Quinta da Serra, Sintra: another wedding party for the photographer

Among the wedding guests, the bride and groom watch a puppet show in her honor at Quinta da Serra, by the wedding photographer in Sintra.

ABOUT THE OTHER THINGS by THE WEDDING PHOTOGRAPHER IN SINTRA

Among the wedding guests, the bride and groom watch a puppet show in her honor at Quinta da Serra, by the wedding photographer in Sintra.

The photos belong to a wedding with the ceremony at São Martinho Church in Sintra and the party at Quinta da Serra


• Pode ler este artigo em Português. 

The photographs were caught at the wedding

Two girls, at the Parish Church of São Martinho de Sintra, before starting the wedding ceremony, pose for the wedding photographer.

I usually only show here the photographs that include the wedding couple I want to highlight. Today I decided to widen the scope a little and give a small glimpse, on the one hand, of who else was there and, on the other, to better complete what a wedding party photographed by me really is.

I often say that I don’t take photographs, I catch them. That is my pleasure as the one responsible for telling the story of the day. And that day has several stages that require the photographer to approach the subject in as many different ways.

Searching for accidental photos

The groom with a hand on a boy's shoulder as he talks to him before starting the wedding ceremony.

There are moments when, like a curious cat, I explore the best way to frame the main subject — the groom and the bride — for instance, while they get ready. Then there is the quick response moment, when, like a seasoned sea captain, I dictate the rules for the final portrait after they’re dressed. And then come the moments of the whitewater canoeist, navigating the unstoppable current while still glancing sideways, searching for the accidental photo that cannot be missed and adds depth to the main subject.

Mission accomplished, by the wedding photographer

The groom in conversation with guests who begin to fill the Parish Church of São Martinho de Sintra, for the wedding ceremony.

And all of this happens in waves of excitement and calm, without being able to decide when one comes and the other goes. Not to mention — as I already shared in an earlier post — the travels back and forth, the lack of parking in front of the church door, and sometimes a GPS behaving like a mischievous friend taking us to the wrong place. In the end, there’s that rewarding feeling of a job well done.

That’s why I always show here, with a quiet kind of pride, a summary (because there is so much more) of what the wedding day of Stephanie and Luís, with whom I had the great pleasure of sharing their day. I truly enjoyed it.

The Ceremony at Igreja de São Martinho

A girl leaning on the bench of the Parish Church of São Martinho de Sintra, while waiting for the bride for the wedding ceremony.

The wedding ceremony of Stephanie and Luís took place at the historic Igreja de São Martinho in Sintra, followed by a lively party at Quinta da Serra. As a wedding photographer, I had the privilege of capturing every moment of this special day, from the couple’s preparations to the celebration with the guests.

A wedding guest, seated in the church, rests his chin in his hand, with two girls in front of him, out of focus.

Igreja de São Martinho, located in the historic centre of Sintra, is a landmark of great religious and architectural importance. Founded between 1147 and 1154 by King Afonso Henriques, the church was rebuilt after the 1755 earthquake and now displays a Pombaline architectural style. Its sober façade contrasts with the welcoming interior, creating the perfect setting for a wedding ceremony.

During the ceremony, I captured emotional moments between the bride, the groom, and the wedding guests, as well as the unique details that make every wedding special. The natural light filtering through the church windows created an intimate and romantic atmosphere, ideal for authentic and memorable wedding photographs.

Ceremony Highlights:

  • Historic and welcoming atmosphere of Igreja de São Martinho
  • Emotional moments between the groom, the bride, and the wedding guests
  • Architectural details that enrich wedding photographs

The Celebration at Quinta da Serra

The groom enters the Parish Church of São Martinho de Sintra with his mother for the wedding ceremony.

After the ceremony, the couple and their guests moved on to Quinta da Serra, a charming venue in Sintra, ideal for wedding parties. With spacious gardens and personalised decor, the quinta offers the perfect setting to celebrate the wedding day.

During the party, I recorded joyful and relaxed moments — from the toasts to the emotional speeches, from dancing to the shared celebration with the wedding guests. Quinta da Serra provided a relaxed yet elegant environment, allowing me to capture spontaneous and lively wedding photographs.

Celebration Highlights:

  • Natural and elegant setting at Quinta da Serra
  • Celebration moments shared between the couple and the wedding guests
  • Personalised details reflecting the couple’s personality

The Art of Capturing Unique Moments

Interior of the Parish Church of São Martinho de Sintra, before the wedding ceremony.

As a wedding photographer, I believe the best photographs are those that capture authentic and spontaneous moments. On Stephanie and Luís’s wedding day, I stayed attentive to every detail — from the bride and groom’s preparations to the celebration with their guests.

My approach combines discretion with attention to detail, allowing me to record wedding photographs that tell each couple’s unique story. I believe that every wedding is a singular narrative, and my goal is to capture that essence through my lens.

What sets my work apart:

  • Capturing authentic and spontaneous moments
  • Attention to the details that make each wedding unique
  • Wedding photographs that tell the story of the wedding day

The photographs are caught at the wedding. This is my motto and the essence of my work as a wedding photographer. If you are looking for someone who will capture the authenticity and emotion of your wedding day, I am here to tell your story through my lens.

Give me a Call
  • You can see a full wedding story:
Wedding
The bride with her father, on the street, as they wait to enter the church for the wedding ceremony.
A girl with flowers in her hair and a branch in her hand, waits to enter the church with the bride.
The bride, with a bunch of flowers in her hand, prepares to enter the church, with her father and sister who help her with a veil.
Interior of the Parish Church of São Martinho de Sintra, with all the participants of the wedding.
The bride reads a paper, at the wedding ceremony.
The groom in conversation with the priest, in front of him and out of focus, in a part of the wedding ceremony.
Portrait of the bride, very calm, in one of the parts of the wedding ceremony.
In profile and behind blurred red flowers, the couple sits watching the wedding ceremony.
With a large candlestick in the foreground, the nave of the Parish Church of São Martinho de Sintra, with the wedding ceremony taking place.
Sitting in front of the church altar, the groom laughs, next to the bride with the priest, out of focus, in the foreground.
The couple, seated, look down as the wedding ceremony takes place.
The girl with the rings seen between the bride and groom and the priest.
The groom reads the marriage oath as he puts the ring on the bride's finger in front of her.
The bride at the moment of putting the ring on the finger of the groom who is in front of her.
After the wedding ceremony, the bride and groom smile looking at each other.
Among the guests who attend the wedding ceremony, a boy with his head on his mother's shoulder, who caresses him.
The priest, who presides over the wedding ceremony with his back turned, blesses the couple in front of him.
The couple look at each other, already married, still in the Parish Church of São Martinho de Sintra for the wedding ceremony.
The bride, in a black and white portrait by the wedding photographer, in front of a large lit candle, in the Parish Church of São Martinho de Sintra.
Beside a large lit candle, the groom looks down.
The bride looks ahead, near a lit candle, at the end of the wedding ceremony.
A lady teaches two girls to follow the texts of the wedding celebration, along with a guest singing.
The groom signs the marriage documents.
The bride while signing the wedding documents.
The bride and groom with the godparents and the priest, in the room where the official marriage documents are signed, at the Parish Church of São Martinho de Sintra.
On leaving the Parish Church of São Martinho de Sintra after the wedding ceremony, the bride and groom cut the hearts out of a cloth, as is customary in the bride's land.
The bride ends up cutting her heart out of a cloth, leaving the church at the end of the wedding ceremony.
The bride and groom among the hearts cut out of a cloth, as is the tradition in the land of the bride.
The bride and groom cross the hearts they cut out of a cloth, under flower petals.
The bride and groom among the guests in front of the Parish Church of São Martinho de Sintra, when they begin to receive greetings for the wedding.
The bride fixes her hair, in the midst of wedding guests, as she receives greetings.
The groom smiling at guests who congratulate him on the wedding.
Among guests, the bride laughing a lot.
The groom, with the bride, among wedding guests as they leave the church.
The bride, in front of the guests, leaving the churchyard of the Parish Church of São Martinho de Sintra.
The bride and groom with their guests in Sintra, on their way to the bus that will take them to Quinta da Serra in Sintra.
The wedding guests board the bus and head to the wedding party.
At Quinta da Serra in Sintra, the bride chats with guests, in front of many others who arrive.
Sitting in an armchair at Quinta da Serra in Sintra, the bride, with a glass in her hand, is helped by her sister to remove the veil from her hair.
Cards in a window with the names of the guests for the wedding meal tables.
At Quinta da Serra in Sintra, the wedding guests enjoy a convivial moment.
View of the wedding party venue at Quinta da Serra in Sintra, between large trees.
Wedding guests chat at Quinta da Serra in Sintra.
In the midst of wedding guests, during a moment of conviviality, the bride talks to a girl.
Two girls, with wreaths in their hair, attentive to something on a table.
The bride shows two girls and a friend a card on a table during the wedding party at Quinta da Serra in Sintra.
Between two unfocused guests, the bride's cake on a decorated table.
A friend of the bride and groom speaks while the bride and groom and other guests listen.
The groom, arms crossed, with the bride and other guests laugh at what is being said.
The bride, with the groom, speaks to her guests.
The groom thanks his guests for their presence at the wedding.
Along with the wedding cake, the groom serves a glass of champagne to the bride.
The bride's hands cutting the wedding cake, at Quinta da Serra in Sintra.
Amidst the trees of Quinta da Serra in Sintra, the bride and groom make a champagne toast after cutting the wedding cake.
A mother takes care of her little girl, sitting on a bench in the garden of Quinta da Serra in Sintra, during the wedding party.
Three girls paint a picture during their wedding conviviality before the meal.
A girl, with another at her side, paints a picture for the bride and groom to remember the day.
In the shade of trees at Quinta da Serra in Sintra, the bride chats with wedding guests, seated at a table.
The location of the wedding party at Quinta da Serra in Sintra, seen from the lake.
Inside the garden of Quinta da Serra in Sintra, wedding guests socialize.
The bride, with her sister with her back turned out of focus, with a cup of coffee in her hand.
Several wedding guests on a staircase at Quinta da Serra in Sintra.
Relatives of the bride walk through the garden of Quinta da Serra in Sintra.
Of the wedding guests, in profile, talking.
A wedding guest takes a picture of something.
The bride with three friends, see something on a cell phone.
The bride and groom sitting on the root of a large tree at Quinta da Serra in Sintra, during the photo session with the wedding photographer.
Face to face, the bride and groom pose for the wedding photographer.
In the background and among the trees of Quinta da Serra in Sintra, the bride and groom smile together.
Sitting on a wall of a fountain at Quinta da Serra in Sintra, the bride and groom look ahead.
The bride leans on the groom's shoulder, seen through a window during the session with the wedding photographer.
In front of the wall of the fountain at Quinta da Serra in Sintra, with yellow and green tiles, the newly married couple poses for the wedding photographer.
On a path in the garden of Quinta da Serra in Sintra, the bride and groom walk, back to back and holding hands, looking at each other.
The bride and groom walk, together and hugging, back to back, through the garden of Quinta da Serra in Sintra.
With the trees of the forest in the background, the bride and groom, holding hands with the bride looking at the groom.
The bride, seated on a log in the woods, with blue flowers in front of her.
Portrait of the smiling bride, with the trees in the woods in the background, by the wedding photographer.
The bride and groom, together, pose for the wedding photographer, with the trees of the Quinta da Serra forest in Sintra in the background.
Portrait of the groom with blurred trees and plants around him, by the wedding photographer.
Inside a tree at Quinta da Serra in Sintra, the groom embraces the bride as they look ahead.
The bride and groom standing in the foliage of a tree.
Through the branches of a tree in the Quinta da Serra forest in Sintra, the bride and groom, posing for the wedding photographer, smiling.
The bride, leaning forward, smiling at the wedding photographer at the photo shoot.
The newlyweds by the wall of the Quinta da Serra lake in Sintra, with children, out of focus, playing in front of them.
The bride and groom, in a black and white portrait, with children playing in the foreground.
With the late afternoon light in Sintra, the bride and groom look at each other, in the session with the wedding photographer.
The newly married couple, with their backs to each other and by the wall of the Quinta da Serra lake in Sintra, look at each other.
The bride, standing, with her bouquet at her side.
Leaning over the lake wall, the bride with the bouquet in front of her, out of focus.
Black and white portrait of the groom, sitting on the wall next to Quinta da Serra in Sintra, by the wedding photographer.
The couple enters the wedding meal room at Quinta da Serra in Sintra.
Sitting at the bride and groom's meal table at Quinta da Serra in Sintra, the bride smiles with flowers in front of her.
In the wedding dining room, the groom talks.
A couple of guests, together and at the table, look at a cell phone.
A little boy, seen between two wedding guests, looking at his cell phone.
A wedding guest at the table smiles with a blurred floral arrangement in front of her.
The bride, from the back, with flowers in her hair.
The groom smiling in conversation with someone at a wedding meal table.
At a wedding meal table at Quinta da Serra in Sintra, a couple chats with friends.
During the wedding party at Quinta da Serra in Sintra, two arms hug a neck as they dance.
A couple who are friends with the bride and groom dancing during the wedding reception.
The bride dances with her father.
A puppet show offered to the bride and groom.
Three girls sitting on two chairs have fun when the one in the middle opens her arms at the wedding party at Quinta da Serra in Sintra.
The band's singer introduces the groom's grandfather, next to him, at the wedding feast.
Wedding guests strike fun poses for the wedding photographer at the party at Quinta da Serra in Sintra.
The bride prepares to throw the bouquet to the singles at the wedding.
The bouquet still in the air, thrown by the bride, in the direction of the single women at the wedding.
The bride and groom dance with the band's singer in the foreground, out of focus.
The bride and groom dancing and talking at their wedding reception.
Closing the wedding party, the bride and groom, along with the remaining guests, dance for the last time.

By Fernando Colaço

I am Fernando Colaço a wedding photographer based in Portugal. My approach to wedding photography is open and not intruder, leaving the event just to happen. We may call it photojournalism. But, it is better to let the photos talk. I am at your service.

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