‘it was just wonderful – Everything about the day was truly breath taking’
Venue Winery Wedding Santorini and Taverna Reception • Date 2018 • Number of Guests 50 • Budget ££
Why did you choose to get married in Santorini, Santo Winery and Pygros in Particular
We saw photographs of Santorini weddings on Pinterest and I instantly fell in love; we thought we may have set our sights a little too high and enquired. We didn’t even consider any other options and were determined to make it happen, we were pleasantly surprised that actually it was within our reach.
The wedding venue:
It was a bit of a blessing in disguise for us really, we initially booked another venue that we had a few complications with; the Winery was a similar concept to the original venue we booked in terms of views, location etc. and Pyrgos gardens was just a really modern, different venue that really stood out for us with open areas, sofa areas outside and panoramic views of Santorini.
How long in advance did you book your wedding?
We booked the wedding 2 years in, we then changed venue after the complications 10 months in advance.
How many guests did you invite to your wedding and how many accepted and attended?
We invited 60 people to the wedding including children, we found that a lot of our guests opted to leave their children at home to make the most of their romantic break in Santorini, we had 50 people attend in total.
Tell us about your dress.
I found the dress before we even booked the wedding, and I found it on day one. It was a complete contrast to what I expected to wear on my wedding day. I always envisioned figure hugging low back dress but just didn’t feel like a bride, I ended up with a beautifully embellished princess dress that required its own suitcase (not the most practical destination wedding dress but nothing was going to stop me).
The dress was designed by Sophia Tolli.
Can you tell us about your shoes and accessories, where were they from?
My shoes were Badgley Mischka, a blush pink with silver detailing to match my bridesmaids dresses. I went quite minimal with accessories and allowed my dress and the scenery to do the talking, I had Swarovski stud earrings and a small Tiffany bracelet, less is so much more.
Tell us about Neil’s suit
Much like me; Neil had his sights set on what he wanted and a Santorini wedding wasn’t going to distort his vision – they purchased navy blue tuxedos with braces, dinner shirt and bow ties. Trousers suitably altered for the ‘trendy’ ankle on show paired with loafers.
And the bridesmaids?
Bridesmaid dresses were pale pink, off the shoulder with silver beading detail and a pleated skirt. They flowed lovely and were very flattering.
They were purchased from TFNC exclusively for ASOS.
Tell us about your bouquet.
I chose simple flowers, a beautiful bouquet of pink roses for me. The bridesmaids contrasted with white bouquets and baby’s breath.
Did you have a theme?
We were set on the wedding being minimalistic and not over complicating anything; really just letting the surroundings be the wow factor and this was achieved. The venues we chose were just incredible and the guests were in awe of how everything came together so perfectly.
How about the finer details?
The wedding cake was a smaller 2 tier cake with pink rose decoration on top. The choice of food was typically Greek and again the guests loved this, it just all flowed so perfectly and what better food for the chefs to cook than their own.
We ordered the table plan through Illuminography who printed it on an illuminated mirror which looked perfect and I surprised Neil with huge Mr & Mrs Greig illuminated letters which the team kept a secret and the videographer captured his reaction.
We had a DJ through the evening who played mainly modern music at our request to ensure everyone would get up and dance, and it worked!
How did you find the planning experience from booking to the big day?
We had a bit of a whirlwind with the wedding planning, with the venue having to be changed we thought we were compromising the perfect day but actually it was a blessing in disguise. We didn’t actually dedicate a huge amount of time in planning everything but we were quite clear in knowing what we wanted to achieve and expressed this to the Bridal Consultants and allowed the experts to bring it to life. Never did we anticipate that the day would be as exceptional as it was.
What’s your best memory from the day?
Just how perfect everything was, the team in Santorini were just exceptional, everything was planned to perfection and they had truly considered everything. Nothing was too much trouble and they ensured that it was completely seamless from the start of the day right to the end. As a result the guests were totally amazed by the whole day, the beauty of everything, it was just magical. (oh and of course the helicopter ride was also a jaw dropping moment for the guests none of whom knew this would be our entrance to Pyrgos Gardens, our James Bond moment)
What do you think makes a wedding abroad stand out from a wedding in the UK?
Everything, the relaxed atmosphere, all of the guests were just really happy and in holiday mode. The guaranteed weather and the views just made every photo crisp.
What advice would you give to future brides and grooms who are getting married abroad?
Relax!!! One of the best things Neil and I did was to really tone everything down (because we knew our venues were beautiful enough), we simply had pink petals, candles in glass flutes for the tables and we printed place names paired with small wooden pegs to secure to wine glasses and scattered crystal confetti for decoration.
When we arrived and met the team in Santorini, we simply told them to do what they thought would look good; ultimately these people are the experts and will know what looks best plus it added an element of surprise when we arrived and saw what they decided for the first time and it blew us away all over again. By not planning everything to absolute perfection meant that in reality, nothing could go wrong and nothing did go wrong, it was just wonderful – Everything about the day was truly breath taking.
We hope you’ve enjoyed reading about Devon and Neil’s rustic detail wedding in Santorini, for the team that made this possible see below.
Bride’s Dress – Sophia Tolli | Bride’s Shoes –Badgley Mischka | Bridesmaid’s Dresses – Asos | | Mr and Mrs Lights Illuminography Photography – Ben Wyatt
Budget Key | £ – 10k and under | ££ – between 10k and 20k | £££ – over 20k.
