A Micro Wedding at Biester Palace, Sintra —Ethan & Jennifer
A Love Story Five Years In The Making
Ethan and Jennifer were married on August 1, 2020 — twenty-one days after getting engaged, in the middle of a world on pause. There was no time for the destination wedding they had always dreamed of. Covid had other plans. But love, as it turns out, is patient.
Five years later, the soldier and the nurse — each other’s best friend, adventure partner, and greatest love — chose Sintra to finally celebrate the way they always imagined. Twelve people who had traveled across the world to be there. A palace with fairytale gardens. And vows that carried five years of lived meaning.
An Intimate Ceremony at Biester Palace
Nestled in the forested hills of the Serra de Sintra, Biester Palace is one of Portugal’s most atmospheric and romantic venues — a 19th-century neo-Gothic manor surrounded by lush gardens, ancient trees, and quiet stone terraces. At 4pm on a September afternoon, Ethan and Jennifer exchanged their vows here, surrounded by the people they love most, in an intimate micro wedding in Sintra crafted for twelve.
The Ceremony — Vows, Rings, and Five Years of Love
Standing on the sun-warmed terraces of Biester Palace, Ethan and Jennifer read their vows to each other — the same words they had spoken five years earlier, now carrying the weight of everything that had followed. A home built together. Mountains skied. Kitchens filled with laughter and friends.
Their twelve guests gathered close around them — family and friends who had crossed the Atlantic to be there. The ceremony was Christian, intimate, and unhurried. A reading from 1 Corinthians. A moment of silence for the fathers and grandparents no longer present. And then, the rings.
If you are dreaming of a wedding in Lisbon or the hills of Sintra, this is what it can look like.
After the Ceremony — Portraits in the Palace and Gardens
After the ceremony, Ethan and Jennifer explored every corner of Biester Palace — the sun-drenched terraces overlooking the Serra de Sintra, the lush gardens where ancient trees frame every shot, the ornate interiors with their Gothic windows and painted ceilings. A palace that feels made for photographs.
Between the grand staircases, the tiled fountains, and a playful moment in front of a Fado painting, their portraits tell the story of two people completely at ease with each other — and completely happy.
Dreaming of your own micro wedding in Sintra? We would love to make it happen.
OUR REAL WEDDING STORIES AROUND SINTRA-LISBON
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