Doireann and John’s wedding at Quinta das Pintoras took place with a celebrant and only a few guests, in a beautiful location filled with that delightful Irish accent. It was a weekday and all the guests were Irish. They sang and danced to Irish songs. It was a wedding quite different from most of the ones I have photographed.
I have photographed many weddings — and I have enjoyed all of them. But I have a special appreciation for those that are, in one way or another, outside the usual pattern. Especially when they are different from everything I have photographed before. In one word: unique.
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Doireann & John
Doireann and John are an Irish couple who had planned to marry in Lisbon the previous year, but had to postpone their wedding due to the Covid-19 pandemic. In the end, it became a smaller wedding, but also a more intimate and intense celebration.
The wedding took place in a truly unique venue: a family residence in Lisbon called Quinta das Pintoras. It was planned by the wedding planner Unique Weddings in Portugal. Unique Weddings is a Lisbon-based wedding planning company that focuses mainly on the international market and aims to create distinctive weddings in Portugal.
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Wedding at Quinta das Pintoras
Quinta das Pintoras is located in Lisbon and is a historic manor house with an old garden. The owners live there and host only a few events each year. I have photographed weddings in dozens of venues and this is easily one of my favourites: because it feels authentic (it does not exist solely for weddings), because of the beauty of the architecture and because the garden is not overly manicured — it feels as if it has a soul of its own.
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Why have a wedding at Quinta das Pintoras?
A wedding at Quinta das Pintoras is special because it combines history, authenticity and nature right in the city of Lisbon. This private family estate, owned by the same family for more than a century, offers beautiful gardens, charming interior rooms and unique spaces such as a greenhouse, creating a magical and intimate atmosphere for weddings. The combination of historic architecture, Portuguese artistic details and peaceful outdoor areas allows couples to celebrate in a setting that feels both elegant and relaxed.
Doireann got ready at a hotel in Cascais with the help of her mother, father and sister. Afterwards she travelled to the venue in a vintage car, taking the longer route along the coast. In the end, that turned out to be a good decision, because traffic in Lisbon that weekday afternoon was terrible.
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An Irish Evening
A typical Portuguese wedding usually includes some drinks, plenty of food and dancing — even if it is a small wedding. From my experience with Irish weddings, they are usually not that different. However, this one was.
Yes, there was plenty of food. But very little of it was touched. Yes, there were drinks — and a small accident (you can see it in one of the images below). But what I found truly unique was the family sitting around the room, not only talking but also singing Irish songs and dancing together. It was very special and I am grateful to have witnessed it. Moments like this are one of the many reasons why I love being a photographer.
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If you enjoyed this photographic story, feel free to leave a comment below. If you prefer reading, I suggest the article where I explain the different styles of wedding photography and how documentary photography is particularly well suited for this kind of celebration: “The 3 styles of wedding photography to help you choose your photographer”.
