While we hope our wedding provides you an opportunity to travel and vacation, we are kindly requesting all of our guests to arrive in Braga by May 1st or May 2nd. There will be a Welcome Party at Araxa the evening of the 2nd, and we hope you all can join! The Ceremony, cocktail hour, and formal reception will all occur at our Venue, Solar Da Levada. A more detailed timeline will be published as we get closer to the date, so stay tuned!

For the welcome party, we are requesting our guests to dress for a summer garden party. Traditional Indian or Pakistani outfits are encouraged, but not required. For our wedding day, we kindly ask our guests to dress for a black-tie event. For guys, we are asking for black suits or tuxedos, and for ladies' mid, maxi dresses, or traditional wear is acceptable. Color schemes for ladies can be black, earthy, and pastel tones, please shy away from bold colors. We will be providing a look-book of outfits for some inspiration, but until then please feel free to ask if you have any questions!

As much as we'd love your kids to join us, unless specified in your invitation we would like for this to be an adults only affair.

We have provided a few hotel blocks for our guests that are close to our venue. Please navigate to the 'Travel + Hotel' page to find the Hotels, and our accompanying promotional codes. Please note, Melia Braga Hotel will be the main location for pickup and drop-off via the provided shuttles. Unless requested, staying at these hotels is not a requirement. Braga, and its neighboring cities have plenty of Air Bnb options available for you as well!

Please let John and Seher know in the event you are unable to secure a hotel room at Hotel Melia Braga. Additionally, we have listed a variety of other options in the event the hotel is fully booked. Keep in mind, the hotel is on a first come, first serve basis, so act quickly before it is too late!

U.S. citizens may enter Portugal for up to 90 days for tourism or business without a visa. Your passport should be valid for at least three months beyond the period of stay. For more information, please visit: https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/international-travel/International-Travel-Country-Information-Pages/Portugal.html

We are aware of the potential for a new rule rolling out by the European Travel Information and Authorization System (ETIAS) that will impact all travelers to Europe. Once ETIAS kicks off, travelers coming from once visa-exempt countries—including American and British tourists—will be required to apply for the travel authorization and pay a small fee (€7). It will now launch sometime in 2024, though the exact date has not yet been confirmed. Until a date has been confirmed, we are proceeding as normal. American citizens traveling to Europe can apply on the ETIAS website’s application section once it becomes operational. For notifications in the meantime, you can sign up for emails at the website: https://etias.com/etias-application

Great question! You are welcome to rent a car but there is also a high-speed train that goes from Lisbon to Porto which is about 2.5 hours (Alfa Pendular). Those planning to travel from Lisbon to Porto on a train should go to Lisbon’s Oriente Train Station (Gare do Oriente) located in the city center. It can be easily reached by public transport, including bus and metro. The Porto rail station is called Campanha Station or in Portuguese Estação Ferroviária de Porto-Campanhã. It is also situated in the heart of town near major attractions, therefore making your Portugal travel very convenient and saving your time. Tickets range around 64 euro.

Both our Welcome Party, and Wedding Day events will occur at or near the city of Braga. Depending on where you are staying (see Travel+Hotel Page on this website for recommendations), we suggest either driving yourself via rental car, or taxiing/ubering to Braga. There will be transportation provided at the Melia Braga Hotel and Hotel Do Parque to and from both the Welcome Party and the Wedding Venues.

Americans and nationals of other European Union countries are allowed to drive in Portugal with their local driving license. In Portugal, you drive on the right-hand side (same as the US) and overtake on the left. While driving, it is important to ensure you travel with the following: Original driving license, International Driving Permit (if you have one), Passport, Car documents (like the registration, proof of ownership, and vehicle inspection report), Proof of insurance (in Portugal this is represented by a sticker on the lower right corner of the windshield as well as a certificate of insurance). Additionally, Portugal requires a yellow or orange high-visibility safety jacket, reflective warning triangle, and an approved child seat for children under 12. The majority of the documents/equipment listed should be provided by your rental company. Please note, that in case of an emergency, the Portuguese National Emergency Number is 112.

We will be arranging transportation for both the Welcome Party, and the Wedding Day. The Melia Braga Hotel will have pre-arranged shuttles that will be picking up and dropping off in the same locations. Please keep in mind, if you are staying in a hotel other than the two we have mentioned, you will be responsible for your own transportation in the event you chose to not come to our designated pickup/drop off hotel locations.

Yes - the Welcome Party (Araxa) and Solar Da Levada (Wedding Venue), both have parking available for those that choose to drive themselves. Both of our Hotels will also have parking available as well.