Themes, Ideas, Planning - But what is available in Greece?

Good afternoon all, well continuing my new direction with the blog, I have decided to write today's post on the subject of turning your vision for your wedding into reality in Greece. When it comes down to it, what can you get hold of in this country and what is difficult or even impossible to find!!!

Over to themes:

Modern
Clean & simple
White on white
Nautical
Elegant & Classic

These are themes that are easily supported by most venues in Greece, think white linens, covered chairs, white porcelain, clear glasses, beach side, pool side, open air modern spaces, spaces with wood pergola's.

Whimsical
Outdoor garden weddings
Historic
Cobbles & stones

These are more challenging themes, however not impossible and depends on your exact requirements, if the venue reflects the chosen theme, ie we locate a historic venue or lush garden setting, the lighting, tables, chairs and table settings are possible to get hold of.

Please note that most catering companies only supply rotary (round) tables and covered chairs, although SP Weddings aims to work with suppliers that can also provide oblong wooden tables and chairs as a second option for clients.

Mismatched
Shabby chic

This is where the going gets tough, there are no catering companies that supply mismatched crockery and glasses, nor understand this concept. It is also a huge challenge to find coloured linens, even napkins and coloured glassware is also almost impossible to get hold of.

In lieu of the above, please note that when mentioning historic settings in 99% of cases it is impossible to get permission to use any archaeological sites for a ceremony or reception in Greece. We can however rent some private properties that can be between 100-500 years old that do offer the "historic" setting that is popular for weddings at the moment.

Hiring a castle for a wedding in Greece is an almost impossible mission unfortunately!

Budgeting for a wedding in Greece

Good afternoon to all,

After my trip over to London which I thoroughly enjoyed and a few days in Athens, I am back in the office and ready to get into my blogging mode again!

Although the topic I have chosen today may seem tedious and boring to some it is actually the most critical question when planning a wedding abroad, Can you afford it?

The answer to this is extremely complex, I get asked this question by almost every bride that contacts me, they give me a brief idea of what they want and then ask how much it will cost!

For example, I would like a wedding on a beach for 80 guests followed by a cocktail reception, sit down meal, dinner and dancing until the early hours and I want lots of candles, flowers, fairy lights and a gorgeous cake. Then they ask me what will that cost?

When I was starting in wedding planning, I used to answer that question, I would sit down with a calculator, add all the average prices together, think of some options and give a price that I thought would cover the wedding that the bride was looking for. However in most cases this would get me into more trouble than it was worth, for instance further down the line, the bride would tell me that the cocktail hour she wanted had free flowing Moet champagne cocktails and not one fruit punch per person that I had calcutaled, what does this equal? Friction.

Then I would find out that the bride wanted imported peonies throughout all the centrepieces and bouquets, when my florist had quoted on locally sourced roses or lillies, again, friction.

Unfortunately it takes a lot more talking, emailing and thinking that some might think to give an idea on the price of a wedding!

So in order to provide a helpful guide on the approximate prices one might expect when planning a wedding in Greece:

FLOWERS
Bridal bouquet: 40-200 Euros
Centrepiece:     30-150 Euros

ENTERTAINMENT
Live Greek Band 800-1500 Euros
DJ                       300-700  Euros


MEAL/CATERING COSTS
(There is a huge variable here depending on the type and location of the venue that you choose)

Taverna meal                       20-50 Euros
Upmarket taverna on beach 35-80 Euros
3-4 Star Hotel reception      35-80 Euros
5 Star Hotel reception        50-150 Euros
Catering to private venue    40-200 Euros


PHOTOGRAPHY/VIDEOGRAPHY

Local photographer, no learned skills     350-500 Euros
Photo journalist photographer            1000-3000 Euros
Videographer (includes montage)           500-800 Euros
Photojournalism videographer            1000-5000 Euros

FIREWORKS


2 minute display                               800-1000 Euros
5 minute display                              1500-3000 Euros

I hope this is a helpful guide of prices in Greece!!!

Just a note

Hi all,


Just a short note to let you know that I will be on a business trip until the 18th of November and unable to post during this time. I hope you will check back with me after that as we have some very interesting articles and information lined up:

Budgeting for a wedding in Greece
Where and what is available to hire in Greece
How to put together the ideal elegant Greek wedding reception menu

Some more dresses from some fabulous Greek designers



Stay tuned....


Photo by Annie Angelopoulou

Greek Wines

Hi all,  I am embarking on a new chapter in the blog that is going to discuss Greek wines and foods that are extremely important factors for those planning a wedding in Greece!

If the last time you have tried a Greek wine was in the days when retsina and Domestica were the only options, then you are in for a pleasant surprise. The winemakers have come along in leaps and bounds and are now becoming recognised worldwide as some of the best wines in the world.

As it is impossible to keep your finger on the pulse and make an informed decision regarding what wine to serve are your wedding reception, I aim to give a simple yet concise overview of what is available, the vineyards that are in my opinion ones to watch and of course the ones to try in the run up to your wedding!

So let's get started with my favourite variety of wine that is Moschofilero, which is mainly produced in the Peloponnese region and especially in the Mantinia area. The wine is an aromatic white, with floral, spicy and citrus flavours.

This type of wine is best served with hors d'oeuvres and any foods that contain olive oil, onion or lemon as it really accentuates the flavors.

Some producers of the Moschofilero variety to look out for are: Skouras (average price 6-7 EUROS), Semeli (9 EUROS ), Mercouri and Domain Spiropoulos (9 EUROS).

Assyrtiko, is another flavourable very dry white wine, initially produced on Santorini island, now also in other areas around Greece. The wine has earthy tones, a steely, citrusy flavour which comes from the volcanic earth on the island.

This wine is best served with fish or seafood.

The producer that we suggest you look out for is Ktima Gerovasileiou (12 EUROS), Chatzimichali (11 EUROS) and Amethystos by Lazaridi (11 EUROS).

Agiorgitiko, a full bodied red wine produced in the Peloponnese and especially the Nemea area, this spicy, plummy wine is an excellent choice to be served with grilled tuna, Greek spicy sausages, souvlaki, roast chicken or other traditional meat based dishes.

The labels to look out for are Nemea (14 EUROS), Skouras (10 EUROS) and Vivlia Chora (16 EUROS)

Selling Manuel Mota for Pronovias Wedding Dress

As mentioned in the previous post, the beautiful bride is selling her gorgeous wedding dress!!!

 

 

The dress was Santana, by Manuel Mota for Pronovias, purchased in June 2009, worn once, in pristine condition, the measurements are:

Chest 78 cm

Waist 59 cm

Hips 86 cm

The dress was bought for 1800 EUROS and the bride is asking for 900 EUROS making it a bargain at half price!

If anyone is interested please leave a comment and we will get back to you as soon as possible!

A Rock & Roll Bride in Athens

Hi all, I hope everyone had a great weekend!

Today I am posting an incredibly cool wedding that took place in Athens this past summer! I absolutely loooooooved the bride's look, she really let her personality shine through and refused to confirm to the "classic" bride look, which in Greece 9 out of 10 times means adding extensions and curling your hair, or having a very untrendy chignon.

The bride has such a strong punk look and seemingly refused to tame down her look in order to conform to the "norm". I am so pleased as I think her look literally, ROCKS!!!

I think this might be my favourite image, the bride looks so calm and collected and content! The image is also gorgeous!

On second thoughts, perhaps this is my favourite, you can just make out the silhouette of the bride in the car arriving at the ceremony venue!

This is a classic "fun" image, the part of the Greek Orthodox ceremony where most people are laughing, happy and moving, so this fabulously pretty bride of course looks gorgeous in the image!

The finale is an image of the couple's first dance, which took place at a beautiful venue just outside the city of Athens

Did I mention that this beautiful couple are childhood sweethearts and have been together for years and years? That small detail makes me look at the pictures in an entirely different light.

Speaking of pictures, all the images above are courtesy of the wonderfully talented Magdalene Kourti, you can find more information on her work at www.mkourti.com.

Watch out for the next post on the bride's gorgeous gown that we are going to put up for sale!!!!! Coming Next.............