Planning a destination wedding in Greece.
A destination wedding is such a great way to tie the knot! But, don’t forget you will be sharing the time with your family and friends so you really need to be super well organised in advance.
Your wedding planner will be there at your side to make sure that all your arrangements go to plan, the venue, the flowers, the photographer, hair and make up, the after party. They will work tirelessly behind the scenes to ensure that all your special requests happen at the right time, and if there are any hiccups along the way, they are there to make sure that everything is sorted out, and you are blissfully unaware of any unforeseen problems.
Photo credit Savvas Argirou
What about the ceremony, are you planning a unique symbolic celebrant led wedding?
Don’t forget the celebrant; you have chosen a destination wedding in Greece for a reason! You must give time to the ceremony itself. Don’t allow yourselves to only focus on the events for your wedding party and all their needs and requirements. Of course you can have a wedding ceremony in Greece without a celebrant, but it will not be so personal, nor will it be unique.
If you are looking to involve your family and friends then now is the time to get in touch with a celebrant, a trained professional, who will create your special ceremony over time, with love and care and present it on the day. Your celebrant will become your ‘rock’ somebody to talk to when making your plans, someone to share your story with, and of course the person who will be beside you to prompt and assist you if you are nervous about saying your vows in front of a crowd of family and friends.
Writing your own vows.
This brings me to your vows, so many couples decide to write their own vows, and this is such a wonderful way to go, but it isn’t the easiest route! It sounds simple, but it certainly isn’t. Again, this it the time to talk to your celebrant, share your ideas, two heads are almost always, better than one. If you are a same sex couple, then a celebrant led ceremony in Greece is most definitely the way to go. You may be looking for a theatrical ceremony, or something entirely different, perhaps something classic and moving. At the end of the day, weddings are all about emotion, and with a celebrant then your wedding ceremony will be really special.
Themed, symbolism, mixed-faith, non-religious, non-traditional, are all words to describe your one of a kind wedding ceremony in Greece.
If you are looking for a theme, then you can have one! If you love symbolism then there are so many options. Your guests will laugh, they will cry, they can sing, they can dance, they can play a starring role, or they can be there just to enjoy the ceremony and to support you as you set out on your path of married life. Whatever you decide, a celebrant ceremony will be a one of a kind experience and will create lifelong memories.
If you have always dreamed of getting married on the beach, you can, if you want to sip the local wine with your partner, or have a special sand ceremony, you can, if you like the idea of a ‘ring warming’ then go for it! Just bear in mind that if you decide to have a celebrant led ceremony, then do your official paperwork at home before travelling, this will then allow you to have the ceremony of your dreams, stress free in Greece. (Celebrant led ceremonies in Greece don’t include any official paperwork or legalities).
A few top tips
- One word of warning, many areas of Greece and wedding venues are located close to the sea and can be very windy, even in the height of season, so if you are looking to have a unity candle ceremony, you will need to have contingency plans in place if you are having an outdoor ceremony.
- Also if you are having a themed wedding, do remember that you have chosen Greece for a number of reasons, one of which being the great weather, and it can be hot hot hot, so be sure that you take this in to account when deciding on your outfits.
- Most ceremonies are held late afternoon, early evening due to the heat, but even so do make sure that Uncle George is aware that it could well be 40 degrees plus if you are getting married in August, (he should leave his tweedy suit back home) and to advise your family and friends to dress accordingly!
I got married in Greece 26 years ago in mid October, when most people expected it to be quite pleasant and warm and not extremely hot. However one mini heatwave later led to my maid of honour (heavily pregnant at the time) actually passing out mid ceremony! All was well but again do take in to account the heat when making your wedding plans in Greece.
So you are engaged and ready, you have interviewed and decided on your wedding planner, you have fixed the date, now before further ado it is time to contact your celebrant, to see if this person is the right fit for your once in a lifetime ceremony. If you still don’t understand exactly what a celebrant can do, now is the time to ask, just don’t forget that you can have a celebrant led ceremony in Greece, let nobody tell you otherwise! Contact me at info@grecianceremonies.gr
Sarah Hatjipavlis-Grecian Ceremonies-Creating lifelong memories!
