Wedding | Daphné & Tom

Tell us a little about yourselves!

We are Daphné and Tom, a French couple living in Paris. Daphné is an osteopath, while Tom works in finance. We have been together for nine years and share a love of travelling and discovering new places together.

For the past several years, Portugal and Comporta have held a special place in our hearts, as we have spent many holidays there at Daphné’s parents’ house. It has become a place filled with wonderful memories, and one that we love returning to year after year.

Why did you decide to get married where you did?

We’ve always wanted a wedding that resembles us. That is not about a castle, or a venue, but about what we, and our guests, love. This is how we chose Sublime Comporta’s beach venue. We got to cheer, eat, dance and enjoy right on the sand, by the ocean, with the sun diving right into the water in front of us. Simple but powerful.

How many guests did you have?

We had around 100 guests. We wanted a friends-and-family-only wedding, so everyone could feel comfortable, knowing each other. This also gave us some real quality time with each of our guests.

What was your budget?

We didn’t have a specific budget in mind at the beginning, as we weren’t quite sure what to expect when planning a wedding. As we went along, we learned to prioritise the things that mattered most to us and focus on creating a beautiful and meaningful experience for our loved ones, while keeping everything within a reasonable budget.

Tell us about your outfits.

We’re both really into dressing up. Choosing our outfits was therefore an easy but so tricky task.

Daphné wanted something simple and elegant, with a subtle vintage touch. She wore her mum’s veil for the ceremony at the church, which had to be shortened as it was far too long. Her sister then came up with the beautiful idea of creating a second veil from the leftover fabric, which Daphné wore for the beach cocktail. She embroidered it entirely by hand with Sophie Hallette lace to match the lace on the dress, making it such a special and meaningful piece.

She also wanted a bohemian feel, with delicate transparencies and light, flowing fabrics that would move beautifully in the Comporta breeze. She decided to have her dress made in two pieces, which gave it a relaxed feel and allowed her to be more comfortable during dinner. Finally, she found a sparkling dress from From Future to change into for the party. She wanted something fun and festive to dance the night away in, and most importantly, to surprise Tom!

Tom already had his suits in mind. The first one for the wedding day was an easy one to make. A mix of linen, wool and silk, in a colour that matches the environment, in a double-breasted style, allowing him to play it both fashion and casual. He spent more time with his tailor designing the one he wore during the pre-wedding (which was also Daphné’s birthday). He wanted something unique, memorable, but also very wearable. That’s how they ended up designing this blazer, navy-inspired, mixing codes from sprezzatura and English tailoring.

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

The most important thing for us was having all our loved ones there to celebrate with us. We wanted everyone to feel welcome and at home in a place that means so much to us. Comporta is somewhere we truly love, and we hoped to share its beauty, relaxed atmosphere and special feeling with our family and friends. Above all, we wanted everyone to enjoy the experience, spend quality time together and create beautiful memories with us.

Our friends, family and we are all real hedonists. Once we were fully convinced about the venue, we spent a lot of time making sure that the food and drinks were also going to be memorable.

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

It was important for us to create a wedding that felt true to who we are as a couple, with a relaxed, natural and effortless atmosphere. We wanted to incorporate personal touches that made the day meaningful, from my mum’s veil and the second veil embroidered by my sister to the laid-back, bohemian feel of Comporta.

Above all, we wanted our guests to feel welcome and at home, and for everyone to enjoy a few days together, celebrating, sharing great food and dancing late into the night. We wanted the whole celebration to feel authentic, warm and full of love, rather than overly formal or traditional.

Any tips for couples getting married?

Our advice would be to focus on what really matters to you as a couple and not get too caught up in the little details. Try to enjoy the planning process as much as possible, trust your choices and remember that the most important thing is being surrounded by the people you love.

On the day itself, take a step back, be present and enjoy every moment together, because it all goes by so quickly! This might sound like generic advice, but it’s probably the most important. Take some time with your partner to look, feel, and talk about what you’re seeing. This is how you’ll remember it for your whole life.

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

All of our vendors were absolutely exceptional, and we would wholeheartedly recommend every single one of them. They all contributed so much to making our wedding truly special. However, we would like to give a special mention to Gustavo Simões, our photographer. He is incredibly kind and has a wonderful way of making everyone feel comfortable and at ease in front of the camera. He managed to capture the atmosphere of our wedding so beautifully and authentically, documenting all the little moments, details and emotions without ever feeling cliché or overly staged. His photos perfectly reflect the spirit of the day and allow us to relive it exactly as it felt. We couldn’t have asked for a better photographer!

We also had incredible support from our wedding planner, Tatiana Rodrigues, who made the organisation stress-free and the D-day so perfect.

Also, we had the chance to have Soul Gospel Project from Lisbon singing for our wedding at the church. This changed the whole ceremony for everyone. We truly felt like we were in a movie!

Photographer: Gustavo Simões @gustavosimoesphoto | Planning: Tatiana Rodrigues @tatiana.

weddingplanner | Flora: Bloomery @bloomery.floraldesign | Videographer: Colibri @colibri.films | Ceremony Location: Igreja Santa Maria do Castelo, Alcácer do Sal | Reception Location: Sublime Comporta Beach Club @sublimecomportabeachclub | Hire: Perla @theperlastudio | Entertainment: Your Jukebox @your_jukebox | Dress: Blanche Paris @atelier_blanche | Suit: Cotton Society @cottonsociety; By Monsieur @bymonsieur | Veil: Vintage | Wedding Rings: Mellerio @melleriojoaillier | Shoes: Aquazzura @aquazzura