Kalo Mina! Welcome to February and what a great to start to the month at Lefkas Weddings with an award winning elopement in Greece! I was ecstatic to get Ellie’s message this morning that their romantic day is the finalist in the DUO Magazine Australia, Wedding of the Year!
Eschewing a traditional wedding they decided on a six week trip of lifetime island hopping around the Greek islands with a relaxing stop in Lefkada for a few days to tie the knot with an intimate elopement.
The private, waterside location was sourced especially for this adventurous couple to create Bride Ellie’s, dream of a fairy light garden by the sea.
Their elopement was shot by one of my favourite photograpers, Lefteris Kalampokas. He told me ‘I love to shoot both film and digital and love natural light and beautiful surroundings. My approach is to tell the story of my clients, documenting intimate emotions, joyful smiles and elegant details of their wedding day. I love the tiny details, meaningless to some people but which make the day truly unique. Those same details we will enjoy looking at years later, teary-eyed and overwhelmed withemotion’
Read the full story of Ellie & Jesse’s award winning Greece elopement here
Thank you to my amazing team of suppliers who helped me make this day possible:
This adventurous millennial couple chose an elopement in all the classic sense of the word, as their ceremony in Greece was a secret from family. Joined by their closest friends they enjoyed a relaxing escape at a luxury villa before marrying in an intimate ceremony on a secluded beach.
The excitement started with an afternoon of pampering for the bride and her friends whilst the groom and guys chilled at their villa on the pretty south coast, where your view reaches across to Ithaka and Kefalonia islands.
They decided on a first look and couple shoot in the villa gardens and Karla revealed her rock chick side with a pair of striking red print heels under her full-length gown that added a flash of colour as they walked hand in hand through the winding pathways towards the sea on the edge of the estate.
An afternoon exploring Lefkada for the beach elopement location led me and destination wedding photographer, Maxeen Kim, on a search for a rumoured hidden beach known only by locals. We stumbled across it finally and I knew this little paradise was the perfect setting for a romantic escape.
To tie the modern style bouquet which blended autumn flowers, herbs and delicate berries with the classic arch for the beach preferred by the bride we used complimentary pink and purple colours. It then seemed fate when I sourced some pretty bottles of sparkling wine with a flower design that added that final finishing touch to the ceremony table.
I was delighted when Karla messaged me the following day to tell me “It was perfect! and the Seaside, the food, people, atmosphere, everything!”
If you are considering your own secret beach elopement on Lefkada or somewhere else in the Ionian and are looking for a planner who can make your romantic moment a reality, send me an email here with all the details of your day.
Thank you to my wonderful team of suppliers who helped bring this vision to life.
Ellie and Jesse travelled across the world for their
wonderfully romantic elopement in the Ionian island of Lefkada, Greece.
The private, waterside location was sourced especially for
this adventurous couple to create the Bride’s dream of a fairy light garden by
the sea.
The only sound was the water gently
lapping at the side of the deck as Ellie made her way down the steps to meet
Jesse under a gazebo of flowers. It was intimate and romantic.
Lefkada was a relaxing break after the bustle of sight seeing in Athens and before they jetted off again for the next part of their extended holiday around the Greek islands and Europe together. The spectacular view of the ceremony and its setting fulfilled their shared love of the ocean.
” I chose the restaurant wharf from the options Claire selected for us because I knew we both needed to be able to see the water. We both grew up on the Great Barrier Reef. My husband spent months at a time as a child on the ocean and I on an island so the water makes us feel at home.”~Bride, Ellie.
Ellie’s dress incorporated a few different styles. She wanted
something sexy yet simple. Finding it hard to find a white dress without added
detail and embellishments, she commissioned a handcrafted gown from Peta C with
a slight flair and short train. It was simple, timeless and understated.
Her hair was worn in
loose waves and fastened with a comb of blush pink peonies and roses that also
surrounded the Protea flowers in her bouquet. These are very similar to the
Warratah, the Australian national flower and was included as a touching tribute
to her sisters. Though they wanted an intimate elopement, Ellie and Jesse are
also big family people and her sisters are her best friends, so eloping was a
huge decision as it meant she was without them.
In the décor we used a lot of florals and fairy lights to create a feeling of intimacy and enchantment. Using an image of an enchanted garden that Ellie sent to me, the team created hanging gardens overflowing with flowers, structured around a gazebo. It was a designed in two parts, so the couple saw one floral display during the ceremony and the final look was a surprise. Waving them off on a luxury speedboat cruise around the islands, my team quickly go into action, hanging lanterns, opening fairy lights and filling the deck with lanterns. When they returned it was a candlelit paradise!
” I couldn’t have achieved our dream day without Lefkas Weddings. You need a planner/helper/elf! If you are thinking about it, don’t think, just do it! Claire is so amazing and always cool, calm and collected. Our day was completely stress free and magical. “~Ellie & Jesse
If you have your heart set on an elopement in Greece and need some help making it happen, send me an email here. I would love to discuss how we can make your very own elegant and romantic Lefkada elopement a reality.
Thank you to my amazing team of suppliers who helped me make this day possible:
