Wedding | Bailey & Matthis

Tell us a little about yourselves!

Matthis and I (Bailey) met in college with just a little under two months before graduating. I was moving back to Chicago and he was heading home to Belgium, so it didn’t really make sense to hop into a new relationship. But we did it anyways. I spent all my graduation money on a trip to Belgium, and the rest was history. A few years later, we got engaged on the eve of our big move abroad. Within 24 hours, we went from newly engaged to packing up our entire life in Chicago and moving to a brand new country together. It was a little crazy, but somehow felt completely right for us.

We now live in Lisbon with our sweet mini Aussie, Rue. Matthis is a professional athlete and I’m a graphic designer and creative consultant. Despite our very different careers, we’re truly the bestest of friends. We love fashion, music, traveling, and more than anything, each other’s company. Cheesy, I know. I think one of the constants throughout our relationship has been that we don’t think too much about what we’re “supposed” to do. We just do what feels right for us. We’ve been in sync with each other from the very beginning, even when the circumstances seemed a little crazy or unexpected. Somehow, we’ve always wanted the same things, and that’s led us here.

Why did you decide to get married where you did?

We made the move from Chicago to Lisbon a little over a year ago, and we just absolutely love it here. It feels like “us” as a city, and because of that, it really quickly felt like home. My friends and family are all in the States, and Matthis’s are in Belgium and spread throughout Europe, so no matter where we chose to get married, it was inevitable that people were going to have to travel. We thought, why not have everyone come here to our new home base? And we’re so glad we did. It was so special to get to celebrate all week and show everybody around town. It really became one big, week-long party.

Casa Sacoto specifically just really stood out to us venue-wise. The team that works there is so incredibly kind, and the space was the perfect size. Intimate, but with plenty of different areas for guests to move throughout the day. It truly was perfect. And of course, the pool was a big bonus too.

How many guests did you have?

65, from all over the world. We had friends and family come from the States, Belgium, the UK, Iceland, and more. It meant so much to us to have everyone there.

I always dreamed of having this massive wedding when I was younger, but when it actually came time to plan my own wedding, my idea of the perfect day completely changed. It became so important to us that we could actually spend meaningful time with everyone, rather than rushing around trying to make our rounds with all the guests. We wanted everything to feel natural, and we wanted to be able to truly enjoy and soak in the day with all the people we love.

What was your budget?

€45,000

Tell us about your outfits.

I am a big thrifting gal. I love finding vintage pieces, and I knew this was something I really wanted to bring into my wedding looks. I wore an adorable vintage Christian Dior babydoll nightgown the morning of the wedding, and I had all my bridesmaids source vintage nighties to get ready in as well.

I had a pretty clear vision for my look, but it wasn’t easy to find the perfect dress I had in my head. So when I found La Villa Clementine, it felt like such a perfect match. She’s a small studio based out of Rome that works with antique Italian fabrics to create the most whimsical, beautiful Baroque opera-inspired garments. I mean, she is truly the best. It was so cool to visit her studio and see the pieces come together, with sketches pinned to the walls and shelves and shelves of fabrics and scraps. While Clementine and her seamstress pinned and measured, her son drew me a picture that’s now hanging on our fridge at home. Those little things made wearing the dress on the big day feel so much more special. She made me the most gorgeous two-piece set, a pure silk skirt and corset with handmade organza flowers, along with a matching lace veil. The veil was my personal favorite. The flowers on the corset matched the huge floral clips I wore on either side of my face, and I don’t think I’ll ever wear anything more beautiful in my life again.

I think Matthis’s look was just perfect. He worked with a Swedish company called Grand Le Mar, who put together an oversized double-breasted suit in this gorgeous burgundy, paired with a Westminster blue and white striped shirt underneath. Our looks complemented each other so well, and his really spoke to his personal style. Plus, he looked great.

What was the most important aspect for you, in terms of planning your wedding?

I’d love to say that wedding planning was this perfect, magical experience with no tears, but let’s be honest, it’s not always.

I think the most important thing for us, despite the stress, was to be patient and positive. It’s easy to get wrapped up in the whole thing, doom scroll on Instagram, and compare your plans to other brides. But at the end of the day, it’s about you and your partner and nobody else. That’s all that needs to matter.

We really wanted to stay true to ourselves throughout the whole process and make sure that the day felt like a true representation of us, and that we were both comfortable and happy. Instead of driving ourselves crazy trying to perfect a choreographed first dance, we showed up on the day and winged it.

We got tipsy at our food and wine tasting for the dinner menu, and just tried to have fun throughout the whole process whenever we could. I think that mindset made such a difference.

Were there any elements that were important for you to incorporate?

I think a huge theme for us throughout the day was intention. We didn’t want the wedding to feel like a big production or performance. We just wanted it to feel like us.

For our ceremony, we worked with the sweet Leentje, who spoke both English and Flemish, Matthis’s first language. We also snuck in a snippet from a letter my grandma wrote me prior to the wedding. Seeing her reaction when Leentje read it aloud to everyone was priceless. One of Matthis’s best friends plays piano, so we had him play a rendition of “2009” by Mac Miller, one of our favorite artists, while we walked down the aisle. Little things like this made everyone feel involved and brought an element of home and family to the ceremony.

Music was also huge for us. We hand-picked every song throughout the day, which I think is so worth doing if you have the time. There’s something really special about hearing one of your favorite songs come on in the middle of the day, and it felt like another little representation of us. Now we play our wedding dinner playlist almost every night while we eat. It’s our favorite.

We wanted that same feeling to carry through the visual details. I designed all our stationery and spent rainy Sunday afternoons hand-painting the welcome sign with my friends keeping me company for hours. I dragged everyone to the flea market weekend after weekend to hunt for lace and crochet pieces, and we made custom matchbooks and postcards for guests to take home. By the time the wedding came around, these details felt like they carried a little piece of the people and memories that went into them.

Any tips for couples getting married?

Trust your vendors!

I think one of the things that made the planning process so fun, and ultimately made the wedding feel so personal, was the connection we felt we had with all our vendors. These people are all so insanely creative and talented. I loved knowing there was a mutual understanding and intention behind our wedding, and that we could trust them to do their thing. We gave everyone the breathing room to do what they’re best at, without putting too many constraints on them or having some strict idea of what everything needed to look like exactly to the T. I truly believe that by giving our vendors that trust and creative freedom, everything came together so much more beautifully.

Our wedding cake was probably one of my favorite surprises of the whole day. I had previously taken a cake decorating class with Maria, and we had such a blast. She was so sweet and talented, and I remember thinking how much I would love for her to make our wedding cake. We didn’t end up seeing it or even know what it was going to look like until the morning of the wedding. We just loved her style and knew whatever she made would be delicious and beautiful. It was honestly so fun to have those little surprises on the day, and we were completely in awe of how everything came together.

Are there any vendors that you would like to tell us a little more about?

I wish I could talk about all of them! I can’t stress enough that we could not have chosen better vendors.

Of course, Jackie Chick, our photographer. She is so sweet and has the best eye. I personally prefer to be behind the camera myself, so both Matthis and I were hesitant about having our picture taken all day. She completely understood our vibe and style, and made us feel so, so comfortable. Everybody adored her, and the photos are just stunning.

Our florist, Klaudia with Out of the Bloom, is such a creative and kind soul. It was truly such an amazing experience working with her. She had the most unique ideas, I mean who would’ve thought carnivorous plants for a wedding but here we are. The contrast of the dainty lace with the funky florals, it was perfect. She’s a genius.

And a general shoutout to everyone, especially our day-of coordinator at Casa Sacoto, Sarah, for their kindness and patience. Working with a first-time wedding planner is not easy and everybody was so understanding and helpful, we are eternally grateful.

By the end of the process, it really felt like we could consider everyone we worked with friends. This was one of the most important days of our lives, and it meant so much to us that the people helping bring it all together genuinely cared about us and our relationship. Matthis and I had so many ideas about how we wanted the day to feel, and I loved bringing some of that to life through my work with Ruella Studios and all of the visual details, but what mattered most was that everyone took those ideas and added a little bit of themselves too. We wanted our guests to see the thought and intention that went into everything, but more than that, we wanted them to feel the love behind it. Looking back, I think that’s what makes the whole thing so special. We didn’t just walk away with a beautiful wedding, but with so many memories of the people who helped make it happen.

Photographer: Jackie Chick Photography @jchickphotography | Planning & Styling: Ruella Studios @ruella.studios | Flora: Out of the Bloom @outofthebloom_lisboa | Ceremony & Reception Location: Casa Sacoto @casasacoto | Celebrant: Your European Wedding Celebrant @yourweddingcelebrant | Hire: BC Planning & Rentals @bcplanning_rentals | HMUA: Daisy Marques @daisymakeups | Catering & Beverages: Casa da Comida @casa_da_comida | Cake: Pasteleria Eva @_pasteleriaeva | Stationery: Ruella Studios @ruella.studios | Entertainment: Musicbox Porto @musicboxporto | Dress & Veil: La Villa Clementine @lavillaclementine | Suit: Grand Le Mar @grandlemar | Engagement & Weddding Rings: Emenel @emenel.be | Shoes: Simple Rainbow Paris @simplerainbowparis; Coup D’Etat @coupthelabel