Ceremony Venue: Greek Orthodox Church Ceremony in Kolonaki.
Reception: Island Art and Taste, Athens-Sounio Avenue, Varkiza
Wedding Planner: Joanna Loukaki Weddings and Events
Florals: Fevronia Luxury Concepts
Rentals: Zazoo Event Rentals
Hair + makeup: Frantzeska Koukoula
Exactly a year ago, Sarah + Pavlos were getting married in Athens, Greece, at the Greek Orthodox Church in Kolonaki. Capturing this day was definitely one of the highlights of our year. Athens was rife with bustling nightlife, cobblestone streets, incredible cuisine, a fruit stand at every corner and a waiter ready to serve you wine and ouzo. Of course we were not there to drink, but to observe and capture the moments as we saw them. The wedding party made our job easy! The bride bubbled with a warm infectious smile all weekend and the groom was so hilarious that it was hard to hold the camera at times.
Sarah + Pavlos were not going home without an extravagant party for their friends and family. And my husband, Otto was not going home without driving a moped. Otto is European by birth and I suppose driving a motorcycle, moped or sports car is just some sort of male passage of rite. So there you have it, the reception was held 27 km from Athens off the beautiful Greek coast Varkiza at the Island Art and Taste. I hung on to the back of the moped for dear life, our camera gear over stuffed in our bags, to capture the sounds and sights of a wedding party having fun by the ocean at night. I felt alive!
There was a strong sentimentality the whole day. I can best describe it by saying that Pavlos, although growing up around the globe, is Greek in origin, and it did not escape us that the roots of his culture were in the streets and roads that we drove through along the way. Pavlos got ready in his parent’s apartment earlier that morning. The paintings, the chinaware and the furniture all held stories (which is a different feel when one simply gets married in a hotel room). The connection with friends, the embracing of old and new worlds, cast an impression on everyone. We all went back to our homes, in Europe and America, with a little of Pavlov and Sarah’s wedding adventure, like a nougat of gold held close to our hearts, beautiful memories forever more.
By now you may realize we are Florida based wedding photographers. Guys here in Florida drive around with oversized pick-up trucks and boat horns, and European guys like my husband drive around Europe with miniature mopeds, tailored pants and cute smiles, feeling equally manly. Different, yet the same.
