county, the supplier in another. Your wedding planner can negotiate the best rates on your behalf – and they know the best people in the business. You can choose the level of service you require. For example, with Algarve Events Wedding Planners you can opt for the complete package from beginning to end or for the Wedding Planner for the Day package.
Senhora da Rocha Chapel
Fairytale wedding venues are among the Algarve’s store of well kept secrets. If you’ve ever swooned over that candlelit pathway leading to the cliff-top chapel in Mamma Mia, you’ll just love the picturesque chapel at Senhora da Rocha and the impossibly romantic whitewashed village of Cacela Velha. Not to mention the beaches… miles of pristine sands, the awesome Atlantic waves sounding the backing track, and natural rock sculptures carved from the sea cliffs to provide the most breathtaking wedding décor. And for something truly different, why not host your wedding at sea aboard the comfortable catamaran Ophelia?
Luxury hotels that guarantee comfort and pampering for your guests abound, such as Vila Vita Parc, the Sheraton and Crowne Plaza Vilamoura. There are several exceptional boutique hotels that can accommodate smaller wedding groups. In the run-up to the big day and the relaxation afterwards, there are golf courses galore to play, yachts to charter, nightclubs to visit, restaurants to dine in and shops to spend in.
All of this makes the Algarve wedding heaven and a great choice for Hen and Stag parties too.
The church at Cacela Velha, Tavira
