Portugal is not short of palaces and historic estates to get married in. What it did not have was a French luxury house choosing the green Minho to settle in. The Amoure is exactly that: Maison Albar’s first hotel in Portugal — the Parisian hotel house — planted in the village of Moure, a step from Braga.
And the bet was not to imitate what already exists. Instead of the usual tiles and rustic stone, Domus Concept was given carte blanche to design a contemporary country house, Art Deco in inspiration — clean lines, generous light-filled salons, marble, landscaped gardens, and an infinity pool facing the hills. It is a five-star member of The Leading Hotels of the World, with a spa and a Michelin-starred kitchen.
For couples who want the Minho without the Minho cliche, the Amoure is the answer. Not bad. Right?
The Amoure has 26 keys — 6 suites and 20 rooms, with a generous average area of 43 m2, Art Deco aesthetic, and private terraces over the hills. As a boutique-scale house, the whole property can be booked for the wedding, keeping the entire group under the same roof. Mary Me coordinates the allocation between couple, family, and guests, with curated overflow at Braga hotels for larger lists.
The Amoure’s story is short but deliberate. Maison Albar Hotels, the French house known for its savoir-faire and for properties of strong design, chose the north of Portugal for its first venture into the country — and, rather than the city, it chose the countryside, in the small village of Moure, near Braga.
The project was handed to Domus Concept, a Lisbon architecture studio, with an unusually free brief: to create the country house of their dreams. The result is a luxury residence of Art Deco inspiration, with an imposing facade, light-flooded salons, and French doors that open onto private terraces over the green hills.
If you ask us, what makes the Amoure interesting is precisely the boldness of not being Portuguese in the old way. In a region where almost everything plays the heritage card, the Amoure plays the contemporary-design card — and, at a wedding, that difference reads in every photograph.
We are in Moure, in the parish of Vila Verde, in the heart of the Minho, about fifteen minutes from Braga. It is the greenest and most fertile region of Portugal, of gentle hills and tended countryside, but with a city of character — Braga, one of the country’s oldest — a few minutes away for guests to explore.
The great advantage is the discreet accessibility. Francisco Sa Carneiro Airport in Porto is less than an hour by car, which makes the Amoure convenient for an international group without exposing it to the bustle of the city. It is countryside, but countryside half an hour from everything.
Around it are the Bom Jesus do Monte sanctuary and Braga’s Baroque centre, Guimaraes half an hour away, and the Geres an hour away for a day-after of nature. The Amoure is an elegant, peaceful base for a destination wedding that wants the Minho with city comfort.
The Amoure’s great advantage is the combination of contemporary design, top-tier gastronomy, and intimate scale in a house surrounded by gardens. Civil and symbolic ceremonies take place in the spacious garden, with the green hills as a backdrop; cocktails live on the terraces and by the infinity pool, in a setting that is, in itself, a photograph.
Dinner and the party happen in the house’s light-filled salons, with natural light coming through the French doors and the Art Deco aesthetic giving the space an elegance that needs no heavy decoration. The gastronomy is led by the Michelin-starred kitchen of chef Julien Montbabut, at the L’Amoure restaurant — which means the wedding dinner is not event catering, it is bistronomic fine dining.
As a house of 26 keys, the Amoure is designed for weddings with personality rather than mega-events. The Amoure spa, with a hammam and indoor pool, takes care of the getting ready and the day after. It is a human-scale venue, where everything is a few steps away.
We know the coordination between the garden, the salons, and the pool across the day. Pop the question. We handle the rest.
Yet, it is exactly the kind of venue where our coordination makes the difference — because most couples who choose this house come from abroad, drawn by the name and the design, having never been to the Minho. We handle the transfers from Porto airport and, as a house of only 26 keys, we coordinate the full buyout and the allocation of rooms between couple, family, and guests — with curated overflow at Braga hotels for larger lists. For an international group, having everyone under the same roof, a few steps from the party, is a luxury few venues of this scale offer. And there is the practical side: civil-ceremony paperwork, liaison with the churches of Vila Verde and Braga for the Catholic part, sound curfew, and the Camara de Vila Verde permit for fireworks over the gardens. For guests who stay on, we design the day-after in Braga, Guimaraes, or the Geres. From the first call to the last dance.
The Amoure is a boutique-scale venue. The spacious garden hosts the ceremony and the cocktail, and dinner takes place in the house’s salons, for groups designed for personality rather than the mega-event. It is ideal for weddings where the group stays under the same roof. Exact capacity to confirm with the venue.
In Moure, parish of Vila Verde, about fifteen minutes from Braga, in the heart of the Minho. Francisco Sa Carneiro Airport in Porto is less than an hour by car.
Yes. As a house of only 26 keys, a full buyout is not only possible but recommended for weddings — it guarantees absolute exclusivity and keeps all guests under the same roof. Mary Me coordinates the buyout and the room allocation.
The Amoure hosts weddings all year round, but the gardens and the infinity pool are at their peak between May and September, which is the most sought-after season. For peak weekends, we recommend booking 18-24 months ahead. For the cooler months, the light-filled salons and the spa keep the experience just as strong.
It is Maison Albar’s first hotel in Portugal — a French luxury house — with contemporary Art Deco-inspired architecture by Domus Concept, the opposite of the historic tiled palace. It has a spa, an infinity pool, and a Michelin-starred kitchen by chef Julien Montbabut.
Yes, 26 keys (6 suites and 20 rooms). The whole house can be booked for the wedding. Mary Me coordinates overflow at Braga hotels for larger lists.
Civil and symbolic ceremonies in the garden or the salons. For Catholic ceremonies, we coordinate at the churches of Vila Verde and Braga, with transfers handled by Mary Me.
Yes. The Amoure spa, with a hammam and indoor pool, is ideal for the bride’s getting ready and for the day-after programme.
