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.
Vendor Credits
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 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
Bride Getting Ready ⎜ Recess LA — recessla.com
Bride Getting Ready ⎜ Vault Vintage London — vaultvintage.shop
Bridal 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
Second Look ⎜ Ouma Atelier — ouma.co
MUAH ⎜ Ricardo Pedro Lab — ricardopedrolab.com
Groom Suit ⎜ Jacquemus — jacquemus.com
Groom Shoes ⎜ Marzeri Milano — marzerimilano.com
Groom Wedding Band ⎜ Family heirloom
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 €8,000.
If you are planning a wedding at Marqí or somewhere like it in the Sintra region, we would love to hear from you.