From the moment we got engaged in June 2024, we’ve been planning our Greek summer wedding.
Getting married overseas can sound like a logistical headache, but for us it was an easy decision. My partner’s family are still in the UK, my family hails from Greece, and let’s be honest, who in Australia wouldn’t jump at the chance for a European summer holiday?
We chose Lesvos, the country’s third-largest island and my grandparents’ hometown.
When planning, Ash and I sat down and decided on our three most important elements: guest experience, food and drink, and blending our cultures. That gave us a clear compass for everything else.
We set a date for the summer of 2026 and got the wheels turning straight away. In July 2024, my parents happened to be holidaying on the island, so they started scouting for us. Thanks to them, we locked in our photographer Olga with a deposit and shortlisted a couple of venues before they even flew home.
Once they returned, it was my turn to dive into emails. That’s when I discovered the fun game of response roulette, some vendors replied instantly, others not at all. Time zones weren’t a huge problem, but for traditional elements like the church it helped to have someone on the ground who could ask paperwork questions in person.
Social media quickly became my secret weapon. Instagram is basically a smorgasbord of portfolios, and because so many local vendors follow each other, once you find one, you discover a whole network.
That’s how we stumbled across our dream florist team, mother-daughter duo Niki and Mari of Eponumo, who also happen to be related to our photographer. We also booked our DJ Ilias, videographer Kosta and my bridesmaid’s hair stylist Despina online. And Greece isn’t short of talent from further afield, both locally and internationally: my own stylist Evelyn is flying in from Kalymnos, while make-up artist Mika is coming from Rhodes.
Of course, planning a wedding on the other side of the world has its quirks. The relaxed approach to bookings is a far cry from what I’m used to at home. Hearing “don’t worry about a deposit, just pay me on the day” or receiving no contract at all definitely raised an eyebrow or two. And while we skipped hiring a wedding planner (I’m too type A for that), monopolies on certain services in Lesvos mean you don’t always get to shop around.
But what Greece lacks in formalities, it more than makes up for in choice. From mountains and seaside taverns to vineyards, luxury villas and boutique hotels, the scenery and price range are incredible.
Because cultural authenticity was one of our top priorities, we chose to host our glenti at a beachfront tavern. The setting is gorgeous, but it’s the food that won us over: humble, uncomplicated and completely delicious. Drinks included, it comes to around 30 euros a head, almost half the price of a wedding meal in a big Australian city.
We also wanted to make the experience easy for our guests. Invitations went out nine months in advance, and our wedding website is packed with travel tips, accommodation options and things to do on the island. We steered guests toward a budget-friendly town close to the venue and organised buses to and from the ceremony and reception.
Tradition-wise, we’re keeping things simple. In Greece, it’s common to decorate churches and hand out sweets afterwards, often as a thank-you for people only invited to the ceremony. Inviting guests just for the church always felt a little odd to me. Much to our florist’s relief, we’re skipping the décor and sweets, instead offering cold drinks to help guests cool down.
If you’re considering a church wedding in Greece, paperwork is something to tackle early. Non-dual citizens need a baptism certificate, a notice of being unmarried from their original parish (this includes other accepted denominations), and a certificate of no impediment from the Australian Passport Office. And any English documents must be officially translated.
Payments can also be tricky if you can’t hand over deposits in person. Thankfully, international bank transfers are more accessible than ever, though it’s worth checking whether VAT has been included in vendor quotes.
We plan to arrive in Lesvos two weeks before the big day to tie up any loose ends and make sure everything runs smoothly.
As I sit on the bed in my yiayia’s home, with the fan cooling my sunburnt shoulder, I mentally gear up for a whirlwind day. I’ve scheduled to meet nearly all of our vendors back-to-back.
As we wandered through Mytilini from one meeting to the next, we bumped into one of my favourite Greek actors, Christos Chatzipanagiotis. He kindly stopped for a chat and insisted on taking our photo himself, a surreal little highlight in the middle of the wedding admin.
By the end of that jam-packed Tuesday, after endless vendor chats and video calls to Ash so he could “meet” them too, I finally felt it: a huge sense of relief and excitement. For the first time, our plans didn’t feel like abstract ideas on a spreadsheet. They felt real. Is the hassle worth it? Absolutely.
