Wedding in São Sebastião and Maresias: Where to Marry, Host Guests and Explore

A wedding in São Sebastião or in Maresias turns the celebration into a trip: guests arrive a few days early, enjoy the beach and the islands, and the couple carries straight on into their honeymoon. This is what's known as a wedding experience, or destination wedding.

One thing to clarify upfront: MaresiasTur doesn't organize weddings. The date, venue, ceremony and reception are handled directly with the hotel. What the agency organizes are the tours for the couple and their guests — boat, hiking and adventure tours. This guide brings together the partner venues for the ceremony, where to host guests, and the schedule for the days before and after.

Where to hold the ceremony in São Sebastião and Maresias?

Among the partner accommodations, two have the structure for the wedding itself:

	Porto Grande Hotel & Convention	Villa'l Mare Hotel
Location	Downtown São Sebastião, facing the channel and Ilhabela	Maresias, about 500 m (1,650 ft) from the beach
Spaces	Convention hall for 100 people and a 4,000 m² (43,000 sq ft) garden, with the beach in the background	Two spaces for more than 150 people; a hall with an outdoor area, suited for weddings
Accommodations	3 buildings, including the Frente Mar; full-board rate	44 rooms with air conditioning and breakfast included
Highlight	The city's most traditional hotel, operating since 1966	La Trattoria restaurant and a free shuttle around Maresias

Porto Grande Hotel & Convention is the most complete option for the ceremony: the 4,000 m² garden has the beach in the background, and the hotel can also house many guests in a block, with breakfast, afternoon tea, lunch and dinner on the full-board plan. Being downtown, it's in the same area as the ferry to Ilhabela; Maresias is about 30 km (19 mi) away.

Villa'l Mare Hotel is in Maresias and has facilities for social and corporate events, with two spaces for more than 150 people. The hall with an outdoor area is the one suited for weddings. La Trattoria restaurant, with homemade pastas and sauces from family recipes, and the free shuttle that takes guests anywhere in Maresias, including the beach, make life easier for anyone staying there.

Where to host guests?

The accommodations in this itinerary are MaresiasTur partners. All of them work well for hosting guests, each with its own profile:

Accommodation	Where	Best for
Porto Grande Hotel & Convention	Downtown São Sebastião	Large groups in a block; adult and kids' pools with a slide, sauna, playground and full board
Villa'l Mare Hotel	Maresias, about 500 m from the beach	Families and couples; 44 rooms and a free shuttle around Maresias
Pousada Porto Mare	Maresias, about 150 m from the beach	Couples, families and small groups; suites with an extra bed; accepts small pets
Pousada Azul da Cor do Mar	Maresias, 20 m from the beach	Families and couples; pool, sauna and a kids' pool area
Pousada Toca da Praia	Maresias, about 450 m from the beach	Guests with pets, no size or breed restrictions; solar-heated pool
Pousada Villa Blu Maresias	Maresias, about an 11-minute walk from the beach	Groups of friends and the wedding party; flats that work well for groups
Pousada Vila Barequeçaba	400 m from Barequeçaba Beach	Families with small children (calm-water beach); accessible suite and a suite for 5 people; no pets
Ilha de Toque Toque Eco Hotel	Toque Toque Grande	Adults-only, exclusive to couples: the newlyweds and childless guest couples

Uber and 99 don't operate in São Sebastião, so it's worth letting guests know to plan transportation between their accommodation, the reception and the tours; the guide on how to get to Maresias and get around can go along with the invitation.

Special discount code: MARESIASTUR. When booking directly with this itinerary's partner accommodations, mention the code MARESIASTUR for a special discount. Conditions, dates and availability are set by each property.

Schedule for guests before and after the celebration

Two days before: islands on a shared boat tour

• Morning or afternoon: Shared Boat Tour – The 3 Islands, with departures at 9 a.m., 12 p.m. and 3 p.m. from Boiçucanga Beach, about 3 hours with two stops to swim, using pool noodles. The departure needs a minimum of 8 people, which a large group of guests can fill on its own.
• Alternative: the shared Montão de Trigo boat departs from Maresias Beach at 9 a.m. and spends about 4 hours around the South Coast islands.
• Evening: welcome dinner; at Ravenala, at Porto Mare, which is open to the public, check with the restaurant for groups.

The day before: nature in the morning, wedding party at sea in the afternoon

• Morning: hike to 7 Quedas Waterfall, at 9 a.m.: 2 km round trip, easy level, with an accredited guide.
• Afternoon: private boat tour for the wedding party, or the bachelorette/bachelor party (see below).

Wedding day

It's best to keep the schedule open, with no long tours, so no one arrives tired or late to the ceremony.

The following day

• In Maresias: EcoTour at Calhetas Beach, at 9 a.m. or 2 p.m., with transportation departing from the agency.
• Downtown: those staying at Porto Grande are close to the Ilhabela ferry and to the Try Scuba Diving departure point at Ilha das Cabras, at Varadouro.