Our #GLBride of the week is Victoria Radford, who happily married her fiancé in our GALA 802. The couple tied-the-knot in Lisbon Portugal at the luxurious and elegant Postana Palace Hotel. In the following interview, Victoria shares with us the details behind her romantic destination wedding and the moment she said yes to the dress. As told by Victoria:
How did you meet your husband? Tell us a little bit about your relationship.
I met my husband through the general manager of L’oreal, where he is a business development consultant. He was introduced to me as a potential perk with the company to help me with my business. So initially our relationship was professional, however, neither one of us could deny our strong feelings for each other and we quickly fell in love.
How did he propose?
Our favorite time of day is spending the morning have coffee in bed, it’s our time to talk and connect with one another. I was so happy the morning when he decided to propose, during our daily morning coffee date. It was very “us” and intimate. We were staying at the Chateau Marmont in Ottawa, his hometown.
How did you start planning your wedding? What were the first steps?
First thing was to pick a location. Initially, we wanted to elope, and we decided that Portugal was our first option, as we are both of Portuguese descent. But it quickly turned into a few of our friends wanting to join us in our “elopement”.
Did you do any beauty or fitness prep for your big day?
Soooo much! I own a beauty brand in Toronto ON, so I was excited to put into practice what I recommend for all of my brides. Getting my hair colour just right, monthly treatments of our medical facials (including micro-needling), and I’m a big fan of SoulCycle.
How did you choose your location?
The Postana Group has the most beautifully restored palaces all across Portugal, so we knew that we would be happy with any of their venues. But our absolute favorite was the one we got married at, in Lisbon: Postana Palace.
How did you decide on your bridesmaid style?
As a makeup artist, I have performed over a thousand weddings. It has always struck me that when somebody chooses their wedding gown it’s a garment that most represents love for them. And for that reason, I chose to ask all of my bridesmaids (and guests) to wear their wedding gowns again for my wedding. I wanted to be surrounded by all of the people I love, feeling their most beautiful.
How did you find your perfect dress?
Before I even knew what I wanted, I knew I wanted a dress from Galia Lahav. I worked with Andrea, from White, who understood my style and body type and showed me so many options I would have loved. But I knew right away when I put my dress on that it was perfect for me. Galia customized it to make it unique and even more special.
How was your experience with the Galia Lahav brand?
Ten out of ten! I’ve had the pleasure to meet Sharon and do makeup for an event they held in Toronto. So knowing that he was a big part of the process of my dress I knew I was in good hands. Every detail was perfect. Every piece of lace placed with care. It felt like I was wearing couture.
What was the most important thing for you and your husband when planning your wedding?
We wanted to have a celebration of love and a big party.
What was your first wedding song?
Billy Newton Davis, sang us down the aisle with an acoustic version of “Higher Love”, accompanied by guitar.
What did you enjoy the most about planning your wedding?
The idea that we were throwing a big European party with all of our friends.
What advice would you give to all our future brides?
Do all of the things, for you, to have the most amount of fun! I didn’t involve myself in any details or planning on the day of – I woke up in the morning and started the day with a swim, and breakfast on the terrace, with my soon to be husband. It was heaven.
What moment from your wedding will you never forget?
Everyone gave me the advice to take some time privately with your husband, so right before we walked down the aisle together we decided to have a quick coffee date down the street. When we walked into the park with the cafe, we were quickly surrounded by adorable little children thinking we were a Prince and Princess from a fairy tale. It was such an unexpected beautiful spontaneous moment, just for us. It felt like magic! And after that I was ready to walk down the aisle knowing my Prince would be there at the end, to live happily ever after!
List of vendors:
Shoes @maisonbedard
Flowers @preciousflowers_
Wedding planner @dianapiresevents
Location @pestanapalace
Store @whitetoronto
Photography @purpletreephotography
Hair & mkup @radfordstudio
Jewellery @brendaradfordjewelery
Grooms suit @sorencustom
