Rustic International Spring Wedding in Crete Lea & Harry
Harry’s Cretan origin, his love for his father’s birth place where he created the most innocent and authentic childhood memories and the place where “parea” and “raki” make the best beginning of a story, wiped out any doubt that Crete was the place for their marriage. Léa and Harry, after spending several summers together on the island, shared their love for Crete and decided to combine their two worlds: inviting their French friends and family on their favourite Greek island! This interesting fusion of cultures can be traced through every detail of this symbolic wedding in Crete: from the choice of the wedding venue to the food and ceremony decoration!
While they wanted their wedding location to represent authentic Crete, the priority for them was the comfort and convenience of their guests. For these reasons, they picked a rustic estate in Eastern Crete with a Cretan village feel to be not only their one-stop wedding venue but also to accommodate the bride and groom with their families.
The wedding ceremony took place in the charming courtyard of this rustic venue, next to the whitewashed chapel and vast eucalyptus trees, overlooking the panoramic landscape of the Cretan mountains. The rituals of the Greek and French wedding cultures were harmoniously mixed, creating a unique experience not only for the guests but also for the team of Crete For Love! Inspired by this eclectic atmosphere, we widely used local herbs & greenery to decorate the ceremony area, as well as a playful mix of Cretan Spring flowers. The minimalistic arch with the lavish flower compositions, plenty rose petals and the palm leaves decorating the trees were only some of the elements that made the ceremony truly majestic!
While the newlyweds were taking a ride on a Cretan donkey named Marika (true cuteness overload!) and having their first photo session as husband and wife, the guests enjoyed cocktails and an entire program of Cretan cultural from the beautiful balcony towering over the venue’s pool, looking out the still snowy mountain tops ! The bride and groom wanted to introduce their friends and family to the curious traditions of Crete: local women were making “loukoumades” puffs to the live Greek music, the mobile bar was serving raki and ouzo, the guests were playing Greek “tavli” and a pastry artist was preparing a special artisan wedding bread “gamokouloura”.
The cocktail hour was followed by a wedding dinner in a beautiful rustic restaurant building of the venue, with abundance of fantastic Cretan food and house wine. After the heartfelt toasts, the newlyweds invited their guests to the bar for shots & cocktails, while dancing to the DJ’s amazing choices and taking amusing group photos with fun props at the vintage photo booth.
The Cretan wedding of Léa & Harry was a big success! And, apart from the customized olive oil bottles that were offered as guest favors, the family and friends of the newlyweds brought home loads of joyful moments they will remember for long time, no doubt!
