Black-tie Destination Wedding in Portugal with Atlantic Views: Jess & Jon

Our wedding took place at Pine Cliffs Resort, located in the Algarve which is on the Southern Coast of Portugal. Pine Cliffs have these amazing views of the Atlantic Ocean so I knew that the view alone would wow all of our guests.

We wanted a destination, beach wedding in Europe and Pine Cliffs had everything we wanted! The Algarve is known for their beautiful dramatic red cliffs overlooking the Atlantic oceans. Jon and I live in San Francisco, CA, but we are both from the East Coast so our guests were travelling to Europe from all over the United States.

We love to travel so we wanted all of our guests to make our wedding part of their summer European vacation. The reason we chose Portugal is that we became engaged there, it’s a hot tourist destination that not many of our friends & family had visited yet, and it’s only a 6-hour flight from the east coast! The Pine Cliffs resort had everything we were looking for – a 5-star resort with plenty of activities for everyone!

Words by Jess. Images by Matt & Lena Photography.

We both wanted to have a black-tie wedding so it was easy to choose our wedding day looks! My dress was an Enzoani. I knew I wanted an illusion lace bodice with a long train. I actually found my dress on Pinterest when I first started browsing for dresses after getting engaged! After trying on almost 100 dresses at 6 different bridal boutiques in the Bay Area, I decided on one of the original dresses I pinned!

Jon and I met at work! We started off as friends for a year, but we both felt this undeniable attraction towards each other. Then one day, he made a move on me and we became more than friends!

Since the entire wedding took place outdoors, I wanted to keep all of the decor very natural to blend in with the surroundings. The ceremony & reception took place in a garden setting on top of the cliffs overlooking the Atlantic ocean.

For the ceremony, I used clear acrylic ghost chairs, candles down the aisle, and palm leaves around the pergola. For the cocktail reception, I had vintage lounge furniture set up to look like an outdoor living room. For the Reception, I had long wooden tables set up in a U-Shape around the dance floor. I lined the tables with silver dollar eucalyptus leaves and candles.

My favourite part of the decor was the 3 hanging chandeliers from the large pine trees over the dance floor. The reception had a very modern, romantic feeling. At 10:30 PM, we moved down to the beach club for the After Party, which was located down the cliffs right on the beach. I wanted the After Party to have a club like feeling so I used white modern lounge furniture and different colour up-lights.

Photography: Matt + Lena Photography / Ceremony and Reception Venue: Pine Cliffs Resort (Catering & Cake) / Wedding planner: Algarve Wedding Planners / Wedding Dress: Enzoani / Bride Shoes: Crystal Lance from Jimmy Choo / Groom’s Tux: Suit Supply / Groom shoes: Christian Louboutin / Bridesmaid’s dresses: Likely / Groomsmen Tuxes: The Black Tux / Video: VIP Weddings / Hair: Joana from Jar Studios / Make up: Sharon Philips / Flowers: Jasmine Flores / Music: Daddy Jack Band / Decorations: Algarve Wedding Planners – Candles, Ceremony Arch decor, Flower wall, Chandeliers, sparklers / Memory Box – photo booth, wood dance floor, LOVE letters, Signage / Ines from Etc&Co – Welcome Sign, Table numbers, table plan/ Square Tree – Tree Swing