When Australian couple Nikki and Sam decided to tie the knot in Portugal, they were looking for something simple and romantic, says wedding photographer Jesús Caballero, but also with “all the taste and feel of Portugal infused into their special day.”

 Caballero continues: “Their preparatives were in an old house in the district of Baixa at the downtown of Lisbon, in a house with authentic XVIII century portuguese tiles on the walls.”

After an intimate first look shot at the same house, the couple headed to Sintra for their ceremony, to the Monserrate Palace chapel ruins. “We got two special moments before the ceremony,” Caballero says. “First we went to the old royal Ajuda Botanical Garden in Lisbon to do some portraits in an incredible, calm spot off the tourist path. Then we took more couple portraits before the ceremony at the cliffs off the coast, before getting into the mountains of Sintra. The backdrop of the sea and the waves were really magical and gave an even more unique atmosphere for the elopement.”

The actual ceremony was at the ruins of an old chapel in the gardens of Monserrate Palace, at the heart of Sintra. “The beautiful ceremony was accompanied by rain, but the brave couple enjoyed lots of special moments with all the love they have one for the other.”

Says the bride in summary of the day: “A destination elopement was always our plan, and Portugal ended up being the perfect place for us. Sintra is so beautiful, and Lisbon was just a lovely little city full of amazing and colorful buildings. We could not have picked a better place to get married and to start our honeymoon in Europe. I loved that our photographer offered to drive us around for photos prior to the ceremony when we were stuck for transport. It really made it fun and personal, and we visited some beautiful sites around Portugal to get some incredible photos. It was the small things that didn’t go as planned that made us love the day even more: getting stuck in traffic, arriving late, and then the rain!!! It just made the day that much more memorable and fun!”

Gear of the Day:

Cameras: Canon 5D Mark III, Canon 5D Mark II

Lenses: Canon 35mm f/1.4 L (with 5D Mark III), Canon 50mm f/1.4 , Canon 85mm f/1.8

Lighting: Ambient

Miscellaneous: An umbrella “just in case” for the rain, a small “creative” playlist on Caballero’s phone for driving

Vendor Credits:

Bridal dress designer: Gemy Maalouf 

Shop bridal dress: Rapsimo Boutique in Adelaide 

Shoes: Penrose from Italy 

Groom suit and shoes: Joseph Uzumcu 

Rings: Pure Envy Jewellery

Wedding planner: Something Borrowed

Makeup: Jordana Carraca 

Hair: Dorota Santos 

Ceremony: Chapel ruins at Palacio de Monserrate (Monserrate Palace) Sintra 

Celebrant: Tania from Arena do Tempo – Cerimónias Simbólicas