RELAXED LUXURY WEDDINGS: THE PERFECT BLEND OF ELEGANCE & EASE
COLLABORATION WITH
RELAXED LUXURY WEDDINGS
What really is a relaxed luxury wedding? How do you have one? Why are couples opting for this option? How does Magdalena choose the right vendors for her couples?
ATB Weddings owner, was the perfect candidate for this topic & she has got all the info you could ever want. So, feel free to listen to our interview OR read the transcript & summary, below:
INTRO
“Hey, hey, everyone. Savannah here with THE CURATED podcast by The Lopes Photography here. You can find interviews with ones in the wedding industry, creative entrepreneurs, and other photographers, videographers, some hot takes tips for brides and grooms, other creatives to learn from, as well as just all the things that we've learned along the way.
Basically we cover it all. So this is your go to podcast.
So I would love to not waste more of your time. You're not wasting my time. This is my jam. Okay, good. Yeah, this subject, I think everyone's excited about it. We have a lot of people joining. This is so exciting.
But I know that this subject is like quite to your heart. So I thought. This is like perfect, I think.
But just for ones who don't know Magdalena,— Magdalena is an international destination wedding planner or international wedding planner, All Things Beautiful and so we would just love to pick your brain a little bit, but also just hear more about this topic of relaxed luxury weddings.
So in the beginning, of course, we want to tell our listeners about your work or you explain a little bit about you and your brand and yeah, just like you. Okay, but please, honey, always, you know, be sure to stop me at some point because I think, you know, already that once I start, it's hard for me to stop talking.
You're a passionate person. That's okay. So to give you a little bit of, you know, my spiel to introduce myself to your listeners as well. All Things Beautiful. My company is an international destination wedding company. And what I focus on my work. are highly personalized, well curated, bespoke celebrations around Europe and beyond. And I think one thing that I always like to stress here is one core belief that I have that I centered my work around, and that is that the beauty that we are surrounded by, the spaces that we are in, well curated spaces that we are in, have the power to affect how we feel and experience things, experience events. So beauty, hence the name of my company. The beauty is not just there to be admired. It is something that we use very consciously, intentionally as a tool to evoke certain emotions to make sure that the whole wedding event, it's not just beautiful in an aesthetic sense. It is also a beautiful, all encompassing experience for the couple and their guests.
So that's in a nutshell what I do if it is about my couples. I always say that my focus here is the design loving, architecture loving couples, international crowd. I have a lot of couples that one person is from one part of the world, another one from the other, and their wedding is the place where they're, them and their families meet in this beautiful setup of their wedding.
1. WHAT REALLY IS A RELAXED LUXURY WEDDING? WHY ARE COUPLES OPTING FOR A RELAXED LUXURY WEDDING?
I love that. I love your approach too. It's a little bit different than I think the, the traditional, um, I really appreciate it. I've, we've been big, big fans for a long while. So, thank you so much. And I know it's like beneficial for other brides who aren't really sure what kind of. Winning planner that they want as well.
We have quite a few listening as well, so it's exciting for them to hear a bit about your approach. Um, now in terms of, so since relaxed luxury is quite your forte as we talked about, can you explain to us what really is. A relaxed luxury wedding. And why are so many you think leaning into this idea?
Absolutely. I think before we dive into what exactly is relaxed luxury, I think we ought to acknowledge that the very definition of the word luxury has been somewhat diluted recently. The lines of what actually defines luxury have been somewhat blurred and. What I think could help this conversation, this discourse in our all in our international wedding planning community, the wedding industry is the very clear distinction that I like to make.
And it is what feels like luxury. And this is very subjective. And what actually is luxury, what falls into the category of luxury product, luxury service, luxury budget, luxury price tag. So. The example that I like to give here is let's take a car. So for some people, the mere fact of having a car is a luxury.
Well, for other people, it is more about the type of car that they are having. So what feels like a luxury, as I said, this is something that. So to some people, it's going to be outsourcing the things that they don't have the time for or outsourcing things that they don't enjoy doing to other people. The mere fact of having a wedding planner, that is already luxury.
And that is all is subjective to all of us. I think, you know, us at least being women, we can always say that. A lot of hours of sleep. This is a luxury that helps us look beautiful and our best selves. So what is luxury to you? That is subjective. While what falls into the category of luxury product, luxury service, this is something that we can't really argue with.
It is a quite strict category. So speaking of that category, when we're talking about luxury weddings, obviously one defining characteristic of what luxury is, is the quality. And I think this is where we should start quality is really what is going to define luxury wedding. And this is the quality of suppliers, the quality of the venue, materials, and craftsmanship, all of that falls into that category of luxury.
Now what is relaxed luxury? I think, What draws people into that is, and what that actually is, is this ease of it. It's that the whole world relaxed. Making it seem as it is just so it's, you know, Oh, I woke up like this. It's this effortless feel that makeup, makeup, makeup, uh, the, you know, I just woke up by, Oh, my hair is always like this, you know, Oh my god, didn't touch it at all.
I feel like what draws people in is this feeling of ease. And while we had years and years of understanding luxury weddings as something that is very out there, and this is still very much happening, many people choose to have weddings like that. We can think of some celebrity weddings that would fall into that category, where they have massive displays and everything is very big and very out there.
Relaxed luxury is less about the wow factor. It's about being very intentional with where we put that attention, where we draw guests attention. It's about creating a journey. And I think to best describe relaxed luxury, I love to use an example of Marie Antoinette and her, and I have to apologize to all French speaking people because my French does not exist, but her chateau, uh, Le Petit Trianon.
So it was kind of a fantasy of a cottage in a countryside. But if anyone knows anything about Marie Antoinette, she wouldn't be going pick up the eggs from chickens. It was beautifully shown in Sofia Coppola's movie when her maids would go and clean the eggs so they were just beautiful, pristine eggs before she picked them up.
So it's this kind of relaxed, cottage feeling. It's just, you know, it's just beautiful. It's so cool. Nothing is really happening here. But there's a lot of work and a lot of intention behind it. And I think this is what is the relaxed luxury. So I feel people who people, brides, grooms, and people who are drawn to that aesthetic, they appreciate the quality.
They understand that quality really is what makes the difference. And that comes with more often than not with a luxury price tag, it is making it still feel effortless and not intimidating. So we want it to be an inviting space for people. We want this to be. Again, we can use this word gazillion times.
It's just relaxed experience for the guests and for the couple. So I feel it all centers around the word ease as if it's not too stressed. Everyone is not, Oh my God, what do we do now? There is this shot that we have to have. There is this part of the event. It's more experience and just leaning into the experience of the day and treating it as.
You know, just another afternoon. We just got married and everything was perfect. I love that. I love that. I think that was super helpful for many who have been wondering, or even considering this for themselves, you know?
2. WHAT ARE SOME THINGS THAT YOU WON’T COMPROMISE WITH A RELAXED LUXURY WEDDING?
So then for you as well, what are some, like, non negotiable things for you to be able to plan, a relaxed luxury wedding and to not compromise on quality, et cetera? So I would say non negotiables. I would say It's setting right priorities and by right, I don't mean that some are better than the others, but it is for the couples to prioritize certain things over others.
It's having a very clear vision and obviously your planner is also there to help you refine that vision, but having a very good understanding of what is that you're looking for and where do you see that wedding? And that wedding budget, because let's not kid ourselves. This is what we're discussing.
When we're discussing wedding planning, we're discussing budgets. So the way I like to look at it is through the lens of what your priorities are. For some, this is going to be the entertainment and photography for others. It's going to be the details like stationery and flowers. Everyone has, I always ask my couples as well to name two to three priorities.
What would be the “it parts” of their wedding day in terms of the design. There will be one non negotiable, and that is having a very clear vision of how that day is going to, is going to go for them, what they are looking for in that day, be that from the visual part or the experience part.
You mentioned the non negotiable part. For you to not compromise in quality. What's priority for them. And then is there something else on your side that you're like, this is part of my experience, this is like, in order to really have the relaxed luxury.
I need to make sure you do this or have this or I wouldn't say there is anything in particular that I could point to like, Oh, if you don't have this, this is not going to be relaxed luxury. The type of wedding. I feel like the relaxed part is as we were chatting just a moment ago. It's more of an experience.
It's everything around the wedding. It's not just one thing. So I wouldn't say I could point to oh, you know, you have to have that type of flower or something but it is all the things being used in a very intentional way to achieve this ease during the day and I feel like that's where the wedding planner, the person who's coordinating your event really plays a massive role and that is steering the guests so they know exactly what is happening from start to finish.
So there's no point where guests are like, okay, what, what, what are we doing right now? Cocktail. Where is it? Taking care of the guests and the couple in order for everything to feel very smooth. So there is no room for questioning. What is happening? Where are we going? What's going to happen in a second?
To, to have a very smooth flow as well as for each event, let's say, you know, the typical way of doing things very traditional would be the ceremony, cocktail, reception, after party for this flow to be very easy. So the guests don't have to question what is happening. Exactly. That's the last thing I want.
At the same time, for each part to be engaging and fun enough for them. So they are not waiting like, Okay, when is the food coming? Where are we going? Like, we wanna, we wanna move. So I feel like that is what I would say. The one thing that we really need to focus on, this is how we bring that ease so everything feels effortless.
It's all the work behind. So this is not necessarily something that I can tell my couples. You know, this is what you need because this is really in the tasks that I put on myself and on my team to make that happen. But no, I wouldn't say there's like one thing, you know. It's a couple different things.
Yeah, definitely a couple of things. That's for sure. Sure, because also you're very inspired and all of your weddings are inspired also by architecture. So is that also something like that also plays into the relaxed luxury or? This is a great question because it can, but it doesn't have to.
Again, I'm gonna go back to the experience. I feel like when we're talking about relaxed luxury, we talked a lot about experience, when it comes to the look because I feel like you know, maybe we didn't talk enough about the relaxed look. So I feel this would be and that's where the architecture also can come into place. But the overall design as well, it would be opting for solutions that are not super polished or striking a balance between what is very polished and very clear lines, very simple.
They're not necessarily very simple, but very clear and very well defined with something that feels a little bit maybe undone. So that could be the contrast that I personally love to strike is to have. Let's say more minimalist architecture, very clean lines, a lot of geometry that photographs so beautifully and at the same time, contrasting that with a little bit more modern approach to let's say flowers and doing something that feels more like referencing the landscape, something that doesn't feel like just very neat arrangements in a traditional sense, which can be beautiful, but I feel like the This relaxed feel comes from this seemingly just, you know, we just took a couple of flowers, put them in a vase and they just happen to look this, you know, effortlessly gorgeous while there's hours of choosing materials, incredible scale floors, et cetera.
So I would say it's about striking the balance between what is clean and very pristine with something a little bit more undone. I think like the way we dress in order to give that effortless, maybe. Like, Parisian chic is this, you know, beautiful outfit. Everything is very prim and proper, but then just a little bit of messy hair to that. I think the relaxed part in terms of visuals is in this contrast of giving it a little, you know, wink and a little bit of just undone. I feel like that's what's fun, and that's what makes people go, Oh, okay, okay, relax.
Because at the end of the day, it's people, right? So, everyone has different personalities and stuff like that, so it's almost like a, a very personable thing as well, rather than just like, Okay, we gotta stand here and, you know, be tense. I imagine, relaxed. Like, they can feel like themselves. Like, they don't need to feel just because it's at a wedding you can't feel you like yourself. I think you just hit the nail on the head when you said when it has a natural feel. It feels like you, I always tell my couples that my main goal when it comes to the design, the overall vision for the wedding is for their guests, to enter the space and say oh my god, this is so them I feel like because when you come to someone else's house You don't know a person and you come to their home.
You might feel a little bit like Okay, I don't know this person. How do I behave? But when you're coming to your friend's house, you're like, okay, this is where the kitchen is. This is where she keeps the good tea. This is, you know, the sofa. This is her dog. You kind of already understand yourself in that space.
However beautiful, grand, or even intimidating, you feel more at ease. And I feel like such a good illustration to explain. So I feel like it's this aspect of just bringing that personality and really making it feel like the couple that is also what contributes to this kind of relaxed feel. Right. So good.
3. HOW DO YOU GO ABOUT FINDING THE RIGHT VENDORS FOR YOUR CLIENTS, WHAT DO YOU LOOK FOR WHEN HAVING THEM AS YOUR GO-TO VENDORS?
Because I know people also are wanting to hear that but it's perfect because this is all of the what you what you give to so, how do you even go about finding the right vendors for your clients as well as like, what do you look for? For when having them as your also preferred vendors.
I know we kind of talked about it a little today. Yeah, yeah. But, you know. Okay. We're gonna get there. A little rant. So where do we start with kind of finding them, finding the right people? It, again, goes back to having a very clear and refined vision for the wedding. So it is understanding the atmosphere that we want to create and the look that we want to create, which are tied together, obviously.
And once we have that understanding, and I feel like for any couple, the biggest chunk of work with their planner is refining that vision so all three are really on the same page. So this is where we start with. For me, personally, while I have some people that I have worked with in the past and it has resulted in weddings that I have been I mean i've been proud of all of my weddings, but it resulted in a fantastic atmosphere on the day It had really felt like a creative collaboration then obviously those are the people whose talent not only I admire there are also the people that I would definitely like to work with again, but I wouldn't necessarily say I have a preferred list of vendors. I think I would be doing my couples a disservice if I had a go to list of you know.
There are people who are top of my head, people who I have worked with, people who I have connected with, people whose work I admire and are still kind of on top of my list. I just recently started working for one wedding with a stationery designer who we've connected, I think, two years ago, and I've been a huge admirer of her work.
So I wouldn't say I have, as I said, one set list of, oh, these are my preferred vendors, because again, that would be a disservice to my couples. I'm more looking at styles and, being very visually driven. I have quite good memory. Oh, I've seen something like that or that would fit that vision that we have here.
So let's say we're looking for incorporating, let's say, dry branches and whatever in flowers. I'm like, okay. I think I saw something along those lines with that person and that person, I'm going to inquire to them. But I will always conduct a thorough research to see if maybe someone new came around. And then I will reach out to my colleagues and ask, Hey, has anyone worked with these people? Can you tell me what was your experience?
Because what I think many, many people probably don't realize is that the experience that we have working on the day really contributes to the success of the wedding. There are people with whom it's not just fun working with because, you know, you know how weddings go.
It can be very crazy, but it can be also a lot of fun. We have a lot of laughs and apart from hard work. It's just also a lot of fun. But at the same time you want to work with people on whom you can count on, you know, who are going to be team players. I don't necessarily believe in. Oh, this. Vendor is more important than that vendor.
Everyone has a critical role to play. Everyone has been brought there for a particular reason. So I will always vet those recommendations. If I haven't worked with someone I'm gonna jump on a call. I'm gonna chat with this person, I'm gonna go through their portfolio. Of course, there's always a risk of you know. If i’m working with someone new I can't really vouch for them because I haven't worked with them in the past having said that for Each of my couples, I have been a person they haven't worked with before.
So there's this element of just putting trust in, in people that you're working with. So I feel like that's where the secret sauce, so to say, is, is the. Not really keeping a closed, um, set of people that you work with, because I feel like that's limiting to you as a creative, but also to your couples in terms of what you can offer them.
I mean, as you know, every day, it seems like there's a new artist and a new creative. So, and someone may be better than the other or have something else that they can give, you know, it's like. Equal opportunity, of course, which is, yeah, I really appreciate you, that you do take the time to, of course, research and talk to others just to make sure, but at the end of the day, choosing ones that fit. What your couples need.
4. ARE THERE CERTAIN THINGS THAT YOU LOOK FOR IN VENDORS, DON’T APPRECIATE? A LITTLE HOT TAKE.
Even when ones are also on your radar, are there certain things that, that you look for or that you don't appreciate? For example, a little hot take. I think you might be just referencing today's little hot take. I don't know. I'm not really sure. So, just to picture the situation that I found myself in and kind of what I feel is very important from this. Maybe less for brides themselves, but more for us as creatives in the industry, vendors, creatives.
What is extremely important to me, apart from obviously feeling aesthetically aligned in a certain sense. I feel like each one of us, from photographer, florist, stationery designer, wedding content creator, planner, we all have our own aesthetics, styles that are natural to us. Like for myself, do I love maximalism and crazy, very loud and outdoor weddings? I do love this, but I wouldn't do that because that's just not who I am as a designer. You just have to understand who you are and what your style is. So I think understanding that is the very first step here to just be aware of what your style is. So I would say, seeing if you feel like we are aligned aesthetically, for sure.
If what I do. speaks to you. If what you do speaks to me, I think what is what turns out to be the best. It really is counterproductive when we're trying to force connections with people just because maybe this is a very sought after photographer right now. But when you look at their work and at your work, you're like, I don't see this.
I just doesn't look at me as a planner and like she doesn't do anything that interests me. So I feel like there is this aesthetic kind of alignment. And then there is a personal connection. And to me, that is about building that connection. Sometimes with me being a very small studio, and big bespoke one, I take a handful of weddings every year.
So they're creatives that I am in touch with for a couple of years. And it's only after a few years that I'm able to actually inquire with them and work with them because that's the time when those stars align for us. So in terms of vendors, I would say it is the aesthetics and that personal connection building that connection because at the end of the day, I would always choose someone who's more of a team player who's creative.
I would maybe choose someone who has less of ideas, but are a team player, and I know is going to give them, give me and the couple they're all, instead of someone who's just there acting like a diva, which can happen in any vendor creative category, by the way, so. Personal connection, building that personal connection and, aesthetics.
Yeah, I would say those are the two main things. Got it. Got it. Man, you have blown our minds today. And I'm sure everyone that's listened is like, wow, there's so much to one to know because there's a lot to know about weddings and also aesthetics and just. But also what's important to certain people as well as, as being a professional in the industry, what to expect and just, yeah, all that stuff.
5. IS THERE ADVICE YOU WOULD LIKE TO GIVE TO A STARTING PLANNER?
Someone is asking on the chat, is there advice you would like to give to a starting planner? I forever consider myself a starting planner. Let me start right there.
That is a beautiful question. I think the best advice I can give is to really lean into What feels right to you in terms of the people that you want to serve and work for, the spaces that you would like to work in and connecting with people who really speak to you. I remember in the very, very beginning, before I even formally set up my company, I remember when a mentor of mine was trying to ask me a question.
Okay, but what's your, what's your niche? Style. What are we talking about? I was like, they want boho. I can give them boho. They want, you know, elegant. I can give them that. And it took me time to realize that it's not about serving everyone. It's about finding your niche, but finding a niche, not in a sense like, Ooh, no one is doing that, but finding your niche in a sense of doing something that really feels like you, that the aesthetic, the style, the atmosphere that really comes from your heart, that really speaks to you and comes naturally to you because that is going to make it easier for you to connect with other people.
And that's how I started. I've been incredibly lucky to connect with like minded people who, when I was very new, I didn't have any experience under my belt. I had incredible people who have given me their time, who have jumped on a call, given a chance to a complete newbie. So. find your people, find people who you feel, do what you would like to do, whose aesthetic, whose style of working really speaks to you because that is that secret sauce that is going to allow you to be a planner of your own and create a community of your own.
So for ones who are newer planners as well, but even the tip that you gave is important for any person that's starting off with any business, as well, but of course in the industry.
When you find ones like we try to do as well like to give people a chance and to just help to give tips, it just helps everyone to grow. Yeah. And I feel like ultimately that approach is what benefits our couples.
That's the connection that I'm talking about, you know, throughout, this, chat that we have is this personal connection, just connecting with like minded people, that is where the magic happens, I feel like. That was a very cliche way of putting it. But I did.
Are you interested in knowing how you can book us, as your photographers & Magdalena, as your wedding planner?
As PORTUGAL WEDDING PHOTOGRAPHERS & destination wedding photographers, we'd be more than happy to speak with you about your day!