Emerald and Copper Autumn Wedding Inspiration

03/11/201812/03/2021

emerald and copper wedding inspiration tablescape

Kalo Mina! Welcome to November, are you ready for today’s styled shoot from the Autumn 2018 cover of luxury bridal magazine Ellwed! It features emerald and copper autumn wedding inspiration. The gorgeous rich tones add a real touch of elegance to this beach romance.

Stone windmill ruin on Lefkada beach Greece with copper and emerald wild fauna

Our idea behind this cover shoot was to display the diversity of the Ionian Islands as a wedding destination across the seasons, whilst keeping close at heart the beautiful beach locations the islands offer you. The beach at Agios Ioannis stretches for miles and ranges from glorious golden sands at its western end, to wild windswept sand dunes dotted with old stone windmills where our shoot took place.

Model in Stalo Theodorou bridal gown with v neckline and delicate bow back detail

I wanted to feature a Greek bridal designer and this Complice Stalo Theodorou wedding gown encompassed trends from Vogue Italy Bridal report for 2019. With bow detail, nude tulle embellished with lace detailing and exaggerated volumes, for a skirt to make you feel like a true princess.

peach and copper roses with eucalyptus and pampass grass

And did we mention the florals by Gourioti Flowers! Truly perfect for this autumn wedding inspiration, he blended the emerald and copper pallette, using a combination of peach Tiffany roses, hand dyed roses, eucalyptus and pampas grass, wrapped in silky, emerald green ribbon

emerald and copper wedding stationery menus and agate slice

All stationery, from thank you cards to menus and invites, was created by White Olive Design Studio, London especially for this styled shoot in Lefkada. Copper embossed menus and agate slices with hand-written calligraphy script, place settings and favours, were the important touches to the table.

The concept for our Ellwed cover shoot was produced with a mood board, to curate the ideas in the same way I help my brides put together the styling for their days. It was great to have creative input by the shoot photographer Maxeen Kim who is known for her love of capturing personal wedding details.

table on wooden balcony with sea view decorated in emerald and copper tones

We styled a copper infused wedding table and blended the metallics with other textures such as tiles and glass. Adding the multi-tonal copper, emerald and deep blue crockery supplied by our venue we wove the look together. The keepsake for each guest was a polished agate slice personalised with their name and a traditional Greek coffee pot called a “briki” planted with a succulent as a living reminder of the special day.

An Emerald and Copper Autumn Inspired Styled Shoot Snapshot

Thank you to Sanya at Ellwed magazine and to the team of vendors who cooperated make this shoot possible:

Meganisi Vow Renewal with Olive Details – Nikki & Darren

05/09/201818/02/2020

The evening light at Pasoumaki beach was perfect for the intimate and personal Meganisi vow renewal of Nikki and Darren. This little Ionian island paradise holds special meaning as it was also the location chosen by the Bride’s parents to celebrate their own 40th wedding anniversary.

Nikki explained why the vow renewal was especially poignant for them. “We always said we would renew our vows on a beach for our 10th anniversary. After life threw us some curveballs, it seemed even more important to reaffirm our vows as our marriage has helped us grow stronger and closer as a couple.”

Bride and daughter arriving at beach ceremony

Family vow renewal ceremony at the beach

Their family has grown to include two children, and it was important to reflect their journey together ten years on from the wedding day. By chatting to Nikki and Darren when taking all the details of their story so far, I wrote a ceremony which allowed each member of the family (couple, children and parents) to participate, including the reading of a poem and the exchange of traditional olive garlands, known as Stefana.

Their Stefana were made with olive branches, a symbol of peace and friendship. The olive tree is one of the most beloved, sacred trees and its place is firmly rooted in Ancient Greek tradition and mythology.

Close up image of olive and pink rose Greek wedding crowns known as Stefana on the beach

Bride reading vows to Groom standing by the sea at beach ceremony on Meganisi island

Couple wearing Greek stefana during their vow renewal on Meganisi island

It portrays a symbol of oneness between men and women, as a sign of sublime and perfect love: the twisted trunk of the tree representing intertwined bodies of two lovers turned into an olive tree, to be together throughout time.

Olive details filled the intimate ceremony. From the tree lined beach and stairway, to the finishing touches on the bonbonieres I gave them. Nikki and her daughter both held a simple olive bouquet cut from the island olive groves. The dusky, green colour of the leaves was so pretty against the white dresses and outfits they had all chosen to wear for the occasion.

Bride close up wearing olive head garland and gold bracelet

After the ceremony at the beach was complete, the the family ended the special evening by dining at Tilevoes in Vathy and sitting at a table by the waters’ edge.

Bride and Groom at the beach holding hands facing each other at vow renewal ceremony in Meganisi

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 Meganisi vow renewal happen.

Planned and styled by Claire of Lefkas Weddings
Photography: Maxeen Kim Photography
Assistance: Exclusive Meganisi
Flowers: Gourioti Flowers
Restaurant: Tilevoes

A Spring Wedding in Lefkada, Greece – Erin & Stuart

07/07/201814/06/2020

Bride and Groom kissing at ceremony by the sea

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.

Sea view of Vlyho Bay from wedding villa in Lefkada

The gardens of Villa Katerina have been created around the original olive trees and filled with pastel coloured roses and oleander bushes.

Close up of Catherine Deane Laverne dress hanging in olive tree

Bride Jo Malone perfume bottles and wedding rings and olive wedding stationery

The blue tiled patio provided the perfect backdrop for photographer Maxeen Kim to capture the pretty, wedding stationery and bride details.

Flat lay of olive wedding stationery with jewellwey on tiled floor

Lucky sixpence in box and in the bride's shoe

Erin included the British wedding tradition of a sixpence in her shoe to bring her luck on the wedding day!

Close up of bride fastening earring at villa

Close up of bride makeup and hair with eyes open and closed

Bridesmaids putting flower corsages on to their wrists

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.

Portrait of Bride surrounded by bridesmaids and her mother

Father entering room and seeing his daugher as a bride for first time

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.

Bridemaid's emotional reaction to watching Father see his daughter ready for her wedding

View from pool terrace at villa vangelis lefkada

Meanwhile, Stuart and his groomsmen relaxed and put the finishing touches to their outfits at Villa Vangelis, just down the road from the girls.

Groom buttoning waistcoast with leather deck shoes and Dior Sauvage

Traditional wedding musicians with bazouki and accordian lefkada

Bride and father walking with musicians to along road in Lefkada

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!

spring wedding ceremony lefkada island at seaside restaurant terrace

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.

white urns filled with olive branches sat on columns as wedding ceremony decoration

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.

Bride arm in arm with her father walking to ceremony carrying bouquet

Bride and Groom facinng each other between two columns with olive at wedding ceremony on terrace by the sea

Close up of roses tagged with Greek words for love for spring wedding ceremony in lefkada

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.

Close up of ring exchange with bride holding pink spring wedding bouquet

Bride and Groom celebrating with a glass of champagne by the sea

Bride and groom with groomsmen in blue waistcoats pink shirts and beige shorts

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.

Bride with five bridesmaids in long pastel flower print dresses

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.

pink bride bouquet with peonies roses lisianthus and limonium

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.

Bride sat at Seaside restaurant lefkada holding pink spring flower bouquet

Game of Thrones wedding table stationery with olive details

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!

Wedding table decor with floral placemats olive and copper cutlery

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.

Cut glasses vases with pink spring flowers and olive on wedding dinner table

Spring wedding table decor with olive flowers and limoncello bottles

Each guest had their place marked by a personalised, minature bottle of limoncello to toast the speeches.

Bride and Groom sat at dinner table clapping speeches and smiling

Bride and groom sat togther smiling at each other

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:

Secret Beach Elopement on Lefkada – Karla & Marko

01/12/201712/03/2021

Couple Hugging on the Rocks at Their Secret Beach Elopement on Lefkada

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.

Luxury Villa Where Couple Dressed for Their Secret Beach Elopement in Lefkada

Bride with her Shoes and Perfume on the Morning of her Lefkada Elopement

Bridesmaid Helping the Bride into Her Dress

Groom Dressing Ahead of His Secret Beach Elopement On Lefkada

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.

Bride and Grooms First Look Before Their Secret Beach Elopement on Lefkada

Couple on the Rocks with a view of the Ionian Sea

Happy Couple During Their First Look At Their Elopement on Lefkada

Happy Couple standing on the Rocks at their Lefkada Elopement

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.

Ceremony Area for A Secret Beach Elopement On Lefkada

Close Up of the Lilac and White Flower Wedding Arch

Image of Lilac Flowers And Pebbles for A Secret Beach Wedding on Lefkada

Floral Details For a Secret Beach Elopement On Lefkada

Bride and Groom Holding Hands During their Secret Beach Elopement on Lefkada

Brides Lilac, Pink and White Bouquet with a Beach Background

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.

Bride and Groom Exchanging Rings at their Secret Beach Elopement on Lefkada

Bride and Grooms First Kiss at their Secret Beach Elopement on Lefkada

Bride and Grooms Portraits on the Beach After Their Secret Elopement

Couple Under A Floral Arch at their Secret Beach Elopement on Lefkada

Close Up of Grooms Buttonhole and Grooms Portrait

Bride And Her Girls Celebrating on the Beach in Lefkada

I was delighted when Karla messaged me the following day to tell me “It was perfect! and the Seaside, the food, people, atmosphere, everything!”

Couple on the Beach After their Secret Elopement on Lefkada

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.

Planning & Styling: Lefkas Weddings
Photography: Maxeen Kim Photography
Flowers: Gourioti Flowers
Luxury Villa Experts: Whats On Greece
Elopement Dinner: Seaside Restaurant