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how we work

Clarity is not a bonus. It’s how we work.

How It Works | Como Branco
How we work

Our process

From the first call to the last dance. Every wedding we plan follows a clear process so you always know where you are, what comes next, and what we need from you.

01
Initial step

First Contact & Discovery Call

You reach out through our website, social media, or through a referral. We respond within 2 business days to arrange a more personal first point of contact: the Discovery Call.

This first conversation is designed to understand your vision for the celebration. Over the course of 40 minutes, we explore the essential details of your event, including your preferred date, guest count, possible additional events, food and beverage requirements, and any cultural or religious considerations.

There is no commitment — simply an open and welcoming space to ask every question you may have about what planning a destination wedding in Portugal involves.

It is also an opportunity for Como Branco to explain our services, our way of working, and the scope of what we can support you with.

02
Proposal

Service Proposal

Based on the information collected during the Discovery Call, Como Branco prepares a tailored flat-fee service proposal aligned with your event profile and planning needs.

You can then review the proposal and send any follow-up questions by email, WhatsApp, or through an additional call.

03
Kick-off

Contract & Kick-Off

Once you are ready to move forward, we sign the paperwork and confirm the booking of our services with the first instalment.

From that moment on, you will have a dedicated team by your side, together with a shared workspace where your full project can be followed in one place.

Elegant planning begins with a clear structure and a calm, personal experience.
Pricing Philosophy | Como Branco
how we work

Pricing Philosophy

Planning a wedding from abroad means trusting people you’ve never met with one of the most important days of your life. We understand that. So before you fill in the form, here’s exactly how our pricing works and why.

Planning fee vs. event budget
01
The difference

Two separate things. Let’s make it simple.

Planning & Design Fee

  • Planning strategy & vision
  • Event design concept & direction
  • Supplier curation & management
  • Design execution: logistics, rentals, build & breakdown
  • Full on-the-day coordination

Event Budget

  • Venue & catering
  • Photography & videography
  • Florals, rentals & custom pieces
  • Music & entertainment
  • Guest accommodation & transport

Our fee covers the people, the process, and the expertise. The event budget covers what your wedding is made of.

We manage both.

What shapes your investment
02
Proposal factors

Every proposal is built around your project.

These are the main factors:

  • Number of guests
  • Number of events: wedding day, welcome dinner, farewell brunch, boat day
  • Design complexity: concept, custom pieces, florals, production
  • Venue and location
  • Time of year

This is why we send proposals only after a first conversation. A 30-person elopement in the Alentejo and a 200-person wedding weekend in Lisbon are entirely different projects and deserve entirely different proposals.

→ Book a consultation
What’s included in the fee
03
Included

From the first call to the last moment of your wedding.

Here’s what that means in practice:

  • Planning strategy: vision, priorities, timeline
  • Venue & supplier curation: researched and vetted
  • Full planning management: milestones, decisions, communication
  • Event design: concept, mood, visual direction, full specifications
  • Décor management: supplier coordination, logistics, build and breakdown
  • On-the-day coordination: full team on site
  • Extra events: included in your proposal from the start or added later

Every decision goes through you. We guide, you approve. Nothing moves without your sign-off.

What’s not included
04
Outside the fee

Being transparent also means being clear.

  • Décor production: florals, rentals and custom pieces are quoted separately after the design is approved
  • Planning supplier costs: venue, catering, photography, video, music, transportation
  • Requests outside the agreed scope
Is Como Branco the right fit?
05
Fit

We’re likely the right fit if you…

  • Value clarity and structure from the start
  • Want a team that designs and executes, not just advises
  • Are planning from abroad and need someone they can fully trust
  • Want a cohesive experience across the full wedding weekend
06
Not the fit

Probably not the right fit if you…

  • Are looking for the lowest price on the market
  • Want to manage suppliers directly
  • Prefer to make all decisions without guidance

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

Questions we hear most often

Our office is in Lisbon, Portugal. We work across the country and are happy to travel, the same team and supplier network that operates in Lisbon works in the Douro, the Alentejo, the Algarve, and beyond.

Full wedding planning, event design, and on-the-day coordination, handled by a dedicated in-house team. Planning and design are two separate specialisms: we have planners who manage the process and a design team who builds the visual concept and executes it. We also work on anniversaries, birthday celebrations, personal events, and corporate event design.

Two things, mostly. First, we have a dedicated in-house planning team and a dedicated in-house design team, not one person doing both. Second, 14 years of experience means we’ve seen enough to stay calm when things don’t go to plan, solve problems before you know they exist, and give you an honest opinion even when it’s not what you want to hear. We’d rather tell you the truth than agree with something that will compromise your wedding.

Because planning a wedding, especially from abroad, is a full-time job. The supplier network alone takes years to build. Knowing which venues are available, which caterers work well under pressure, which florists can deliver what they promise: that knowledge is what we bring. You get a team that has seen everything, solves problems before you know they exist, and is fully present on the day.

More than most people expect. We manage the entire process from the moment you sign the contract to the last moment of your wedding day:  venue search and visits, supplier curation, budget management, event design, décor production, timeline, logistics, and full on-the-day coordination. You make the decisions, we handle everything that goes into making them happen.

We think the better question is: what does it cost not to? The time, the stress, the risk of making expensive mistakes without local knowledge, these are real. Our couples consistently tell us that having a team they could trust completely changed how they experienced their wedding. They were present. That’s what we’re here for.

The best way to check is to reach out directly. We take between 8 and 10 weddings per year, so availability fills up, especially for peak season in Portugal.

Send us your date and we will confirm within 2 business days.

Yes. We have experience planning weddings across all faiths and cultural traditions: Catholic, Hindu, Jewish, Muslim, and non-religious ceremonies. Each one is planned with the same care and with suppliers who know what they’re doing.

Yes. Every couple we work with gets the same team, the same process, and the same commitment. Always.

Yes, we do. It’s a service we offer, particularly for couples who have already handled the planning and need an experienced team to take over and execute. These enquiries often come through venue referrals. If that’s what you’re looking for, get in touch and we’ll see if we’re the right fit.

Yes. The team that planned your wedding is the team on the ground on the day. An average of four people, two from planning and two from design, are present throughout. We don’t hand you over to someone who wasn’t part of the process.

As a rule, no. We have one wedding per day. In rare exceptions, for example, when we have a small event design alongside a day-of coordination for a separate couple, we may divide the team, but only when we’re confident both events are fully covered. It’s something we decide case by case, never as standard practice.

Smart and discreet. The planning team wears black and a blazer. The design team works in Como Branco branded t-shirts during setup and changes into black and a blazer before the event begins. Comfortable shoes are non-negotiable, a wedding day can easily cover 15 kilometres across grass, cobblestones, and everything in between.

Ready to Begin?

Tell us what’s on your mind, the more specific you are, the better our response will be.