If your most burning desire is marrying your sweetheart in a Cycladic island you’re on the right page. Take the time to read our two-part series on the subject and realize how simple it is to make one of your wildest dreams come true.
To organize a successful Cycladic wedding amidst the vast blue of the Aegean sea, you don’t need much. Just get in a festive mood, lose any craving for excess and formality, and let love take over! As for the essentials, here’s our quick but comprehensive guide.
Wedding in the Cyclades: A minimal guest list and destination invitations
Getting married in a faraway island has its advantages. For one, it’s usually so far from home that you can limit your guest list to the people you love and truly want at your wedding. But what’s the optimal number of guests, you might wonder. We wouldn’t recommend more than 200 people. However, 30-40 is the ideal number for couples who are either on a budget or want to pretend they’re “eloping” to celebrate love away from prying eyes.
The typical guest list for a Cycladic wedding includes your parents, your very close friends, and any relatives who couldn’t bear to miss the happiest moments of your life. In short, it’s an opportunity for you to pass on those you don’t care much about and share an exciting summer break with the people who really care about you.
Send out a minimal invitation that combines your own style with a local island feel! Use wording that’s casual to invoke a laid-back dress code. Choose a destination invitation, like a vintage carte-postal or a map of the island, to have your guests excited about the place or help them find their way when they get there!
Be smart about your guests’ accommodation and travel
Book rooms and tickets for your guests as early as possible. Inform everybody of their options beforehand so they can prepare for a killer weekend – or even arrange to extend their stay. Don’t let the costs scare you one bit. Just look for a travel agency, book a group package, and get up to a 50% discount!
Of course, there are a few people you’ll have to pay market price for their arrangements (travel, stay, and meals): the photographer, the videographer, the planner, the groomer, and any non-local working at your wedding. Also, keep a small budget available in case any of your guests cannot afford the trip.
For the rest, your Cycladic wedding will be a first-class opportunity to enjoy a low-cost vacation. Couples could even leave their kids with their grandparents to spend some quality time away from home. Can you think of anything more alluring than crashing at a traditional island hotel with the best swimming pool in the world, the emerald Cycladic waters, at your feet?
Arriving at the chapel on a traditional fishing boat
The main event of the weekend is your wedding ceremony! What would be the ideal location for that though? The answer is a picturesque chapel amidst the dry island landscape, with just enough space to hold your beloved ones and no one else! Get your blessings and exchange your vows by the sea, against the vast Aegean blue. The perfect set-up for losing yourselves in the moment!
At the islands of Cyclades, life becomes magical just like that! What could be more romantic than getting married the way locals do, starting with an impressive arrival on a colorful traditional fishing boat?
A genuine island feast just for you
Are you wondering where your wedding reception would take place? Well, don’t! Extravagant events in grandiose venues don’t mix well with the concept of an island wedding. Just loosen up and pick a traditional fish restaurant by the sea. Throw a couple of torches and a few beach pillows on the seaside and invite your guests to relax, enjoy the sunset and even take a refreshing evening dip in the Cycladic waters!
As for the music for your party, leave that to the locals. They’re experts at throwing huge feasts where people have a great time eating, singing, and dancing till the daylight. Besides, you can party as hard as you feel like on the seaside quiet-hour rules do not apply there!
When you arrange the menu, just keep in mind that local food is nothing short of excellent. So please don’t do anything to strip your guests of the chance to enjoy the Cycladic cuisine in all its glory (whether its meat or fish dishes) and taste unique local wines and distilled spirits like tsipouro.
A wedding album filled with sunsets
Your island wedding would be like something out of a Hollywood romance, so don’t forget to hire a professional photographer for capturing every moment of your miraculous experience. There’s no better background for your memories than the natural Cycladic scenery with its scenic villages, the teal sky, the emerald waters, and the crimson sunsets! Just let your most romantic, carefree, and spontaneous selves prevail for the photographer to make your wedding images really stand out!
A wedding in the Cyclades could inspire the most idyllic ceremonies and imaginative celebrations. That’s why this feature isn’t over yet! Stay put for the second part, with even more exciting tips for organizing the perfect wedding in the alluring Cycladic locale.
Read also: Wedding in Koufonissi: Exciting moments in the smallest island of the Cyclades!