WHY?
Ten years ago, this coming New Year’s Eve, Jenn and I were married. The happiest day of my life. The very next day came the first concern about our future, from my darling wife: “We’ll never ever have a party as good as our wedding again."
So during an outburst of uncontrolled honeymoon love — Jenn being slightly younger than me, and the conventional silver wedding anniversary party being far too long a wait for her young heart — I may have suggested that perhaps I’d be up for throwing a big anniversary bash every five years, probably thinking that ought to kick the concern down the road a bit.
Five years ago our NYE party in Rome saw the end of that stretch of road, which Jenn very patiently paced, counting every step; and now it's somehow time to celebrate again with a whopper of a party- I wish I could say, to end all parties - in Lisbon.
She has found some aristocrat’s pile in Sintra - a little village right outside of Lisbon which has repeatedly been described to us by the Portuguese as a fairytale. It's a 17th century Palace which has been converted into one of the world’s most beautiful boutique hotels. Palacio De Seteais Sintra. The rooms, public and private, are magical; the staff are wonderful and Sintra itself is, of course, a fairytale.
Our plan is to take over the entire place for this New Year’s Eve 2023 and treat it like home, for our tenth wedding anniversary party.
You have to come. It’s going to be incredible. And you know I don’t say that about parties, often. Okay, ever. (Well perhaps about Rome but you get the idea).
Love to all,
Alex and Jenn