Greek Orthodox Wedding of Eleni & Nick
We’ve closed the past wedding season of 2019 with so many beautiful weddings. That’s why, for this blog post, I chose to share one gorgeous destination wedding that happened back in November and it was a Greek Orthodox Wedding. As a destination wedding planner, I always wanted to be a part of a Greek Wedding because I admire their traditions, religion, and food. And finally, that day came true, I was a part of the Greek Orthodox Wedding of Eleni and Nick. Just wait until I tell you all the details and photos by the amazing Greek photographer George Kossieris.
Let’s go back to 1 year ago, 2018, when Eleni got in touch with me and after many phone calls, which I enjoyed so much, I couldn’t wait to meet her and now her husband in person. She and Nick visited Mexico with both their moms and decided that Playa del Carmen was the best choice for their Destination Wedding.
The Welcome Party
There were a lot of all-night discussions of how we would bring all of her family and friends and create a welcome party for them. We decided on having their guests stay at the beautiful and modern hotel in downtown Playa Del Carmen Grand Hyatt and the two of them in the gorgeous Presidential suite at the same hotel. The party was so much fun-filled with a lot of happy emotions and dancing all night to Greek music.
They held their beautiful wedding at the Villa la Joya. Eleni got ready with her mother and bridesmaids at the Condo, where they were being beautified by the professional makeup artists of Sara Tamargo and the Team, meanwhile, Nick and his boys got ready at the Presidential Suite.
The Greek Orthodox Wedding Ceremony
And here comes my darling part, the Greek Orthodox Ceremony. I can’t find the right words to express my feelings, but let me at least try to explain the ceremony part. We decorated the aisle with a white runner filled with a lot of baby breaths flowers and candles from the sides. During the ceremony, there were a lot of traditional rituals of the Greek wedding ceremony, such as the candles with white ribbons.
One of the most recognizable traditions of a Greek wedding is the marital crowns or Stefana. These are two beautiful pieces made from flowers, foliage or even precious metals, and joined together by a strand of ribbon.
The wedding crowns symbolize the union of two people into one couple. The crowns are swapped back and forth by the Koumbaro three times and the couple wears them as they walk around the altar three times to represent their journey through life together. The priest blesses the couple before removing the crowns, and no vows are exchanged by the couple.
At the altar, there were the Koufeta (sugar-coated almonds) and these were given to guests right after the wedding ceremony. Tradition states – an odd number is given to each guest and they symbolize purity, fertility and the endurance of marriage.
After the ceremony, there was the Cocktail hour in the amazing garden. The priest gave the blessings before the dinner started and Chef Gourmet Soberanis served a delicious 4 course plated menu.
The Wedding Reception
The reception was on the terrace at Villa la Joya around the pool with the best ocean view. The guests and the couple took photos at the statement photo wall, decorated with flowers and first letters of the couple’s names. Besides that, they enjoyed the amazingly decorated extravagant sweets table by Lluvia de Azucar. Let’s not forget about the surprise fireworks for the groom that the bride organized secretly. Perfect romantic moment for both of them.
We assigned the music to the couple’s Greek DJ (with audiovisuals by Plugin) and we got to enjoy the night dancing. Another fun, symbolic way to congratulate the couple on their new marriage was the Greek Wedding Dollar Dance.
I am so grateful to Eleni and Nick for having me as a part of their wedding and having my dream of being a part of a Greek wedding come true. I wish you both all the best and lots of love and happiness. And we couldn’t have done this without my super awesome partner Lili from Inspiration Weddings and all the vendors.
Thank you Paradise Photo Studio for the gorgeous setup photos.
