Not only are we getting a peek inside this gorgeously intimate soiree planned by Deplanv today, we’re also getting a dose of amazing advice from the beautiful Bride. Set in Greece at Poseidonion Grand Hotel, this duo wanted a fete that would feel completely and utterly them. With a few pointers below, they achieved just that – all captured by Les Anagnou Photographers and Jim Grillas Films.
From the bride… We wanted a celebration that would be a true and authentic reflection of ourselves and of our love story. I think that was the motto that Samuel and I defined from the very beginning, when we started planning our wedding. We had been to too many weddings that, although often very beautiful, seemed to be someone else’s doing, rather than the bride and groom (be it a wedding planner, a family member, or – often – the couple trying to please or impress other people). We wanted something that would scream “this is us”.
All the choices that we made were guided by that idea, starting with our wedding planners — we made appointments with six different planners and met with all of them. We then made a decision based on our personal feeling and on the impression (and hope) that they would be able, regardless of their personal opinion, to deliver the wedding that we wanted. And they totally were. Our planners were the best allies and support we could have dreamt of, and we often talk about how happy we are to have done it that way instead of relying on wedding planner recommendations from other couples which, although certainly great too, were likely not right for us.
And so we applied this method to basically all of our decisions (and trust me, there are A LOT to make). We made sure that we chose providers (photographers, videographers, music band, etc.) that we truly liked and whose work we admired. We made it a priority to talk with each of them before the wedding and clarify our needs, our taste, what we liked and did not like.
In addition, we made sure to put in as much personal time as we could to work on small details which seemed like nothing but would make our friends and family feel like this was really us, Sam and Diane, welcoming them into our celebration. So, for example, we ordered colored beach towels for everyone as a wedding favor, but instead of just randomly giving the towels to everyone, we spent hours choosing a specific color for each guest, with their own personality and taste in mind. We signed each welcome letter by hand rather than simply doing it on a computer, and visited each hotel before the guests’ arrival to drop the letter and wedding favor in the rooms. We replaced the traditional seating place cards with printed pictures of the two of us and wrote the guest’s name on the card, making sure that each guest had a picture that would make sense to them (so for example, all our friends from New York had cards with pictures taken in New York).All these small things might seem worthless and very time consuming, but they add up and make your guests feel at home, which is what we wanted. For us, it was a way to show them how grateful we were that they had made that trip to come and celebrate our love.
Looking back, I have to say that this wedding was more amazing that we could have imagined in our wildest dreams. And if I am asked why, or how we achieved it, I would give the following advice: first, choose providers that you trust and who believe in your wedding and share your vision. This is the foundation for any successful wedding — if you have to start arguing with your wedding planners, the rest is going to be even tougher. Second: prepare, prepare, prepare. Everybody tells you “enjoy every second, it goes by in the blink of an eye” — and that is SO true. But in my opinion the only way to be able to enjoy every second is to work on every little detail in advance and make sure that you will not have to deal with anything on that day. Third (and most importantly): remember it is YOUR wedding. I feel like you get that advice from everybody and it sounds generic, but it really is SO IMPORTANT.
Be strong, be focused on what you want for that day, and have the courage to voice it and stand by those choices. So many people (everyone, actually) will come to you with advice, saying that you “cannot wear red nail polish at your wedding, you should have a French manicure”, that you “must invite that cousin even though you don’t know him, because it is your cousin” or that “those glasses are not nice enough, you should pay the additional price to have crystal glasses “, etc. — it never ends. And if you agree with that advice, then by all means, go for it. But if you don’t: have the courage (it does actually take courage) to say no. It is your wedding and 20 years from now, you will likely regret choosing purple flowers although you hate purple just because your mother or wedding planner thought it would look nice; but I am pretty sure you will never regret wearing that red nail polish.
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Photography: Les Anagnou photographers | Videography: Jim Grillas | Event Planning: Deplanv | Floral Design: Deplanv | Venue: Kaiki beach | hotel : Poseidonion Grand Hotel | Beach Bar: Kaiki beach | Music: Viparties Events DJs & More