This Couple Felt Like They Got Married 'Inside a Painting'

Kayley and Sev — Photo:
Rui Vaz Franco, Love Is My Favorite Color

Kaley Sokolowski and Severiano Saiz’s meet-cute reads like something straight out of a rom-com—or maybe the missed connections column. In March 2016, while a junior at UConn, Severiano went to dinner with his mom and her friend. "They took me out to the one nice restaurant on campus, and our waitress was beautiful, charming, and immediately made an impression on us all," Severiano remembers. At the end of the meal, Severiano’s mom wrote down his name and number and left it for the waitress. "A few weeks went by, and I didn’t hear a peep. But I couldn’t stop thinking about it. I tracked down her Instagram and sent her a direct message. It turns out that my mom had written down the wrong phone number! Poor Kaley had texted me the next day and spent a few weeks thinking I was the one who blew her off. We quickly connected for a date just a few days later, and the rest, as they say, is history." (At Kaley and Severiano’s wedding rehearsal dinner seven years later, the groom’s mom presented them with the framed receipt from that fateful dinner.)

In January 2022, Severiano proposed in front of an epic sunset on a trip to Costa Rica. "We watched in a grass field perched on the edge of a hillside," he says. "When the sun dipped below the horizon, I tapped Kaley to get up. When she turned around, I was there on a knee." They were staying with a host family at an Airbnb, and that night, the hosts threw them an impromptu party. "It’s amazing how celebrating love can bring people together!" Severiano says.

That’s exactly what he and Kaley hoped to do for their wedding on September 30, 2023: Bring their nearest and dearest together across the world to celebrate love. They landed on Sintra, Portugal, as their locale, though it began as a "what if." "When we first started planning a wedding, we would kind of half-joke to each other, 'What if we did it in Portugal?'" Kaley remembers. "The more places we saw around the New York City area, the less of a joke our 'wild idea' became. If we were going to plan a wedding, we might as well go for the wedding of our dreams."

To the couple, Sintra is magic. "We love to travel, and Sintra is the most magical place we’ve ever visited," Kaley says. "There’s so much that takes your breath away—the mountains, the view, the beautiful historical buildings and castles, the incredible gardens. Maybe the most spectacular part about Sintra is how soft the light always feels. It’s like you’re inside of a painting." When it came to planning, "we wanted everyone to feel the same magic we felt the first time we visited Sintra, so every decision was made with that in mind."

They booked their venue, Casa dos Penedos, and pegged planner Carolina d’Almada of Sublime Luxury Weddings to help bring the magic to life. "A lot of the fine details were actually pretty easy," the couple shares. "Since our venue was so stunning, we didn’t have to worry about trying to dress it up. We knew our color scheme was going to be soft and romantic to enhance the natural beauty of the setting." They selected a palette of peach, blush, cream, and sage, which carried through from the invitations to the florals. Read on to see every pretty detail.

The Venue

Kaley and Sev — Rui Vaz Franco, Love Is My Favorite Color

"Casa dos Penedos is a 1920s manor house built high on the mountainside of the historic village," Kaley describes. "It’s impossible to miss: You can see the bright pink exterior from almost everywhere on a stroll through the center of Sintra. The interior is just as remarkable. Each room has an original hand-painted mural, and everything from the moldings to the floors to the stonework on the various balconies gives off a wonderfully vintage and stately vibe." It would set a stunning scene for their romantic wedding.

Hand-Calligraphed Invitations

Invitations were letter-pressed with pewter font on cream paper and featured a commissioned watercolor of the venue. "The illustration was the perfect way to give our guests a teaser of what was to come without removing the surprise of seeing the venue for the first time on the day of," Kaley says. And there was an extra-special finishing touch. "My dad has really good calligraphic handwriting, and he hand-addressed every single invite we sent out," Severiano shares. "So many of our guests went out of their way to compliment his penmanship! It made for a nice touch."

Big Day Beauty

"I love makeup, so finding the right makeup artist was super important to me," Kaley says. "Tom Perdigao did my hair and makeup for the wedding, and he is a genius and incredible to work with. He and his team brought such great energy the morning of, and everyone felt so beautiful and pampered." She opted for elegant natural makeup and a chic slicked-back bun for the ceremony so as not to distract from her dress or veil. And, the bonus? "Tom’s makeup stays put!" Kaley says. "I cried so much during our ceremony, and there was not even the tiniest smudge—I still don’t know how he did it."

Saying Yes to the Dress

Kaley found her Rita Vinieris dress at Kleinfeld, the bridal salon of Say Yes to the Dress fame. "My mom and sister and I had very different visions, and I didn’t think we would agree on a dress, but when I tried my dress on, we all had a moment where we went, 'Oh wow, this is it,'" Kaley remembers. The unifying style? A draped corset ballgown in satin with an oversized tuxedo bow at the back. "I just felt like a princess and could see myself walking down the aisle to Sev in that dress."

The Reveal

The couple opted not to do a first look—seeing each other at the aisle for the first time instead—but Kaley did do one with her bridesmaids. "My mom and my sister helped me put on my dress, and then I came out of the dressing room to my bridesmaids to 'What Dreams Are Made Of' by Hilary Duff," she says. "It was such a special moment!"

The Groom

Severiano looked dapper in a bespoke tuxedo by Brooklyn clothier Martin Greenfield. His accessories were just as special. "I wore my Dad’s old bow tie that he bought from Barneys back in the day; I had him tie it for me, which was a really meaningful moment," Severiano shares. "My cufflinks and studs were a vintage set, circa 1915, from The Missing Link, a really unique little shop in Chelsea. No watch, because why would you be keeping time at a wedding!"

A Secluded Ceremony Spot

Casa dos Penedos provided the ideal space to fulfill their dream of an outdoor ceremony. "Since the property is on a hill, the garden is set below the grade of the house, which means that the building played a large role as the backdrop for our ceremony," the couple describes. "We always said we’d get married under a tree and the ancient olive tree that is the centerpiece of the garden made for the perfect wedding arch."

Natural Decor

Four large stone vases arranged with florals formed the altar, and the aisle was lined with ground florals that appeared to be growing straight from the sandy surface. Guests tossed additional flower petals at the newlyweds after the ceremony.

A Sweet Ceremony

The groom’s good friend Alex officiated the ceremony. "He knocked it out of the park," Severiano says. "It was light, funny, and also incredibly sweet. There was just so much love throughout his speech, and everyone could feel it."

Sealed With a Kiss

Writing personal voice was a highlight for the couple—not just of the wedding, but of their lives. "Sharing our most intimate and meaningful feelings for each other in such an incredible setting is what we will always cherish from the day. It was a pure expression of our love for one another—and that’s really what the day was all about. We each spoke for about five minutes, which felt like an instant and an eternity all at once. Lots of happy tears were shed," they say.

Cocktail Hour

Champagne was passed as guests left the ceremony for cocktail hour, where they drank Sagres, a Portuguese beer, and noshed on tuna ceviche, beef croquettes, and grilled eggplant rolls. Meanwhile, the newlyweds snuck away for photos.

Picturesque Portraits

"The best part of the venue was the view from the balcony," Kaley says. "There’s one small balcony in particular that both has the best view and is the best spot for photos. We loved taking a few of our pictures out there and soaking up the entire atmosphere."

An Epic Veil

wedding veil covering a wedding couple — Rui Vaz Franco, Love Is My Favorite Color

Kaley’s cathedral-length veil, handmade by Etsy seller LamnhiBridals with 3D flowers and pearl details, made the perfect accessory for portraits. "I wanted something dramatic, and it delivered," she says.

Dinner With a View

The dinner reception took place in the venue’s "glass room." "This converted greenhouse is level with the treetops that reach up from the garden below and looks out over the Sintra National Palace and beyond into the expansive valley," Kaley says. "The ocean is 10 miles away, but we were lucky to get a clear day, and we could see all the way out to it."

Understated Reception Decor

"The glass room has a beautiful fountain, which was behind the head table and added a wonderful ambiance to the night, and the stone walls and columns have an elegant patina to them," Kaley describes. "With so much beauty in the venue, we didn’t need to do much with our place settings." Tables were topped with off-white linens, understated tableware, candles, and low floral centerpieces. The menu and seating chart were cohesive with the original invitation suite, tying everything together.

Romantic Reuse

“Our planner Carolina and our florist were excellent about reusing our florals throughout the night," the couple says. "The vases from our ceremony were moved to the reception room where they featured prominently."

Dinner

Dinner was three courses: truffle risotto, grouper or filet mignon, and an artistic dessert. "It was a hollow chocolate sphere filled with vanilla ice cream," Kaley says. "Once plated, the servers drizzled warm chocolate, which melted the sphere and revealed the ice cream inside. It was a hit!"

First Dance

For their first dance, the couple swung to a strings arrangement of one of their favorite songs: Blink-182’s "First Date." "The chorus felt appropriate for our wedding night: 'Let’s make this night last forever,'" Kaley says. "Two days after our wedding, Blink played in Lisbon, and we went with all of our friends."

Cake Cutting

They cut the cake on a balcony as "Wouldn’t It Be Nice" by The Beach Boys played. "When we first fed each other, fireworks went off behind us, and it was just the perfect way to sum up the entire night," Kaley says. "All of our guests were just as surprised as we were to see the sparklers light up! It was such a special moment and the perfect way to kick off the party."

A Second Look

Though she would have loved to stay in her ballgown all night, "I wanted to feel free on the dance floor," Kaley says. "So I found a second dress that had a similar neckline but was fitted throughout and tailored so I could wear flat sandals." Her second dress was by Besa Bridal from Anthropologie—and she switched up her glam, too. "For the reception, I wanted something more fun and glamorous. Tom was able to go from a tight bun to voluminous soft waves in a mere 15 minutes—it was very impressive!"

Lit Entertainment

A DJ and electric violinist performed an energetic set full of the couple’s favorite songs across genres and eras. "Of course, the dance party also involved a light show and smoke machine—we wouldn’t have had it any other way," Kaley says. "And last but not least, Sev is Cuban, so a wide assortment of Cuban cigars were available for all the guests. We’ve been known to love a good party, and we had quite the time out on the dance floor. The energy that all our friends brought was unmatched. Hearing how much fun everyone had made it feel like our dream wedding really came true."

Sources

Photographer: Rui Vaz Franco, Love Is My Favorite Color
Venue: Casa dos Penedos
Wedding Planner & Designer: Carolina d’Almada, Sublime Luxury Weddings
Videographer: Luis Silva
Flowers: Luis Patarrana, LizGarden Events
Invitations & Signage: Joana Duarte, Molde Design Weddings
Bride’s Gown: Rita Vinieris
Bridal Salon: Kleinfeld
Bride’s Veil: Lamnhi Studio
Rings: Ring Concierge
Bride’s Earrings: Lily & Roo
Bride’s Shoes: Sophia Webster
Bride’s Hair & Makeup: Tom Perdigão
Groom’s Tuxedo: Martin Greenfield Clothiers
Groomsmen's attire: Fraques, Smokings, Casacas e Fatos
Music: Ceremony: LisboaDuo; DJ: DJ Luis F, Rituais; electric violin: Ricardo Maciel
Catering & Cake: Penha Longa Catering
Rentals: Backup Catering & Rentals
Lighting: Rituais