This sweet couple had one vision in mind; a romantic garden wedding by the sea in Greece, ideally on the beautiful Ionian Riviera, the area close to the family home of the Groom’s father.
Matt and Rae met through mutual friends and live in Hong Kong in an area of the territory known for its coastal location and green surroundings around its cityscape. They were keen to work with a wedding planner in Greece with expert local knowledge as they would be planning all the details of their August wedding from afar due to both of their hectic work schedules.
After understanding their vision, I proposed several locations around the area and they decided on a hotel venue with a garden overlooking the sea near Sivota Thesprotias for their wedding day.
Rae’s wedding villa in Sivota, was a buzz of excitement starting with the traditional Chinese tea ceremony. This was held privately and the couple served tea to the elders and received well wishes and gifts, welcoming Matt to the family. Once the Groom had departed for his family home, the bridal preparations began and we caught up with Rae as she revealed her stunning Rosa Clara bridal gown with a full skirt which she paired with a delicate Swarovski diamond pendant and earrings.
The focal point of the celebration was the full floral wedding arch; an abundance of pink hydrangeas, roses and soft peach anthurium flowers by floral designer, Tasos Korfiatis from the Lefkas Weddings team. On the dinner tables, geometric wooden centrepieces were filled with more pastel flowers and surrounded by candles. For each guest, the place setting had personalised stationery and a sprig of eucalyptus tied with ribbon.
Rae’s hand-tied bridal bouquet was created using the same pastel roses and peonies plus fragrant eucalyptus and delicate strands of astilbe.
I understood that this unique American / Chinese couple needed a little something extra to the classic civil marriage ceremony, therefore I recommended Celebrant Helen Astarte to work with Matt and Rae. She created a ceremony that reflected both their heritages and featured emotional speeches from both sides of the family. The couple were particularly keen to incorporate the Greek Stefana (wedding crowns) for Matt’s family into the ceremony.
After their ceremony, the couple had their portraits taken on the beach of the hotel, making the most of the sunset light, before rejoining their wedding guests at Plataria Seaside Resort for dinner and dancing into the early hours of the morning.
Do you love the idea of planning a romantic garden wedding in Greece but not sure where to start? Contact me to discuss how we can plan it together.
The Wedding Team of this beautiful day:
- Event Planning: Claire at Lefkas Weddings
- Photography: George Bozouris Photography
- Florist: Gourioti Flowers
- Venue: Plataria Seaside Resort
- DJ Event Sound: Ktistis Sound
- MUA: Valentina Tsoumani
- Hair: Papaya Hair Salon
