Having a toddler and organising an elopement is something that sounds easy and worry free … if you don’t have kids. We have a little girl and know by hard-earned experience that nothing goes according to plan at this stage of life. They have their own timing, their own wants and needs and you just have to go with it, be flexible with your plans and negotiate… a lot! And keep your cool, otherwise you’ll have tears, tantrums and stress and you don’t want to have that on what is supposed to be a day of celebration.
David and Silke found me way before these pandemic times and got in touch asking if I could help them to organise their elopement with the challenge of having their little girl along for the ride. I raved about our little town of Ericeira and they were keen for the adventure and stayed at the amazing You & the Sea just around the corner from where we live.
We planned to meet early in the morning for the getting ready photos and head over to Sintra for some shots and an intimate ceremony of the two of them. All went well until little Ida decided that she wasn’t ready for our shoot and needed a little rest … the option was to either force her to come and ruin her mood or be patient, respect her timing and improvise. We had a little wine tasting organised at Quinta de Santana for the end of the afternoon, so I phoned them to ask if they could have us a little earlier than planned and as always they accommodated us.
So after toddler nap time we made our way to the Quinta and had an amazing afternoon wandering in the vineyards and flower fields and meeting all the animals. Ida was in a good mood, her parents were happy and in love, we had happy smiles for our photos, a cheeky little glass of wine here and there and all went well.
Wine Estate Elopement in Portugal
Hotel: You and the Sea
Hairstylist: Rita Rodrigues
Flowers and Wine tasting: Quinta de Sant´Ana
