If you love peonies as much as I do, here is some inspiration on how to use peonies for your destination wedding in the Greek islands.

Peonies are loved by brides the world over, with pretty ruffles and large, full heads that make a perfect feature flower for any bouquet or table arrangement. Their colours range from white through to pastel pink, to burgundy and coral, making them a truly feminine bloom.

Revered since ancient times, the peony gets its name from a Greek myth in which Paeon, physician to the gods,  angered his teacher Asclepius, the god of medicine and healing. When Asclepius  threatened to kill Paeon out of jealousy, Zeus saved him by changing him into the lovely flower we know today as the peony.

1. Peony bride bouquets

Peonies are delicate and romantic-looking which makes them the perfect flower choice for any destination bridal bouquet. In the warm Greek sunshine they open fully into big, ruffled flowers that look beautiful in both traditional or hand tied bouquet styles.

If you are after a more traditional look, peonies are ideal for a classic posy style bouquet. Either as a bouquet of full, white or pale pink peony blooms or with accents of your favourite bloom for a more personal touch.

For Evaggelia, we blended white peonies with lavender and marguerite daisies.

Mixing the peonies with other summer wedding flowers is a great way to add more scent and colour to your bouquet – as proven by Lisa’s beautiful rose and peony bouquet

Adding a couple of peonies to a simple bouquet and will instantly make it romantic. Here we mixed blush pink peonies with Protea flower to Ellie’s elopement bouquet and white peonies with succulents for Nina’s beach wedding bouquet.

Georgina choose white peony and olive bouquets for her bridesmaids at their destination wedding in Parga.

2. In the small details

Use peonies for your destination wedding as buttonholes or as equisite, natural hair decoration for the bride and bridesmaids. See more details of Ellie & Jesse’s elopment here

3. Your ceremony decor

Here we added peonies in the flower decoration on our wedding ceremony arches. They look stunning against the backdrop of the blue Ionian sea – don’t you agree!

4. On the tables

The peony’s versatility and symbolism make it a favourite choice for any centrepiece. At Jo and Richard’s intimate, vintage styled, wedding at Seaside Restaurant in Lefkada the table was dressed with mismatched china and glassware to display the pastel coloured peonies. Read more about this day on Chic & Stylish Weddings

5. As a finishing touch!

In Greece, the cakes are usually decorated with gorgeous real blooms, turning your wedding cake into a romantic floral masterpiece.

Wedding Planner Tip: As peonies have a large head, you don’t need as many to fill a whole bouquet. Instead to reduce costs a little, go for the natural and wild look by adding a little extra foliage in to the mix. Or consider the minimalist look, with just one or two peonies for your bouquet.

Images by: Lefteris Kalampokas, Maxeen Kim Photography & Protography

Resources: The Secret Language of Flowers Interflora

Lilies are absolutely perfect for a stunningly unique wedding bouquet with a history woven into the stories of Greek mythology. Not only are they beautiful, but they also come in many different types and colourways, meaning they can be added to almost any bouquet throughout the whole year.

I’m sharing with you the three designs above, as inspiration for using lilies in your bouquet to give you a classic-meets-contemporary flair to your day. These elegant flowers combine well alongside more classic wedding blooms such as roses. Include them in an all-white rose bouquet to convey a more traditional look, or choose Star Gazer lilies for a pop of colour, as we did in Kimberley’s bouquet [right].

When we think of graceful, elegant flowers, calla lilies definitely make the list. They are named after the Greek word for beautiful ‘kala‘. While most often used in its crisp white colour, calla lilies come in a wide array of colours, from pink to orange to a deep aubergine that borders on black. Their trumpet shape adds a statement to a modern bouquet [left] and the soft curve of its petal is undeniably romantic when combined with eucalyptus, roses and wax as in our Lefkada island wedding bouquet [right].

The story of lilies in Greek mythology

Associated with Hera the Greek goddess of marriage, lilies appear in the legend of Zeus and his son Hercules by the mortal woman Alceme. According to the legend Zeus brought Hercules, his son from another woman, to Hera, his wife, while she was asleep to drink her milk. When she woke up she pushed him away and drops of milk flew across the sky to create the milky way. The ones that fell on the ground grew into beautiful lilies.

When Venus, goddess of love, beauty, and desire, saw the lilies she was jealous of their beauty. She cursed their beauty by placing a large yellow pistil in the middle of the flowers.

How we used lilies for a wedding in Lefkada

We arranged pink calla lilies with blush pink hydrangea, vintage roses, astilbe and olive branches in glass vases on the tables at Zorbas Restaurant. This is one of my favourite wedding venues on Lefkada; the private beach location is ideal for a destination wedding, enclosed by olive trees with an endless view of that blue Ionian Sea! See more here.

Photo Credits:

• Bouquets 1: Still Co | Jodi & Kurt Photography | Maxeen Kim Photography
• Bouquets 2: Allan Tsai Photography | Kalampokas Fotografia
• Venue Images: Planning by Lefkas Weddings with Maxeen Kim Photography

Photographers Lefteris Kalampokas and Maxeen Kim Photography are two of my talented wedding partners in Lefkada

From purity to passion, flowers have many meanings throughout Greek myths and legends. So why not draw from these beautiful stories, specifically that of Persephone, and include 5 flowers for your wedding from Greek Mythology

Each flower I have selected for you is associated with a legend and together they form the flowers of Persephone’s bouquet. These are the flowers the goddess Persephone and her companion Nymphs were gathering in a springtime meadow when she was abducted by the god Hades; rose, crocus, violet, iris, lily and larkspur (Source: Homeric Hymns).

Rose. Aphrodite the goddess of love is credited with creating the rose from her tears over the mortally wounded Adonis and the goddess of flowers, Chloris, was said to breathe roses as she spoke. Throughout the ages writers, poets, artists, and others have used the rose as a metaphor for undying love, beauty, and passion. They are the perfect wedding flower being both ideal for classic and contemporary styles of bouquet and arrangements.

Lily. Associated with Hera, the Greek goddess of marriage and created by Hera in the legend of Zeus and his son by the mortal woman Alceme. The lily symbolizes purity and refined beauty and based on the colour or type, the lily can convey different meanings; white is for modesty and virginity, orange is for passion and yellow for gaiety. A much sought after choice for bouquets due to its luxurious and elegant appearance, Calla, Stargazer and Casablanca lilies are all ideal for a destination wedding in Lefkada.

Iris. The goddess Iris, a messenger to the gods was thought to use the rainbow as a bridge between heaven and earth. By some accounts, the ancient Greeks believed the rainbow was actually the flowing, multi-coloured robes of Iris. Others believed the beautiful multi-coloured flowers were also part of her robe or the flowing veil from her dress. Thus, these flowers were named to honour the Rainbow Goddess and bring favour upon the earth. Typically purple or blue, although they can be found in yellow, pink and red also, they are a pretty flower to combine in a bridal bouquet.

Violets. Greek legend tells of a nymph named Io, who was beloved by Zeus. To hide her from Hera, his wife, Zeus changed Io into a white cow. When Io wept over the taste and texture of the coarse grass, Zeus changed her tears into dainty, sweet-smelling violets only she was permitted to eat. They are a perfect Spring flower for a wedding bouquet, bridesmaid posy, in centrepieces and to decorate cakes.

Larkspur. Similar to the Delphinium, the larkspur is a pretty cluster of many flowers on a long stem. According to Greek mythology, larkspur flowers came forth from the blood of Ajax, who killed himself after he could not obtain the protective covering of the slain soldier Achilles. Thus, larkspur is often known as ‘the knight’s spur,’ and a flower that has existed for thousands of years. Arrange these blooms with other flowers for a wild flower and rustic floral theme.

I hope this has inspired you to add some mythical charm to your wedding bouquet and centrepieces. If you are dreaming of your own gorgeous destination wedding in Lefkada and would like some help bringing your dreams to life, contact me. I would love to discus your wedding with you.

Photography: Maxeen Kim Photography