Are you planning a destination wedding in Greece? Are you worried about the official paperwork required? Do you know that you don’t have to have an official civil wedding ceremony in Greece?
Greece has it all, history, traditions, sea views, mountain scenery, white sandy beaches, exquisite flavours and of course, wonderful weather for your special day. Whether you are using a wedding planner, or organising everything yourselves, it can feel a little daunting when you are looking in to all the costs involved. If you are working with a tight budget, you need to prioritise your needs and expectations.
You can avoid the complications of an official civil ceremony in Greece and all the additional costs and work required, such as gathering up a heap of paperwork, having it legally stamped and translated, getting it to your planner in good time, and then once you have signed on the dotted line in Greece, and you think it’s all done, you need to start again and get your Greek marriage certificate translated back to your mother tongue. If you decide on a celebrant led wedding ceremony, there are no documents required in Greece, you just need to pop to your local registry office either before or after your trip to Greece and get yourselves legally wed and then you can have your perfect unrestricted ceremony in Greece.
Photo credit Savvas Argirou
Is the type of ceremony you choose important to you when you are planning a destination wedding in Greece?
Having spoken to a fair few wedding planners in Greece, the common view is that most couples getting married in Greece don’t care as much about the actual ceremony as they do with other aspects of the wedding. Now I cannot believe that to be true, the ceremony is of course the most important part of any wedding, its the time that you stand up in front of your family and friends and exchange your vows, make your life time promises to your significant other and start on your journey of all journeys; married life.
Photo credit George Pagonakis
How can a professional celebrant help?
A professional celebrant will be someone you have chosen, the perfect fit for your ceremony, the one person who you will really get to know during your wedding planning journey, there to bounce ideas off, to create and write your unique ceremony, and to be beside you both on the special day to give you confidence, to entertain your family and friends, and to make sure that everything goes to plan, and if it doesn’t then to make sure that nobody, not even you, notices any last minute hiccups!
A professional celebrant doesn’t just show up and read a set script on the day, if they do, then they should NOT be described as a celebrant. A celebrant will take a lot of time, care and heaps of love creating every unique ceremony and then on the day deliver your ceremony clearly with emotion, in the style that suits you. If you are looking for a one of a kind special wedding ceremony, then a celebrant is worth the additional costs involved. Whatever you are saving on the paperwork side, will most often cover the celebrant anyhow!
There are professional wedding celebrants in Greece, you just need to hunt them down! Talk to your wedding planner about the ceremony itself; who will deliver it, how long will it take, how you will exchange your vows, you need to make sure that you can make an informed decision about your special day. If you are planning your own wedding a celebrant is the key! Perhaps you have reached a special milestone and want to renew your vows, maybe you are doing all this ‘second time round’?
If you are thinking of any type of celebrant led ceremony in Greece then send me a quick e mail info@grecianceremonies.gr and we can set up a meeting on line to see if I am the right celebrant for you!
Sarah Hatjipavlis-Grecian Ceremonies-Celebrant in Greece
