Carolina and Juan’s love story is as serendipitous as their wedding was intentional. The couple first met in university in their hometown of Cali, Colombia, where they briefly dated before becoming just friends. Life took them on separate journeys, but fate had other plans. Without knowing it, they both moved to Europe around the same time—Carolina to Portugal and Juan to France. They reconnected, started a long-distance relationship, and after two years of traveling back and forth, Carolina moved to Paris to join Juan and begin their life together. A year later, he proposed, and the couple decided to eventually settle in Portugal, which also became their DIY destination wedding location.
The couple envisioned a wedding that felt intimate, beautiful, and fun without the pressure of extravagance. They found the perfect venue at Quinta de São Thiago, nestled in the lush hills of Sintra. “We wanted a venue that felt dreamy and was already beautiful on its own, without much need for extra decor,” Carolina shares. “We also wanted a place where close family and friends could spend the night.”
From the very beginning, Carolina and Juan took on the planning themselves. “I’ve always been a super crafty, hands-on person and knew I could tackle this project,” Carolina says. “We didn’t really have the budget for a wedding planner, so we did a lot of the work ourselves.” Their planning process started with a Pinterest board to define the overall look and feel, and their top priority was securing a venue early so guests flying in from different countries had time to sort their flights.
With a keen eye for design, the couple prioritized photography and videography to preserve their special memories. “We were quite picky when choosing a photographer because we wanted someone who truly understood the vibe of our wedding, and Junebug vendor João Pedro Felix did that perfectly,” Carolina shares. As a heartfelt gift, a dear friend also filmed their wedding on Super 8, adding a nostalgic, cinematic touch to their memories.
What We Love About This DIY Destination Wedding:
- Carolina and Juan didn’t sacrifice aesthetics despite a tight budget.
- They served fresh-made pizza for dinner instead of a formal meal.
- Carolina’s mom, a fashion designer, created both of her wedding dresses.
- The bride, a pastry chef, baked her own wedding cake and cookies for a dessert bar.
- A friend gifted them a Super 8 film of their wedding, making their memories even more special.
Featured Vendor:
With creativity and resourcefulness, the couple made their DIY destination wedding uniquely their own. Carolina designed their invitations, welcome signs, and menus, while her mother, a fashion designer, sewed custom table runners, decorative ribbons, and even Carolina’s two wedding dresses. “She was so happy to be in charge of my dresses. I wanted something simple and elegant for the main dress and something a bit more fun for the second one.”
Among the many memorable moments, one that stood out was their vow exchange. “Since we did so much of the wedding ourselves, we were quite stressed leading up to it. We hadn’t even had time to write our vows until the night before! But once we were up there, looking at each other all dressed up, surrounded by our friends and family, saying beautiful words to each other, it all made sense and was all worth it.”
The couple worked within a tight budget, relying on their creativity and the generosity of their loved ones to bring their big day to life. “My mom was a huge help during the whole process, especially in the last few weeks leading up to the wedding,” Carolina shares. “But also, lots of our close family pitched in, helping us with last-minute details. Our friends were super supportive and a big help.” Despite financial constraints, they remained committed to their aesthetic vision. “We prioritized having good food and good vibes. We wanted everything to look beautiful, as we are both very aesthetically driven. We didn’t want to sacrifice having the wedding of our dreams due to a tighter budget—and we didn’t!”
While many couples opt for a formal multi-course meal, the couple took a different route. “We realized catering would be a huge chunk of our budget, and we didn’t even want a formal dinner,” Carolina explains. “Instead, we decided to serve some of our favorite food—pizza and fries!” They found an amazing sourdough pizza restaurant to make fresh, made-to-order pizzas for each guest, and for cocktail hour, they hired a company specializing in truffle fries and croquettes. “Everybody loved it.”
As a pastry chef, Carolina took on the challenge of making her own wedding cake and a special dessert bar filled with homemade cookies. “All my friends and family know and love my cookies, so I made about 150 mini cookies in various flavors and served them buffet-style after dinner,” she says.
Planning a wedding from scratch is no small feat, and Carolina offers honest advice: “Being so hands-on in the wedding planning process is definitely not for everyone! It was quite challenging, but I also really enjoyed it. Planning, creating a vibe, food, florals, and hosting are all things I love and am very passionate about, so it was amazing to do all these things for our own wedding.” Her biggest takeaway? “I couldn’t have done it without the help of loved ones. My biggest tip is don’t be afraid to ask for help! People who love you want to see you happy on your big day and are most likely very willing to help in any way they can—just ask.”
