‘I think a wedding abroad provides a completely unique experience which you can’t compare and contrast easily with others’
Venue Private Villa Wedding Crete • Date 4th of August 2023 • Number of Guests 96•
From a Zoom chat on a sunny June day in 2021 with the couple in their holiday home, to 2 years of planning to create one of the most magical weddings we’ve seen!
Ailie and Fraser with 96 family and friends flew out to Chania in August 2023 to hold their wedding in an incredible private villa with the most amazing panoramic view.
We’re delighted to share not only their beautiful wedding images, but also their wedding planning story!
Lots of good insight here, enjoy!
Why did you choose a private villa wedding in Crete?
When we were searching for a venue it was the first we viewed, we loved the town of Chania and all it had to offer for our friends and family who would be attending. The views were incredible and it was such a beautiful space it didn’t require huge amounts of décor.
How many guests did you invite and how many joined you in Crete?
We invited around 120 and around 96 attended.
Tell us about your beautiful dress.
I went to three shops in total, and it wasn’t until the last shop that I found THE dress. It was completely against the brief I had given the shop assistant (as it had cut off sleeves and was over the budget) but as soon as I tried it on I was obsessed. The dress was Suzanne Neville.
& your accessories?
The shoes I ordered from a small Greek brand based in Santorini, my earrings Astrid and Miyu and my veil was from Etsy.
How about Fraser’s suit?
He purchased a linen suit from Hawes & Curtis, being linen it was far more breathable but still looked sharp.
The bridesmaids?
The bridesmaids dresses I found on ASOS! They were a steel blue and fit perfectly with our theme.
Tell us about your wedding theme?
The inspiration very much around the location, lots of green, olive branches and neutrals. A lot of Greek in that we had blue and white in the décor.
We tried to keep the décor for travelling as minimal as possible, we brought a welcome and order of service sign (wrapped in 373 layers of bubble wrap), a disco ball, confetti, fans, menus and other stationery. I ended up adding on an extra hand luggage purely for all of this. It all travelled well thankfully.
Tell us your best memory.
My favourite moment was just after our first dance when the DJ played the first dance and all of the guests made their way to the dancefloor – it was just a moment of pure joy.
What do you think makes a wedding abroad stand out from a wedding in the UK?
I think the whole experience you can offer guests, it becomes more than just a day with folk arriving days before and staying after you can really extend the celebrations. I think it also provides a completely unique experience which you can’t compare and contrast easily with others. I also find the food is always better abroad!
What advice would you give to future brides and grooms who are getting married abroad?
Go for it!! You will not regret it. Although make sure you share as MUCH information with your guests as you can to avoid getting asked constantly about flights, accommodation, restaurant recommendations etc.
