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.
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.
I particularly love the cobalt blue, not only the colour of Greece but also on trend as Pantone colour of the year 2020!
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!
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).
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.
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!
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.
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.
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.
Their dinner table featured an identical floral arrangement as the centrepiece with white flatware and black stem glasses on dove grey table linen.
We had a fabulous evening thanks so much! It was a beautiful service and moment for the four of us. Brian & Siobhan
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.
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!
“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
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!”
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.
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!
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.
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!
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.
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.
Sam and Lauren hosted three days of fun and celebration for their Indian inspired destination wedding in Greece. Their 65 international guests travelled from America, UK and India to the warm, autumn sunshine of Lefkada.
“We knew that no matter where our ceremony was, a large portion of our family would have to travel. So, we thought if everyone is having to travel, we should have them travel some place that people would also like to visit like Greece! We also, serendipitously met Claire from Lefkas Weddings via a friend and it just all fell into place” Bride, Lauren
They welcomed all the guests on the Thursday with a pre-wedding private boat cruise cruising around the off shore islands of Meganisi and Skorpios.
On Friday evening the villa garden was filled with the bright colours of saris and clink of champagne glasses for the mehndi party, complete with authentic Indian food expertly prepared by Royal Indian Chef from Athens. The atmosphere that night was electric as guests of all ages from grandmother to grandaughter were dancing to the Bollywood beats before heading to bed to get ready to enjoy the wedding day on the Saturday.
So happy you could come!
“My mom and I designed the gift bags and what would go in them. We chose miniature products from each of our home countries, the places we have lived and Lefkada honey for our wedding destination!“
The mehndi party
“Our mehndi party attire was all bought in India for us by Sam’s family. I loved the vibrant colour of the sari chosen for me by Sam’s mom and sister and Sam’s sherwani and dhoti (jacket and trousers) was chosen by his other sister and brother-in-law.”
“I really loved the Bubble Couple van and the decor for mehndi. The whole evening including the food and drinks was colorful! The food was Sam’s area of expertise, he chose all the dishes and we wanted it to be as authentic as possible.”
The wedding day
“My dress; I knew I wanted something lacy and slim fitting and I definitely wanted sleeves. I saw this design and loved it straight away and had the dress custom made.Sam opted for classic tailoring by Hugo Boss for the wedding day with tan accessories and a gold tie to keep with our theme.”
“We met when we were both living and working in Paris and we attended the same Protestant church. We became good friends and it started from there!
In the ceremony with our Pastor we included elements that reflected our shared faith and it was also very important that people close to us from our family and dear friends took part in the ceremony. The live music was the perfect accompaniment, and we also opted for a singer. We chose songs that were very special to us as a couple but also in our spiritual journeys.“
For the décor we put together a colourful mood board for the Mehndi party and then a classic and elegant board for the wedding day incorporating Lauren’s favourite colours of white and green. Knowing that Lauren and Sam wanted an Indian inspired wedding in Greece the cohesive colour of gold and little elephant details worked beautifully across both days.
“The most memorable moment was looking out over the sea and mountains while ‘King of my Heart’ was being played and sung by the musicians. Everyone we loved was sat just behind us and it was so perfect and special.
Thank you again Claire, for everything you did for our wedding. It was seriously perfect and everyone had the best time!” Lauren & Sam
Is a destination wedding in Greece at a private villa something you have been dreaming about but not sure where to start? Contact me to discuss how we can plan your day together.
A big thank you to my wedding team who helped create this celebration:
Event Planning & Design: Claire at Lefkas Weddings
When Lauren described the garden setting she had in her mind for the wedding, I immediately proposed Thealos Village as an ideal location for their day. The estate has a large lawn, with sea views and mature gardens and I felt it offered them the right note of formality for their ceremony. They could also host all their guests close together, within the privacy of the individual villas and suites.
“We loved Thealos from the beginning. It is such a stunning venue and most important for us, all of our family and friends could stay on the property. It gave us additional time with our guests as we gathered every morning for an amazing breakfast. Thealos’ garden, reception area, villas, swimming pools and views were all as amazing as the pictures!” Lauren & Sam
A panormanic sea view was the breathtaking backdrop for the wedding of Hattie & David at luxury villa, Atokos House in Sivota, Lefkada island.
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:
Erin and Stuart’s dreamy spring wedding in Lefkada began with the bride and bridesmaids enjoying this wonderful view of Vlyho bay from her parents’ villa on the Geni peninsular.
The gardens of Villa Katerina have been created around the original olive trees and filled with pastel coloured roses and oleander bushes.
The blue tiled patio provided the perfect backdrop for photographer Maxeen Kim to capture the pretty, wedding stationery and bride details.
Erin included the British wedding tradition of a sixpence in her shoe to bring her luck on the wedding day!
Delicate corsages for the bridesmaids’ wrists made a pretty accessory for each girl, together with their hand fan. I particularly liked Erin’s choice of floral print bridesmaid dresses over a more usual block colour, which perfectly suited their spring wedding in Lefkada.
It was certainly an emotional moment for all when Erin’s father entered the room and saw her for the first time, dressed in her gown and veil.
Meanwhile, Stuart and his groomsmen relaxed and put the finishing touches to their outfits at Villa Vangelis, just down the road from the girls.
Father of the bride, Peter, made a path from their villa through the olive trees to the road. This allowed Erin her dream of walking to the wedding ceremony, accompanied by Cantarades (local musicians), just as a village bride would do!
What a view! The ceremony was on the waterside terrace at Seaside Restaurant, which is one of my most favourite places my team can create your wedding in Lefkada. It is exclusive to Lefkas Weddings clients.
Olive was the key greenery to the wedding decoration and the bride’s parents provided the florist with an ample supply from their villa. We used it at the ceremony to fill the decorative urns and also on the tables, by laying small sprigs amonst the cut glass vases.
Each of the bridesmaids carried a single rose and placed it in the vase on the ceremony table. Each rose was labelled with one of the five Greek words for love; Agapi, Filia, Eros, Pragma and Filaftia. The ancient Greeks believed you needed to blend all of these for a strong relationship.
With Stuart and his groomsmen all being rugby players, they opted for bespoke attire so all the pieces could be taliored to fit each boy’s shape. Their waistcoasts gave a formality to the day and suited the warm, spring weather.
Erin’s Laverne Gown by Catherine Deane was the epitpome of effortless elegance. It had a delicate lace back and cap sleeves plus a free-falling skirt in fine, silk tulle.
A spring wedding in Lefkada has an abundance of flower options and we selected the prettiest for Erin and Stuart’s day. Her hand-tied bouquet was filled with pink peonies, roses and white lisianthus. Statice flower and limonium added subtle shades of lilac. Olive provided a touch of greenery and was also used in Stuart’s buttonhole.
The olive design on their invitations featured again on the reception stationery, and the couple named each table with characters from Game of Thrones, their favourite television series!
I sourced the fabric for the place mats to blend with the floral bridesmaid dresses and we had them made especially for the wedding. The whole day had a very coeshive feel colour wise and the unobtrusive white decor of Seaside Restaurant provided the ideal backdrop.
Each guest had their place marked by a personalised, minature bottle of limoncello to toast the speeches.
A few words from the family…
Everybody knows me as an organiser, but Claire at Lefkas Weddings is on another level! We certainly wouldn’t have achieved such a wonderful day if Claire hadn’t been on board. Venue, menu, ceremony admin, flowers, photography, music, makeup, hair etc, etc she has all the information you’ll need. Nothing was too much problem, and if we needed ideas, Claire was there with numerous suggestions!
If we had any questions, even if it was the same one we’d asked about 15 times she was always available to give us the answer and always keeping her patience! We have another daughter and if she chose to marry in Greece, Claire will be my first port of call and she should be yours as well! – Melanie & Peter O’Neill and Erin & Stuart Edbrooke (Bride and Groom)
If you are considering your own spring wedding in Lefkada and are 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:
