Tiny Orthodox Wedding in Crete With Lavish Dinner at the Private Villa
For a Tiny Orthodox Wedding in Crete, all you need is love and blessings.
Can you imagine the real wedding, but tiny? Well, this couple wanted to do just that! Anna and Dimitris came from Switzerland to Crete for their tiny Orthodox Greek wedding.
Totally relaxed, this tiny ceremony took place in Chania, at Agia Triada Monastery at newly built Saint Thomas Church. The couple somewhat christened this church with their Tiny Orthodox Wedding in Crete. That is to say, this was the first wedding in Saint Thomas! And what a great start for such a blessed place.
Anna and Dimitris wanted to get married in Greece and invite just their closest family. They wanted their wedding day to feel more like a holiday than a stressful occasion! All the most important people of Anna and Dimitris came with them and nothing else mattered! This micro wedding was truly a special occasion. Where guests felt comfortable and they celebrated their two favourite people joining in holy matrimony.
Anna and Dimitris wanted to have a religious ceremony which gave their union a deeper meaning.
The Greek Orthodox Ceremony usually lasts about forty-five minutes with different traditional ceremonial rituals. One of them is the blessing of the rings and having the rings exchanged and placed on the bride and groom, by their witnesses or “koumbaros & koumbara“.
Another more famous ritual is probably the swapping of the wedding crowns or “stefana“. Stefana or the crowns can be gold, sliver or other metal, or as simple as an olive branch connected in a wreath. Joined with a festive ribbon, symbolizing the union of the couple in one entity and joint matrimony. Koumbaros, the best man or the witness, usually preforms the exchange of the crowns between the bride and groom three times. While the priest preforms prayers and other rituals as kissing the holy bible and drinking of the holy wine. The couple, wearing the crowns walk around the alter with the priest three times while the guests throw the rice. Walking around the alter represents the path the couple will take in their life journey together. White the priest blesses the couple on their path, before removing the crowns.
Like many others, this Greek Orthodox Wedding Ceremony also happened outside the church, at the golden hour of the sunset. This is mainly because the days are usually too hot and the warm summer evenings are just right!
Lavish dinner at the private villa followed the ceremony
After the ceremony, the couple with their family continued the celebration at a private villa with a beautifully decorated dinner. Anna & Dimitris decided to reuse and repurpose their flowers from the church. Furthermore, they used the flowers to decorate their family style dinner table and gazebo. Therefore, the flower-filled candlelight dinner at the private villa was that much more magical!
Because they opted for the micro or Tiny Orthodox Wedding in Crete, they had more budget to spend to make their whole day more lavish! Anna & Dimitris didn’t care to impress anyone else except their closest family and friends. And for that, they certainly didn’t save on the flowers! Moreover, the dinner table, which was decorated and filled with florals, made their guest feel like royals on this special occasion.
Now, see the gallery of this Tiny Orthodox Wedding in Crete
Get this look:
Photographer: Natalia Petraki
Flowers: Manfler
Hair&MakeUp: @natasha.makeupartist
Ceremony Location: Agia Triada Monastery
Reception Dinner: Faidra Villa
