Epic 3-Day Indian Wedding in Greece at Two Different Venues
A Multi-Day, Multi-Cultural Celebration Featuring 5 Events at Grand Resort Lagonissi, Veghera Lounge, and Pyrgos Petreza in the Athenian Riviera
Planning a destination wedding can feel beautifully overwhelming. Especially when your dream is to blend different cultural traditions with the serene beauty of the Greek coast. Natasha and Mitchell embraced this beautiful challenge, hosting a spectacular three-day celebration with five different events spanning across the Athenian Riviera to showcase the vibrant heritage form both of their families.
They seamlessly brought vibrant, multi-day traditions like the Baraat, Sangeet, Mehndi, and Haldi ceremonies to the Mediterranean coast. And for that, they needed to find the right venues for their grand Indian wedding in Greece. Destination wedding experts at Ellwed know that this beautiful fusion is why Greece continues to be one of the most sought-after locations for Indian couples looking to honor their roots with romantic, upscale seaside celebrations.
Every moment of this grand mixed-culture wedding was filled with color, emotion, and intention. From a vibrant Haldi & Mehndi and high-energy Sangeet overlooking the Aegean Sea, complete with surprise performances from the couple themselves, to two breath-taking wedding ceremonies in two different venue locations!
The couple honored both traditions, blending their Western and Eastern cultures with a sensational Hindu ceremony at the Grand Resort Lagonissi and a moving Christian ceremony and dinner at the Pyrgos Petreza.
Indian Wedding in Greece: Quick Summary
- Location: Athenian Riviera, Greece
- Wedding Style: Indian Wedding, Real Wedding, Traditional, Hindu, Multicultural, Symbolic, Grand
- Wedding Colours: Colourful, Yellow, Red, White, Multi-colourful
- Theme: Traditional Hindu and Christian Ceremony, Bollywood-style dancing
- Key Elements: Haldi, Mehndi, and Sangeet, Baraat, traditions, party, dancing, surprise group dance events
- Best For: Multi-cultural, mixed-faith, and modern traditional couples
- Estimated Budget: €100,000–€200,000
“The best advice I could give to brides, especially ones having a multiple day Indian wedding, is to find the few components most important to you and focus on that.” — Natasha (The Bride)
Quick Index
- The Love Story
- Wedding Planning Process
- Day One: The Pre-Wed Events, Haldi, Mehndi, and Sangeet
- Day Two: The Christian Wedding Ceremony
- Day Three: The Hindu Wedding Ceremony & Reception
- Why Greece Was Their Perfect Destination
- Their Multi-Cultural Wedding Style and Design
- Favorite Memories
- Frequently Asked Questions
Find out everything about planning and celebrating this Epic Indian Wedding Week in Greece in two different venues, directly from the bride herself.
The Love Story: Natasha & Mitchell
Natasha, tell us your Love Story. How did you two meet and what did the proposal look like?
We “officially” met the summer of 2011 in college in the US (Georgia Tech) as I was moving in across the hall from him. Being close neighbors, we started hanging out a lot after classes and eventually started dating the following year. Our relationship only grew over time as we graduated and traveled around the world together.
The Proposal
We were camping in a van around Iceland in July 2021. That morning was one of the most incredible mornings I will forever remember – and not just because he proposed! We woke up in front of a breathtaking waterfall, made some oatmeal over a fire, and started our day with a few hikes ahead.
Little did I know he had planned for a photographer to go undercover on one of our hikes. We reached the front of yet another beautiful waterfall where he got down on one knee and proposed. The photographer revealed herself and broke out some champagne – which only added to my surprise! We spent the rest of the day taking amazing engagement photos around a glacier and a black sand beach.
Planning a Multi-Day Indian Destination Wedding in Greece at Different Venues
Your Indian wedding in Greece was truly epic. Tell us a bit about your wedding planning process.
Oh goodness – we had a two-year planning process (we like to take things slow!) for these 5 events. It was very important to us that both our cultures (mine being Indian, his being American) were shown in our events. And we definitely could not have gone through this process without our planners, our vendors, our family and friends, and numerous trips to India!
Google Sheets and Google Docs became our best friends – easiest for sharing and collaboration with our family and vendors. We are a very data-oriented couple, so I had structured formats, tables, and budgeting models built out on my own for this planning process.
The best advice I could give to brides, especially ones having a multiple day Indian wedding, is to find the few components most important to you and focus on that. For us, our top component was our guests. Our number one priority was ensuring they had the time of their lives in the best way possible.
The second best advice I could give to brides is to set your expectations. Things will go wrong. Plan to be flexible and don’t let it ruin your experience. Fortunately, Greece itself makes it so easy to plan a wedding – the culture, the people, the food, and the views are amazing!
The 3-Day Wedding Itinerary & Events
Can you describe your three-day celebration? What happened on each day of your Indian wedding at each of the venues in Greece?
Our Indian events over the three days took place at the Grand Resort Lagonissi in the Athens Riviera. We selected this resort partly due to the fact it offers so many unique venue choices for our numerous events.
Day One: The Pre-Wed Events, Haldi, Mehndi, and Sangeet
On the first day, we had a combined Haldi & Mehndi in the morning on the beach at the resort. At this event, guests could get their Mehndi (henna) done and rub Haldi (turmeric) paste all over the bride and groom while singing and dancing.
My cousins made sure to get Mitch very messy, and his friends and family carried him into the sea to wash him off. It was such a fun experience!
Dress change, and we are ready! Later that night, we had our Sangeet at the Veghera Lounge on the resort. This venue was truly stunning, as it was an open-air venue surrounded almost entirely by the sea. It makes you feel like you are on a ship.
At this event, various groups of our friends and family gave surprise performances for the bride and groom. It was so incredible seeing our loved ones dancing for us to our favorite childhood songs with the beautiful view behind them. Mitchell and I also gave a few surprise performances!
Day Two: The Christian Wedding Ceremony
On the second day, we had a Christian ceremony and dinner at Pyrgos Petreza in the evening.
This venue is a beautiful vineyard not far from the resort. We read our vows at sunset and enjoyed an amazing Greek dinner with our guests.
Day Three: The Hindu Wedding Ceremony & Reception
On the third day, we had the Hindu ceremony on the helipad at the resort. Mitch and his family and friends had a really fun Baraat as he drove in on a decorated golf cart. This is where the groom’s side dances and parades into the ceremony. We were so lucky with the weather in October to be able to enjoy all of these outdoor events!
Later that evening, we changed our attires once again while our guests enjoyed cocktail hour with a beautiful sunset overlooking the sea at our Reception. We had a grand entrance as husband and wife with our family members. We chose a romantic Hindi x English song for our first dance and performed it ballroom style, followed by speeches and our cake cut moment.
Halfway through, it “record scratched” into a Backstreet Boys song from the 90s where we broke it down on the dance floor to get the party started!
Destination Spotlight: Choosing the Athenian Riviera
Why did you choose Greece for your epic destination wedding week?
We chose Greece for many reasons. Not only is the location ideal, as it’s mid-way between our families (India/Asia and the US), but its culture had so many similarities to both sides. Indian weddings are all about big families, food, and singing and dancing together, and we felt the same comfort within the Greek culture. On top, Greece offeres a lot of wedding venues suitable for Indian celebrations. There are also so many beautiful places around Greece for our guests to visit before and after our wedding!
Multi-Cultural Indian Wedding Design & Attire
What was your wedding style and design like for all these events at your multi-cultural and multi-day wedding week?
We had a lot of dress changes, in fact we had a different attire for every event!
The Pre-Wedding Events Style
The combined Haldi & Mehndi event had a casual but colorful and festive theme. Our guests wore yellow, which is traditional for Haldi events, and we wore bright pink. Our decor, a lot of which we actually brought from India, was almost all yellow and pink, matching everyone’s outfits. It made the pictures look amazing!
Given the view at the Sangeet, the decor was minimal as our focus was on the beauty of the water and fairy lights. I wore a royal blue mirror embroidery Lehenga (Indian skirt) and he wore a navy blue Indian suit. These were some of our favorite outfits!
The Wedding Ceremony and Reception Style
For the Christian ceremony, we wore outfits that are traditionally common in most Western cultures. I wore a white dress, which actually went well with the bridal Mehndi on my arms and legs, and he wore a gray suit. We also had our traditional first look.
We had a classical white wedding with rustic reception theme. Having this theme in between the Indian events gave a nice flow. It was also the first time a lot of my family was able to attend a Western wedding.
We wanted a very traditional Hindu ceremony, so I wore a red Lehenga with gold and green Polki Indian jewelry, and he wore a white Sherwani (Indian suit) with a white and gold turban. These outfits were another favorite of ours! The decor was focused around our Mandap, which was covered in red and white flowers.
For the Reception, we went with an elegant theme. Mitch wore a black tuxedo and I wore a white Lehenga with gold foil embroidery, a very unique and lightweight style. The best part about these Indian Lehengas was that I could wear running shoes underneath and dance all night!
Favorite Memories: The Best Moments of Our Destination Wedding
What stayed in your memory the most, or what was your favorite part of your epic Indian destination wedding in Greece?
We didn’t have bridesmaids and groomsmen as we are very close to the entire guest list (so everyone would be considered a bridesmaid or groomsman). But we were so happy to see so many of our friends wear Indian clothes and jewelry to the events. They looked incredible!
We live such global lives and rarely get to see our loved ones together as we get older. So my favorite part of the wedding was seeing our friends and family come together from 12+ countries, embrace our cultures, and (of course) dance to all of the Bollywood songs. Several knew very little of Indian weddings prior to this, yet they were absolute stars on the dance floor! Even on the third night, we had the party going until 4 AM with Bollywood music. I am blown away by the amount of energy our guests had!
Frequently Asked Questions: Planning an Indian Wedding in Greece
Can you have a traditional Indian wedding in Greece?
Yes, you can absolutely host a traditional Indian wedding in Greece. Greek island such as Crete, Paros, Mykonos, Santorini, Naxos, Corfu or Rhodes are great choices for your big Indian wedding. Premium venues along the Athenian Riviera, such as Grand Resort Lagonissi or Four Seasons Astir Palace, are highly experienced with multi-day South Asian traditions. They easily accommodate large guest counts, outdoor beachfront setups, special rituals for the Mandap, and high-energy cultural events like the Baraat and Sangeet.
What are the best Indian wedding venues in the Athenian Riviera, Greece?
The top wedding venues for a multi-day Indian celebration in the Athenian Riviera include:
- Grand Resort Lagonissi and their Veghera Lounge
- Island Resort Athens Riviera or Island Art and Taste as previously known,
- Ble Alimos
- Pyrgos Melissourgou
- The Margi Farm and the Margi Hotel
- Four Seasons Astir Palace in Athens
- Pyrgos Petreza
- Dolce by Wyndham Resort
- Vincci Evereden Resort Hotel
- Grecotel Cape Sounio
Grand Resort Lagonissi and Four Seasons Astir Palace in Athens are ideal for beachfront Haldi ceremonies and helipad Hindu rituals, while Pyrgos Petreza offers a stunning, rustic vineyard setting perfect for Western Christian ceremonies and elegant dinners.
On top multiple Greek events spaces, vineries or estates called “Ktima” like Ktima Kokotou or Ktima Orizontes can accommodate large groups as well.
How much does a destination Indian wedding in Greece cost?
The estimated budget for a grand, multi-day destination Indian wedding in Greece typically ranges between €100,000 and €200,000 or more. The final cost depends heavily on the number of events, guest count, choice of luxury venues along the Athenian Riviera, and custom decor flown in or sourced locally.
What is the best month to get married in the Athenian Riviera?
June, July, September or October are an excellent months to get married in the Athenian Riviera. The Mediterranean weather is comfortably warm for outdoor coastal events, the summer crowds have cleared, and couples can enjoy breathtaking, clear sunsets overlooking the sea for their reception and outdoor ceremonies.
Get This Look: Wedding Vendor Credits
Planning an international multi-cultural wedding requires an amazing vendor team. If you loved the style of this Athenian Riviera wedding, check out the team that made it happen:
- Main Wedding Photography & Video: I Don’t Say Cheese | @idontsaycheese
- Supporting Team Photography: Nikos Roussis @nikroussis & Vanessa Tivadar Photography @vanessa.weddings
- Wedding Planning: Poema Wedding Events | @poemaweddingevents
- Venues: Grand Resort Lagonissi @grandresortlagonissi & Pyrgos Petreza @pyrgospetreza
- Hair & Makeup (HMUA): Irene Kyranis | @bridalmakeupgreece
Clothing Designers & Bridal Fashion: - Sangeet Lehenga: Seema Gujral | @seemagujraldesign
- Reception Lehenga: Falguni Shane Peacock | @falgunishanepeacockindia
- Christian Ceremony Dress: Club des Mariées | @clubdesmariees
