Showing posts with label wedding planning. Show all posts
Showing posts with label wedding planning. Show all posts

Thursday, March 16, 2017

Country Weddings in Santorini!

Photo taken from www.himisspuff.com
Having your wedding closer to nature, especially when the days are long and warm, is always a great idea. What an easier way to do so, than have a country style wedding? You can host your wedding at the country side, in a barn, at your holiday home. Don't have the opportunity to run away into nature for your wedding? Not to worry. You can still have a wonderful country style set up on your wedding day, even in an indoor venue. All you need, are the correct decorations.

When you think about a country wedding, the first that comes to mind are those wonderful wooden barns, stylish cowboy boots, hey and horses. So, it is only natural for you to wonder, how would a country style wedding fin on an island like Santorini? I say, perfectly!

First off, let's start with the ceremony, as this is the beginning of a wedding. Whether on a caldera venue, or a beach venue, you can still recreate the country style you are looking for. The first detail is the aisle. Something simple like two wine barrels in the beginning on the aisle, with a wonderful flower arrangements on top, will be enough to give your ceremony the barn feeling. Put some simple, white chairs for the guests, and you have completed the image.

Whether you choose to have a gazebo or not, for the bride and groom to stand under during the ceremony, it can be decorated in the same matter that the aisle is. Use two similar wooden, wine barrels on each side of the gazebo, or next to the ceremony table, decorate them with beautiful and rich floral arrangements, and ta da!! Country wedding! To make the gazebo look even more impressive, add an additional layer of white curtains.  

Wish to make it even more fun? Use cowboy hats as flower baskets for the flower girls. Incorporate some horse shoes to the decoration, both for good luck, and the country feeling. And of course, have a country song as your entrance song!

Photo taken from blessings.com
Done with the ceremony, it's time to think about the reception. Here is where most of the work and creativity will be required, to achieve that country feeling you are going for, and make you and your guests feel like they are out in the country side!

Country weddings have the wooden element strongly in them, meaning that a lot of decorations are made from wood. On other words, wooden decorative items are the first thing you should think about. So…Barrels! Again! They are amazing to use for a sweet or welcome table, and using them at the reception will make the transaction from the ceremony area to the reception much smoother.

Another way to use wooden decorations, is to make awesome DIY decorations from pallets. Examples? You can make really cute welcome signs for your guests, at the entrance of the reception venue. Pallets can also be used to make your photo booth look like a real barn! Don't forget about the wooden crates. Use them as flowers pots with beautiful flower compositions. Place the crates around the venue, for a country style decoration.

A country wedding should have mason jars in it, or there will be something missing. You can use them as glasses for the refreshing, non-alcoholic welcome drinks for your guests upon their arrival at the venue. You can also use them for as vases, to put the flowers for the table centerpieces. Mason jars can even be used at the sweet table, as jars for the various candies.

To give your reception even more of that country feeling, don't forget to use tin buckets when decorating the venue. As with the all of the above, tin buckets are quite versatile. They can be used for your floral arrangements at the bar, the sweet or wish table, or even at the dinner tables when having the right size. Another smart and fun way to include tin buckets to the decoration, is using them as coolers for the drinks during the ceremony. Ask the bartender to fill the buckets with ice and bottles of beer, and have them placed near the dance floor, or at the bar, so that anyone could grab a beer easily.

Photo taken from womangettingmarried.com
What am I forgetting… ah! Fairy lights! Fairy lights are the key, into making your guests feel like they're under the night sky full of stars. They are also great decorative items for the head table, the bar, the candy bar. You can use them as curtains, wrap them around the bar, place them over the dance floor. Whatever feels more beautiful for you.

Last, but not least, let's talk about the flowers used for a country wedding in Santorini, as without them the decoration will be incomplete. Since country weddings are close to nature, the flowers you can use for the wedding can be simple wildflowers and herbs, you could easily find in the country side: Sunflowers, daisies, aster, thyme, lavender, to name a few. As for the colors, you are allowed to use any color combination you like, and still have a great country wedding style!

Those are just some ideas for a country style wedding here in Santorini. If you love barn weddings and Santorini, and need help combining those two, feel free to contact Cardoon Events for some help and advice!


Thank you very much for reading! I wish you a lovely day!

Tuesday, March 14, 2017

Retro Wedding

Picture taken from Weddbook
The 20th century gave us a lot of wonderful things to remember. The hairstyles, the clothing, the music, and much, much more! Because of that, the previous century is a great place to look for inspiration, when choosing a theme for your wedding. In my opinion, a retro wedding not only gives a unique and memorable character to your wedding, but is also a sweet way to give your parents and grandparents an opportunity to relieve the beauties from their younger years.

So, what is a retro wedding style? A retro wedding, is a style which includes various charming little details from the old times. With every decade offering something new and fresh to draw inspiration from, it is hard not to find something you will absolutely love for your wedding theme. You can make a 90's, 60's, or 40's wedding theme, or have a 20th century mash-up wedding!

A great thing about retro weddings, is that you can choose absolutely any color palette you like for your wedding, and still get the retro feeling you are going for! There are no restrictions whatsoever. Anything from pastel and blush colors, to vivid and bright tones can be used for a retro wedding. This also means, that a retro wedding can be a good choice any time of the year. With the adorable retro patterns, you can make your wedding decorations even more fun.

Picture taken from
niepoprawnapannamloda.blogspot.com
One of my favorites, when it comes to retro wedding styles, are the decorations. The best part? You won't have to go far to get them!! Just visit your parents' attic and you will find everything you need, there. Use old suitcases to make a cute sitting plan stand. Look for vintage picture frames to use on the guest tables for the table numbers. Use doilies, books, old soda bottles to create the most amazing centerpieces! The key ingredient is your imagination.

The 20th century was the era the self-powered motor vehicles, or simply cars, begun being used by the public, and what gems did that time produce. The previous century is responsible for so many amazing cars, such as the Classy Bentley, the VW Van, also known as the hippie van, the cute beetle, the romantic decheveux. All of those cars, and so many more, are perfect to arrive to a wedding. And the pictures you will make with them, will be gorgeous!

The best way to give your wedding the retro feeling you are going for, is of course for you, the bride and groom, to travel three to four decades back and borrow the style of the time that you like. The tea length wedding dresses with lace details give a romantic, girlish appearance to every bride. Combined with the chic vintage hairstyles and bright red lips, you will look like you stepped out from a different time. The groom's attire is equally stylish as the bride's. With choices from classic suits, to suspenders, bowties, vests, your future hubby will look stunning for his retro wedding day!

Picture taken from happywedd.com
Planning a retro wedding, is as fun is could possibly be! There is so much interesting information to look for, that you will fall in love with the process. Looking in all those bridal bouquets that were in fashion in every decade, listening to the amazing music those times produces, learning about the drinks, sweets, and fun games of that time, will be more like the best history lesson you ever had, rather than planning a wedding.

Do you wonder, how would a retro wedding style fit in Santorini? I say, wonderfully! With so many wedding venues, built from old factories, a vintage wedding will look swell in Santorini! Interested in having one? Feel free to contact Cardoon Events for more information and ideas!


Thank you very much for reading! I wish you a lovely day!

Monday, March 6, 2017

Le Ciel: A magnificent wedding venue on Santorini's cliff side

Le Ciel's magnificent view! 
Santorini… the magical sunsets, the amazing views, the picturesque scenery. I believe I have used those particular words to describe Thira in most of the blog posts I wrote. Those words don't lie, and those are some of the main reasons people visit this island and come to have their wedding here. Santorini is an undoubtedly magical island for the most romantic wedding you could ever imagine.

But where to have your wedding on Santorini's cliff side? Thankfully, the island has a number of beautiful private wedding venues to choose from, and one of the best is Le Ciel wedding venue in Imerovigli. Located just outside of the main square of Imerovigli, and surrounded by luxurious caldera hotels, this venue would be a great choice to host your wedding at the Caldera of Santorini.

What makes Le Ciel wedding venue so special?

Let's start with the location. As already mentioned, Le Ciel is located not far away from the heart of Imerovigli, the tallest point of the cliff side of Santorini. This gives Le Ciel a perfect view of the caldera and an even better view of the sunset. During the day, you won't have anything distracting you from the amazing beauties of Santorini's cliff side, and at night you will be enjoying the view of Oia, with its thousands little lights in the dark.

When in Le Ciel, you and your guests have the opportunity to witness one of the best sunsets of Santorini. The sun will set right in front of you, between Oia and the small island of Thirasia. I've seen a lot of sunsets as I've been living in Santorini for a while, so they don’t move me as much, but when I have the chance to have a wedding at Le Ciel, I'll always pop out with the guests to enjoy the sun hiding behind the horizon.

Another great advantage of Le Ciel, is that it is located close to hotels, meaning that you won't have to worry about where to find accommodation for you, your family, and your guests. Right next to the venue, there is the Cavo Tagoo Hotel, which will make a great choice to house all your bridal party and your family for the upcoming wedding. If you book the entire hotel for yourself, you can even host there a lovely pre-wedding party!

Le Ciel comes with a DJ and a sound system, a bar and a kitchen, meaning that you won't have to worry about looking into catering companies or professionals to take care of your entertainment for the night. Everyone who works at the venue, are highly professional, and will provide you with high class services, that will make your wedding day even more memorable.

It is worth noticing, that they have amazing food! The chefs take care of every minor detail, making sure that your dish will not only taste heavenly, but will also look appetizingly beautiful. Even though Le Ciel has a gourmet kitchen, no guest will leave the table hungry, something that is definitely a plus!

Le Ciel is a relatively new wedding venue in Santorini. It opened its doors in the summer of 2015. Although it is such a young venue, it does not show in the high level of their services. When you first contact Le Ciel, you will be greeted warningly by Themis or Nefeli, and you will be provided with all the information you need to know about the venue. Both of them are kind, patient and understanding, making you wedding planning process as easy as it could only be. They will help you with any additional information you might need, suggest wedding planners to work with, should you not have one, and will make sure that everything will go smoothly and as planned on the actual wedding day. It is always a pleasure working with them, from day one!

Want to learn more about this one of kind wedding venue? Stay tuned to read Thursday's wedding blog, where I'll talk in more detail about Le Ciel.


Thank you very much for reading, and I wish you a lovely day!

Monday, February 27, 2017

Oceanids Estate: All you need to know!

So, you are looking to get married in Santorini, and wish to host your wedding reception and/or ceremony at a beach venue? OceanidsEstate wedding venue would be a perfect choice for you! In the previous blog I shared some information about this wonderful venue. Now, let's dive in into more "technical" details.

Picture taken from oceanids-estate.com
First and foremost, why choose Oceanids Estate for your wedding in Santorini? As Nina told me, and as I completely agree, "the couples who wish to get married in Oceanids, should understand that upon entering our venue, stress stops to exist. Our goal is to make them feel like home. They should also prepare themselves for a " till you drop" party!". They really stand by those words! When planning on having your wedding at Oceanids Estate, you won't have to worry about a thing. Isn't this a perfect scenario for a wedding?

Weddings cost money, we all know that. When it comes to Oceanids Estate, you won't have to dig deep into your pocket for a perfect wedding. The venue has a really reasonable price for renting it private, and they offer much more than just the private use. Their rental price include a DJ for 5 hours and an audio system strong enough to cover a 150 person wedding. In other words, one of the major parts of a wedding will be covered, just by choosing this venue! Besides the audio system, the rental price also includes a full party lightning system, a detail which will make your party even more fun!

The rental fee for the private use of the venue includes as well the staff of the venue, all taxes, and some decorations, such as lanterns and vases, a beautiful vintage style lounge area next to the sea, and comfortable stone couches! If this isn't a great value for money, I don't know what is!

The next question some might ask, is how many people you can invite to your wedding at Oceanids Estate? There are no limits!

Oceanids Estate wedding venue is perfect for both small, intimate weddings of 20 persons, and big wedding of 300 persons or more! The space of the venue can be arranged in such a way, that it will neither look too big and chaotic for small wedding, nor you and your guests will feel too crowded in case of a large wedding!
Picture taken from oceanids-estate.com
When it comes to drinks, Oceanids Estate has its own bar. For the cocktail hour you can choose between a variety of different welcome cocktails for your guests, from a glass of Prosecco, to a cocktail of your choice. Alcohol free drinks are also offered as an option, should you be having guests that don't drink. For the rest of the reception, you can choose one of the many different 5 hour long open bar packages. After the open is over, you are free to choose between providing your guests with unlimited drinks till the end of the party, or opting for your guests to pay for their own drinks. Oceanids truly makes your life easy!

Oceanids Estate does not have its own kitchen, but that is not a problem at all! The location of the venue is so convenient that makes it really easy for catering companies to work with them. And since the venue owners have great experience when it comes to weddings, they know exactly what a catering company needs to provide you their best services!

Still need a reason to book Oceanids Estate for your wedding? Here are some of the great advantages of the venue. When booking the venue for your private wedding, you get it from 14:00pm till 8:00am! And since there are no noise restrictions at this venue, you will have the time of your life partying all night long, undistracted!

If you are lucky enough, and on your wedding day there will be a full moon, then you will have the chance to dance under the moon, which is directly over the venue. A great way to make your wedding day even more romantic!

Oceanids Estate is kids friendly and disabled friendly. It is flat, there are no different levels, and there is a convenient ramp from the entrance of the venue, meaning that if you will be having people with disabilities attending your wedding, they won't have any trouble getting around.

Picture taken from oceanids-estate.com
Should you be having children at your wedding, their parents won't have to worry for their kids to fall over the stairs while running and playing! And because the venue has no levels, as already mentioned, you will all be at the same level, and non of your guests will be divided during dinner or the party!

Because this wedding venue is right next to the sea, it's a perfect location for a beautiful and private beach wedding! If you are
dreaming of something different for your wedding, you can arrange a "Mamma Mia" styled wedding, or even arrive by horse to the ceremony, or after the couple's photo shoot.

Oceanids Estate is not good just for summer weddings. The venue has an astonishing indoor area, which can be used for winter weddings as well. This is also an advantage if you are planning on having your wedding in early spring or late autumn, as you won't need to worry about your "Plan B" in case of a rainy day. Oceanids Estate is a "Plan A" and "Plan B" combined!

If you are thinking of having special effects, fireworks, a spectacular stage for dancing, then you can choose Pro-Support to provide all those services to you! Why


Pro-Support. Because Pro-Support is owned by the same people that have Oceanids Estate, and you will profit by having combined packages with Oceanids Estate and Pro-Support!

To sum up, Oceanids Estate is a wonderful choice for a wedding ceremony and reception. With great prices, amazing location, complete privacy, no noise restrictions, you are guaranteed on having the best wedding possible, which will stay in the memories of you and your guests forever!

And As Nina and Nikitas say "A marriage in Oceanids Estate is a lifetime experience!"

Need more information on the venue? Visit Oceanids Estate's official website - http://www.oceanids-estate.com/


Thank you very much for reading, and I wish you a lovely day!

Thursday, February 23, 2017

Oceanids Estate: A look behind the curtains.

In the last blog post I wrote about the various wedding venues that Santorini has. This time, I would like to write in more detail about Oceanids Estate wedding venue at the beach of Ekso Gonia.

Oceanids Estate was opened in 2013. The building, where Oceanids Estate is housed, used to be a tomato canning factory. The building was built is 1937 from the famous black Santorinian volcanic rock, which gives the now wedding venue a really unique and amazing feeling. The owners of Oceanids Estate renovated the venue to a very high standard, but still kept the old style of the building.



The owners of Oceanids Estate, Nina and Nikitas, have great experience in the field of weddings and events, which means that when choosing this wedding venue, you will have people working with you who exactly what is needed to make your wedding unforgettable. They are friendly, professional, kind people, who will do everything they can to ensure that your wedding day will be both incredibly fun and stress free.

I've started working with Oceanids Estate in 2015, when planning some weddings for the summer of 2016. They made my job really easy, and where always eager to answer any of the questions the couple or I could have. They have a great method of organizing the weddings their hosting, that no minor planning detail will be forgotten. Nina is an excellent wedding planner herself, which has proven to be of great help, as she knows exactly what needs to be done for a perfect wedding. No couple or guest has ever left this wedding venue with a complaint or without a happy smile.

Another interesting and impressive detail, is how Nina and Nikitas treat their working stuff. They are understanding, kind, patient and wise employers, meaning that the waiters, the cleaning stuff, the barmen, and the DJs, all enjoy working at Oceanids Estate. You may wonder, why would I mention that? Well, because a tired waiter or a unsatisfied with the working conditions cleaning lady, can easily create a sour memory from your wedding. Oceanids Estate's stuff do a great job, they put their soul into what they are doing, which shows in the successful weddings the venues has, because they are treated as equals, as people!  

A great feature of Oceanids Estate, is that it is located right at the beach of Ekso Gonia. There aren't any roads between the venue and the beach. Your wedding reception and party will be literally at the beach, but without any sand getting in your shoes! Isn't that great? Not only that, but the beach in front of the venue is one of the best beaches of the island. And this is what makes Oceanids Estate venue one of the best places to have a beach wedding.

Will there be children attending the wedding? You'll be glad to know that Oceanids Estate is a paradise for children. They LOVE this venue! They have plenty of room to safely run and play around, and the indoor area can be easily transformed into a kids' room, keeping the little ones busy while their parents are having fun.

The venue also has a nice, big pool, as you have probably seemed from the pictures already. And there is no need to worry about safety, as the venue only allows the use of the pool if you hire a lifeguard. The pool is loved by both children and adults, just be sure to follow the safety rules.

For those of you who are thinking about having their wedding ceremony and/or reception at Oceanids Estate, you will be pleased to know that the venue has an amazing strategic position. It is located really close to Kamari, one of the beach resorts of Santorini. The farthest part of Kamari, the one that is right under the mountain, is no further than 5 minutes by car from the venue. You won't need to worry about tiring your guests with long transportation trips!! And even though the venue is so close to a living area, it does not have any of the noise restrictions that you will find at the caldera venues, meaning that you can freely party until sunrise!



In my opinion, Oceanids Estate is one the best wedding venues of Santorini for multiple reasons. It is definitely in my top 3 Santorini wedding venues!

Wish to know more about the venue? Stay tuned, to find out more information about Oceanids Estate on Monday!


Thank you very much for reading! I wish you all a good day!

Monday, February 20, 2017

Santorini Wedding Venues!

Santorini has a number of great wedding venues. Some of them are located on the cliff side of the island, overlooking the famous caldera sea and the volcano. There are also plenty of wedding venues located on the beach side of Santorini, and believe me when I say that they don't lack the beauty of the caldera venues.

Le Ciel wedding venue
There are some differences between the caldera venues and the beach venues, and in this posts I would like to write about exactly that. I would like to compare the differences between the two types of wedding venues, making it easier for you to choose the venue that will be most suitable for your wedding.

Before I begin, I would like to point out, that if you are torn between a beach venue and a caldera venue, then there is a simple solution. Which one? Well, choose both!! You can easily arrange to have a wedding ceremony on a caldera venue, and then host your reception at a beach venue, combining the advantages of both types of venues Santorini offers.

Let's get into more detail…

As mentioned above, the caldera venues offer amazing views of the caldera, the volcano, the Thirasia island, and of course the so famous Santorini sunset. There never was a guest or a couple that wasn't amazed by the view their caldera venue of choice had. When the sky is clear, you can even see the nearby islands, which only adds to the greatness.

Venetsanos Winery wedding venue
When going for a wedding venue on the caldera side of Santorini, you can choose between beautiful wineries, like Venetsanos Winery, and combine your wedding with an educational winery tour for your guests, as well as a delicious wine tasting, and high class wedding venues such as Le Ciel wedding venue in Imerovigli.

Sea side venues are scattered along the beaches of Santorini. Admittedly, they don't have the caldera views, but the beauty they offer is no less wonderful then their fellow wedding venues on the other side of the island. The soothing sound of the waves, the clear night sky, and of course gorgeous sunrises, will still make your wedding day unforgettable to you and your guests!

Want to learn more about the choices you have for a beach wedding venue? Read this blog post, dedicated entirely to the beach venues of Santorini.

Caldera wedding venues are, as a rule, located near hotels, or could even be part of a hotel. This is a great plus, as you won't need to worry about transportation for your guests since they can stay at a walking distance from your wedding venue. With beach venues, you won't be able to find hotels right next to the venue, because they are usually located in more isolated areas. This is not a bad thing though, because this way the beach venues offer more privacy.

The proximity of the venues to the living areas of the islands, greatly affects the noise policy of each venue. In an older blog, I've already mentioned the strict noise policies that caldera venues have.
Oceanids Estate Wedding Venue
In most cases, you cannot extend your wedding party beyond 1 am, since this is the latest the music can be played at the caldera. With beach venues though, you won't have such restrictions and can stay and party until morning.

Beach venues also don't have the firework restrictions, that a lot of caldera venues have. It is not always possible to have fireworks at the caldera area for multiple reasons. One of the reasons is the previously mentioned noise policy. Another reason is the fire hazard. The cliff side does not have easy access to most of its point, and if a sparkle falls and starts a fire halfway the cliff, there won't be a way to put the fire down, something that is obviously quite dangerous. You should also take into consideration the wind, which is most of the time stronger at the caldera side of Santorini than the beach side. Wind and fireworks don't go to together well.

One last major difference between the caldera wedding venues and the beach wedding venues is the size of the venues. Caldera does not offer enough room for large venues. The biggest cliff side venues you can find, can host no more than a 100 persons. Beach venues, on the other hand, are perfect for wedding for up to 200 hundred persons, as they are more spacious and you will have enough room for your tables and a dance area.

How to choose between a beach venue and a cliff side venue? You'll just have to ask yourself what is more important to you: the magnificent views till the end of the wedding day, or an all night long party? If you are looking into having a small or relatively small wedding, which won't last longer than midnight, then caldera is your perfect choice. But if you prefer to invite all of your friends and family to the wedding, and have a sunset to sunrise wedding, then opt for a beach venue.

If you need more help with your venue choice, feel free to contact Cardoon Events for more advice.

Next blog will be dedicated to Oceanids Estate wedding venue, so stay tuned to learn more about this amazing beach venue!

Thank you very much for reading, and I wish you a lovely day.


Thursday, February 16, 2017

Beach Weddings in Santorini!

Santorini is famous for its breathtaking caldera view, with the white houses hanging from the colorful cliff, its magical sunsets, and the churches with the blue domes. This is probably why Santorini is such a popular location for destination weddings.

I can understand that every couple would want to have a wedding picture on the cliff side of Santorini. With so many wedding venues located on the caldera, it is really easy to combine your wedding day with the beautiful views of Santorini, giving you and your guests amazing memories for a lifetime.

Still, Santorini is much more than just the caldera, as it also has the famous black beaches, which make a great place for a wedding ceremony. You should keep in mind, that since the beaches are
Beach wedding at Oceranids Estate
public, anyone could come and crash your wedding, should you choose to have the ceremony at a random beach in Santorini. Not to worry though, as If you choose a venue, which is located at the beach, you will be able to enjoy a private ceremony, without any strangers.

One such great venue, where you could have your beach wedding is Oceanids Estate. The wedding venue is located right at the beach of Ekso Gonia, which happens to be one the best beaches of the island. It is spacious, meaning that you won't have to limit your guest list, something that is always a plus. Afterwards, you can host your reception at the same venue, and enjoy an all night long party which will end with the sunrise.

Beach wedding set up at Akro Restaurant
Another beautiful venue by the sea for your beach wedding is Akro restaurant. This venue is located at the unique beach in Mesa Pigadia in Akrotiri. Its rocky landscape and romantic atmosphere will make your wedding day unforgettable, both to you and your guests. And if you are dreaming of having a unique entrance to your wedding, you can come to the ceremony on a horse, since the Santo Horse Riding stables are located not far away from the venue. Your guests will certainly remember this entrance, and you will get amazing wedding pictures.

If you are looking for an elopement or a small wedding on the beach, then Sea Side restaurant would be a perfect choice for you. Located in the very edge of Perissa, you will have a romantic seaside wedding and a great time with your close friends and family. After the ceremony, you can stay for a semi-private dinner at Sea Side restaurant's cute kiosk, or, if you prefer full privacy on your wedding day, book the entire restaurant just for you.

Beach weddings in Santorini offer a number of advantages over the caldera weddings. First of all, the beach venues do not have the noise restrictions that caldera has, meaning that you can party up until morning. You can have fireworks, since no one will be bothered by the noise, and fireworks make a great addition to any wedding. Even though during summer months you won't be able to see the sunset from the beaches of Santorini, the colors of the sky during sunset, along with the endless blue sea, still make great photos!

If you wish to have those famous wedding photos on the caldera, you can always go for the couple's photo shoot at the cliff side. Just leave your guests for an hour to enjoy their cocktails by the sea, and go to the caldera side for the pictures. Who said you couldn't have it all?

On Monday's blog post I will be discussing in more detail about the main differences between the caldera venues and the beach venues, so stay tuned!


Thank you very much for reading, and I wish you a lovely day!


Tuesday, February 14, 2017

10 things you should not do to your wedding planner!

Having a wedding planner for your wedding can reduce the stress levels a lot. This is especially true when it comes to destination weddings. The wedding planner will help you choose the best vendors for you, the venue which will be perfect for you, and help you avoid all those "rookie" mistakes all brides do.

Your wedding planner is a person who knows everything about weddings and will help you and guide you to plan the best wedding you could possibly have. No matter how anxious you might get about your wedding, your wedding planner is there to help you and to reassure you that everything is going to be just like you dreamed about. After all, you are human, and it’s natural for you to worry about one of the most important days of your life.

Even thought wedding planners are quite tolerant people, and most of us don't really mind being bombarded with questions about every little detail of your wedding, still, there are some things that are better to avoid doing to a wedding planner:

1. Hiding information!

Your wedding planner should know everything about your wedding, as this is the main guarantee that you will have a successful wedding. Don't try to arrange different things with your venue or vendors, than what has been already arranged with you planner, as this is a recipe for disaster. Inform your planner about any changes you wish to make or made with your vendors, to avoid misunderstandings on the wedding day.

2. Disregarding your wedding planners expertise!

You want to have your wedding reception outdoors, but your wedding planner is trying in any way possible to convince you to have your reception indoors? Trust your planner's opinion, as he or she probably knows that you will regret your decision for the outdoor dinner, when the time comes. What your wedding planner suggests may not be your dream option, but he or she probably does it to avoid a complete disaster on the wedding day!

3.Not informing your mother or bridesmaids that you have a wedding planner!

It is only natural for your mother, mother-in-law, or maid of honor to want to get involved in the wedding planning. If your wedding planner does not know that though, it can get pretty messy! Inform you mother and bridesmaids that you will be having a wedding planner, and that if they want to have their input at the wedding, they should contact your planner. This way, you wedding planner will make room for that special bridesmaid dance your friends have planned for you, without ruining the whole schedule.

4. Forgetting that your wedding planner is a human!

Yes, your pay good money to your wedding planner, and you expect everything to be top-notch, from the communication between you, to the very wedding day coordination. Still, your wedding planner is a human being, which means that he or she will get tired, sick, go on vacations. Don't get mad if your wedding planner takes longer than usual to reply to you, or some days isn't as excited as most of the time. We all have our bad days, and since wedding planning can get quite stressful, it is normal for your planner to decide to take a day or two off work, to relax a little. Don't get mean when that happens, especially if you want your planner to be in his best form on your wedding day.

5. Not respecting the schedule

Building a perfect schedule for your wedding can be tricky at times. A wedding planner needs to organize the guests' arrivals, the ceremony, the photographer, the entertainers, the food, everything! A planner's job is to keep everyone happy, from the couple, to the guests, to the vendors, and a perfect schedule is the key to that. Deciding to put something extra on the schedule the very last minute, will create a mess, put unnecessary stress on the wedding planner, and as a result end up in a wedding disaster.

6. No surprises!

The only surprises a wedding planners like, are gifts (I personally love chocolate). Don't surprise your wedding planner by adding a sudden 20 minute grandpa speech before dinner, or having 7 surprise guests at the reception. This will mess up pretty much everything, and might have really negative consequences on your wedding. Your wedding planner should know everything concerning your wedding before the wedding day, so keep the surprises for your guests.

7. Not paying in time!

Weddings are costly, we all know that. Still, this is not a reason, not to pay in time your vendors. You may ask how this affects your wedding planner? Directly! Since it is your wedding planner who is making all the arrangements for you, including the payments, it he who will be bothered about the money if you have not made the required payment in time. A wedding planner has enough to think about, to have to chase you with the payments as well.

8. Don't treat your wedding planner as an enemy!

Your wedding planner wants what is best for you. He or she tries to get the best vendors for the best prices, just for you. All the suggestions a wedding planner makes, is for you to have a memorable wedding. Don't treat your wedding planner as an enemy, by not showing trust in his/her suggestions, arguing over everything, and going behind your planner's back. Believe it or not, most of the time your wedding planner knows what is best for you, better than you!  

9. Disrespecting the rules!

Every venue, every vendor, everything has its do's and don’ts. It can be noise policies, food policies, payment policies, children policies, anything! When your wedding planner tells you, that you cannot bring your own food to the venue, don't try to sneak the food in anyway! There is a reason for the policy, and by ignoring it, you not only causing unnecessary trouble to your wedding planner, but might end up ruining the whole wedding.

10. Panicking over nothing.

It is true, almost every wedding will have a detail that won't go as planned. Either the cake topper will break, a guest will run late, a song will not play. It is fine!! This is why you have a wedding planner: to take care of those things and make any mishaps magically disappear! By running behind your planner all the time, and not letting him to do his job, you are just making things worse. Don't panic unless you see your wedding planner panic!. If you wedding planner is calm, it means everything is under control. Relax, and enjoy your wedding day!

Remember, you wedding planner wants a perfect wedding as much as you do, and the calmer the wedding planner is, the higher the chances that nothing will go wrong on your wedding day. Keep calm and trust in your wedding planner!

Thank you very much for reading and I hope I was helpful!


I wish you a lovely day!

Tuesday, February 7, 2017

Ideas for Wedding Favors!

cake pops favors
picture from sandyssignatures.blogspot.ca
Wedding favors are not only a great way to thank your guests for attending your wedding, but also a way to make your guests remember your wedding. Although your guests won't think bad of you if you won't have favors for them, they will most certainly appreciate a small gift from you, should you have one.

What can you offer as a favor to your guests? Anything! It can be an edible favor, a drinkable favor, a practical favor, a fun favor, anything that comes to mind. It is nice to have favors, which will match the main wedding theme. For example, if you are having a travel themed wedding, then you could have customized suitcase tags for each guest.

Here are some detailed description on what you could offer them:

Edible Favors:

Everybody loves candy, so having a small bag of candies for your guests, is always a good idea. You could have small candy bars or something more sophisticated, like a personalized cupcake or cake-pop. To make it even more fun, prepare a candy favor station, so that you guests could prepare their own favors.

If you and your guests are not into sweets, then prepare a mix of spices. All of us cook, at some point in our lives, and those spices could be of great inspiration for those moments. This wedding favor is even better if you are having a destination wedding, as it will be a way for your guests to take with them a flavor of the country your are marrying in.

Drinkable Favors:

Small bottles of alcoholic drinks is also one good idea for guests' favors, especially if your friends like to party. Find small bottles of the alcoholic beverages that your friends like, and give everyone their favorite drink. Want to make it even more fun? Prepare mini cocktail kits.

As with the spices, when having a destination wedding, you could have small bottles of the local alcoholic beverage as a favor. When it comes to weddings in Greece, you could have small ouzo bottles.

Hangover Kit Favors:

picture from bridedsupnorth.com
The morning after a wedding party can be rough… you know, hangover and stuff. I always found hangover kits, or emergency kits, as guests' favors a brilliant idea! Have some aspirin, some band-aids, a lip balm, chewing gums, a night mask, and anything else you find useful for a hangover or an emergency. Practical, and with a sense of humor.

Practical Favors:

It is always nice to be practical, even when it comes to gifts. But how to be practical with favors? This is really easy. Just think about what your guests might need for your wedding, that they wouldn't think about brining themselves. For example, if you are having a beach wedding, you could have flip-flops and swimming suites as favors for your guests. Everyone will enjoy the party even more!

Souvenir Favors:

When having a destination wedding, a souvenir will serve as the best memorabilia from your wedding. For your wedding in Santorini, for example, you could have small donkeys or miniature blue dome churches. To make it even more memorable, have them pre-ordered with your wedding date on them.

If you and your significant other like to travel, then you could bring souvenirs from the places that you have been. This will make the wedding favors feel more personal, more you. You will also give your guests a taste of the places you've been.

Handmade Favors:

Homemade Jam for your guests
picture from unitedlove.com
Handmade gifts are always a great idea, so are handmade wedding favors. Handmade crafts take a lot of your time to make, and by having handmade favors on your wedding, will show your guests how much they mean to you. Your guests will appreciate that you took so much time to prepare their favors, and will cherish them forever.  

I can go on and on about what your wedding favors can be. Whatever your choice of favors will be, don't forget to include a detail, which will remind your guests of your wedding. Don't be afraid to use your imagination and think outside the box. Your wedding favors, should be as unique as you are!


As always, thank you very much for reading! I wish you a lovely day and an amazing life!


Friday, February 3, 2017

Sweet Sweet Table for a Sweet Sweet Life!

Sweet tables are a great addition to every wedding. Sweet tables are both beautiful and practical, as they provide a great decoration piece for the reception area, as well as a nice way to keep your guests' sweet tooth satisfied.

What is a sweet table? A sweet table is a table full of sweets… obviously. Sweet tables are usually used in the reception area, and have on them various kinds of candies, for your guests to treat themselves with. They can also have some jars with juices or punch, which can be used for both decorative purposes and for drinking. Besides the candies and the drink, the table can also be decorated with candles and flowers, which will match the wedding's main decoration theme.

Sweet tables can be placed anywhere in the reception room, although it is a good idea to have them in the corner which looked empty. and you didn't know how to fill otherwise. Another nice idea, is to place the sweet table at the dance floor, to "lure" your guests to dance. Just make sure that the table is in a place where it won't get knocked down during the wild dancing!

You can set your sweet table and wish table together. If you wonder why do that, here is a explanation. From my experience, not all guests remember to write in the wish book, which can feel a bit disappointing at the end. Having the wish book next or at the sweet table, is a practical way to remind your guests about the wish book, and in a way reward them for writing in the guest book.

Sweet tables can also be really helpful when you cannot find any good ideas for favors, as you can transform them into a favor station for your guests. Place small bags and spatulas at the sweet table, along with a variety of different candies, and let your guests prepare their own favors!

A sweet table could as well be used to display your wedding cake. Place the cake in middle of the table, on a beautiful cake base, once the cutting of the cake is finished, and let your guests enjoy that piece of art.

picture taken from happywedd.com
When is the right time to have the sweet table out? This really depends on the purpose of the sweet table. If you wish for the table to be used as a guests' favor station, or to remind them of your guest book, then it is a good idea to have it ready for the cocktail hour. If, on the other hand, you wish for it to be a reason for the guests to go to the dance floor, have it ready just as the dinner is over. It is better though, to avoid having the table ready from the very beginning, as you don't want your guests to be staffed with sweets before dinner, or for the sweets to go bad.

A great thing about sweet tables, is that you can use any kind of candies you wish. It can be sugared almonds in beautiful vases, small candy bars such as Twix, Mars, Snickers etc., doughnuts , cupcakes, macaroons, lollipops, anything your heart desires. You can choose sweets, that will have the color theme of your wedding, so that the sweet table will match perfectly with the main decoration theme. You can even prepare homemade sweets, if you love cooking, to make it even more personal. In this case, don't forget to ask your venue if they allow food from outside to be brought to their premises.

picture taken from modeliceblog.com
If you are getting married in Santorini, Kefalonia, or any other part of Greece, it is a nice idea to use tradition Greek candies for the sweet table, to add that Greek flavor everybody loves! Arrange with your wedding planner to have small Kataifia, Mpaklavades, Saragli, Touloumpakia and other Greek sweets for your sweet table. Your guests, and you of course, will love them! Keep in mind though, that a lot of Greek sweets contain nuts, so inform your nut allergic friends about that, to avoid any allergic incidents.

Make your wedding even better, by adding a sweet corner to your wedding reception. After all, it is not just kids who love treats!


As always, thank you very much for reading and I wish you a lovely day! 

Thursday, January 26, 2017

The magnificent island of Kefalonia!

Today, I decided to take you away from Santorini, and offer a to a trip to Kefalonia instead! Kefalonia, or Cephalonia, as you can otherwise spell it, is the largest island of the Ionian sea. It is an extremely beautiful, green island, the views of each are equally breathtaking, as the views of Santorini. The island has beautiful landscapes and mesmerizing natural formations, such as the Melissani lake cave.

Wild horse of Kefalonia on Mount Ainos
The highest mountain of Kefalonia is the Mount Ainos, which is at 1.628 meters high (5.341 feet). The mountain is covered in Greek Fir and in Black Pine (pinus negra), which is a protected tree species. Mount Ainos is also home to the wild horses of Kefalonia. They are short, sturdy horses, living in large herds. The legend goes, that during the Venetian rule of the island, due to the high taxation, people left their horses free in the mountain. The domesticated horses survived, evolved to better fit the conditions of the island, and are still roaming the mountain after 400 years of freedom.

Beside the mountain, Kefalonia has amazing beaches with white sand and turquoise waters. It has shallow beaches, perfect for families with children, such as the Xi beach, and deep water beaches, such as the Myrtos beach. By the way, Myrtos Beach has been voted as the best beach of Europe, and is one of the top 10 beaches of the world! For those of you, who prefer less crowded beaches, you can find a number of those in Kefalonia, and enjoy a quite day in the sun combined with amazing scenery.

The capital of Kefalonia is Argostoli, and the second biggest town is Lixouri. Both are beautiful small towns, prefect for walks, food, shopping and night life. You certainly shouldn’t miss visiting the countless traditional villages of Kefalonia. The architecture of the island is something worth noting. It is a mixture of Italian influenced architecture, due to its past occupation from the Venetians, and the Ionian style traditional houses, which were build after the catastrophic earthquake of 1953.



Kefalonia has been occupied by the Franks, the Venetians and the British in the past, and has been part of Greece only for the past 140 years. This has resulted in Kefalonia's culture being a combination of the cultures from the countries mentioned above, which greatly shows in the islands' food and traditions. For example, foxtrot is considered a traditional Kefalonian dance, so don't get confused if after a Zorba, you see them doing the three step figure.

Melissani Lake Cave
As if the landscapes, the beautiful towns and villages, and the culture is not enough reason to visit Kefalonia, the local food is incredibly delicious! All the local products of the island are fresh: fresh fish, fresh meat, fresh vegetables! Everything that Kefalonia produces is indescribably tasty. One of the best traditional dishes, you should definitely try when visiting the island, is the Kefalonian meat pie! Yum!!

The people of Kefalonia are fun and welcoming, open-minded and open-hearted. They are also really loud. You, probably, already know that Greeks are considered to be loud people… well Kefalonians took it to a whole new level! The locals have an amazing cultural education, and almost everyone has a love for music. Prepare yourself for a lot of music and dancing, when going there. Interestingly, the patron of the island is St. Gerasimos, the protector of the crazy… which isn't a coincidence…

To summaries, Kefalonia is an island absolutely worth visiting, and you should definitely put this location on your map, the next time you come to Greece. I personally adore this place, and can't wait
Emblisi beach
for my next vacation there.

To close, I would like to note, that Kefalonia is also a great place to host weddings and events, but we will talk about it in more detail in the near future!


Thank you very much for reading, and if you have visited Kefalonia, I'd be happy to learn about your experience from the island.