Greece is one of my all-time favourite places in the world. I just love its vibe! So it is an absolute delight to show-case Georgia and Mark’s light and airy destination wedding in a small quintessentially Greek town.
Hailing from Toronto, Greek Georgia and Italian Mark had lots of guests fly in from all around the world, and the backdrop of the traditionally paved Greek streets made for some picture perfect wedding shots. And did I mention, Georgia is absolutely killing it in her delicately sheer Monique Lhuillier wedding dress!
Words by Georgia. Images by Rosewood Wedding Photos.
My wedding dress was perfect in every way. Despite it being 30+ degrees, my dress was light enough that I barely noticed. The full skirt made me feel like a princess (fitting as the ceremony was in a fortress) but the low back and sheerness of the skirt, added a subtle sexiness.
Our venue was perfect – it was the perfect backdrop for our “natural, airy, earthy” themed wedding – the grass landings were lined with stones and filled with trees. Just beyond the walls, we were surrounded by water.
We had 6 rows of 20-person, family-style tables, and it was amazing looking up and seeing our guests sitting under the bistro lights. The best part was they had the giant fortress rock lit up at night, which really emphasized the venue.
We truly didn’t put too much thought into the wedding flowers. We just wanted something simple to fill the tables – my only request was white with some pink and leafy greens. My bouquet was all white.
As a Greek tradition, we had a bouzouki player and violinist walk us from the gate of the fortress to the church. My father and I were followed by a large group of my family along the cobblestone pathway of Monemvasia, while locals and tourists waved and took photos.
When planning a wedding in Greece, we estimated having no more than 50-60 guests and would have been thrilled with this number. It was definitely excited and a bit overwhelming when we starting receiving the RSVPs and reached numbers closer to 150…
We ended up with 225 guests! We were thrilled to have a majority of our guests (175) from North America and then a few of Mark’s family from Italy, who likely wouldn’t have been able to join had it been in Canada.
For other couples planning a wedding I have two pieces of advice:
The first would be to steal your bride or groom away for 10 minutes to enjoy each other’s company and soak up the moment. We walked off to make a few final edits to our speeches and then looked out on the wedding and got to appreciate everyone there and how beautiful it all turned out.
The second would be that no one knows what you had planned, so don’t stress if something goes wrong. Whether it’s your flowers, your music or the meal – it doesn’t matter. Our seating plan was flipped (so people I planned to sit closer, were further away) – but no one noticed or cared!
There were a few moments, including walking to the church, our first dance (where everyone stood around us and then joined in when the song changed to an upbeat tune), or during the Greek dancing, where Mark and I really felt the impact of how many people were there.
We felt the love and support by the most thoughtful and caring people who flew thousands of miles (from Australia to California) to be by our side. From the comments and energy, we knew everyone wanted to be there and everyone was enjoying the night just as much as we were.
Despite it being 30 degrees, this gorgeous destination still looks effortlessly light, airy and pretty.
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wedding credits / photographer: rosewood wedding photos / wedding venue: lazareto / wedding planner: ioanna vamvakari / brides dress: monique lhuillier via white toronto / brides veil: white toronto / grooms suit: armani / brides shoes: michael kors / grooms shoes: loding / bridesmaid dresses: bcbg / hair & makeup: nicole grittani / wedding cake & catering: vageli spanos
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This couple literally lit up in front of the camera and we love it!
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