DOCUMENTARY WEDDING PHOTOGRAPHY, INTERNATIONALLY AWARDED.
We are The Lovellers, documentary wedding photographers based in Figueira da Foz, on the Silver Coast of Central Portugal, 45 minutes from Coimbra. We photograph weddings throughout the city and the surrounding region: religious and civil ceremonies, celebrations in historic venues, intimate gatherings in countryside quintas. Our approach is unobtrusive, without poses or scripts, letting the day unfold and capturing what genuinely happens. Our work has been recognised internationally by This is Reportage, Fearless Photographers, and Inspiration Photographers.
A CITY OF HISTORY
Marrying in Coimbra
Coimbra is one of Portugal's most photogenic cities for a wedding. Once the country's medieval capital, home to a UNESCO-listed university founded in 1290, it carries a depth you won't find in Lisbon or Porto. Stone staircases, terraces above the Mondego river, centuries-old churches, romantic gardens, and quintas in the surrounding countryside, every venue has its own presence. In Coimbra, the setting matters as much as the moment.
When the right place meets the right people, the photographs carry a different kind of weight.
HISTORIC AND CONTEMPORARY VENUES
Ceremonies with the weight of centuries
In Sé Velha, the city's oldest cathedral, romantic and civil ceremonies share the same Romanesque stone walls that have stood since the 12th century. At the Convento de São Francisco, originally built in the 17th century, ceremonies unfold in spaces that combine sacred history with contemporary architecture. Quinta das Lágrimas is the venue where Pedro and Inês, Portugal's most famous medieval love story, lived their forbidden romance, and where many couples now choose to begin their own. Each setting brings its own rhythm, its own story before yours even begins.
WHERE WE PHOTOGRAPH
Wedding venues in Coimbra
Over 13 years, we have photographed weddings across Coimbra's most distinctive venues.
Beyond Sé Velha, Convento de São Francisco, and Quinta das Lágrimas, we also work at Sé Nova, the heritage halls of the Universidade de Coimbra, Palácio de São Marcos, and Quinta das Janelas.
The Jardim Botânico, with its centuries-old paths and quiet corners, is a favourite for engagement and couple sessions. We also cover smaller ceremonies at parish chapels and private homes throughout the city and the surrounding municipality.
BEYOND COIMBRA
The wider region we cover
From Roman ruins to mountain villages
We photograph weddings well beyond Coimbra's city limits. Conímbriga, one of the largest preserved Roman archaeological sites in the Iberian Peninsula, sits 16 kilometres south. The Mata Nacional do Buçaco, a forest reserve once tended by Carmelite monks, hosts ceremonies surrounded by centuries-old trees. Lousã and Penela, in the Serra da Lousã foothills, offer schist villages and stone chapels for intimate elopements.
Montemor-o-Velho, dominated by its medieval castle above the Mondego floodplain, is another destination we know well. From the Atlantic coast to the inland mountains, the region around Coimbra holds its own.
WHAT COUPLES ASK US MOST
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
Do you photograph weddings at Quinta das Lágrimas?
Yes. Civil and religious ceremonies in the gardens, by the palace, and at the Fonte dos Amores, the love story setting that gives the venue its name. The Mondego scenery brings its own narrative.
Do you know Convento de São Francisco for weddings?
Yes. Civil ceremonies, cocktails in the cloisters, and receptions in the main hall. The 17th-century building has been converted into a contemporary venue with both indoor and outdoor spaces.
Do you cover religious ceremonies at Sé Velha and Sé Nova de Coimbra?
Yes, both regularly. Sé Velha is a 12th-century Romanesque cathedral with low light and intimate scale. Sé Nova is barrel-vaulted, brighter and more open. Both are deeply photographable, in different ways.
Which venues outside the city of Coimbra do you photograph most often?
Quinta das Janelas in Condeixa-a-Nova and Quinta do Outeiro in Tentúgal. Both within 30 minutes of Coimbra and well known to us.
Do you travel to Coimbra for destination weddings?
Yes. We are based in Figueira da Foz, 45 minutes from Coimbra, and we travel regularly to weddings throughout Central Portugal and across the country. Travel within Portugal is included.
TESTIMONIALS
What couples say
We recommend The Lovellers to everyone. They are extremely professional, attentive to detail, creative, and bring exactly the warm presence we wanted for our day. In the end, we were left with photographs that have soul, photographs that carry the emotions we lived. Thank you for everything.
– Andreia & Renato, Quinta das Janelas
– Beatriz & Marco, Sé Nova e Quinta do Outeiro
