The Bride Wore Vintage Chanel to Marry at Her Childhood Home in Portugal
For many of us, a childhood home holds a particularly magical sway over our lives, with cherished family memories within its walls. For London-based jewelry designer Matilde Mourinho, it has become even more special, as it is where she not only got engaged, but also married, to her long-term boyfriend, property consultant Daniel Graham.
The couple had met when they were still teenagers in London, but it was almost a decade before Daniel got down on one knee during a trip to Portugal. “He got down on one knee on the beach just by my family’s place,” she remembers. “It couldn’t have been more perfect. He had my brother in on it, which made it the biggest surprise, considering how hard I usually am to surprise. After it happened, we spent the evening at home with my family, had pizza and wine to celebrate, and called our friends and family to share the news.”
Matilde and Daniel settled on October 12, 2024 as their wedding date, recruiting renowned wedding planner Liz Linkleter Events to help them organize their dream day. “For me, the planning process was incredibly enjoyable and fun, but obviously not without its stresses,” shares Matilde. “I knew I wanted to get married at home, in Portugal, and my parents were nice enough to make that happen. My mum especially went above and beyond, and I can’t thank them enough.”
With family and friends traveling internationally, the couple settled on a multiple-day affair, with a welcome evening and post-wedding brunch in the nearby area of Azeitão. “The aesthetic was very much based on each location—we wanted to keep it all very cohesive and almost like an extension of what was already there, and not take away from any of the venues themselves,” explains Matilde. “Together with our wedding planners, our vision was brought to life perfectly, and both Dan and I really enjoyed the planning process and were frankly sad when it was done.”
Another decision that Matilde was confident in was her wedding dress: she had always known she wanted to get married in Chanel. “My mum and I were immediately excited about the journey to find it,” she remembers. “Initially, I had no specific design in mind, so I began by exploring the Chanel haute couture archives. The dress that captivated me was from the fall 1996 collection—the year I was born, making it even more meaningful. It felt timeless, with modern touches, and was just perfect for the October weather.”
As it happens in the movies, when Matilde found the dress, she just knew. “During my first fitting in Paris, my mum and I browsed archive books in person,” she explains. “When the fall 1996 look was pulled, I knew it was the one. We made slight adjustments, including changing the color to a more bridal white and removing the trousers underneath. By the second fitting, the bodice was complete, and they used a custom mannequin based on my measurements throughout the process, which I got to keep after.”
She turned to Massaro Paris for Chanel for her wedding shoes, which drew inspiration from classic Chanel designs. She kept her bridal look a secret from everyone—including her bridesmaids—making it a special memory for just her and her mother. “I’m forever grateful to have shared it with her,” she adds. In a harmonious touch, the mother of the bride also wore Chanel haute couture with matching Massaro Paris for Chanel heels.
Unsurprisingly, Matilde wore jewelry from her eponymous brand for her wedding day. “I chose pear-shaped diamond earrings totaling 11.16 carats of lab-grown diamonds, to match my engagement ring that has a five-carat lab-grown diamond,” she describes. “My mum wore a bespoke Matilde Jewellery necklace in recycled 14k white gold with 39.35 carats of lab-grown diamonds, using pear, marquise, and round diamonds.”
As someone who doesn’t wear a lot of make-up, she worked with make-up artist Melissa Bourne on a natural look, with pre-wedding treatments by facialist Guendalina Gennari for a maximum glow. “I just wanted to look and feel like myself,” the bride says.
Dan, meanwhile, was suitably dapper on the wedding day, choosing a custom Zegna navy tuxedo with a satin lapel. “Inside the jacket, the wedding date was embroidered, and the shirt featured our initials, M D, on the cuff,” says Matilde. The bride’s father—and legendary soccer manager—José also wore a custom Zegna suit, while the best men (which included Matilde’s brother and Dan’s two brothers) had bespoke Duke Dexter loafers with “Best Man” handwritten on the sole.
“I also had lapel pins made for my dad, my brother, my grandfather, Dan’s dad, and Dan to wear on the wedding day,” shares Matilde. “I wanted it to be a small token from me to them. They were based on the design of the Matilde Jewellery Azulejo pendant necklace, which is inspired by a traditional Portuguese azulejo tile design. I replicated this in a 14k recycled white gold finish and they all wore it on the day in their own way.”