As a destination wedding photographer, I get opportunities to shoot weddings in places I would have never thought I’d go. Last summer I flew to Portugal and I shot the wedding of a very nice couple, half-French half-Portugese. The day before the wedding we took a stroll around the beautiful city of Porto and we made some great engagement shots.
Gondarém beach and Felgueiras lighthouse
We started off the day on Gondarém beach, a beautiful white sand beach only a few minutes driving from Porto city center. I was so lucky to capture this heart-shaped wave surrounding the couple ! Then we walked on the pier to Felgueiras lighthouse (Farolim das Felgueiras). This lighthouse is very charming with its great looking little red door. What a great spot for elopement shoot !
On the beach we found some rocks so I asked the couple if they were OK to stand there.
The city of Porto
Ok, I absolutely wanted to capture some great shots showing the beautiful city of Porto and its typical architecture. We started on the South bank of the Douro river to get a view on the famous district Bairro Da Ribeira and its typical colourful houses.
Then we crossed the Ponte Luis I bridge. It reminded me of the Eiffel tower, and as a matter of fact once we were on the other side, the avenue’s name is Avenue Gustavo Eiffel ! The bridge is truly is masterpiece and very suitable for photos. Although very crowded I managed to find some interesting angles to shoot the couple.
In Porto you don’t have to walk very far to find some great spots. The train station Porto São Bento is absolutely stunning, especially the walls ! Then there’s the Holy Trinity Church and so many other landmarks !
Elopement in Aveiro
In the afternoon we drove to Aveiro a small coast town South of Porto. It has some great looking colourful cottages along the beach. It really felt like being on holidays ! I wish we had stayed longer, but we had to head to Viseu where the wedding took place the next day. I will tell you all about it in a short while !
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