Why did you choose to get married in Santorini and at Le Ciel?

We knew we wanted to get married abroad as weather was important to us plus we were looking for a more intimate style wedding.

We initially were looking at another Greek island for a beach style wedding but after researching online plus asking a colleague we were mesmerised by the white building backdrop and stunning caldera views of Santorini. Le Ceil is a purpose built wedding venue and we loved the layout of the terrace and the fact you could have your meal inside with the aircon if preferred. This was the more formal style of venue we were looking for. if I had to describe what the look what the dressed venue reminds me of in one word it would be heaven!

How many guests did you invite to your wedding and how many accepted and attended?

We initially invited 38 guests and ended up with 26 of us on the day. We had postponed initially from 2022 so we expected some peoples plans would change- this included my chief bridesmaid becoming pregnant and been due the week before the wedding so unfortunately not being able to attend. It all worked out though and the number was just perfect.

Tell us about your beautiful gown!

My dress was the Alessia gown by Elysee Bridal. This was my second wedding dress shop appointment and 19th dress in total tried on! Oh my goodness I was so pleased I experienced one of the bride cliches in that I got the “feelings” as soon as I tried it on.

We were 2 hours into this wedding appointment and TEN dresses in- getting hot and tired and this point. I was totally focused on getting a strapless dress as this is the style I usually go for when I have formal events. Each dress was “nice” or ok but as I tried each one on it seemed like we were getting further and further away from my vision. I remembered seeing this dress Alessia on the model on their website and thinking it was beautiful but probably wouldn’t suit me. I asked if they had this dress in stock which they did and as soon as I tried it on it was love at first sight. There was nothing I didn’t like and with an extra long train. Very true as well that what style of dress you think you will end up with may not be what ends up being “the one”.

And your accessories?

My sparkly sandals were from Dune- beautiful wedding show collection. These were flats as I am tall but were very handy for dancing at the reception

I needed clip on earrings and got these from Emma Holland -the drop crystal earrings. Hard to tell they are clip ons -they look so classy.

My delicate drop necklace was from Swarovski. I only spent a small to moderate amount on accessories but think they completed the look and looked more expensive than they were.

And the groom?

We found for a destination wedding it can be cheaper to buy as you have to hire for at least a week at time and so adds up. As we were doing tuxedos we found the UK chain Slaters did an extremely reasonably priced tuxedo and dress shirt.

Our bridal party was split between Yorkshire and Norfolk and Slaters being a national chain meant that we could order as a group and get the suits/shirts delivered to different branches in the UK.

Tell us about the bridesmaids.

The colour theme was like pink dusty mauve and white. I used Babaroni- the online store where you an purchase colour swatches- then once you have picked you can then order any of the 70 style dresses in your material. This allowed the bridesmaids to pick which ever style of dress they felt the most comfortable with – but I still knew they would be of the same colour material and so would match.

What was the idea or inspiration behind your wedding theme, flowers or colour?

The overall colour theme being light dusty mauve pink, white and black ( the tuxedos) was inspired through a lot of Pinterest research! Ultimately though we felt the light pink was a nice accent colour and complementary to blue skies and white building- the black being a complementary colour to the bride having black hair. This is shown in our wedding photos I think it enhances the opposing colours of black and white.

Did you bring any decorative items from home?

We brought our welcome sign/seating plan. This was A2 size and we wrapped this in bubble wrap and put in at the base of our suit case. A2 size fit into a large suitcase well. We also brought wedding guest book which was a photo style design with a polaroid camera for guests to take pictures and stick in the book. My dad kindly brought this back in our cabin case ( as he only had one main check in large case) We did lean on guests who were going back sooner to transport these back to the UK so would recommend this too.

Best memory?

So many parts of the day! But I think the moment I walked down the isle and I saw Alex, he had a tear in his eye. My bridesmaids had a bet on as to whether he would cry as he is usually a very stoic guy but I guess the day got to him. It was also a very special moment walking down with my dad as I am an only child.

Other than that it would be the speeches – there wasn’t a dry eye in the house! Perfect day.

What do you think makes a wedding abroad stand out from a wedding in the UK?

Number one – the atmosphere and buzz of the guests. Your guests are in holiday mode so are much more relaxed in a good mood which I think adds to everyone’s positive vibes coming your way. Secondly the weather! Thirdly usually weddings abroad are smaller and so you tend to have more time to speak to people.

Any advise for other couples?

Plan early and have a form of planning diary. Try to enjoy the process and not get stressed. I did stress over little details such as flower styles on tables and on the day barely thought about this- everything looked beautiful and everyone was in love with the views too . Otherwise -enjoy!

Photography by the incredible https://www.lanavisual.com/