Cy & Braulio | A Same-Sex Wedding at Forte da Cruz in Estoril
Cy and Braulio brought together two countries, two cultures and one very personal way of celebrating love.
One is Brazilian, the other American, and they chose Portugal for a wedding that felt elegant, international and completely their own. Their celebration took place at Forte da Cruz, in Estoril, a historic fort standing directly above Tamariz Beach with uninterrupted views over the Atlantic Ocean.
There is something particularly powerful about this place. Historic stone walls, towers and military architecture meet the openness of the sea, creating a setting that feels both imposing and unexpectedly romantic. Forte da Cruz was originally part of the defensive line built along the coast to protect the Lisbon area, before later becoming a private residence. Today, its position above the Atlantic makes it one of the most distinctive wedding settings on the Estoril coast.
Cy and Braulio’s wedding also gave me the opportunity to make a very deliberate visual choice.
The entire story was photographed in black and white.
Not because colour was absent from the celebration, but because black and white allowed me to remove distraction and concentrate on gesture, expression, structure, light and emotion. It gave the photographs a more graphic and timeless character, while also creating a visual language that felt right for both the architecture of Forte da Cruz and the personality of the couple.
For me, same-sex wedding photography should never feel like a separate photographic genre. It is still about people, connection, anticipation, humour, vulnerability and everything that happens when two people choose to celebrate their relationship with the people closest to them.
At the same time, every couple deserves to be photographed in a way that feels genuinely theirs.
Cy and Braulio brought confidence, elegance and an extraordinary sense of energy to the day. The photographs move between quiet intimacy and celebration, between formal portraits and completely spontaneous moments, always keeping their relationship at the centre of the story.
As a destination wedding photographer in Portugal, I photograph international and multicultural couples throughout the country. What interests me most is never simply where people come from, but what happens when their different stories, families and personalities meet in one place.
In this case, that place was Estoril.
A historic Portuguese fort beside the Atlantic, a Brazilian and an American surrounded by the people they love, and a wedding story told entirely through shades of black, white and everything in between.
Forte da Cruz | A Historic Seaside Wedding Venue in Estoril
Forte da Cruz stands above Tamariz Beach in Estoril, on Portugal’s Atlantic coast. Its origins are connected to the network of coastal fortifications built to defend the approaches to Lisbon, with its original military structure later adapted into a private residence.
Its location is what makes the venue particularly unusual for weddings.
The architecture has the weight and character of a historic fort, but beyond its walls there is an uninterrupted relationship with the ocean. Stone, terraces, towers and views across the Atlantic create a visual contrast that is difficult to replicate in a more traditional wedding venue.
For a photographer, that contrast creates enormous possibilities.
Strong architecture allows for graphic compositions and more intentional portraits. The open terraces and ocean light create something softer and less controlled. As the day changes, the visual language changes with it.
Cy and Braulio’s wedding was particularly suited to that environment.
The decision to photograph the complete story in black and white brought the structure of the fort, the contrast of the suits, the Atlantic light and the expressions of the people into the same visual world.
It also reinforced something I strongly believe about wedding photography: bold choices can still feel timeless when they come from the personality of the people being photographed rather than from a trend.
For couples planning a same-sex or destination wedding in Portugal, Estoril offers a different atmosphere from central Lisbon. The Atlantic coastline, historic architecture and proximity to Cascais create a setting that can feel elegant, international and distinctly Portuguese.
Cy and Braulio’s celebration is part of my collection of real wedding stories in Portugal, where every couple is photographed according to the character of their own story rather than a predefined formula.
Their wedding was international, joyful and unapologetically personal.
And photographing it entirely in black and white felt like the most honest way to remember it.
Wedding: Cy & Braulio
Wedding Venue: Forte da Cruz
Location: Estoril, Cascais, Portugal
Couple: Brazilian and American
Photography: Nuno Lopes
Photography Style: Documentary and Editorial Wedding Photography
Visual Approach: Entire wedding photographed in black and white
Celebration: Same-Sex Destination Wedding in Portugal
