I have to be honest, I felt a major jealousy pang when I came across this destination wedding from Punam Bean Photography. Not only is the setting absolutely divine (take a look at that view!) but the wedding itself is just so lovely with a natural and carefree air. There is no need to fight your surroundings when you are in Santorini, Greece so you might as well make the most out of your location like using olive branches from a neighboring orchard. The results are simple but so breathtaking. Click here for more destination inspiration!
Check out the full wedding gallery for even more goodness from Greece!
Michael and I decided to get married in Santorini, Greece because we’d never been there before and wanted to honeymoon there. Santorini with a group of 50 of our closest friends and family seemed the perfect compromise between elopement and a traditional wedding celebration. My parents flew in from Taiwan, his family flew in from Austria and Germany. We wanted an intimate celebration so friends and family could really spend quality time together. We basically wanted an unforgettable party. The whole wedding was planned online, with a total of two phone calls. We’re pretty proud about that!
We found our amazing hotel, the outdoor chapel, the rehearsal and reception restaurants, everything online and then cross referenced with Trip Advisor. All arrangements were done via email with individual vendors. I was more than a little nervous prior to arrival since I’d never seen these places before, but everything turned out better than I could have hoped for.
We wanted the wedding theme to be simple and focus around the beautiful location, so decorations were kept to a minimum and stayed with a very “natural” vibe. We shipped two large boxes full of supplies from Save-on-Crafts where you can find just about anything you’d need to decorate a giant ballroom, provided you are willing to put a little creative energy into it. Because we shipped our own decorations, we had to keep things light, literally. So we used vintage looking wooden crates as the centerpiece and filled it with Sola wood flowers (very light) and olive leaves. I made the table cards myself from blank Birch cards purchased from Etsy. The theme of olive leaves was heavy throughout the wedding not only for its symbolism of peace and love, not only because we were in Greece, but because it was practical, economical and environmentally friendly! Santorini is a volcanic island, so water is scarce and so are flowers. We found a woman on a neighboring island called Sifnos who owned an olive tree orchard and pressed their own oil. She ferried over a box of freshly clipped olive branches along with 50 small bottles of olive oil that came from those trees. We used these bottles of oil as favors for the guests. The olive leaves not only looked great, they provided a lovely story and the oil tasted divine.
The day before the wedding we rented a boat down at the Old Port from a company called Dakoutros Travel. The boat cruise lasted all day and took us to a nearby island called Thirassia where we stopped for freshly grilled seafood lunch. We also went to the hot springs and a hike up to the volcano. This is a typical itinerary for boat cruises around Santorini and was an excellent way to start the wedding weekend, giving the guests a chance to get to know each other as many came from different states, and different countries and were meeting for the first time.
One very important thing I learned from planning a destination wedding: make friends with the locals, particularly your hotel concierge. Our hotel, Aria Suites, was absolutely incredible. They helped us arrange transportation, helped us locate restaurants (Michael and I rented a car for logistical reasons, but the island does not have street names or addresses!), they basically helped us with anything we hadn’t anticipated.
Our friend officiated the ceremony. It was quick and beautiful, with an appropriate reading from Dr. Seuss’s “Oh, the Places You’ll Go!” Michael and I have wonderful memories of the wedding weekend, we wouldn’t do anything different. As for the 244 buttons I sewed onto the back of my dress, I’d do that again, too.
Wedding Photography: Punam Bean Photography / Ceremony Venue: Saint Irene Chapel at Villa Irini / Reception Venue: Pyrgos Restaurant / Bride’s Shoes: Aldo / Wedding Dress: David’s Bridal and BCBG
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ok. seriously?!?! loving this wedding. fun dress. killer shoes. total swoon.
This wedding rocks!I love it when people come to Greece for their wedding!Santorini is simply amazing and the wedding bouquet with the olive branches is so simple and sweet!
Love these photos! Great work!
Loving the shoes!!! and of course, the location.
awww, my husband and I had our honeymoon in Santorini! I can only imagine how romantic it would be to get married in one of the most beautiful islands!
OMG! Completely amazing...
What a lovely wedding! I especially love the natural theme in the decors. And my heart skipped a beat when I saw her shoes. Off to Aldo I go!
Ooh found this through your store. Congratulations Judy! These photos are beautiful. Did you wear any of your dresses while you were in Greece? I would think this one: http://shop.sundaybrunchdress.com/product/s-nine-from-russia-with-love - mmmm... drapey!
I went to high school with both the Bride, Judy and Punam the photographer! Judy looks amazing and Punam did a great job!
One of the coolest wedding dresses I've seen. Nice twist on the destination, too - we don't see Greece often enough!
Thank you thank you thank you for posting this! I so want to get married on Santorini but I haven't been able to find many examples of weddings there! This incorporated the simplicity I would like to have with a small group and yet it still has a distinctly planned, deliciously wedding-y feel. I love it!!
holy smokes. these are absolutely gorrrrgeous!
Love the second dress! How fun! Where is it from? Congrats on a lovely wedding.
Santorini is a beautiful and very easy place to get married. Highly recommended. I am happy to give you the names of our restaurants and vendors if you want to contact me separately. @Katie, the second dress was an impulse buy at BCBG! I was shopping with my friend for her dress, we ended up getting me dress #2 instead. I'm a little obsessed with dresses in general (running a dress shop and all) so I couldn't resist being the bride who does a wardrobe change!
Wow- look at those amazing views! The third photo of the outdoor chapel is so amazing it almost looks fake. The location is fabulous!!!!
beautiful wedding! did you make the table runners from materials from save-on-crafts? I want that exact look for our tables!! what did you use, or where did you get them? They look more refined than burlap, maybe they're something similar?
I'm getting married in Santorini in five and a half months!! This takes me over the edge of excitement!! Any tips on getting photos in ancient Thira??
Beautiful wedding at an amazing location! I love her off the shoulder dress! Is that one from David's or BCBG?
Fantastic Wedding, Santorini is such an ideal wedding island, it's views are really incredible and make an amazing natural setting for a wedding venue!!!!
Congrats guys!!!!!!!!!
Heather, the table runners were made from burlap purchased by the yard from Dick Blick Art Supplies (you can just google them). The material was definitely a raw natural burlap, not refined. But that was more or less the look I was going for. But it sure didn't feel good on the skin! I actually got a rash while making the table runners. So wear long sleeves!
Andy, you're going to have such an amazing time in Santorini! Unfortunately we were so busy we didn't even get to visit ancient Thira. But if I recall correctly, they were closed for renovation while we were there. There was a little museum area I think but I'm not sure how much they allow you to tromp around the grounds. But people there are so dang friendly it doesnt hurt to ask!
Daisy, the off the shoulder dress is the one from David's! It was the perfect dress for me, and you sure can't beat their prices.
wow. So airy and pretty!
Judy, thank you so much for your answer. I really have tried everything to get in touch with the tourism office, the government offices, etc. - I guess I'll just have to wait and ask when I'm there!
Ahh, my dream wedding is on the isalnd of Santorini, Judy I would love to get the names of your restaurants and vendors...how should I contact you? Thanks!!
The best solution if you are planning you wedding in santorini greece Wedding photography santorini wedding photographer wedding videographer...
Amazing photos!
Santorini is the most beautiful Greek island.
My wedding was on June 2010 and we had a small group of guests.
The island is more beautiful that we can see in the photos!
I can't stop looking my photos with the pictersque island around and the alive volcano!
I had the wedding planner Amalia from Poema weddings in Santorini and she was brilliant. Everything was in detail and the decoration exact like the photos I sent her.
The website is www.poemaweddings.com
I highly recommend Santorini for a destination wedding, I can not imagine a place more beautiful than this.
Thanks
Steph
Wonderful!!
Congratulations guys!!
I can share your and Stephanie's excitement as I got married in Santorini two years ago and I still recall all the amazing moments I lived there. This is the most romantic island in the world! I definitely propose it for a destination wedding.
I admire you Judy, for arranging everything yourself. For our wedding we had the expert help of Julia from Santorini Glam Weddings and we were totally satisfied with every small detail in her organization. She was continuously next to us from the first minute and a very good friend even now two years later.
The website is www.santoriniglamweddings.com
Judy, wishes for the happiest married life!!!
Dimitra
seriously wow its really nice wedding and spectacular images
Beautiful pictures! My daughter is getting married in Florence, Italy in June and I love the idea of olive branches for the bouquets and table settings. How simple and beautiful!
What a wonderful photos and styling. Olive tree decoration applies all over Greece and especially for the North Aegean islands such as Lesvos, Chios. But still clever ideas for a Santorini wedding!!!!!
Lots of love and wishes on your wedding; We also got married in Santorini in May 2011. It was a real dream. The ceremony took place on a luxury hotel with great sunset views. I tried not to assign everything to the wedding planner. I found out that it was cheaper but more difficult to book the hairdresser, the photographer, the wedding venue and many more by myself. I was a bit anxious about their reliability but at the end everything was fine.
For the photographer we booked Christos, his website is: http://www.santorini-photograher.com a young but talent photographer.
Our hairdresser was Helen, make up was made by Johanna and manicure & pedicure by Christina.
Our plans? To renew our vows in Santorini in 2031...
Lots of love and wishes on your wedding; We also got married in Santorini in May 2011. It was a real dream. The ceremony took place on a luxury hotel with great sunset views. I tried not to assign everything to the wedding planner. I found out that it was cheaper but more difficult to book the hairdresser, the photographer, the wedding venue and many more by myself. I was a bit anxious about their reliability but at the end everything was fine.
For the photographer we booked Christos, his website is: http://www.santorini-photographer.com a young but talent photographer.
Our hairdresser was Helen, make up was made by Johanna and manicure & pedicure by Christina.
Our plans? To renew our vows in Santorini in 2031...
Hi Judy! Your wedding looks like it was a total dream, which is giving me peace of mind because we have chosen Agia Irene for the ceremony, and Pyrgos Tavern for the reception....
Can you please let me know how you like Pyrgos and the food? I am spoiled by all the fantastic restaurants in NYC (where I live) and I'm a little worried that my guests will like the menus...
Anything you would do different???
Thanks!
Hi, I love love love you photos! Im getting married in Santorini in July so im very excited.. I was just wondering how you went about getting your guests from the ceremony to reception venue?? Its one of my last problems..
Thanks!
E