This Santorini Destination Wedding Has Dream Views You Need To See
I'm ready to book my next vacation after seeing today's fete from Les Anagnou Photographers. Santorini, here I come. This spot has long sat on my travel wish list, but today it jumped into my top three. For Desiree and Jason, a destination wedding was a no-brainer (after researching costs for a local wedding), and the result is a celebration at Canaves Oia that I just know will pull at your wedding-loving heartstrings. Soak in all the scenery right here.
From the bride... We really were inspired to have a destination wedding in Santorini from our first visit to the island the year prior to our wedding. It’s actually kind of funny — we were totally against destination weddings before our trip but we just loved Santorini so much and the staff at Canaves Oia were just so friendly and inviting, that we knew we couldn’t go wrong if this was our venue. After that trip we actually looked into having a wedding there before we even got engaged!We got engaged that summer and then toyed with the idea of having something local but once we viewed costs, the value of a destination wedding just couldn’t be beat. Being able to have your closest friends and family travel to a beautiful place they might not have otherwise traveled to and being able to celebrate for days rather than just for hours really helped us make that decision. Everything was so laid back and calm the day of. I really entrusted the staff and despite our room being footsteps from the venue, I never even went to see how things were going! One of the moments I really appreciated was being able to have breakfast and a swim with my husband the morning of. I think when you are in such a beautiful locale, even if something goes wrong it would be hard to notice. I was also against a first look prior to our photographers suggestion, because I was worried all of the emotion would be left in that moment and guests would miss it. But really it is another opportunity to create a special moment between you two and I promise there was plenty of emotion left for the ceremony! It also allows you to get those photos done prior so you can get to the party faster!
Our planning process really began with the venue, Canaves Oia, which provided us with options for just about every aspect of the wedding, including our incredible four course meal, wedding cake, non-floral décor, and menu/place cards, which is another benefit to having a destination wedding! The provided planner recommended our florist, Betty Flowers Santorini, who was amazing! And through browsing their website I noticed they credit the photographers for each wedding they style. So I started to pay attention to what style photos I really liked and that is how we found our photographers, Paul and Yiota of Les Anagnou. They both are truly amazing at what they do and are the sweetest people. I wanted our photos to have a timeless beauty and they delivered not only that, but so much more.
My biggest advice to couples is to absolutely do what you want for your day, whatever that means for you. It truly is about you and your partner and the commitment that you are making to one another, so being able to celebrate in the way you want makes it that much more special, memorable and enjoyable! Also, I may now be impartial to destination weddings but I would tell anyone considering it to lose the assumption that it would be more costly than a traditional wedding. We were able to have a beautiful locale, gorgeous photos, an incredible menu, closeness with our guests, and a gift of a sailing excursion for everyone the following day! For us that value just couldn’t be beat and we wouldn’t trade it for the world.
Photography: Les Anagnou photographers | Flowers: Betty Flowers Santorini | Wedding Dress: Pronovias | Invitations: DIY by Bride | Bride's shoes: David's Bridal | Planning : Canaves Hotel | groom shoes: Ferragamo