The ceremony itself was partially in Greek, and partially in English. It was funny because all of our friends teased that there were secret vows in the Greek part like, I'll do the laundry, and take out the trash. I'm sure you've heard the expression in the U.S. - It's all Greek to me! But it was really unique because we signed in this book to record the marriage, and they let us have our friends be the witnesses which was very memorable.
We both started crying during the ceremony, it was the most romantic ceremony I could even imagine. Maria had brought rose petals to throw on us when it was official, it was really everything anyone could want.
Other than where you were married, what spot in Greece was the most romantic for you?
For me the most romantic part of the ceremony was getting onto the island and almost immediately people were clapping. We hadn't even gotten married yet and we both started to tear up. As we walked over to the cable car we saw the donkeys taking people up to the top of the island. My husband and I decided that we would just remind each other how funny the donkeys looked, but despite that we both started crying.
When you choose to get married without family, or any long time friends you do sort of think that you'll regret it. However, everyone came out of their shops and clapped, and said congratulations, it made us feel so special. We don't feel like we missed out on any of the specialness of getting married in a destination wedding.
The Sphinx Restaurant was really amazing. We had a large group of 24. They served amazing food and great wine while we watched the sunset. I think watching the sunset was just so amazing. To our surprise a few friends had bought us some great souvenirs like a print from a local artist, some Santorini white wine, and some baklava. Who needs fancy registries? We got amazing presents!
What Greek person involved with your wedding, planning, or honeymoon stands out the most in your memory?
Maria - our wedding planner emailed us recently encouraging us to visit again, as she would be more than willing to babysit. This made me laugh because we have only been married for a few months, and don't have children yet. I can't tell you how much she touched us and just the kindest person I've met in my travels. As I mentioned she was very organized, dynamic, and so sweet. Without her, I can't imagine our wedding day.
There is one other person that I will remember forever. When we were in Athens our friends decided that we needed to have baklava and coffee, so we stopped by the train station as a last memory of Athens before we travelled to our next port. The owner was very kind, and talked to us about our travels. When we finished our meal he went around and kissed all of the women on the cheek. I was last and he kissed both of my cheeks. All of our friends laughed that he would be my last kiss during my single life (we were getting married the next day). I was teased the whole trip about this.
Where do you plan to travel next?
Our next travel plans are to take off to Tahiti, another adventure! Then we will return to Europe. We hope to hit our favorite spots in Greece and Italy. We will not be cruising this time.
For the sake of other readers planning their nuptials, could you share about what did your wedding and honeymoon cost you?
The wedding was about $1350 US dollars, and there were a few translation costs on top of that. This of course doesn't count the dress and the tux, but includes transportation to the wedding site, cake, champagne, ceremony, photography, and all of the assistance with the ceremony. I'm so happy they could accommodate the four extra friends at the last moment - that was wonderful.
Our honeymoon and cruise was just over two weeks, and it was about $11,000 US dollars.
Where else did you go in Greece?
We visited Athens and had a great time. It was amazingly easy to navigate Athens, and we were fortunate to find most shops and restaurant employees spoke English. Due to cruising we were limited on time, but we hope to see other sites during our next visit.
If you could go back and change one thing, what would it be?
The only thing that I would possibly have wished for was warmer weather after the sunset. Because we were married in mid-October the nights started to get cool enough that you would want a light jacket, and since the weather during the day was so splendid, no one planned for such a temperature drop.
Thanks so much for sharing your wedding with us, Tracy! Keep us posted on your next trip to Greece!
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