Our wedding will be moving forward on September 3, 2022! We are thrilled to finally be able to celebrate with our loved ones. We will follow any and all local guidelines at the time of our wedding. Travel to Portugal is OPEN with a negative COVID test required prior to boarding (though this requirement may change or be eliminated as we approach the summer tourist season). COVID tests in Portugal are readily available and affordable. Portugal has dropped all requirements for proof of vaccination or negative COVID tests prior to entering hotels, bars, and restaurants so you'll be able to take full advantage of your vacation! To ensure the safety of our guests kindly ask that all eligible guests are fully vaccinated for COVID-19. You can find the most up to date information here: https://pt.usembassy.gov/covid-19-information/
We have made the difficult decision to postpone our wedding to September 3, 2022. The wedding will be held at the same location and all other elements of the weekend remain the same. We hope that you will be able to join us in Portugal next year!
If you have made hotel reservations at the Vintage House hotel you may cancel your reservations with a full refund until July 31st (though sooner is better so the hotel may rebook those rooms). Alternatively, you may rebook your room for the new dates next year! We had been encouraging everyone to buy refundable tickets and/or read your particular airline’s refund/cancellation policies carefully as there was still a lot of uncertainty regarding travel. We encourage you to request a booking credit through your airline even if you weren’t able to purchase a fully refundable fare and join us next year! Alternatively, many major airlines (United, Delta, and others) have either eliminated change fees on all ticket types or on many ticket types. If you cannot get a refund for your flights, you should be able to either use your ticket credit for next year (or other future travel on that airline) or change your flight dates to join us next year!
Due to the immense time and effort spent on the formal invitations sent out in June the answer is probably not! We will likely send out an "official" change of date with the new wedding details and RSVP information either via email or a simple postcard. If your contact information, including mailing address and email, has changed since our save the dates were sent out in September of 2019 please let us know so we can ensure we have the best way to keep in touch! You can reach Ellen at (360) 430-5581 or at ellenbrudi@gmail.com.
Unfortunately, EVERYONE will need to RSVP again for the new date, regardless of whether you planned to attend in 2021 or not. RSVPs will be collected just as before, via the Zola website under "RSVP." We apologize for the inconvenience this causes. We understand some of our loved ones may have different circumstances next year and may not be able to attend. Conversely, we hope that some of our loved ones that sadly weren't able to make it may be able to make the new date! We will update this space with the new formal RSVP deadline as we have more information. However, please feel free to RSVP as soon as you have a definitive plan. Your RSVP information is very helpful as we plan our other events. We are asking all guests to RSVP via our website under the "RSVP" tab.
All travelers to Portugal will need a valid passport that does not expire for 6 months past the date of departure. We will provide more up-to-date information regarding any additional travel requirements as our new date approaches. We are hopeful that we won't have to worry about COVID-19 specific requirements next year. In the meantime, keep masking when needed, encouraging others to get vaccinated, and stay healthy!
Yes! We recommend Vintage House Hotel! Both the wedding ceremony and reception will be held there and it will be the home base for us during the wedding weekend. We've booked out the entire hotel at a discounted rate for our guests for Friday & Saturday evening (the rate also includes breakfast)! We would love for you to join us poolside!
Please fill out the booking form (available here by copying and pasting this link into your browser search bar https://drive.google.com/file/d/1oaW-07mLWUSPKIe6O0-LqpSawpqzWM-t and then email your completed form to events@vintagehousehotel.com. We know this is a bit cumbersome but this ensures that the only people there that weekend are a part of our party! :)
Yes, in Portugal, the second language is English and in our experience, the cohort aged 40 or below are either fully fluent or have solid English skills. You can absolutely get by with English, better than you may be able to in France or Spain. The Portuguese are also gracious hosts who do not mind speaking English and are not offended by an inability to speak Portuguese. It's preferable to try English rather than Spanish though we recommend learning a few greetings and simple phrases in Portuguese.
September in Portugal is beautiful! Portugal in September is a bit cooler and a bit less crowded as the ending of the June-August tourism season winds down and the beginning of the harvest season ramps up. The Douro generally sees mild temperatures in the mid-70s but can be a bit chilly in the evening. We recommend bringing a combination of both shorts and dresses in addition to clothes you can layer as the sun sets and the valley cools down. The ceremony and reception will both take place outside, weather permitting.
While credit cards generally will work in Portugal, especially at any tourist-dependent businesses, some card readers in Portugal are older and may not support US credit cards that do not have a pin number. Therefore, it's highly suggested that you carry some Euros with you while traveling.
We highly recommend Rick Steve's guide to Portugal as well as the following internet sites: 1. Information about Portugal in general: https://www.roughguides.com/destinations/europe/portugal/ 2. Information on the Douro valley: https://www.travelandleisure.com/food-drink/wine/douro-valley-wine-tour and https://juliedawnfox.com/explore-douro-valley/
Yes! Our planner is currently scouting hotel options for those who may need to stay a night or two in Porto. Please keep an eye on this space for updates.
Please check your invitation to see if a guest was included. Since we're having a destination wedding we had to keep our guest list smaller and can't accommodate everyone. Thanks for understanding!
If we've listed your children on the invitation either by name or as "and family" then we would LOVE for you to bring to the ceremony + reception! Otherwise, we would due to space we will only be able to accommodate those listed on the invitation at the ceremony and reception. We are working with our planner to explore babysitting services in another room at the hotel for those families that may wish to bring their children to the ceremony and have a date night during the reception. Please let us know if this is something you're interested in doing.
Yes! We are currently in the planning stages for these events. Please see our "Schedule Page" for updates.
The wedding ceremony and reception will be a formal (black-tie optional) event hosted outside. Ellen is looking forward to seeing both Matt & her Dad in a tux! For the ladies, floor-length dresses, fancy cocktail dresses, or a dressy pant-suit are all appropriate. When selecting your footwear please keep in mind that the reception will take place on the lawn. For the men, suit jackets and ties are appropriate (but you're welcome to make a statement in a tux as well)!
Please email our planner, geral@crachaweddingagency.com, with a description of your food allergy so that we can accommodate you.
In the event that you decide to rent a car for transportation from Porto or Lisbon to the Douro Valley, parking at the hotel is included in the nightly rate.
Your presence in Portugal is gift enough! If you would still like to gift us something you can see our registry on Zola.