Monday 28 July 2014

The Big Fat Santorini Wedding

My final post from Santorini is all about the reason we went there in the first place - the wedding of our friends, Eleni and George.



Santorini is a hugely popular destination for weddings and couples from all over the world go there to tie the knot. In fact, some even get married at home and then fly to Santorini with wedding dress in tow, just to have photographs taken in its beautiful (and very romantic) surroundings. After spending a day exploring the delights of the island for ourselves, and meeting the other guests at a very big and very noisy dinner the night before, Mike and I couldn't wait for the festivities to get underway.

Everybody met at the church of Agios Georgios in Oia at 6.30 pm.












It was a warm and sunny, bright and breezy sort of evening. The groom was there to welcome all the guests, and as more and more of us arrived, the excitement began to build. Finally, the woman we had all been waiting for made her appearance.

After posing for a few windswept photographs, it was time to enter the church for the ceremony.



The bride and groom walked three times around the altar, wearing the stefano crowns to symbolize becoming husband and wife, and king and queen of their future family.



Back outside, more photographs were taken, and the guests chatted about the ceremony as we waited for the coach that would take us to the reception. The perfect opportunity to take a quick outfit shot! (More later.)

Eventually the coach arrived, and took us on a long and winding (and slightly scary) road up to the town of Pyrgos and a fancy looking restaurant of the same name. It is the highest point on the island  and the ever-present breeze (read: gale-force wind) was pretty fresh up there. However, some cleverly arranged glass panelling allowed us to sip champagne and nibble sugar-coated strawberries in comfort as we admired our surroundings and the spectacular sunset.





Just as we were beginning to wonder where the bride and groom were, we heard the whir of a helicopter overhead.



Surely that wasn't them?



Yep!



As a complete surprise to everyone, including the bride, George had organised for them to arrive in style. The delighted excitement among the guests as we watched the helicopter landing just meters from us was very special. And it turned out that this wasn't the only trick up George's sleeve, as he proceeded to escort his new wife out of the helicopter and onto...



That's right. A donkey. Quite the contrast!

As the bride and groom made their way to join us in this very traditional Greek manner, silhouetted against the setting sun, U2's "Beautiful Day" blasted through the loudspeakers. It was an emotionally charged moment, and I'm sure I would have had a tear in my eye even without the two glasses of champagne I'd guzzled by then. ;-)

After all that spectacle, we were starting to feel slightly chilly and very hungry, so we were pleased when the time came to go inside. We ate, drank, danced and generally made merry until the early hours of the next morning.



If you'll forgive the less than amazing quality of the following shot, here's a closer look at my dress.



Dress - Little Mistress, Shoes and bag - Zara, Blazer - Topshop, Earrings - Accessorize

I wanted to keep my makeup soft, so I recreated the smoky plum look which you can see here. For my hair, I attempted a few curls with my exhausted GHD's, which are long past retirement age, and then blitzed it with half a can of hairspray. (I also did quite a full-on makeup routine on my legs which I might tell you about in my next post - if you're very lucky!)

Fancy a closer look at my accessories?



You may notice that this is not the bag I ended up carrying. Obviously the sequined one looks prettier with the outfit, but practicality won out in the end and I opted for one that would accommodate a pair of flip flops. It was a long night, with a lot of standing around and a lot of dancing, and I wasn't sure how long I'd last in heels.

I have to say, though, that I was very impressed with Zara's nude strappy heels and how sturdy they felt to wear, and I ended up lasting the whole night in them. I'm not generally very good in heels so I can't recommend these enough. If you see a pair in the Zara sale, snap them up!

The wedding was without a doubt one of the loveliest I have ever been to and the highlight of an amazing week on Santorini.

Definitely a beautiful day.

Kate x
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23 comments

  1. I love your shoes! It looks like it was an amazing wedding.

    Victoria
    FlorenceandMary.com

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    Replies
    1. Thanks Victoria! It was a great day. And yes, I'm kind of obsessed with those shoes at the moment. x

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  2. Oh my what a gorgeous, gorgeous post Kate! <3

    Totally understand why some brides want to fly over to Santorini and get shots in their dress, it looks like such a breathtakingly beautiful place that it would be almost rude not to ;) Personally I'd love to get married abroad one day, I don't think a rainy register office in the UK could ever capture the magic of a tropical island! Maybe that's just the diva in me coming out, ha!

    The church looks ever so magical, and I love the stylish entrance in a helicopter, how wonderful! You looked so stunning; the dress captures your killer figure perfectly and I love the shoes! xo

    Sophie | soinspo

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    Replies
    1. Aw, thank you so much Sophie! It certainly is a fantastic destination for a wedding, and being able to rely on the sunshine definitely helps! If I wasn't married already I'd definitely be racking my brains about how to top the helicopter entrance... maybe a yacht?! x

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  3. Wow what an absolutely beautiful church, so stunning inside and out. It just looks like the perfect day. I absolutely adore the dress you are wearing too, such a lovely shade against your skin tone.

    Gems x
    Fashion, Well Done

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  4. What a lovely post to read! The bride looks so pretty and the sunshine was so pretty! The hellicopter looks like such a good idea! x

    Beauty Soup || UK Beauty Blog

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Glad you enjoyed it Charlotte! I know, the helicopter was pretty special. x

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  5. What a gorgeous venue! It looks like a beautiful wedding and I love your outfit too! The shoes are so lovely as well as the gorgeous accessories!
    Oh, and you're so pretty! <3

    xoxo,

    BerryBloomXO.com | Beauty & Lifestyle Blog

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  6. The wedding looks absolutely beautiful and couldn't be in a better location - beautiful sunset and weather!! You looked absolutely gorgeous and the dress looked lovely on you too!

    Thank you so much for your kind words - I'm back to normal but taking things easy :)

    Layla xx

    www.sprinklesofstyle.co.uk

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Glad to hear it Layla. Yes, Santorini is definitely an amazing place to have a wedding! x

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  7. Replies
    1. Yep, it's definitely a very romantic setting. x

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  8. What a stunning church! The wedding sounds amazing and the groom was pretty creative and cheeky I must say :) You looked lovely, love your bag and shoes!
    xx
    www.JuneWantsItAll.com

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    Replies
    1. Thanks very much June! Yes, he thought of some pretty good ideas! x

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  9. you looked amazing!!

    www.simplymee89.blogspot.com

    ReplyDelete
  10. Absolutely loved your outfit - that red dress looks gorgeous with those beige heels! And the description of the wedding sounds fun and elegant at the same time.

    Love Priya

    MyFashionFixes

    ReplyDelete
  11. congratualtions to the couple , i love your red dress . You look so pretty.

    i already followed you on blog lovin, if you would like to follow back my link is below. thanks.

    StyleandBeautyLounge

    BLOGLOVIN

    ReplyDelete
  12. I always think weddings abroad are so exciting! I think I want mine abroad too :P Your dress is so simple yet elegant!

    Ayesha xxx
    Http://alycheeaday.blogspot.co.uk/

    ReplyDelete

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