Elopement & Mini Ceremony
For couples who want something deeply meaningful, personal, and private — just the two of you (and maybe a few guests), in a beautiful place that feels just right.
From € 350
Classic Wedding Package
Your wedding ceremony, based on one of our beautifully crafted sample texts — lovingly adapted to reflect your style and wishes. Perfect for couples celebrating with family and friends.
From € 400
Personalized Experience
Let us craft a bespoke ceremony just for you — perfect for couples who want something more personal, with your story, your journey, and what makes your relationship truly special.
From €500
Vow Renewals
Celebrate your journey together with a ceremony that reflects your love story, your growth, and your dreams for the future. Personal, joyful, and unforgettable.
From €400
What is a Celebration Ceremony
Celebration ceremonies are non-legally binding weddings and are officiated by a celebrant in the language of your choice. Unlike at a civil wedding, a celebration ceremony is a great way to celebrate your wedding, without the need to worry about paperwork or any restrictions the civil registrar may encounter. You may choose to have a civil ceremony before or after the celebration ceremony. Even if you don’t plan to get married legally, there is nothing to stop you having a celebration ceremony.
Our Prices
Elopements & Mini ceremonies - 350€/400€ (Area 1/ Area 2 )
Classic Wedding Package - 400€/450€ (Area 1/ Area 2)
Personalized Experience - 500€/550€ (Area 1/ Area 2)
Vow Renewal - 400€/450€ (Area 1/ Area 2 )
Ceremony rehearsal (on day prior to wedding after 5pm) - 100€
Area 1: Porto, Coimbra, Figueira da Foz, Guarda
Area 2: Lisboa, Evora, Bragança, Viana do Castelo
RITUALS & ADD ONS for your ceremony
Sign a symbolic wedding certificate at the end of your ceremony. You can have 1- 4 witnesses that get invited to sign with you.
The certificate is printed on decorative paper and has a wax seal.
Costs: from 25€
The sand in the two smaller bottles represent the couples live with all their aspects. The sand is poured into a bigger bottle creating a nice pattern with the different colours, symbolizing the joining of two lives into something even more beautiful.
Costs: 25€
Red wine and white wine are being poured into one unity glass out of which both partners will drink.
Wine has been part of many ancient traditions and symbolic meaning can be customized to match with your lives philosophies. Generally it is a symbol for the sharing of what live serves you as a couple – drinking from one cup, the bitter and the sweet moments of live.
Originally a time a Celtic tradition, nowadays a popular ritual that you may wish to include into your wedding ceremony. Before the exchange of vows your hands will be tied together loosely and after you exchange the vows the knot may be removed so we can continue with the ring exchange. Other options can be discussed.
I can supply ribbons in your wedding colors (additional costs 10€) or you can bring your own.
A nice way to include people close to you and to make a ceremony more personal are guest readings. Ask one or two guests if they would like to take part in the ceremony in this way. There are plenty of ideas for wedding ceremony guest readings online or your guest may want to present their own writing. In bi-lingual ceremonies it is a lovely touch to have a reading in both languages.
Generally music is played at the processional and the precessional part of the ceremony. However you can add music in many different ways, such as having a song with meaningfull words played as part of the ceremony. Or you can add instrumental music as a background during your vows and the ring exchange.
During this symbolic ritual, both partners will each use an individual taper candle to light a single, larger pillar candle—representing the union they are entering into as a married couple.
The taper candles are lit at the beginning of the ceremony, often by the couple’s mothers, symbolizing the families and values from which each partner comes.
Following the exchange of rings, the celebrant will invite the couple to light the unity candle together, signifying the merging of two lives into one shared future.
This moment beautifully expresses the joining of individual paths into a single, united journey.
We can supply the candles for you for an additional fee of 15€ or you may bring your own candles. Please note this ritual is not recommended for beach weddings or other locations with likelihood to be too windy.
Text by celebrant (or family or friend) “Please face each other and take each other’s hands, so that you may see the gift that they are to you. These are the hands of your best friend, young and strong and full of love for you, that are holding yours on your wedding day as you promise to love each other today, tomorrow and forever. These are the hands that will work alongside yours as together you build your future.
These are the hands that will passionately love you and cherish you through the years, and with the slightest touch will comfort you like no other. These are the hands that will hold you when fear or grief temporarily comes to you. These are the hands that will countless times wipe the tears from your eyes, tears of sorrow and tears of joy.
These are the hands that will tenderly hold your children, the hands that will join your family as one. These are the hands that will give you strength when you need it, support and encouragement to pursue your dreams, and comfort through difficult times.
And lastly, these are the hands that even when wrinkled and aged will still be reaching for yours, still giving you the same unspoken tenderness with just a touch.
Should there be anyone who has cause why this couple should not be united in marriage, they must speak now or forever hold their peace.
“Who gives this woman to be married to this man?”
(Her family and I do.)
When a man and a woman come together in marriage, their families and friends are also joined together into a larger circle of caring.
From now on, you will know the bride and groom not only as individuals, but as marriage partners, and your individual lives will be linked together as members of this community.
bride’s mother and father, would you please come and stand beside the bride?
groom’s mother and father, would you please come and stand beside the groom?
bride’s mother and father, you stand before us symbolizing the traditions and family from which the bride comes.
Do you willingly and gladly support the bride’s marriage to the groom?
bride’s mother and father: we do!
groom’s mother and father, you stand before us symbolizing the traditions and family from which the groom comes.
Do you willingly and gladly support the groom’s marriage to the bride?
groom’s mother and father: we do!
Before we start, the bride and groom would like to ask you to pass the rings between each other during the ceremony, and for each of you to warm them with positive thoughts.
They would like you to think of it as a quick marination of love!
The rings will be worn by the bride and groom as symbols of the eternal nature of energy that cycles through all living things and cannot be either created or destroyed.
This energy units and levels us all during our short time on earth, making us realise that we are all connected and part of a bigger unknowable universe that will go on when we are gone.
The rings are small circles that represent this bigger cycle and our part in it, and remind us how special it is to find love and friendship.
The rings will remind them to always cherish and nurture this marvellous occurrence.
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The couple has asked that we take a moment to honour the memory of those loved ones who could only be here today in spirit, (you can also personalize this text and add the names of those who you remember)
Ceremony Text samples
Here are a few examples of ceremony structures
but everything is flexible and can be adpted to your vision.
You’re welcome to change the order of the elements – for example, you might prefer to:
- say your vows before the official asking.
- exchange the rings at the monent you say "I do".
- include symbolic rites or special add-ons at other moments
Our samples reflect suggestions based on experience,
but your ceremony can be as unique as you are.
Opening
Welcome everybody. It’s a joy to be here today at this gathering of celebration — a celebration of love, with love, for a beautiful couple who have decided to commit openly to this loving partnership.
And they have invited us to be with them as they take this important step.
So for all of you here, family and friends, let’s infuse this ceremony with our heartfelt wishes for name and name and make sure they have all of our support.
Let us take a moment to honour how precious and beautiful love is — how our lives are enriched by love, and how meaningful our lives become because of love.
It’s the essence of human nature. It is what creates miracles, makes us grow, and lets us feel fulfilled and happy.
And through all of this grows gratitude. And gratitude again is like the fertiliser for love. So let’s take a moment to fertilise our loving relationships. I invite everyone here to just take a moment and look at the ones around you, or think of someone who cannot be here with us today, and feel into that love and the blessing it is for your lives.
Yes, we share love, and we connect through love.
And today we are here to celebrate it, as Name and Name are anchoring their love in a lifelong commitment that starts here today.
Partner A and Partner B, it is a big step and it is a sacred one — maybe also a little scary, certainly an emotional step, and a step that you have chosen with all that it takes.
Love is a great force and we could say it lives in the way we treat it. It needs certain conditions to live and flourish, and I’m sure you are aware of this.
The first one of those conditions for love to flourish is respect. But let’s be honest about respect: respect only works when we respect both sides — yourself and your partner. If we forget one or the other, it leaves a mark. Marriage is not about pleasing the other or being pleased. It is about sharing and supporting each other. Hence respect yourself and your partner equally. Or as Jesus said: love thy neighbour as yourself.
Remember what brought you together — the feelings when you first felt drawn to each other. Whether this was a love-at-first-sight attraction or a slowly warming up, there were moments where both of you felt: there is someone special next to me, and I value that.
I could ask you to be kind and caring with each other, but I have a feeling that this happens naturally, because it does when love is talking. When love is talking, we want to share our great moments and our joy, and behold — we feel even more fulfilled when we share and are being received.
And of course we also share our moments of disappointment, despair and pain. Life is a journey of many experiences and everything belongs and takes part. The question is: how can we hold and handle all of this? When you can share and support each other, it is a blessing for both of you.
Because it is a blessing to support — and a blessing to be supported.
So this is the language and the miracle of love. It’s like life stops having clear boundaries and merges with each other — and that is what a marriage life will present.
But not by either of you losing your individuality or identity, because that is what brought you together in the first place.
As we now come to the moment where I will ask you to express your wish to take each other as marriage partners, I’d like to ask you to stand up (if applicable), face each other, and join hands.
(Bride to hand bouquet to bridesmaid, if applicable.)
Partner B, after hearing this brief reflection on love and marriage, I ask you to openly declare your free will to take ________ to be your wife/husband/marriage partner by answering “I do.”
– I do.
Do you promise to take care of your love, to honour and respect her/him/them as well as yourself, to share the great moments as well as the challenging ones, protecting your bond and remaining faithful and loyal from this day forward?
Vows
Partner B, please repeat after me:
I, Partner B, take you, Partner A,
to be my wife/husband/marriage partner.
I choose to walk with you —
through good times and bad,
in wealth and in hardship,
in joy and in sorrow.
And I promise to nurture and take care of our love — today and for all the days of our lives.
Partner A, please repeat after me:
I, Partner A, take you, Partner B,
to be my wife/husband/marriage partner.
I choose to walk with you —
through good times and bad,
in wealth and in hardship,
in joy and in sorrow.
And I promise to nurture and take care of our love — today and for all the days of our lives.
Exchange of Rings
You have chosen to exchange rings as a symbol of your love and commitment. Rings are circles and a representation of endlessness. May they remind you that your marriage and your love are endless, always flowing from one to the other. May this circle of love remain harmonious between you.
_____, do you have the rings?
(Rings can be with the best man or anyone you’d like to bring them forward. Alternatively, they can be placed at the ceremony area at the beginning.)
Partner B (repeat after me):
I give you this ring as a daily reminder of my love for you.
Partner A (repeat after me):
I give you this ring as a daily reminder of my love for you.
Reading (optional)
Marriage Declaration
Partner A and Partner B, today you enter into marriage — a unique bond that joins you in partnership and love.
You’ve openly declared your love and commitment.
May you always see one another as precious and irreplaceable.
May you stay truthfully connected.
Share with each other your feelings, your dreams, your needs.
Say sorry when you’ve messed up.
And be present with each other and with your marriage.
May your relationship be like a beautiful tapestry, woven by two threads moving in different directions, and may your lives woven together create a beautiful life.
For your relationship to thrive, it needs love — the heart of your union and the reason you’re here today.
It needs trust — knowing you want the best for each other.
It needs devotion — to remain open and grow together.
It needs faith — to move forward even when the path isn’t clear.
And above all, it needs the conscious choice to choose each other again and again — with honesty, love, and your whole hearts.
Name and Name, you have declared before all of your love and commitment.
And so now it is my great pleasure to pronounce you husband and wife (or united in marriage).
You may now seal your vows with a kiss.
Opening Words
A warm welcome to each and every one of you.
Today we are gathered to witness a special moment – the day Partner A and Partner B say “yes” to one another.
A day when two people make a conscious choice for love – with open hearts and joyful spirits.
Today we witness the union of two souls who found each other with passion and depth.
And in their love, we might recognise the connections in our own lives – with partners, friends, and family – and remember how precious those are.
Let us take this moment to feel gratitude for all the love we carry and receive.
May this day be a blessing to us all – simply because we get to share in this joy.
A strong partnership begins with open hearts –
with showing up fully: as lovers, as companions, as best friends.
Marriage is a coming together of two lives with the shared intention to create something greater – something beyond the individual self.
True, lived love is one of life’s greatest treasures. It brings us meaning, depth, and connection.
Love means closeness, trust, and commitment – but not the loss of who we are.
Because it’s your individuality that drew you to one another.
And in a strong marriage, that uniqueness can shine even brighter.
As a marriage deepens and matures, it becomes a space for growth, understanding, and deep intimacy.
Through this closeness, we may discover parts of ourselves we never knew existed.
That is one of life’s greatest gifts.
Reading (optional)
Introduction to the Vows
Partner A and Partner B – by taking this step, by exchanging these vows, you are not only giving each other your word, but also your heart.
You’ve built trust and laid a strong foundation – now it’s time to build upon it.
Fill your relationship with mindfulness, trust, care, and humour.
Be willing to grow – in love and in life.
Your marriage will test you – with routines, with challenges, and with the seasons of life.
But it will also reward you – with depth, joy, and a deep connection.
Begin this new chapter with trust – in yourselves, in your love, in the path you’re walking together.
And if you ever find yourselves in doubt, return to this moment.
To what brought you here today.
Hold your trust for one another like a precious treasure.
Honour it. Protect it.
And make your marriage a place where you both can grow – as individuals and as a couple.
Because the greatest gift we can offer one another is our love.
The Question
Partner B, do you understand this responsibility –
and do you promise to give your best each day
to build a loving, healthy, and joyful marriage?
Partner B: I do.
Partner A, do you understand this responsibility –
and do you promise to give your best each day
to build a loving, healthy, and joyful marriage?
Partner A: I do.
The Vows
Partner B, do you wish to take Partner A – your great love –
as your wife and life partner?
Partner B: I do.
And will you honour her and love her more with each passing day?
Partner B: I do.
Will you trust her and respect her –
laugh with her and cry with her,
stand by her side in good times and bad,
no matter what life brings your way?
Partner B: I do.
And do you give her your hand, your heart, and your love?
Partner B: I do.
Partner A, do you wish to take Partner B – your great love –
as your husband and life partner?
Partner A: I do.
And will you honour him and love him more with each passing day?
Partner A: I do.
Will you trust him and respect him –
laugh with him and cry with him,
stand by his side in good times and bad,
no matter what life brings your way?
Partner A: I do.
And do you give him your hand, your heart, and your love?
Partner A: I do.
Exchange of Rings
These rings are round – with no beginning and no end.
Like two arms wrapped around one another.
They symbolise your love – ever-flowing, steady, and strong.
Partner B, place the ring on Partner A’s finger and repeat after me:
I give you this ring
as a sign of my love.
You are my partner, my beloved,
and my best friend –
today, tomorrow, and forever.
Partner A, place the ring on Partner B’s finger and repeat after me:
I give you this ring
as a sign of my love.
You are my partner, my beloved,
and my best friend –
today, tomorrow, and forever.
Reading (optional)
Closing Words
Partner A and Partner B –
our warmest wishes go with you on this beautiful day.
We wish you a life full of closeness, happiness, and security.
A peaceful, nourishing home for each other.
A life filled with honesty, kindness, and true compassion.
An adventure – with space to grow, to marvel together, to enjoy both the lightness and the depth.
A wonderful life lies ahead of you. Live it fully.
Embrace each change, each choice –
with courage, with love, with excitement.
Partner B – you may now kiss your bride!
Opening Words
You’re here today because you mean something truly special to Partner A and Partner B.
They’ve invited you to be part of this moment – full of joy, love, and deep meaning.
Today, you’ll witness two people openly share their love and make a promise to one another.
And what a privilege it is to stand with them as they take this step together.
The poet Rowena Edlin-White describes this moment beautifully in her poem Wedding Day:
“Now begins the joining, the binding and the weaving
into a mysterious union of two whole, separate people,
transforming into something new, unique, and lovely.
Nothing stays the same,
and yet we are not irreversibly melted –
we have chosen to walk together,
not to abandon one another,
not to discourage,
not to leave behind.
I will do my best to keep my promises,
to cherish you and keep you warm…
And we will build a home,
on a blanket woven from all our yesterdays,
from strengths and flaws,
that made us who we are today.
And in that, we will be rich.”
Today, we celebrate life – and love.
Partner A and Partner B see their marriage as a commitment rooted in care, respect, and the freedom to grow as individuals.
Your marriage will be a space for growth, held together by trust and devotion.
It will be shaped by both the small, everyday moments and the extraordinary ones.
To you, marriage means equality. It’s a shared journey, a real partnership.
You meet one another with openness – in joy and in sorrow, in health and in hardship, through light and through challenge.
Marriage isn’t about perfection, but about the choice to love each other as you are – fully and completely.
And in the end, it’s not what I say today or even what you say –
it’s how you live your lives together:
how you handle differences,
how you listen,
how you lift one another up and how you love.
If you do this with tenderness and respect, your shared future will be rich and fulfilling – no matter what life brings.
Reading (optional)
The Question
Now we come to your promises – the words through which you express your love and trust in one another.
There is no bond more tender, no promise more meaningful than the one you make today.
Partner A, are you ready to enter into marriage with Partner B –
trusting that your love and your mutual commitment will carry you through anything?
Partner A: I am.
Partner B, are you ready to enter into marriage with Partner A –
trusting that your love and your mutual commitment will carry you through anything?
Partner B: I am.
Please look into each other’s eyes and take each other’s hands.
Do you promise to give one another the freedom to grow and change –
to stay equals in a relationship that accepts your differences and supports your whole selves?
Both: We do.
Do you trust that your love can evolve – and stay strong through its changes,
renewing itself over and over again?
Both: We do.
Will you learn from your shared experiences
and build a deep friendship based on care, trust, and respect?
Both: We do.
Personal vows (optional)
Introduction to the Rings
We’ve heard your heartfelt promises.
Now comes the exchange of rings – a lasting, visible sign of the commitment you’ve made.
The ring is a circle – without beginning or end – just like the love that connects you.
It stands for wholeness, unity, and trust.
May these rings remind you always that you can return to one another, again and again.
Exchange of Rings
Partner B, please place the ring on Partner A’s finger and say:
Just as this ring encircles your finger, so does my love wrap around you.
Wear it – and know that I love you.
Partner A, please place the ring on Partner B’s finger and say:
Just as this ring encircles your finger, so does my love wrap around you.
Wear it – and know that I love you.
Reading (optional)
Final Words
May your life together be filled with joy, trust, and happiness.
May your love grow deeper and stronger with every passing year.
In the space between you lies the future of a world that is yours alone.
Your lives are now interwoven.
Declaration of Marriage
By the promises you have made today,
and in the presence of all these witnesses,
it is my great joy to declare you husband and wife.
Presentation
You may now kiss!
And dear guests – it is my honour to present the newly married couple:
Partner A & Partner B!
(we write a text for you personally for an additional cost of 100€)
(we write a text for you personally for an additional cost of 100€)
Dear Sarah, dear James,
Welcome to this special place, for a truly special moment.
Today marks your 25th wedding anniversary—a moment of joy, pride, and deep gratitude. This ceremony is a gesture of appreciation for everything you have built together, for all the years you have shared, and for your decision to continue walking through life side by side.
Here by the sea in Portugal, we find a place that holds meaning for this moment. You both love the ocean, and Portugal carries a special significance for you, as part of Sarah’s roots lie here.
Over the past 25 years, you have experienced so much—beautiful moments, challenges, and new beginnings—and you are already looking forward to the next 25 years. There are some plans ahead, but not too many, because you know that life has its own rhythm. It brings surprises we cannot plan, and that is a good thing.
Often, it is in the unexpected that the greatest gifts are found—the spontaneous, the unplanned. Simply being present in the moment, without plans, without expectations, without a fixed destination, open to whatever life wishes to reveal.
This is how you approach travel as well, something that brings you both great joy. And perhaps that is why it feels so natural to see life itself as a journey—a journey with a beginning and an end, and in between lies everything we create, experience, and share.
In a marriage, two people travel part of that journey together, out of love, out of joy, and with the desire to grow side by side. And that is what it is truly about: laughing together, dreaming together, supporting one another, and learning together.
It is not always easy, but it is often the challenges that deepen our understanding and compassion for each other.
When we spoke, you told me that your life together is mostly harmonious—very little conflict, no drama, simply “normal.” And yet you are aware what a precious gift that “normal” truly is. Many marriages never experience that, and what you have is something truly special.
There is a reason why 25 years of marriage is called a silver anniversary. Silver is a precious metal that shines steadily, without needing to dazzle. It is valuable, yet never boastful, soft yet enduring—a beautiful symbol for a marriage built on trust, closeness, and a connection that has grown over time.
Your bond is a treasure, because what is built over 25 years through everyday life, shared experiences, and adventure is something truly solid.
When you first met 29 years ago, it was almost by chance that a relationship began. You were both working at a tennis hall—James alongside his studies, and Sarah as a way to earn some extra money. When you went on your first date, there was no big plan behind it, and yet in that very moment of openness, love found its place—not out of obligation, but out of genuine willingness.
And it continued in the same spirit when you married five years later. There was no pressure, only the desire to give a name and a space to what you already shared—to say it out loud and stand by it: yes, we are together, and we want it to stay that way, because we love each other.
Back then, on a Monday afternoon, August 14th, 2000, you celebrated in a small circle. But a small circle does not mean small happiness—it means you married for yourselves and because of yourselves.
The past 25 years have been full of life. You have created a sense of material stability, found your paths professionally, and built a home where you feel truly at ease. You have traveled to many places, because curiosity and the joy of discovery continue to guide you out into the world.
It doesn’t always have to be far away—even a trip to neighboring Holland brings beautiful moments. And yet, you have also explored Africa and Asia, and are now planning a three-month journey around the world. Which means: James plans, and Sarah happily says yes to the plan.
You are a well-balanced team. Each of you does what you do best, and together it simply works. Sarah keeps track of the finances in a beautifully handwritten household book, while James plans your travels and brings his technical know-how, whether it is IT or cars.
These days, it might just be about changing tires—the times of restoring a Beetle with a friend and a bottle of beer are long gone. But new hobbies have taken their place, some shared and some individual. James enjoys sports, Sarah prefers a concert, and yet you always find your way back to each other.
Reflection on Marriage
25 years of marriage is more than a date—it is a path, a lived everyday life made of small, meaningful gestures: coffee in bed while on holiday, flowers just because, laughter over the simplest and sometimes craziest ideas.
It is growing together without pressure, but with clarity. Because what connects you is not obligation, it is a choice—a yes that was never taken for granted, but chosen again and again.
And today, a quarter of a century after your wedding day, you have chosen to speak that yes once more. Not because you have to, but because you can, because you want to.
Vows
James, Sarah accepts you exactly as you are, and you feel completely at home by her side. What more could one wish for? Because where we feel at ease, we are free to be fully ourselves—our best selves.
For 29 years, you have walked through life together, 25 of them as husband and wife. And so I ask you today: do you wish to continue loving and respecting Sarah as your wife, to stand by her in good times and in difficult times, for all the days of your life?
James: I do.
Sandra—(oops correction not needed, keep consistent)
Sarah, for 29 years James has been the man by your side, for 25 years your husband. You love his playful spirit, his sometimes crazy ideas, and the way he spoils you in thoughtful ways—with coffee on holiday, with flowers in between, with humor and warmth.
25 years ago, you promised to walk by his side, and you have remained true to that promise. And so I ask you: do you wish to renew your marriage vows today, and promise once again to stand by James’s side in the years to come, with love and respect, no matter what life may bring?
Sarah: I do.
Exchange of Rings
You have chosen to use this moment to exchange your wedding rings once again. These rings have accompanied you for 25 years, through everyday life, through highs and lows, through all the seasons you have shared.
Today, they return consciously and intentionally to their place on your hands—not as new promises, but as a reaffirmation of what has long lived in your hearts.
James, please place the ring on Sarah’s finger and say:
“I give you this ring as a symbol of my love, my respect, and my promise to remain by your side.”
Sarah, please place the ring on James’s finger and say:
“I give you this ring as a symbol of my love, my respect, and my promise to remain by your side.”
Closing
With your words, your rings, and the way you look at one another, you have created a powerful moment today. You are there for each other—not only in memories, but fully and consciously in the here and now. And that is what this ceremony celebrates.
As a final step, I invite you to sign your symbolic certificate for the renewal of your vows. It is a visible expression of this moment, but the true document of your love is written every single day—in every gesture, every glance, every step you take together on your shared journey.
I wish for you that the next 25 years, and all the years beyond, are lived with the same openness, joy, and deep connection—in your own way: self-determined, loving, curious, free, and together.
With all my love for you,
Sarah and James. 🕊️💍
(can be Personalized, includes 40-60 minute call, we write a text for you for an additional cost of 100€)