Katie Stoops Photography

An intimate wedding in Sintra, Portugal

5 / 16

The moment I arrived in Sintra, I fell in love. I couldn’t believe how everything just felt exciting…the cars all fighting for the same one lane road, the overgrown paths that you take a chance to explore, the warm & friendly people, & that sun…that sun felt so good. While there is so much history in Portugal, it remains a part of their present by embracing it. Every place I went, I couldn’t help but dream about what happened within those walls, by those trees, or down that path. It really was the perfect place for a wedding & I can’t wait to return!

From Karson Butler Events… We absolutely love destination weddings and this spring wedding in the historic city of Sintra, Portugal is one of our all-time favorites. Lush landscapes, rolling hills and historic estates tucked into the mountainside provided a romantic backdrop perfect for a wedding weekend! We planned the weekend’s events at FOUR different palaces – each very different in architecture and style!

Favorite details:

*Its not everyday that you get to sleep in a palace, and Tivoli Palacio De Seteais, does not disappoint! The incredible team there ensured the wedding group felt right at home throughout their stay.

*The culinary team at Penha Longa Catering (led by the talented Sara Gomes) is incredible! We worked with them to create one-of-a-kind dining experiences. Our favorite meal was the wedding dinner! Each guest was served an individual Portuguese cataplana (a cataplana is both the name of the copper vessel and the dish itself – it looks like a copper shell and steam cooks the ingredients in broth.) During our initial consultation with the couple, I had mentioned a cataplana cooking class I had planned during my last trip to Portugal, which started our conversation about Sintra as a destination, and the rest is history! So to see this dish ultimately served as their wedding meal was really special for me!

*The intricate walls at the wedding venue Palácio De Monserrate served as inspiration for the invitation suite design (a laser cut custom sleeve matches the pattern in the walls) and the incredible cake by T Bakes! We had custom postage made using an image from a vintage postcard of the palace.

*Working hand in hand with Sofia at Brancoprata was a highlight to this wedding. We had long admired her work from afar, and were so incredibly happy to work together in her home country. The flowers were absolutely wonderful!

*A horse drawn carriage transported our bride between the palaces for the wedding.

Event Design: Karson Butler Events / Floral Design: Brancoprata /Cake: T Bakes Atelier / Invitations: Luscious Verde Via The Dandelion Patch/ Catering: Penha Longa Catering of the Ritz-Carlton Penha Longa Resort/ Calligraphy: Meant To Be Calligraphy/ Rehearsal Dinner Venue: Quinta Da Regaleira/ Wedding Ceremony & Dinner Reception Venue: Palacio De Monserrate

Erin & Judson: A Pharsalia Plantation Wedding

11 / 7

Erin & Judson’s colorful Virginia Plantation wedding was featured on Style Me Pretty this week! Pharsalia has one of the prettiest views I’ve ever seen and I can’t tell you how much fun it was to have a small part in this day. E & J are two people who you would want to be around all of the time. They don’t stop smiling! I love it. Enjoy! xoxoKatie

Here are some wonderful details from Erin about the big day:

Pharsalia Plantation is in Judson’s family through marriage (and has been since it was built by William Massie in 1814). In fact, he and his family always celebrate Thanksgiving on the property next door (Judson is from Lynchburg, VA). For the last several years, I have as well. We wanted a Southern rustic feel that really brought out our love for the outdoors. We looked around the DC/MD area for a while and literally smacked ourselves in the forehead when we remembered Pharsalia and its beauty. We both envisioned a laid-back wedding with lots of charm, small and meaningful details, great food (and lots of it!), and tons of music. Judson is a huge Motown fan and I love classic country. We were able to mix the two together with Attraction and Bennie Dodd. In fact, Bennie Dodd and Attraction even went so far as to learn a song together to accommodate our wishes (Bennie sang George Strait’s “All My Ex’s Live in Texas” while Attraction played the background music for our father-daughter dance). We heard Attraction play at a friend’s wedding and knew we had to have them!
We didn’t want the wedding to be too matchy-matchy, and one of our big things was that we wanted a lot of color. In fact, we didn’t even pick “wedding colors.” Instead, we told our florist to have fun and just use as many bright colors as possible. In short, we told her to “have at it” and do whatever she wanted. Our florist was Betsy Burton from Lynchburg, VA and she could not have been more amazing, talented, or creative!
Our favorite part of our wedding coming together was the sunshine, rainbow, and music at every corner (our friends told us they felt like they were at a festival). We had no back-up plan if it stormed, so we held a collective breath the week before the wedding. The day turned out amazingly gorgeous. During the cocktail hour, clouds rolled over the mountain, but never settled in the foothills where we were. Needless to say, we were blessed with a beautiful rainbow without the rain!
Event Design: Amanda Gray with Ashley Baber Weddings / Venue: Pharsalia/ Floral Design: Betsy Burton/ Hair & Makeup: Avenue 42/ Catering: Avenue Foods / Furniture Rentals: Stonegate Event Rentals /Lighting: Blue Ridge AV & Lighting /Ceremony Music: Bennie Dodd / Band: Attraction (SO good!) / Cake: Magnolia Foods /Invitation Design: Rock Paper Design with watercolor artwork by Bea Gates/ Linens: Festive Fare

Robyn & Dustin: A Keswick Hall Wedding, Charlottesville, VA

6 / 26

I have been holding onto this wedding for quite some time. I knew it would take me forever to narrow down my favorite photos from one of my all time favorite weddings…and I was right. Robyn & Dustin could not be more in love. They are the type of people that you instantly want to be their friend and you can see their love for one another every second you’re with them. So, without further ado….I hope you enjoy their wedding! xoxoKatie

PS-You can also see it on Style Me Pretty!

 

Venue: Keswick Hall

Invitations: 42 Pressed

Dress: Jim Hjelm. Kleinfeld’s

Shoes: Valentino

Bridesmaids’ Dresses: Twobirds, Bella Bridesmaid

Event coordinator: Adam Donovan-Groves (one of the BEST I’ve ever worked with!)

Floral Design: Hedge Fine Blooms

Cake: Keswick Hall

Suits: Men’s Wearhouse

Placecards: Inkybug

Lauren & Nate’s Tuckahoe Plantation Wedding

11 / 15

This is one of my all time favorite weddings! I hope you love it too…the whole day was just a whirlwind of fun & love.

Tell us your love story:

Nate and I met because we had both been attending the same, small church in Richmond (called City Church). We had a pretty unconventional start-our first date (first hangout that I knew was a date, anyway) had us browning 20 lbs of beef in my tiny kitchen to get ready for an upcoming chili meal for 100 at Freedom House’s Conrad Center.

Other wonderful memories of early dating include Nate’s purchase of an old Toyota Century from the 70′s named Otis, which got us around town for 3 weeks before it gave up the ghost. Within 5 months of dating, we had committed to a small flock of chickens to tend together, two white hens named Nina and Mavis (named for soul singers Nina Simone and Mavis Staples). On the wings of our chicken momentum, he and I took on more and more gardening endeavors, plus cooking adventures to match.

We’d been dating for a full 2 years + some when he proposed to me this past January. We had spent the weekend at a tiny folk music festival called Groundhog Fest, where he and I led a workshop on an old folk tradition called Shape Note singing. He took me out on a hike in James River Park that weekend and asked me if I’d let him by my salty dog (and marry him, of course).

Florals: Hannah Warfield
Caterer: Harvest Moon
Invitation: Dapper Paper
Bride’s gown and jewelry: mother’s
Bridesmaid dresses: Carol Hannah
Groom’s and groomsmen suits: various consignment stores in Richmond, including Halcyon Vintage and Bygone’s
Programs: printed by Triple Stamp Press
Wedding Ceremony music: The Bird and her Consort
Wedding Reception music: No BS Brass Band
Tuckahoe Site Coordinator: Mary Edmonds

I must thank Adam Barnes for being with me at this wedding & taking incredible photos!