After an NJ ceremony, Nicole and Michael went abroad for their destination wedding weekend in Portugal.

Nicole Aguiar and Michael Messler were in the same friend circle for years, but they didn’t give romance a try until 2020 during the pandemic.

Their first hangouts consisted of watching movies, going for walks on the beach and grabbing ice cream. “We were forced to spend a lot of time relaxing and talking to each other,” says Nicole. “Our relationship started out in a deep sense from the beginning.”

Mike proposed in August 2023 by the bay in Margate.

Going Destination

Nicole’s dad is from Portugal, and as a child, she traveled to the Cascais and Sintra regions. She remembers “going through all the castles and just loving it.”

Plus, when Nicole and Mike started dating, he had just returned from a four-week trip to Europe, where he spent time in Portugal.

The country “was just something we always connected over,” says Nicole. The couple got married legally in New Jersey before celebrating abroad.

Details of the Day 

Their destination wedding weekend kicked off with a welcome party on Friday night. “We knew people were traveling really far and spending a lot of money and time and energy just to get there, so we wanted to do something special to welcome everyone to Portugal,” says Nicole.

The venue, Páteo Alfacinha in Lisbon, “reminds you of a replica of what a traditional town square would be in a village in the Lisbon region.” The couple had traditional musicians and dancers, called rancho folclórico, perform.

Their big day, Saturday, October 5, 2024, took place at Forte da Cruz, an old fortress turned wedding venue in Estoril, Cascais. Their 125 guests attended an outdoor ceremony before migrating to balconies overlooking the ocean for cocktail hour, where a singer performed Fado music.

The reception was held under a clear tent with twinkle lights in a courtyard within the fortress. The after-party took place inside the castle’s “Baroque-style interior rooms,” says Nicole.

[RELATED: 5 New Jersey Winery Weddings to Inspire Your Own]

Special Moment 

The couple’s first look “was the highlight of the day,” says Nicole. “It was so emotional, and we read our vows to each other during our first look. I felt like that was a really good way to just be grounded with each other before the chaos of the day.”

Food & Drink 

They only served Portuguese wines, “mainly from the Alentejo region—my dad’s favorite,” says Nicole.

They had a cocktail hour station with octopus and a cod and chickpea salad. “A Portuguese wedding would be incomplete without some sort of cod dish,” she says.

Planning Process

The Portugal-based wedding planning company Oui Love You booked most of their vendors.

Nicole also connected with couples on Instagram who had used her venue to ask questions, which “was so crucial and helpful in terms of planning,” she says.

[RELATED: Planning your honeymoon? Check out our travel guides here.]

Honeymoon

The couple went to Portimão in the Algarve beach region in Portugal, for three days. Then, they spent five days in Mallorca, Spain. Nicole, a lawyer, and Mike, who is in commercial real estate, are now at home in Philadelphia.

Sign up for our Something New newsletter for weekly wedding ideas, inspiration and advice from New Jersey Bride—sent right to your inbox!