The Country

The Portuguese Republic, or more commonly referred to as Portugal, is located on the western tip of Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. Flanked on either side by the Atlantic Ocean and Spain, Portugal is one of the earliest nation-state in Europe.

This democratic republic, which hosts over 12 million citizens, has a homogenous makeup with the ethnic Iberians forming almost the whole population. The main language of the land is Portuguese while the dominant religion is Roman Catholicism with over 10 million practitioners.

The country, led by a titular president, is effectively governed by the Prime Minister under check and balances provided by the Assembly Of The Republic.

Relationship With A Portuguese Woman

The Portuguese are known for their direct, practical yet courteous manners and this has been translated into their concept of courtship and marriage. In the olden days, marriage falls under the purview of parents, who set it upon themselves to organize every last detail of their children’s marriage. Although the practice has tapered down over the ages, there remains a lingering scent of this custom among contemporary courtship rituals.

If you are attracted to a nice young lady from a good family in Portugal, decorum dictates that you introduce yourself to the parents, and allow them to evaluate you over tea or dinner. While appearing excessive at first glance, this will allow the word the spread around the community and ensure the family’s good standing is upheld when you are seen gallivanting with the daughter all over Lisbon. Morover, you should be thankful that the concept of chaperoned dates has gradually been phased out over the years.

Marriage

After a respectable amount of time has passed, and you have concluded that your temperament matches perfectly with your Portuguese girlfriend’s hot Iberian blood, you could be forgiven for thinking of cementing your relationship with her. If you are worried about your lack of understanding of local customs and traditions, fear not. Globalization, Christianity and Americanism has conspired to strip Portugal almost completely from its traditional identity. Marriage in Portugal these days are replicas of marriages in the United States, with a few local twist for tourism brochures snippets.

You start by making another visit to your girlfriend’s home and formally ask her parents for the daughter’s hand in marriage. Upon receiving consent, you may proceed with the planning for the wedding.

On the day of the wedding, your bride to be will be dressed in white, with faux gem embroidery on her gown while you will look spiffy in the rental suit, although a tuxedo would not be out of place either. The ceremony will play out exactly like what you would expect, with the Wedding March playing, the teary-eyed bridesmaid, the ring exchange, the I do’s – the typical modern Christian service, with one exception. At the end of the ceremony, the presiding priest will lay his stole over the couple. The length, duration and reason for this are lost in the antiquity of times. However, it remains a popular feature of Portuguese weddings.

Upon exiting the Church, the couple will be peppered with flowers and candies by their guests. The newlyweds will then take a short walk around the Church and members of the community will line up by the road to congratulate them.

After the short walk, the couple will head for the wedding reception, which is traditionally held in either of the family’s home. However, there are growing instances of these receptions being held in restaurants and hotels. Either way, the reception will be filled with fresh seafood, sweetmeats and wine, plenty of it. Amidst the dancing and singing, guests take the opportunity to congratulate the couple again.

Another interesting feature of Portuguese wedding is the day-after-visit, where the couple visits the home of each of the wedding guests to thank them for their attendance and good wishes.

Regulation

Registering your marriage begins with the request for an affidavit of no impediments to marriage by your local embassy. A template for the affidavit, Certificado de Capacidade Matrimonial” (Certificate of Matrimonial Capacity), can be obtained from any Conservatoria dos Registros Centrais (Office Of Civil Registry).

You are also required to provide the Conservatoria with notarized and translated copies of your identification and travel papers. Submit the documents and barring any legalities, your marriage registration application will be approved within a week.