Three Days at Marqí, Sintra
Marqí is a mid-century hotel built into the hillside of Colares, at the edge of the Sintra mountains and close enough to the Atlantic that you feel it in the air. The building was designed in the 1980s for entertaining, and holding a three-day wedding there felt like a continuation of that original purpose.
The weekend began at Casal de Santa Maria, a winery estate between the ocean and the Serra, with an afternoon of wine and tennis on their court. The photographs from that first day have a particular looseness: late summer light in Colares, the formality not yet arrived.
Keely and Josh were specific in their choices throughout. For getting ready, a vintage Valentino slip and a 1960s peignoir. For the ceremony, Anna Campbell. Josh wore Jacquemus. The jewelry was vintage Saint Laurent. The morning after, the group gathered again around Marqí's pool for açaí and the easy rhythm of a celebration that had already given everything it had.
We photographed across all three days on digital, moving between the vineyards of Casal de Santa Maria and Marqí's interiors and terraces as the light changed through the Serra.
If you are planning a wedding at Marqí or somewhere like it in the Sintra region, we would love to hear from you.
“We had the most incredible experience with The Lopes Photography for our wedding in Portugal and cannot recommend Savannah and Rui enough!
Our wedding photos are absolutely stunning, we could not be happier with them. They covered everything that we asked for and also captured so many special in the moment photos and details from the day. Savannah and Rui truly went above and beyond in every way to make sure that everything was perfect.
Ahead of the wedding, they really sought to understand our vision and we discussed photography styles (how we wanted to use film photography, black and white vs. colour, intentional blur etc.) and created moodboards for each event that they distilled into briefs with timelines and photography inspo. They really took the time to understand what we wanted whilst also inspiring us with ideas and all of the communication was exceptional.
On the first day of our wedding event they made us feel so comfortable. We are not used to modelling but they both just bring so much positive energy and made us feel so relaxed, comfortable, and confident. We felt we had bonded with them over the calls (Keely appreciating that Savannah was also from California!) but meeting them in person really solidified how supportive, fun, and professional they were. We had a few last minute changes on our wedding owing to unforeseen weather, and Savannah and Rui not only accommodated everything but also gave advice for how we might want to pivot our plans given the weather (even being conscientious about Keely's hair and make-up while balancing getting the shots we wanted).
After the wedding, we had so much fun looking through our Polaroids after the wedding, they really helped us process the whirlwind of a day. They shared some sneak peeks with us which were gorgeous, and then we received our full album 3 months after. It is clear how much care, effort, and time they put into editing our photos.
We are so grateful to both Savannah and Rui, we absolutely could not recommend them any more highly to anyone looking for wedding photography. Thank you so much for everything, we really appreciate it.”
— Keely & Josh
Vendor Credits
wine tasting welcome event - day 1
Welcome Event Venue ⎜ Casal de Santa Maria casalstamaria.pt
Welcome Event ⎜ Frederico Gil instagram.com/fredericogil
Welcome Event Tennis Balls ⎜ Gigi & Olive instagram.com/gigiandolive_
Wedding day - day 2
Wedding Venue ⎜ Marqí marqi.holiday
Wedding Coordinators ⎜ Crowned Events crownedevents.com
Wedding Coordinators ⎜ R Concept Weddings rconcept.pt/weddings
Videographer ⎜ Alex Movies Alexmovies.com
Catering ⎜ Boa Vista Social Club instagram.com/boavista.socialclub
Catering ⎜ Alfredo 24 instagram.com/alfredo24__
Bartender ⎜ Private Chef Portugal instagram.com/privatechefportugal
Florals ⎜ Pequeno Jardim pequenojardim.com
Rentals ⎜ ENA Catering & Eventos instagram.com/enacateringeeventos
Nata Tower ⎜ Vegan Nata instagram.com/vegannata.pt
DJ ⎜ Your Jukebox jukebox.com.pt
MUAH ⎜ Ricardo Pedro Lab ricardopedrolab.com
Bride’s Getting Ready Outfit
Bride Getting Ready ⎜ Recess LA recessla.com
Bride Getting Ready ⎜ Vault Vintage London vaultvintage.shop
Bride’s Main Look
Wedding Dress ⎜ Anna Campbell Bridal via En Blanc Bride annacampbell.com.au
Veil ⎜ Bridal Stories PT bridalstories.pt
Jewelry ⎜ Vintage Saint Laurent saintlaurent.com
Bag ⎜ Vintage Gucci via Lana Bu Vintage instagram.com/lanabuvintage
Bridal Shoes ⎜ Bobbies bobbies.com
Engagement & Wedding Rings ⎜ Frank Darling frankdarling.com
Bride’s Second Look
Second Look Dress ⎜ Ouma Atelier ouma.co
Groom’s Attire
Groom’s Suit ⎜ Jacquemus jacquemus.com
Groom’s Shoes ⎜ Marzeri Milano marzerimilano.com
Groom’s Wedding Band ⎜ Family heirloom
aÇaí brunch - day 3
Bride Pool Look ⎜ Ziah ziah.com.au
Bride Pool Look ⎜ Jeffrey Campbell jeffreycampbell.com
Planning a Wedding at Marqí? Questions We're Often Asked
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Marqí offers complete hotel exclusivity for events. The property has eight rooms across the building, and a full buyout gives couples and their guests total privacy for the duration of the celebration. There are no other hotel guests on the property. Keely and Josh took Marqí for three days, which is how the hotel works best for weddings that extend beyond a single afternoon.
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Marqí suits intimate celebrations. The property's eight rooms and indoor and outdoor spaces work best for groups where the guest count is proportionate to the character of the space. If your list extends beyond 40 or 50 guests, there are larger venues in the Sintra region that would suit better. If you are planning something considered and deliberate, Marqí's scale is part of what makes it right.
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Late spring and early autumn are the most reliable months for light and temperature. Keely and Josh married at the end of September, which gave us the long afternoons and the filtered Atlantic quality that the Serra de Sintra holds in those weeks. July and August are possible but bring more tourist traffic to the wider Sintra area. May, June, and September are the months we would reach for first.
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The mid-century character of the property gives the photography a different register entirely. There are no frescoed ceilings or gilded rooms. Instead: original furniture from the 1980s, a pool terrace that holds afternoon light in a particular way, a rooftop with views over the Colares hills, and interiors that reward restraint. Marqí rewards an editorial approach more than a documentary one, which is what we bring.
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The hotel sits on the hillside of Colares, within the Sintra National Park, roughly 45 minutes from Lisbon airport. It is close enough to the rest of Sintra for guests to explore, and around fifteen minutes on foot from Praia Grande. Casal de Santa Maria, the winery estate where Keely and Josh held their welcome event, is in the same Colares area.
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Almost all of the couples we work with are traveling from outside Portugal. Marqí's team works with international couples and the 45 minute transfer from Lisbon airport makes logistics straightforward. If you are considering Marqí for a multi-day celebration, the full hotel buyout is the arrangement to ask about first. Our starting investment for wedding photography is €10,000.
If you are planning a wedding at Marqí or somewhere like it in the Sintra region, we would love to hear from you.
