By Garbiñe Continent
Traveling is their shared passion and, Comporta, the setting that holds some of the bride's most tender memories. Charlene and Alberto's wedding in Portugal reflected her two universes -she, French, he, Galician- and a shared love: that of traveling the world hand in hand. “The choice of the place is due to the fact that Charlene has a Portuguese family and during some summer, she has spent dream vacations in this idyllic place. In addition, it has a bohemian and casual atmosphere, which reminds us of our first trips together in José Ignacio, Uruguay”, Alberto explains to Vogue.es. Although this was not the only wedding celebration that the couple orchestrated. There was a previous one thousands of kilometers from the European country. “In our madness to travel, we had organized a getaway to the Seychelles and 15 days before taking the plane, we realized that we could organize the civil liaison with a movie landscape. Without realizing it, we ended up getting married on one of the most beautiful beaches in the Seychelles, Anse Georgette, barefoot, white sand and an island outfit, white and linen”, say the couple.
The link was held on August 28, in an intimate and open-air ceremony, on the edge of a cliff, in a villa that allowed an outdoor party. “The celebration took place in a private villa in Comporta surrounded by a natural landscape, which gave it a relaxed flow and free spirit. What made us fall in love was the typical architecture of the town with the blue and white of Alentejo and the mythical swimming pool where we ended the night by jumping into it with our friends, ending up completely wet in our gala dresses”, Alberto details.
It was a wedding in Portugal free of dress code and formalities. The only objective was to celebrate love surrounded by their closest friends and family; a desire that increased due to the pandemic. Thus, the theme was inspired by the free spirit concept, thinking of orchestrating a memorable party. Charlene's mother acted as wedding planner, who knew how to transmit that effortless air, with simplicity and a family atmosphere. In addition, the bride's grandmother embroidered napkins for all the guests; a detail that made the difference and put the icing on the cake to a spectacular floral decoration, full of color, the work of Green Pick. “It was very important to me that my grandmother help out at the wedding and that I have something made for her. She is a seamstress and when I told her that we were going to get married in Comporta, I asked her if she could make the napkins, she was very excited. They were white linen with stripes and embroidered ears of rice, reflecting the rice fields in the area," recalls Charlene.
It was always clear to Charlene that she would wear a signature French look on her wedding day, and the first time she tried on that Dior dress, it was clear to her that it bore her name. “My wedding dress was love at first sight. I remember my mother's face when I came out of the fitting room. "It's that dress," he told me. The design in question was a mini-shirt dress from the French Maison, which she combined with nude shoes from the same firm, a long veil by Donatelle Godart, family pearl earrings and a Cartier bracelet, a gift from Alberto. After the ceremony, she changed her look with a long custom-made wedding dress by Donatelle Godart with Chanel shoes and Gucci earrings.
The groom, for his part, was clear about the style of suit he wanted to wear at his wedding, as well as the designer who would execute it. “I always wanted to wear a double breasted suit, a different and unique cut that would make me remember that day in a special way. For this, I was always clear about my choice of tailor: Luca Rubinacci”, he recalls. Thus, he wore a blue suit and linen fabric, with a certain retro air, which he combined with a tie and Gucci shoes.
Alberto and Charlene's was a wedding full of details and magic that Jimena, from Volvoreta, immortalized in some photographs that are pure inspiration. “Jimena's style, charisma and good taste were key to capturing the simplicity, elegance and the special touch that we were looking for on this day. And the photos speak for themselves”, conclude the couple.
