The wedding island
Undoubtedly, every bride who wishes to take the most stunning photographs of her wedding dreams wants to tie the knot in Santorini. We totally get it: the breathtaking caldera views, the world’s famous sunset, the white houses hanging from the cliffs make the scenery ideal for any type of wedding.
Brides-to-be traveling to Santorini have all the help in the world once they choose to hire a wedding planner in Greece; from finding a venue or the ideal spot to elope, to guests’ accommodation arrangements, planning a destination wedding becomes a piece of cake. But what about all those couples dreaming of Santorini, who can’t afford a wedding planner or even hesitate to book a lot of professionals because of the pandemic?
We photographed an intimate elopement in Imerovigli last September of a couple who was determined not to postpone or cancel their nuptials and organized the perfect elopement in Santorini alone. And by alone we mean no guests –just the bride’s maid of honor and a priest- and almost without help for planning the whole event. How is this possible? We’ll share every detail, just keep reading!
DIY (Do It Yourself) wedding
Maria & Haris had already been married with a simple civil marriage since 2017, but they’ve always wanted to do something special for their Greek orthodox wedding. After booking their vacation in Imerovigli for September 2020, Maria came up with the idea of eloping during their stay on the island and having the romantic wedding she always wanted.
The chapel
When we’re talking about a Greek island and a Greek orthodox wedding, the choices of churches and chapels are literally dozens. The bride looked herself for picturesque chapels near their accommodation in Imerovigli, and the chapel of Panaghia Theoskepasti on Skaros Rock was love at first sight. The groom communicated with Santorini’s Cathedral to book the date and took care of all the paperwork.
Attire & Accessories
Priority #1 for every bride-to-be is –what else? - THE DRESS. Usually, it takes a couple of months to find or make the perfect wedding gown, but in this case, Maria needed only a few hours searching the web for ordering her dream dress from ASOS! The bridal shoes were bought online as well from NAK, and her own jewelry completed the attire. The groom’s suit and shoes were already acquired for the civil ceremony and were reused for the wedding in Santorini.
The Decoration
Minimal gold-plated “stefana” (wedding crowns) with white lace were chosen for the couple by the maid of honor, who also took care of the favors and hand-made a few beautiful pouches of lace and linen containing the traditional wedding sweets (“koufeta). There was no decoration at the church, other than the bridal bouquet made of white lisianthus, fuchsia roses, eucalyptus and baby breath, which was purchased on the wedding day.
The Accommodation
The couple had booked their stay in Imerovigli 3 months prior to the wedding, and they even hit a budget price for their suite overlooking the caldera because of the pandemic. The way to the chapel had to be on foot, although the couple had rented a car for their easier transportation on the island.
The Wedding Pros
The bride had booked a local hairdresser a month before the wedding, while she decided to do the make-up herself –the result was truly beautiful. Because of the special circumstances with the pandemic last summer, we weren’t fully booked for the season, so when the couple reached us for the photo shooting and we had availability, we went over the moon!
Let's elope!
Maria & Haris were determined not to let anything get in their way, and, even if they missed their families and friends on their special day, their love for each other filled them with nothing but joy. We admired their positive energy, their love, and how crazy they were to pursue their dream amidst a world pandemic. Even if the route to reach the chapel on Skaros Rock was really challenging, the bride wore her sneakers and we had loads of fun during the shooting.
We are true fans of such couples and we highly recommend to any bride and groom who consider marrying in 2021 to elope or perform a micro-wedding in their dream destination. Be foolish when it comes to love, turn restrictions into creativity, and don’t let anything stop you from performing your wedding this year. Invite us to be your special guests and take photos that will remind you of every single feeling from your big day. Let’s do this together!
words by Marion
