Igor
19 de julho de 2025
Welcome to Armelle and Igor's wedding website!
We created this website to share with you everything you need to know about our wedding. We are excited to have all of you with us for our big day! Here, you will find our schedule of events, recommendations on where to stay, some great tourism advice, and some tips for our international guests on how to successfully and safely navigate your way through Brazil.
By most accounts, we are an unlikely couple. We come from opposite ends of the Earth and completely different cultures. By chance, fate brought us together in Belo Horizonte, Brazil. Since then, we have learned that we actually share a lot in common and that our strengths and weaknesses complement one-another quite well. Through many adventures and challenges, we have built a good life together in our adopted country of Brazil.
It was in Todos Santos, Mexico, during a beautiful sunset that we decided to tie the knot. We later celebrated our engagement in Hermann, Missouri.
We had our first wedding, our traditional Congolese wedding, in Armelle's hometown of Kinshasa, with her family and friends. We had our second wedding, our legal wedding, in New York City with Igor's family. And now, we will have our third and final wedding, our party wedding, with everyone who has been a part of our lives, in Paraty, Brazil. We chose Paraty because it represents so many of the things that we have learned to love most about Brazil: Beautiful, exuberant nature with mountains, rainforest, beaches, and islands, all brimming with life, an adorable town which also happens to be a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and of course, the food and drink. We are excited to give you all a taste of our Brazil!
It means so much to us that someone we cherish and trust will be guiding this special moment. Hugo's friendship, kindness and support make this journey even more meaningful.
To our dear bridesmaids and groomsmen: You have all played important roles in our lives this far and we are so happy and grateful to have you all with us to witness and celebrate as we launch into the next stage of our lives together!
Use this form to confirm your attendance to our wedding as well as your accompanying guests information.
All confirmations need to be sent by June 15th, 2025.
We are so grateful to have you celebrate this special day with us! Your presence is truly the greatest gift. Instead of wedding presents, we kindly ask that you consider making a donation to a charity cause. Your generosity will make a meaningful difference, and we deeply appreciate your support.
We will soon suggest a few NGOs for donations.
We invite you to join us for our wedding reception on July 19th, 2025 on the island of Ilha do Breu in Paraty, Rio de Janeiro. The ceremony will take place from 4:45 PM until sunset, followed by dinner. There will be an open bar, live music, and dancing until the wee hours!
To get the chance to explore the island (recommended!) before the ceremony, you can arrive as early as 2:00 PM. The views are to die for and there's a little jungle, a walking trail, a beach, and good swimming, snorkeling, and kayaking. If you’re lucky, you could even meet the family of sloths or one of the families of turtles that live on the island or spot dolphins or sea turtles swimming around.
To get to Ilha do Breu:
We will have two shuttle buses and a shuttle boat take our guests to and from Ilha do Breu. You can also drive yourself to the parking lot next to the dock, park your car, and take the shuttle boat from there. More details coming soon!
June 18, 8:00 AM - 5:00 PM: Join us for the quintessential Paraty activity! An amazing schooner tour and hike in Cairuçu Environmental Protection Area.
Meet us at 7:45 AM at the very end of the Cais de Paray dock (after the 90 degree turn). We will leave promptly at 8:00 AM. We are renting a nice, private schooner with private guides to spend a full day visiting some of the most spectacular nature spots in Paraty. You will be able to go snorkeling, standup paddle-boarding, and more.
While everyone knows about Sugar Loaf Mountain in Rio de Janeiro, almost no one has heard of the equally amazing Sugar Loaf Mountain in Paraty. If you are up for the challenge, come on a one-hour hike uphill through the Atlantic Forest which culminates in a once-in-a-lifetime view at the top. For those who are less ambitious, you will get to enjoy a nice alternative nature activity at that time. We will also see some beautiful beaches and islands. We will meet some sea and land creatures and, if we’re lucky, we may even have a close encounter with the endangered Golden Lion Marmoset.
The will be R$ 275 or $50 USD per person, paid to us when you reserve your seats preferably via PIX, Zelle, or Venmo. Nice food and drinks will be available for purchase on the boat. We ask that you RSVP about this trip ASAP if you are interested, so that we can ensure that there is space for you on our boat and that it is appropriately-equipped.
Alternatively, if you are unable to attend this trip or want to try something equally special but more private and someone in your group speaks Portuguese or at least Spanish, for about R$ 1500, you will be able to rent Igor’s favorite private (smaller) boat for a full-day tour that you won’t soon forget! If you’re interested in this alternative, please let us know and we will be happy to connect you with the boat captain directly.
We will be staying at the Apple Inn House Paraty on July 16th-20th. This is a comfortable hotel with many amenities and a variety of styles of rooms available for those guests who would like to stay with us. For a potential discount on the price, try booking through the Trip.com app. The hotel is located a 15 minute drive outside of the center of Paraty and right next to at least three attractions worth visiting: Alambique Paratiana, Fazenda Bananal, and the Pit of the Englishman Waterfall.
Some other hotel recommendations:
Sandi Hotel is a great, historical hotel right in the center of old town Paraty. Its only drawback is that it is a little pricey.
Casa Luz is a charming boutique hotel with a beautiful ocean view in the forest and on a private beach, located 15 minutes north of Paraty, half way to Ilha to Breu. It has a restaurant specializing in native Atlantic Forest ingredients. You are likely to find cute marmosets there. For the more adventurous and experienced, you can take their kayak and explore several nearly uninhabited islands.
Casa Tambor is an affordable Eco Lodge in the middle of nature and with great ocean and jungle views. Their website also suggests interesting and authentic local activities.
Airbnb recommendations:
For those who are more adventurous and want an experience that they won't soon forget, there are many amazing Airbnbs immersed in the spectacular nature around Paraty as well as others that are in and around the historic city center! We always try to stay in Airbnbs when we visit. Here are some of our favorites:
Jungle/Waterfall/River:
Four luxurious cabins and a studio in a small nature commune with multiple private waterfalls and natural pools, trails, an agroforest, sauna, and fitness room integrated in nature: Cabin 1, Cabin 2, Cabin 3, Cabin 4, Studio
For a very affordable and immersive nature experience, you can stay at one of the three properties in this cluster. In the middle of the Atlantic forest with waterfalls to bathe in, trails to hike, a dazzling array of tropical birds, and even monkeys: Property 1, Property 2, Property 3
Here are some other spectacular jungle properties! All are next to waterfalls, rivers or natural springs which you can bathe in. Many have pools, hot tubs, saunas, and other luxuries. Some have fruit trees, lots of wildlife to hear and see, and bay views: Property 1, Property 2, Property 3, Property 4, Property 5, Property 6, Property 7, Property 8
Beach/Ocean View:
Three amazing houses on the beach. We stayed at the first one ourselves. The property is completely isolated, in the jungle, has two separate rustic houses, two private beaches with kayaks for guests, nearby islands and peninsulas, a pool, a hot tub, a barbecue/entertainment area, and monkeys: Property 1, Property 2, Property 3
Some great ocean view properties. Many are immersed in nature and have pools, hot tubs, and other nice features. We stayed at Property 6: Property 1, Property 2, Property 3, Property 4, Property 5, Property 6, Property 7, Property 8
Historical Center:
Affordable chalet where you will meet cute monkeys. Good amenities and a short walk from the historical center: Chalet
Two nice properties in the city center with good amenities where you may also find monkeys with a little luck: Property 1, Property 2
Some other good options in the city center: Property 1, Property 2, Property 3, Property 4, Property 5, Property 6, Property 7
Below, we offer some useful pieces of advice for everyone, but particularly our international guests.
Getting to Brazil and Paraty:
The cheapest and most convenient flights to get to our wedding will probably be to São Paulo. Rio de Janeiro is the second best option. The easiest way to get around is to rent a car and use it to drive yourself to and from Paraty, as well as around town while you're there. Note that the drive between either city and Paraty is about four hours, but the drive from Rio is very beautiful, while the drive from São Paulo is also nice, but less so.
If you stay for some time in Rio or São Paulo, we recommend that you get around those cities by Uber, as driving is fairly difficult there, parking is quite difficult, and Ubers are very cheap and convenient. In contrast, driving and parking outside of these big cities and in Paraty is relatively easy and it is hard to find Ubers outside of the city center in Paraty, so it is best to have your own car.
Two notes about driving between the cities:
1. On these drives, you will pass through multiple toll booths. You can drive through the unlabeled lanes with the green arrows, where you can pay with cash or debit/credit card or through the lanes with green arrows labeled "EXCLUSIVO PAGAMENTO POR APROXIMAÇÃO," where you can pay with debit/credit card if you have a card with a chip that you can tap on the reader (and not swipe). Note that some toll booths do not accept credit cards, only debit. Do not drive through lanes labeled "COBRANÇA AUTOMATICA" or ones with red X's.
2. While we have successfully driven these routes overnight multiple times, we would advise driving during the daytime, as it is safer and easier and the views are much better.
Alternatively, if you don't feel comfortable driving between São Paulo/Rio and Paraty, you can buy a transfer between the cities. We recommend booking a private car with UniTransfers/Kiwitaxi if you are in a group of two or more people or getting a shared ride with ParatyTours if you are in a group with one or two people. These are the most affordable and reliable options. By the way, ParatyTours is the most reputable tourism company in Paraty, so feel free to check out all of the tours that they offer! Once you are in Paraty, we recommend that you rent a car from LM Rent a Car (book it in advance through their website), the only car rental company in town. If you need to return the car on Sunday, when they are closed, you can schedule that directly or otherwise communicate with them with them via WhatsApp for an extra R$ 50. Their number is +55 24 99325-8198. You’ll need to write in Portuguese.
Note that there are cheap and comfortable buses between the cities, but we don’t really recommend them due to risk of theft both on the bus and at the bus station.
Phone and GPS:
Make sure that you call your phone service provider before coming to Brazil and set up an international data plan, so that you will have full reception on your trip. Most providers have simple, effective plans for around $10 USD per day.
In many rural areas of Brazil, including around Paraty, there is limited or no phone service. However, if you download a regional map to your Offline Maps on Google Maps in advance, GPS will continue to work even with zero reception. Sometimes, you may need to (counterintuitvely) put your phone into airplane mode to get it to start using your offline maps. In fact, this is a quite useful travel hack for many areas of the world! DO THIS. You might get a more authentic experience than you bargained for if you get lost in an area with no reception and no GPS.
Where to go and how long to stay:
We recommend staying in Paraty for four full days, ideally July 17th-20th to get the full experience of the region and of our wedding-related activities. If you are coming all the way from another continent to get here, we recommend staying for at least a week to explore the country a little. In general, we suggest staying at Airbnbs, as they are the most interesting and offer the most bang for your buck. If you have time to visit one more city, we suggest that you spend two-four days in Rio. If you have time for two more cities, you might add two-three days in São Paulo. Consider the route, São Paulo -> Paraty -> Rio, it's a great little introduction to Brazil. Note that the drive between São Paulo and Rio is a manageable six hours. On our Tourism page, you will find lots of great suggestions of what to do in all three of these cities. If you are more adventurous and would like to visit some beautiful corners of Brazil that are more off the beaten path, feel free to reach out to us and we will be happy to make some great suggestions.
Visas:
Keep in mind that Americans are now required to get visas to visit Brazil and the visa processing time is five-ten business days, so make sure to get on top of it! EU citizens do not require visas.
Safety:
Brazil has some security issues, especially in big cities such as Rio and São Paulo. Smaller towns such as Paraty are safer. Avoid having your phone out in public spaces, including things like taking photos out of your car window. Avoid having valuables exposed in your car. If a stranger is too friendly or too aggressive, be careful. And be careful in poorer neighborhoods.
Vaccines:
The only vaccine we recommend to get for Brazil is for yellow fever. However, if you don't get the chance to get vaccinated before your trip, you should be fine as long as you use bug spray. Our wedding is during the dry season, so there will not be many mosquitos.
How to pay for things:
You should bring some cash in reals, but most places in Brazil safely accept credit/debit cards. If you are paying by card and the card reader gives you the option to pay in reals or in your national currency, always choose reals, or else you will be charged a hefty currency conversion fee.
Weather:
The average daily high temperature in Paraty in July is 71.5 degrees F/22 C and the average daily low is 60.8 degrees F/16 C. The average ocean temperature is 71.2 degrees F/21.8 C, which is a bit chilly but still comfortable enough for swimming. Remember that the wedding is on an island, which is not very protected from the wind, and mostly after sunset. So bring a little bit of warm clothes, for your trip in general and for our wedding in particular!
Other:
Bring water shoes. They will allow you to frolic in the ocean and in rivers and waterfalls without fear of cutting your feet open on rocks. Obviously, bring a swimsuit. Also bring bug spray.
Make sure you have at least one adapter for Brazilian outlets. If you don't bring one with you, it should be easy and cheap to buy one at your arrival airport.
Please note that in Brazil, as in most of South America, you cannot flush toilet paper. The plumbing systems here are older/have narrower pipes than in much of the rest of the world. All bathrooms have little trash cans instead.
Information coming soon...
