Australian couple Thomas and Emily decided to exchange vows of eternal love and devotion in Halkidiki, Greece.
Their families and friends joined them, travelling thousands of kilometres to enjoy both the idyllic ceremony and after party taking place by the vast blue sea, under the Greek summer sun.
Wedding planner Nena Papadopoulou who works for a company that facilitates weddings in Greece for couples from overseas said that the summer of 2024 will see even more couples booking tickets and accommodation to have their dream wedding and receptions in Greece, combining the milestone with summer holidays.
“We have bookings from America, England, Switzerland, Canada, and Melbourne,” Papadopoulou told AMNA.
“They come even from the other side of the world to get married in our country, and what is impressive is that couples no longer seek only the very popular and heavily advertised destinations, but prefer places that we have either suggested as a wedding planning company or they have researched themselves in the hope of finding untouched and alternative destinations in Greece.
“We have booked weddings for the upcoming period in places in Halkidiki, where the local traditions combined with the natural beauties elevate both the travel experience and the event itself. Such weddings also take place on the Athenian Riviera.”
What makes Greece so interesting for couples from all over the world—either to get married or simply to renew their vows “is the rich history, the culture, and of course, the fact that there are endless beaches, beautiful stone-built villages, sunny weather, and gastronomy”.
At the top of the list are Greeks of second and third generations living and working abroad, who return to their homeland to honour their family roots and celebrate their marriage accompanied by bouzouki, violin, lute, clarinet, or Cretan lyra.
It’s not just Greeks who love tradition, good food, and hospitality amenities, Papadopoulou explains.
“Many couples with no connection to Greece choose it because it’s a lifelong dream for them to enjoy the warm climate, tasty food with fresh local ingredients, beautiful locations, the kindness of people, and Greek philotimo (a sense of honour and duty).
“We have clients coming from various countries in Northern Europe, America, Arab countries, even from Africa, Asia, or Australia, with different cultures, religions, customs, and they all agree on one thing: that their decision to travel to Greece for their wedding celebration was the best,” Papadopoulou says.
Although the messages received by wedding organisers are encouraging for 2024, and discussions and bookings for 2025 are already in a good stage, not everything about weddings is easy.
For the entirety of April and May, wedding planners in Greece have been running around to ensure that everything goes as planned for prospective newlyweds.
The period when most weddings take place starts from early May and lasts until mid-October, according to destination-event organisers in Greece, which is related to the extension of the tourist season.
Meanwhile, reducing the guest lists for holiday-weddings helps avoid exceeding the budget.
Weddings used to have three hundred or even four hundred guests, but now things are somewhat more limited, with the number of attendees ranging from 120 to 150. Additionally, couples choose to have their wedding away from their place of origin and residence to enjoy a different experience and combine it with their honeymoon week or month.
“The selection of interested parties is wide; we clearly have the islands of the Cyclades, traditional Santorini, Mykonos, Paros, Tinos, but we also encounter more unique, less touristy destinations, so we see events being organised in the Peloponnese, Crete, Rhodes, and Halkidiki, as Greece has something for all tastes,” said Thomas Politis, president of the Greek Association of Destination Event Organisers, speaking on the AMNA-affiliated radio station, Praktoreio FM 104.9.
Seeing a stunning bride descending from a helicopter or a groom in a suit climbing, it’s not limited to scenes from a Las Vegas movie shoots for Papadopoulou who has had her fair share of extravagant weddings.
“People from abroad, who are well-known in their country and in their circles, demand absolute secrecy,” Papadopoulou adds.
“There, the requirements are different, and we must provide reliability, understanding of their needs, and immediate service. For example, we had a wedding on an island where the next day the couple would travel to another nearby island. During the party, they informed us that they would like to book a helicopter for the morning. By the time they cut the wedding cake, we had already arranged it. Sometimes we need to have wedding staff dressed according to the event’s theme, organise literal spectacles that compete with complete productions. There have been many times when we have brought world-famous singers and bands to perform at an event in full secrecy.”
