Wedding Vibes

Hi everyone I’m back and I have some exciting news…

My eldest sister got married!! (And I was bridesmaid of course.)

The wedding was in Lagos, Portugal which I have never visited before – so another country to tick off the list. Portugal is such a beautiful place and the perfect place to get married (especially because they celebrate and accept same sex marriages)!

The lead up to the wedding was a stressful time for all due to the government guidelines of Covid, however it was all definitely worth it because the wedding and whole holiday was amazing.

Originally the wedding was meant to be in April however as per the governments guidelines we were unable to travel at that time so it was pushed back to June. Luckily for us we went just after the restrictions eased a little bit after 21st June but Portugal was then put on the amber list for flying. This meant that we had to take Covid tests and self isolate on our return.

Me and my family were able to work from home during this isolation period so didn’t effect us as much for working however definitely effected me being locked down with them all again!!

When I left to go to Portugal, which was an amber country, we had to make sure we took a Covid Test 72 hours before we flew and if not the airlines would not let you on your flight. We then had to follow Portugal’s rules and take a Covid test before we all attended the wedding, and then another test 72 hours before our return flight. When we got home we had to do day 2 and day 8 tests and had to self isolate for 10 days -we also had the option of doing a day 5 test which would allow us to get out of quarantine early-I opted to do this as I was desperate to get out of self-isolation as quickly as possible.

We also received calls every day from the government test and trace checking that we were definitely staying at home – they even did an unannounced visit to one of the wedding party when they returned home!

Just a warning – I spent nearly £200 on Covid Tests which was more that our flights!

In my opinion all the stress and money was definitely worth it to finally see my sister get married but if I was just going on a normal holiday I would suggest to wait until the Covid restrictions fully ease – which will hopefully be very very soon.

The Wedding

The wedding was on the 5th day of the holiday which gave us all time to top up our tans beforehand! Originally around 80 people were invited to the wedding, but unfortunately a lot of people had to drop out due to the government guidelines. The reasons were mainly people were too vulnerable or couldn’t self isolate on their return for 10 days due to work, which was a shame as they missed out on the best day. This then left around 18 people who could attend which I thought ended up being the perfect amount. Hattie and Naz were surrounded by their closest family and friends and was the perfect intimate wedding which we all really enjoyed.

What made it even more perfect was where they had the ceremony. It was on a balcony in their villa with an amazing view of Portugal which was beautiful. From the beginning of the ceremony when they walked down the aisle, there was just tears from everyone as they both looked amazing and it was so special.

We then had lots of pictures taken, lots of drinks were drunk and a tasty BBQ buffet was made for us, and we boogied on the dance floor for the rest of the night. The DJ played some bangers and finished off the night with the candy dance which is obviously a must!

I want to thank my sister and Hattie for letting me be a part of this special day as I thought it was a perfect start to a new chapter of their life together. Congratulations to Mrs & Mrs! Can’t wait for what the future brings for you two (hoping a child as I would like to be an auntie please)!

Accommodation

We stayed at a place called Casa Monte Cristo and they managed to accommodate all the wedding guests between 2 villas and a few apartments.

It definitely was not what I was expecting as it was very pretty outside, clean and spacious. I stayed in a self catering apartment with my other sister, which I have never stayed in before as I always try to go all inclusive as much as I can. Who can be bothered to cook when you’re away – not me but luckily my mum was there to do all the cooking haha! There was a lovely pool at the apartments, and as we were the only guests that week, we had it all to ourselves.

Activities

There were a few things to do in Lagos however we were not able to everything.

One day we all went out kayaking for… 2 hours!! At the start it was so beautiful and fun going through the caves but then we had to kayak all the way back, and at the end of it I was exhausted but was definitely worth it seeing all the pretty hidden beaches and caves along the coast.

I felt like me and my sister made a good team on the kayaks and at the end we raced her friends to shore and obviously we won!

Whilst I was kayaking I saw a beautiful beach that I wanted to visit, so did this the following day – Praia do Camilo. To get to it you had to walk down what seems like a million steps, but was definitely worth it as it was a very pretty, secluded beach, not too busy to start with as we went early and the view was amazing. This beach was beautiful but I also found another hidden beach through a cave which was also really pretty.

There are so many other popular and pretty beaches in Lagos which are definitely worth exploring too.

We went out for dinner a few times in the town of Luz and the main town Lagos. Both were around 10 mins away by Uber from our apartments. All the places we went to I feel were really nice. In the town of Lagos we found a hidden cocktail bar on our first day which had amazing views of the marina. Don’t think it was even 12pm before we all started on the cocktails!

The town of Lagos had many cute, little restaurants to choose from and we were always welcomed by very friendly staff. We visited a tapas bar in Luz called Boaty’s Tapas Cafe – they offered really nice food especially their vegan mini burger which was soo delicious. It was just along the beach front of Luz Beach, which was very windy at night but they actually provided blankets to help keep us a bit warmer! Lots of nice places along there or even Uber eats was available to be delivered to your apartment if you didn’t feel like going out. There was also a waterpark open there, however we did not get time to visit.

First time in Portugal and definitely won’t be the last!

Outfit Details

Outfit 1

I am slightly obsessed with this zebra print co – ord set, I wore this on one of our evenings out. It was a cute set however with my body shape the skirt was a bit short at the back – definitely couldn’t wear it on a windy night!

Top and Skirt – I Saw It First
Bag – Zara
Shoes – Kurt Geiger

Outfit 2

Another co – ord set to just lounge around in and its the most comfortable set I own! When I first opened the parcel of clothes the shorts did look like age 6 shorts, which definitely weren’t going to fit me, but they are stretchy material so fit perfectly and the linen shirt was great for a holiday as it is so lightweight and breathable and a great cover up in the sun.

Co Ord – MissPap
Linen Shirt – MissPap
Sunglasses – I Saw It First

Outfit 3

I was originally looking for a yellow or brown colour dress like this but couldn’t find one in my size, but I loved the style of this dress so much that I ordered the blue. In the end I think this colour had a great summery vibe and was perfect for a holiday!

Dress – I Saw It First
Shoes – Zara

Holiday Pics