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Ioanna Karatza Events is a full wedding planning agency in Greece, specializing in destination weddings all over Greece. Excellence, Elegance, and Sophistication are the keywords we use to define our wedding style. We pay close attention to each and every detail and put our couples first to guarantee a glamorous wedding day in Greece. We are a truly passionate team that wants you to have an unforgettable celebration!
This guide is tailored for all the couples thinking to have a destination wedding in Greece! From locations, seasons, paperwork, and style, we created this guide to help you get the general idea of a wedding in Greece! Let’s start! Ready?
Destination Wedding in Greece
A destination wedding is a wedding celebration held in a location away from your hometown or country and it’s very popular among couples that take life as a never-ending adventure! Many couples celebrate their destination wedding and their honeymoon in the same location. Greece is the perfect location to have a wedding and where you could start a romantic honeymoon around Greece. Also, destination weddings favor a prolonged wedding experience for each couple, just for the two of them or along with their family!
Why choose a destination wedding?
A wedding like this is for the couples that want to give their families and friends a wedding experience, as well as a culture, immersing in the unique character of Greece. A wedding in Greece is more about savoring the local traditions and exploring a new culture – one famous for its flavour and hospitality all around the world. A destination wedding focuses on the feeling of a shared experience.
Take our word for it, when planning a destination wedding, it’s best to consult local vendors. Our team will help you choose the location, the venue, and assist you with everything you need tackled in a foreign country. Also, we have the best local vendor teams to make your wedding day beautiful, luxurious and sophisticated.
What is the cost of a destination wedding in Greece?
Take into consideration that each country’s wedding industry is different, hence the difference in the rates of the wedding packages. The cost of your wedding celebration depends on your style, preferences and desired budget.
We will work with you, trying to bring your wedding vision to life. Our services include the overall concept development, budget analysis, vendor coordination, the itinerary of events and timeline; the complete wedding project management and coordination. Keep in mind that your wedding design in Greece depends on how big the wedding is, the number of guests, the days of the wedding festivities and their type, the wedding location, etc.
Where is the best place to get married in Greece?
Simply put, it’s a matter of personal style! Many couples choose to get married in Santorini or Ios for their unique sunset and picturesque architecture, while others choose to have their wedding celebration on the cosmopolitan island of Mykonos. However, Greece has a lot more to offer, with picturesque islands and towns in the mainland. Our team particularly loves weddings in Ios and the Greek island, for their charming choras and little villages, as well as their sophisticated aura. The choices are endless in Greece, we’d be happy to discuss with you your style and preferences and help you bring your wedding dreams to life.
When is the best time to get married in Greece?
The first thing you should do when starting wedding planning is determining your wedding budget. After knowing how and what you can spend, you can start searching for wedding vendors and venues within the limits of your wedding budget. There are certain times of the year that it is better to get married.
In the wedding industry, there is a thing called high and low season when it comes to venues. In general, spring and fall tend to be less expensive, with the highest season being July and August. However, in Greece, the weather is practically perfect from April till October, making May, June, and September perfect months to get married and still enjoy Greece’s prolonged summer.
We will answer all your destination wedding questions and help you with the management and coordination of your wedding budget. Each region’s climate determines wedding seasonality, but many locations in Greece make even late October a perfect time to get married. Moreover, May and September some of the best months to get married. In the low season months, venues and wedding vendors not only lower their rates but often are more receptive to price negotiation. Opting for an off-season wedding also benefits your guests who can book off-peak travel and accommodation rates.
What is needed to get married in Greece?
What are the legal requirements to get married in Greece?
The legal minimum age for marriage is 18 years old. Younger couples can get married if they receive special dispensation from a court, which also requires parental permission.
You don’t need to be a citizen or a resident of Greece to get married here. However, if you’re marrying a Greek citizen or resident, he or she must hold a valid residence permit. Some legal requirements may vary depending on the city or island where you plan to get married. Make sure to check with local authorities. We can help you with that.
You’ll also have to go through a waiting period between your application for marriage and your wedding day. This waiting period will vary depending on the municipality where you choose to marry but can take anywhere from a week to a few months. For a civil marriage license, you can expect a seven-day waiting period.
What do you need to get married in Greece?
Necessary paperwork and documentation for a destination wedding in Greece
Each party to the marriage will need a copy of the following documents. For a religious ceremony, plan to have two copies each – one for the house of worship and one for the town hall:
- A valid passport
- A birth certificate with the Apostille stamp certifying the copy
- An official Apostille translated into Greek, which can be certified by a lawyer, a foreign ministry’s translation department, a certified translator or the Greek consulate from your home country
- Proof of freedom to marry, or affidavit of marriage, notarised, in both English and Greek
- A decree of absolution of your previous marriage, if applicable
- A copy of the local newspaper where your intent to marry was published
- US citizens may be able to avoid applying for a Greek marriage license if they have a US marriage license that can be amended to include Greece.
Especially for a religious wedding, the requirement may vary for each parish. We can help you if you are wondering about the legal and religious requirements.
Popular destination wedding locations and venues in Greece
Our weddings are characterized by glamour and finesse. Ioanna Karatza is the luxury wedding planner of choice for those seeking authentic and unique celebrations in Greece. From small intimate gatherings to large and lavish affairs, we offer first class service and outstanding style. Passionate about what we do, we strive to ensure all our celebrations are exceptional. Across the country we work with the best in the business, and together, set trends rather than follow them – with attention to detail.
Some of the most popular and some of our favorite wedding location are the following:
Wedding in Ios
Its ideal location in the heart of the Aegean sea may be enough to convince you of its beauty, but Ios Greece is a summertime favorite for reasons exceeding its breathtaking landscape!
Ios is one of the most popular destinations in Greece for a wedding, attracting thousands of couples from all over the world. Mainly famous for the vivid Ios nightlife, the island is known as one of the best party islands in Greece! Indeed, the Ios party scene isn’t just about the epic Ios clubs and bars. It is a way of life, even just for the days, you’ll spend on Ios island.
Endless partying is not the only thing to do in Ios. Surprisingly enough, Ios Greece is also a great destination to kick back and relax and enjoy your wedding day.
Along with your guests or just with your love, stroll around the cobblestone alleys of Chora Ios. Also, discover its cliff-top villages and climb up to Odysseus Elytis theater to marvel at a breathtaking view to the island and the endless Aegean sea. Also, what we love the most is how you can watch the sun sink towards the horizon from Panagia Gremiotissa church or visit Homer’s grave, one of the most significant historical monuments of Ios. Ios Greece is a multidimensional wedding destination that will make you fall in love with it!
As for Ios beaches, they are, hands down, some of the best beaches in the Cyclades for a beach wedding! Head to Mylopotas beach, Gialos beach and Manganari beach to have a taste of Ios beach party scene. Are you into more quiet beaches? Agia Theodoti beach, Koumpara beach, and Psathi beach will reward you with serenity and virgin natural landscapes!
You’ll soon feel yourself falling in love with Ios Greece, one of the most beautiful wedding destinations in Greece.
Wedding in Santorini
Santorini is the most popular Greek destination and a worldwide famous island for a stunning wedding day.
Once you set your foot in Santorini, you’ll feel like entering a whole new world. A world where all the shades of red create unreal sunsets, Santorini caldera offers the most dramatic sea views you’ve ever seen and enormous cliffs are dotted with dreamy Cycladic whitewashed houses!
The enthralling sunset view in Oia Santorini, the minimal Cycladic architecture, the luxurious Santorini Greece hotels, the delicious restaurants, the dramatic rocky landscape, and the Santorini volcano are just some of the reasons you’ll have a crush on this unique island and will make it an unforgettable destination to have a wedding.
Santorini accommodation is incomparable! Infinity pools, luxurious Santorini hotels, Cycladic whitewashed villas, and 5 stars service promise to make your wedding or honeymoon in Santorini unforgettable! Spoil yourself with spa treatments, wine tasting, vineyards tours, shopping in luxurious fashion boutiques and romantic dinners with a view to the endless Aegean Sea. It’s your wedding, you’re worth it!
The ultimate highlight of Santorini is, obviously, its magical sunset – perfect to crown your wedding ceremony is its warm light. Watch the sun sinking in the horizon while the sky breaths fire and the colorful light washes up the island, at Fira or Oia. No photo can capture the magic of this moment. You’ll keep the memories from your Santorini wedding in your heart, forever!
Wedding in Athens
With equal measures of grunge and grace, Athens is a heady mix of ancient history and contemporary cool, perfect for a wedding day celebration!
The magnificent Acropolis, visible from almost every part of the city, is the hub around which Athens still revolves. This temple city, built in the 5th century BC, serves as a daily reminder to Greeks of their heritage and the city’s many transformations. All over the urban basin, rooftops and balconies angle toward the landmark, a block of milky marble atop a steep-sided hill.
The cultural and social life of Athens plays out amid, around and in landmarks that are centuries old, if not millennia. The remnants of Ancient Greece get the most attention, of course, thanks to a little thing called democracy. Oh, and mythology, and drama, and philosophy. But don’t overlook the ‘later’ years: thousand-year-old Byzantine churches, for instance, which squat, unruffled in the middle of streets and attached to hillsides. Ottoman traces can be seen in architecture and in food. And the neoclassical style of the 19th century adds elegance all over the centre.
Beyond Athens, down the Attica peninsula, are more spectacular antiquities, such as the Temple of Poseidon at Sounion and the site of Ancient Eleusis, as well as very good beaches and wedding venues, such as those near the historical Marathon. A wedding in Athens and the Athenian Riviera has nothing to envy from island weddings. The wedding venues boast the highest quality of service and views!
Destination Wedding in Greece
No matter the destination, we’re always focusing on making your wedding day unforgettable with just the right amount of luxury and glamour. Whether on a private villa on a Greek island, or a grand venue in the Athenian Riviera our wedding designs will transform your celebration into what you’ve always dreamed of! Ready to celebrate? Contact us!