Tag Archives: Maxeen Kim Photography

Perfectly Stitched Greek Wedding Favor Ideas

karsaniko lefkada embroidery blue earrings

Enjoying your coffee in leafy Karia village square, you will notice a cluster of little shops selling beautiful linens showing Karsaniko, the Lefkada embroidery style.

This unique type of stitch was created in 1885 by a local woman who suffered an accident that resulted in the loss of one hand and partial paralysis of the other. Desperate to pursue her passion for embroidery, she created the Karsaniko stitch, which entails the use of only one hand and has since become world-famous.

From traditional to on-trend…

Eletheria, the talent behind Elixriso, learned as a child and sewed with her grandmother. She wanted to preserve and keept the tradition and craft alive and reconised the need to evolve it for the modern generation.

Inspired by jewellery pieces she received as a gift, she set about adapting the size of the Karsaniko design to fit jewellery such as brooches, necklaces and earrings.

karsaniko lefkada embroidery pendant necklace and earrings

1. Boho worthy wedding accessories

Accessorise your boho bride squad with Eletheria’s cute, fringed clutch bags. Embroidered in cream and softest aqua blue they will match with every Greek island wedding palette.

karsaniko lefkada embroidery fringe clutch bag

I particularly love the cobalt blue, not only the colour of Greece but also on trend as Pantone colour of the year 2020!

karsaniko lefkada embroidery fringe clutch bag

2. Bride style – It’s in the bag!

You have chosen the wedding dress of your dreams and a gorgeous pair of shoes to match, but don’t forget to find the perfect clutch bag to tie your look together.

I am swooning over these silk embroidered clutches by Elixriso. It is the prettiest way to carry around your wedding day essentials and you can even use it again when you jet off on your honeymoon!

clutch bag with gold karsaniko geometric embroidery design

3. Fabulous Favors!

Having a destination wedding on a Greek island like Lefkada or Meganisi would not be complete without a favour for your guests that reminds them of Greece. Why not use the Karsaniko Lefkada embroidery charms to decorate your favors?

A traditional Greek bonboniera (favour) is a decorated pouch or box containing koufeta (sugared almonds).

wedding favor box tied with ribbon and an embroidery charm

4. Say Thank you

Give a big Efharisto! to your bridesmaids or mothers for all their wedding planning help with an exclusive piece of handmade jewellery.

Eleftheria uses vintage bronze frames, gold-plated brass and 925 silver througout her designs.

karsaniko lefkada embroidery pendant necklace and bracelet
karsaniko lefkada embroidery cream earrings

Thank you to Elixriso Creations and Maxeen Kim Photography

Want more inspiration…

See how we styled our Agios Nikitas beach elopement with embroidery details here

Emotional Grey & Olive Vow Renewal – Emma & Matt

Couple kissing on beach, bride is holding a bouquet of olive leaves

A Greek island escape was the perfect setting for Emma & Matt’s emotional vow renewal with grey and olive details on a secluded Meganisi beach.

We felt incredibly blessed, happy and loved every minute of it; it really was an unforgettable evening!

Table on pebble beach draped with fabric and decorated with baskets of olive
Couple walking down steps to the beach

Emma and Matt have been married for 17 years and have a daughter together. Following Matt’s diganosis earlier in the year they planned a family holiday in Lefkas, and looked forward to the summer.

Matt’s illness taught us as a family a number of valuable life lessons to truly realise what is important and precious to us; to make every day count and to live our best life.  From this day on we chose to live by this to get us through what had become our new life in fighting this terrible disease.

Having had the most perfect wedding day we didn’t want to recreate another similar day and hadn’t planned on a vow renewal until we stumbled across Claire’s website.  The elegance and simplicity of each event she has created, the very personal touches and of course the stunningly beautiful choice of locations made us think we could have a different type of ceremony.  We instantly knew this was a perfect opportunity to celebrate our lives together, something really special and unique with the wow factor. 

olive stefana wedding crowns and baskets of olive on the beach
olive buttonhole close up

Inspired by a beach elopement, we chose to take a boat from Lefkas to the neighbouring island of Meganisi. A hidden and secluded bay, surrounded by pine and olive trees, was the backdrop for our special moment to renew our vows at the waters’ edge.

couple holding hands on beach with olive bouquet
couple and daughter reading vows at vow renewal ceremony
bride reading vow and reaction of groom smiling

Writing a vow renewal ceremony is an enjoyable task as it is heart warming to hear why couples love each other and how their relationships have grown. I ask them to write a few personal words about what they mean to each other and encourage the whole family to be part of the ceremony.

Emma told me; It really made us think about our life together, reflect on each other’s qualities, what we truly value in each other, our relationship and remind ourselves why we fell in love in the first place.

daughter doing reading to parents at beach vow renewal ceremony
parents and daughter with hands joined at vow renewal ceremony
girl with olive wrist corsage holding olive wedding crowns
daughter placing olive wedding crowns on heads of her parents
family vow renewal reaction laughing and hugging

The details

Inspired by Emma’s Jenny Packham gown with silver beading, the decor mood of their vow renewal was grey with olive details. Soft fabrics and tones of the dresses and decor, brought out the lush green of the olive bouquet and floral details. It was all design to blend wonderfully with the natural enviroment of the beach.

couple kissing on Meganisi beach with olive bouquet
couple sat on rocks on Meganisi beach with champagne glasses
close up of bride with silver dress holding an olive bouquet
close up of beading on bride dress
close up of bride holding olive bouquet with trailing ribbons

A note from Emma & Matt…

Our wedding day back in 2002 was a day to celebrate our marriage with our family and friends.  Our beach vow renewal was an intimate event with our daughter; just the three of us.  Sharing the photos with family and friends afterwards, we were touched by other people’s reactions, views on ‘How amazing it looked’, ‘Wow’,’So so special’, ‘What a beautiful thing to do’, ‘How did I plan all the little details in a matter of weeks?’ Well, this was all down to the talent, creativity of Claire at Lefkas weddings in truly creating a dream come true for us.

My biggest congratulations on this next chapter of your love story, Emma & Matt!

Do you love the idea of planning a vow renewal but not sure where to start? Contact me to discuss how we can plan it together.

The Wedding Team:

Beach Elopement Inspiration with Lefkada Embroidery

Beach wedding arch and table on the sand decorated with white and green flowers

This Lefkada beach elopement inspiration features a floral fantasy of white hydrangeas, island greenery, and endless romance!

All that was needed to add a touch of Ionian style to this elopement shoot were some unique details. Inspired by a tablecloth embroidered with the Lefkada stitch called Karsaniko, loaned to me by Christina at Gourioti Flowers, I sourced some hand-made jewellery created from peices of the same style and set to work!

Close up of white hydranges and roses on beach wedding arch in Lefkada

The floral arch for this beach elopement inspiration was created by my florist partners, Tasos and his mother, Christina. The base was long, feather like leaves of Greek eucalyptus studded with white hydrangeas, roses and chrysanthemums. We opted for a half moon style of wedding arch, to allow the brilliant, blue Ionian sea to be our backdrop to the initmate ceremony setting.

white and green half moon ceremony arch on the sand by the sea in Lefkas
Close up of white hydrangea and eucalyptus wedding arch flowers
Elopement ceremony table on the sand at Agios Nikitas in Lefkada

A tiny pop of yellow was added to the bouquet and table centrepeice with delicate marguerite daisies.

In the bouquet, I wanted to incorporate the silvery, green leaves of Dusty Miller. If you take a walk along the coast near Agios Nikitas, you can often find this growing wild, as it likes the west coast climate.

white yellow and green bride bouquet by greek door
white and yellow daisy buttonhole and groom holding crystal dish with sand and wedding rings inside

The tablewear had a touch of gold to bring out the colour of the Lefkada embroidery on the tablecloth. Paired with crystal flutes and candlesticks and a display of crisp, sweet merringues from the patisserie.

Landscape image of beach elopement tablescape in white and gold set for two people
Lefkada embroidery tablecloth with vase of white and green flowers
Beach elopement tablescape with white and gold flatware
Crystal candlesticks and glassware on embroidered tablecloth on beach in Lefkada

Whilst you do not need all the elements of a standard stationery set for a destination elopement, you can still have pretty details, such as an announcement note and vow cards for your ceremony.

To illustrate our stationery, the geometric design of this famous stitch was copied on to pale lemon card and paired with a grey envelope.

Close up of vow card and Lefkada Karsaniko embroidery on a white tablecloth
Flatlay of beach elopement stationery on the sand
beach elopment inspiration stationery close up

The west coast of Lefkada is perfect for a destination beach elopement. I chose Agios Nikitas, a traditional village which has a smooth, paved pedestrian street winding down to the white, stone beach. You wind your way past white-washed houses with wooden shutters and gardens bursting with flowers: all adding to the romance of the setting.

Beach wedding decoration at Agios Nikitas Lefkada

Do you love this shoot’s unique take on a beach elopement? Then keep an eye on my blog for more inspiration soon!

Thank you to everyone who helped with this beach elopement inspiration at Agios Nikitas:

  • Planned and styled by Claire at Lefkas Weddings
  • Photography: Maxeen Kim Photography
  • Floral design: Gourioti Flowers
  • Sweet Treats: Patisserie Il Sapore
  • Hand-made jewelley: Paradise Gifts, Lefkada

Destination Vow Renewal at Seaside Lefkada

Couple smiling at each other with sea in background

The elegant atmosphere of Seaside Restaurant was perfect for the intimate and personal Lefkada vow renewal of Brian and Siobhan.

Brian contacted me a few weeks before their family holiday to Lefkada, Greece. He wanted to arrange a surprise vow renewal for his wife Siobhan, as this year was their 30th wedding anniversary. The holiday was especially important as the family had been separated for a while as their daughters had been travelling.

They were all looking forward immensely to reconnecting as a family, during a relaxing week in a luxury villa on Lefkada, where they had passed a previous, enjoyable holiday together.

Brian told me he is not known for planning surprises or events so he wanted to take the lead and make all the arrangements for a memorable evening with their daughters.

When the evening arrived, Siobhan thought it was just a dinner at their favourite restaurant on the island. She was completely blown away as Brian revealed the real purpose of the evening and the surprise was met with lots of happy tears and joy!

Owner of Seaside, Kostas, appeared with champagne and the photographer Maxeen and I revealed ourselves, as not just fellow guests at the next table, but part of his special plan!

Bride with excited smile walking by sea with groom at surprise vow renewal

The white Phalaenopsis orchids were the standout highlight of the vow renewal ceremony. Paired with eucalyptus, olive fabric and gold geometric details it was stunningly elegant on the Seaside Restaurant terrace.

Decorated table with vase of orchids on terrace by sea for vow renewal ceremony
Gold pestal vase with white orchids and olive on table with candles

The ceremony included the re-confirming of their wedding rings. A ring which Siobhan thought was safely at the jewellers back in the UK being cleaned! She was surprised and delighted to find it presented to her by Brian, for this second, meaningful moment in their life together.

close up of wedding rings with orchid flowers at Lefkada vow renewal
Vow renewal ceremony by the sea with vows

Including the family is always an important part of vow renewals, and as they all love Greece I added an exchange of olive wreaths called stefana. This fun ritual was led by daughters; Tierney and Ailis, who followed this with a poem entitled ‘Thirty Years’, they had written especially for their parents about their respect of their relationship and the love of the family.

Olive stefana on table at vow renewal ceremony
couple with olive crowns at vow renewal ceremony
Daughter removing olive crowns from her parents heads at vow renewal ceremony
Couple looking emotional as daughter reads poem at vow renewal ceremony
Couple emotional as daughters read to them at vow renewal ceremony
Family ceremony with all members holding hands
Family drinking champage and laughing together by sea
View of vlyho bay in Lefkada with yachts
Table with grey linen at gold vase with white orchids

Their dinner table featured an identical floral arrangement as the centrepiece with white flatware and black stem glasses on dove grey table linen.

Gold pestal vase of white orchids

We had a fabulous evening thanks so much! It was a beautiful service and moment for the four of us. Brian & Siobhan

Couple with foreheads touching and eyes closed by the sea at Seaside Lefkada

If you are considering your own luxury vow renewal in Lefkada or Meganisi and looking for a planner, send me an email here with all the details of your day. I would love to help bring your special day to life.

Thank you to my wonderful team of suppliers who helped me this memorable Lefkada vow renewal happen.

Private Beach Wedding in Lefkada – Clare & Gary

wedding couple walking on private beach jetty

Set against a backdrop of clear blue sky and the inviting Ionian Sea, Gary & Clare’s private beach wedding in Lefkada will have you dreaming of summer days!

panoramic view of beach wedding arch with pink and lilac flowers zorbas lefkada
white chair on beach with olive bouquet attached

“We both fell in love with Lefkas and knew we wanted to marry on the beach . Claire suggested Zorbas as it had the privacy, a secluded beach and those amazing views! It was just perfect and we would not have wanted to get married anywhere else.” Bride, Clare

Illusion bodice of wedding dress hangin against a gold ornate mirror
Glass perfume bottle with peach colour liquid next to gypsophila bouquet
bride and bridesmaids sat on bed in dressing gowns drinking champagne
bride finishing getting ready by putting in her earring
black and white image of fastending of bride's dress before wedding

Clare fell in love with her Sophia Tolli dress with illusion neckline and lace embellishments as soon as she took it off the rail.  It was light and romantic, perfect for a their destination wedding in Greece. “As soon as I put it on I couldn’t wait to walk down the aisle and see Gary’s face!”

bride and four bridesmaids in lilac dresses all holding gypsophila bouquets
black and white image of father seeing daughter dressed as bride for first time
bride and father sat on bed holding babys breath bouquet
bride and father walking along jetty to marriage ceremony
groom with excited look on face standing with ushers in front of flower arch on the beach
panoramic view down aisle of beach wedding ceremony with floral arch
bride and groom with hands clasped during marriage ceremony
confetti shot at private beach wedding lefkada

Let’s talk about those lovely lilac florals!

“We loved the natural beach location of the restaurant and we wanted our flowers to match with the bridesmaid dresses. We choose dusky pink and lilac colours and left the rest of the design to Claire and the florist. They were absolutely gorgeous and were definitely our favourite wedding venue decorations!”

I was delighted to get an update from Clare a few months after the wedding, that her mum had planted a section in her garden with the wedding flower colours. Every time she looks out of the window it reminds her of their wedding day in Lefkada.

pink hydrangea and lilac rose beach wedding flowers

For the bouquets Clare chose gypsophilia and we clustered each cloud of white flowers with olive greenery. Gypsophilia is derived from two greek words gypsos + philios with philios meaning loving; a perfect flower choice for a Greek island wedding!

bride and groom with ushers and bridesmaids in lilac dresses group shot at private beach wedding in lefkada greece
babys breath bride bouquet and groom buttonhole

Zorbas Restaurant served a dinner full of Gary and Clare’s favourite Greek meze dishes including a delicious dish of Feta wrapped in filo pastry drizzled with Lefkada honey and sesame seeds. Lashings of tzatziki and big bowls of salad accompanied platters of fresh local seafood and grilled meats all seasoned with local oregano.

wedding centre peice vase with lilace roses and alstroemeria
wedding napkin tied with olive sprig and ouzo miniature favour

Enjoy every moment of planning your wedding day. It truly was the best day of both our lives and we will forever treasure the memories of our wonderful day!

groom kissing brides forehead

All that was left to do was enjoy the first dance, to a glittering backdrop of firework fountains and well wishes of their guests in the warm summer air.

wedding first dance couple lit by fireworks in background
bride and grrom standing side by side on jetty by sea smiling at camera

Truly a beach wedding from Lefkada with love… Na Zhsete!

If you are dreaming of your own private beach wedding in Lefkada and need some help making it happen, send me an email here. I would love to discuss how we can make your very own destination wedding in Greece a reality.

Thank you to my vendors who helped make this day possible and I am so delighted it has been featured on Want That Wedding blog.

Breathtaking wedding with pink and olive details at luxury Sivota villa – Hattie & David

A panormanic sea view was the breathtaking backdrop for the wedding of Hattie & David at luxury villa, Atokos House in Sivota, Lefkada island.

Panoramic view of swimming pool and sea from terrance of luxury villa in Sivota Lefkada

We chose Lefkas for our wedding destination as we have been sailing there for ten years. We love the Ionian islands and the scenery and wanted it to be part of our day. When Claire showed us Atokos House we picked it straight away as our wedding villa because of the amazing views over the neighbouring islands! Bride, Hattie

Atokos house is elegant, intriguing and exquisitely inviting, with magnificent views out across the sun-shimmered sea. From the terrace you take in view of Lefkada, Meganisi, Atokos, Arkoudi and Ithaka islands!

On the estate there is the charming Atokos Cottage where our bride Hattie spent the morning relaxing with her sister before getting ready for the afternoon ceremony at the main villa.

I wanted the flowers to be the bright pink colour of bougainvillea because it is such a beautiful colour in the Greek sunshine!

Together with Tasos at Gourioti Flowers the floral arrangements for their day were designed with a a mix of peonies, roses and astilbe, added texture with hypericum berries and fragrance with eucalyptus.

For the ceremony we used urns and columns to reflect the classic style of Atokos House, they provided an elegant backdrop and left an unclutterred view of the the amazing landscape from the villa terrace.

I was so, so nervous walking to the ceremony but as soon as I saw David, my family and friends waiting I felt calm. We chose a religious blessing as it was important to David and his family and I did enjoy the more traditional feel it gave our day. We we able to discuss with the Chaplain and tailor our ceremony which added a personal touch to our day.

I didn’t intend to pick a big dress but then I tried on this Stella York gown and I loved it – no other dress compared! The tulle skirt was ideal and a lot cooler to wear than expected because of all the delicate, light layers.

If you are considering your own luxury villa wedding in Lefkada or Meganisi and looking for a planner, send me an email here with all the details of your day. I would love to help bring your special day to life.

Thank you to my wonderful team of suppliers who helped me bring this day together: