Ceremonies

“Thank you so much for all you did to make our wedding day so special! Our family and friends loved hearing our story and some of the intimate details and insights shared during our unique and beautiful ceremony!”

– Melissa & Maizer – married at Quinta da Murta in Bucelas, Portugal on the 10th of April 2019


Your Wedding Ceremony

Photo: Tiago Silva

Can you imagine loving your wedding ceremony so much, that after you kiss the love of your life, you turn to high-five your wedding celebrant?

Most couples don’t think about their ceremony in those terms… But what if we told you, that is exactly what we work towards with every couple!

What if we told you that after working with us, you will look back on your ceremony as one of the highlights of your day? And that you will describe it as the most “you” part of the day? Or that your family and friends will be complimenting you on your ceremony for weeks and months after your wedding day?

It isn’t only possible, it has already been the reality for many of our couples. Take a look here and here to read more about their experiences with us.

We aren’t telling you all of this to brag, instead, we want you to know what is possible. We create ceremonies that honor the importance of your commitment, reflect your cultures, languages, and personalities, and include all of your family and friends. Smiles, laughter, tears, hugs, and high-fives are all part of what each one of our completely personalized wedding ceremonies brings to your day. Stop thinking about your ceremony as something to “get through” on the way to the celebration and start thinking about it as the kickoff to your wedding celebration!


The Included Bits

Photo: The Framers

2023 Fee: €719 + travel expenses*

*Travel expenses are calculated based on the distance of your celebrant to your ceremony location. The total can, therefore, range from €719 to €959 in 2023 depending on the distance required to travel. The fee may be higher for ceremonies conducted outside of continental Portugal.

+If a booking is made less than 4 weeks before the wedding date, an additional fee of €50 rush fee is added.

Our fee includes all of the following:

  • Face-to-face (via the net) no obligation introduction meeting with your potential celebrant – so you can make sure you like us!
  • All and unlimited communications (Skype, telephone, and emails) necessary to create the ceremony
  • All of our creativity, excitement, and experience to create your ceremony – while you will work with only one celebrant, there is a whole team here to support them
  • A friend to help you understand all of your wedding ceremony options – really we are only limited by our imaginations
  • Production of original and customized wedding ceremony that will be just as awesome and as fun as you are
  • Unlimited edits and revisions of your ceremony – we want you to adore every word
  • Total and utter control of the final version of your ceremony – we only like surprises, if you do
  • A virtual rehearsal the week prior to your wedding day to ensure all the day of details are clear
  • A team of “back-up” celebrants so you don’t have to stress in case there is an emergency – it has never happened, but we like to be prepared
  • Guarantee that your celebrant has no other wedding on your big day
  • Arrival  45 minutes before your wedding ceremony start time – so we have time to coordinate with your DJ/musicians, photographer, and videographer
  • Performance of your ceremony that you and your guests will be talking about for years to come – so good we just may make you cry
  • All associated travel costs and up to 1 night stay in location – additional nights will incur costs
  • Free access to our video courses on how to write your wedding vows and wedding speech – helpful and easy to follow, these courses take the stress out of at least two parts of your wedding day

About our ceremonies

Photo: Hugo Coelho Fotografia

Don’t think for a moment that this has be to a stuffy white wedding. Instead, your ceremony can be exactly as you want it. Whether the bride walks down the aisle to a symphonic version of the theme to Jurassic Park (actually happened and it was beautiful!) or you want your two year old niece coaxed down the aisle with the rings or you are looking to create your own experience, we are excited to work with you to make it happen!

We know there is a lot of pressure to conform to the expectations of others. We don’t believe in that. We are here to make you, the couple that is marrying, happy. Your ceremony can be religious, spiritual, or secular. Your ceremony can be a private elopement or we can involve all 128 of your guests. Your ceremony can be serious and reflect the importance of the decision you are making or it can be funny to the point your sides hurt from laughing so hard. We adapt our style to you. If it makes you happy, we are happy to conduct your ceremony the way you wish.


Types of ceremonies

Photo: Luminous Photography

Our team conducts various types of ceremonies depending on the needs of the couple:  

  • Symbolic wedding ceremonies
  • Heterosexual wedding ceremonies
  • Same sex wedding ceremonies
  • Gender non-conforming wedding ceremonies
  • Vow renewal ceremonies
  • Elopements
  • Multilingual wedding ceremonies
  • Multicultural wedding ceremonies
  • Multireligion wedding ceremonies
  • Baby naming ceremonies
  • Funerals/Remembrances
  • Divorce/Separation ceremonies

*Please note that we do not perform legal wedding ceremonies. If this is your wish, you will need to be in contact with your Embassy and a “conservador” (lawyer) or priest, as those are the only legal ways to marry in Portugal.


Locations

Photo: Momento Cativo

We are available to travel throughout Portugal. Our wedding celebrants are based all over Portugal. Thus, we are available for weddings in the North of Portugal in the beautiful Douro Valley, in our stunning capital, Lisbon, and among the quintas of Torres Vedras. We conduct ceremonies on the beaches of Cascais and the palaces of Sintra, and all the way down to the sun-drenched Alentejo and Algarve. We are also available for weddings in other European counties and have previous experience in Italy, Spain, Croatia, France, and Holland.


How we  work

Photo: Danielaf S. Rodrigues
  1. Initial contact: This is your job! If you like what you see head over to our contact page and fill in the contact form. Alternatively, email us at Rita@WeddingCelebrantPT.com or call, text, or WhatsApp us at +351 928 151 822.
  2. Meet & Greet: After receiving your contact, we will arrange a video call with your potential celebrant. In this call, your celebrant will introduce herself, explain how we create a bespoke wedding ceremony for you, and answer any questions you have.
  3. Securing Service: This includes signing a contract and paying the deposit, which secures your celebrant’s services for your wedding date. We never double book, so you can rest assured that your celebrant is fully focused on your wedding day.
  4. The Juicy Bits: This is the video call where we dive into the fun part! We take our time in getting to know each person in the couple and hearing your whole story as a couple. We also will ask you about the logistics and details of the ceremony to understand what will best reflect you. We have lots of ideas and inspiration and like to act as a resource for you. Remember we are here for you! From there we strive to understand the ceremony requirements of the couple, which include, but are not limited to:
    • Language needs
    • Cultural traditions
    • Symbolic rituals
    • Vows
    • And anything else you wish to include!
  5. Magical Creative Process: We take everything that you have told us and we create a bespoke wedding ceremony that is totally unique to you! We then share the first draft with you and start taking on your feedback during this editing process to hone the script so that it is perfect for you. We will go back and forth as many times as we need to make sure you are happy with every detail.
  6. The Big Day: Your wedding celebrant arrives 1 hour before the ceremony with a big bright smile, ready to deliver your specially crafted wedding ceremony.
Photography: Picture at the top of the page by Daniela F. S. Rodrigues.