joaolvmartins

We had a dream wedding!

The wedding day always has several variables that will contribute to the result, from the mood of the bride and groom, family and friends, the venue, the service, the music, animation, weather.

We were lucky in everything, but some of the luck is also the responsibility of the VidaMar Madeira team.

The hotel was not our first choice, but after visiting it and getting to know the services they offered and the price per guest, we decided to take a chance and today we know that it was a great decision.

Our wedding had 166 guests, half from Madeira, half from outside the region, starting with the civil ceremony at 5.30 pm on the Selvagens terrace, followed by a cocktail in Jardim das Oliveira and a glass of water in the Oceanos room. The cake was cut on the platform between the two pools.

About the hotel: right at the entrance, guests are rewarded with a view over the ocean with the green of the palm trees, in a hall with simple and spacious lines that allows the couple to use their imagination and decorate accordingly. We chose to only have signage, as we considered that the view was already a strong decoration in itself.

The ceremony can be celebrated in different places, all of them with a common feature, having the ocean as a backdrop, which already raises the quality of the wedding to another dimension. The option of getting married on the platform between the pools is possible, but guests can be in the pool and also be witnesses to the wedding.

The cocktail usually takes place in the garden of olive trees, which in addition to being a space full of nature, allows guests to socialize and circulate freely between shade and sun.

Our first impression of the Oceanos lounge was that it was low and aseptic. But we used this as an advantage, as it allowed the decoration to completely transform the space to our liking.

About food and drink: There are buffet and plated menus that can be discussed and changed depending on the requests of the bride and groom, with associated costs.

Ours was plated and as we were unsure between two menus we ended up ordering a mix of both. The food at VidaMar is of excellent quality, where we can highlight that the meat dish was perfect for all guests. There is a vegan option that competes with the quality of the non-vegan option.

Supper is a very well provided banquet.

As for the wines on offer, this is the most negative point to highlight, due to the short list. The options included in the menus do not match the quality of the food, with the possibility of hiring higher quality wines, adding a cost per guest.

About the service: All the hotel employees made us feel welcome from the first day. Throughout the day, everyone involved presented themselves with a smile and was helpful.

About the process: We must thank Vítor Martins, who, together with his team, was tireless and accompanied us on the journey. We were demanding bride and groom, but Vítor was always up to the task and was very helpful in all the requests we made and worked with us to find solutions so that we could achieve the wedding we had envisioned.

Conclusion: We believe that VidaMar is an excellent choice for those looking to have a wedding near the sea, with the certainty that they do not need to worry about the service or the quality of the food on a day that is full of emotions.