AMARES
Event Design & Production
Photography: Miguel Cunha
Year: 2018
Location: Braga, Portugal
This event of 70 people in the Douro Valley brought many people from all over the world. It was located in a 17th century monastery turned hotel. While the venue was enchanting as is, it did require warmth and personal touches. I wanted to highlight the beauty of the region while focusing on bringing in traditions from the hosts’ Spanish roots. This event was all about the details: a private jamon carver brought from Guijuelo, small port wine bottles to indicate seating arrangements and serve a memento for guests, locally sourced greenery for the center-pieces and garland over the arch, letter-pressed menus in two languages for the international guests printed on heavy card stock.
While we did not manage the staff and the flow of the event in real time, we did create its structure choosing the timing, location, and highlights for each component of the evening. From the welcome cocktail on the esplanade overlooking the views of the valley, to the dinner in the hotel’s inner cloister with a special bossanova band brought from Lisbon to highlight the hosts’ Brazilian background, to the dance party with finger-food in the main hall.
