You'll be adding Crete to your destinations once you see this fairytale wedding

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A barefoot bride, a Yolan Cris wedding dress, a floral arch – could this be our bohemian Greek fairytale wedding?! Claire & Manoli’s wedding certainly is the Cretan beach wedding of our dreams photographed by Paulina Weddings.

Imagine casual beachy vibes, wildflowers & lace, a mix of modern & Greek music – what more could you possibly ask for? The couple truly got it all and then some in their destination wedding thanks to local insight & an expert wedding planner. Having family in Crete (and their own apartment for summering, uh can we come?!) the couple knew what wedding-day magic this island could behold and left it in the hands of their Dutch planner to create the boho dream-scene.

Being a designer, Claire took her fashion choices very seriously. From the couture Spanish gown to the luxe jewels, from the bridal sandals to the beachy waves, Claire’s bridal was natural, elegant & relaxed – the perfect Greek beach ensemble.

The centerpiece, of course, is the fairytale ceremony floral arch – circle altars are taking over the wedding world and for good reason when they look as dreamy as this one!

Our Love Story

We met in an old-fashioned way – in a bar. I was with a best friend and my sister and he was with friends. He was a bit to tipsy and repeated all the time that he really liked me, although he just spotted me. That was not his best opening sentence, that he repeated all the time, but it was pretty funny!

Every year that we were together we organized a weekend away. Normally, I organized the weekend, but when we were together five years Manoli wanted to organize the weekend. First I thought that was a bit strange, but then I thought ‘well ok why not’…

On Saturday, April 10th, 2016 we were in our hotel room getting ready to put on nice clothes to go to a very special restaurant. Suddenly Manoli became serious and asked me to listen to him – I stiffened at that moment. He started to smile and told me that I make him very happy and we have been very happy together since the beginning. He said that he wanted to have a future with me and would like to grow old together. And then, he asked me if I wanted to become his wife. I become completely silent and began to cry. I hadn’t expected that he wanted to get married. I was surprised and really happy at the same time! Of course, I said “YES!”

After that, the taxi came and our dinner was very special, a beautiful night never to forget. The only missing thing was my engagement ring. Because I’m a designer with a specific taste when it comes to jewelry and other things it is very difficult to choose something for me. He had already something in mind but wanted me to decide.

We went to a jeweler in Crete and there was my engagement ring he already had seen. It was the only ring in that store that caught my attention immediately because it was so very beautifully designed. Manoli was very happy because his choice was ultimately the right one. After one night’s sleep, we decided to buy the ring. It was such a special moment.

I understand even more why he did it this way. He wanted to give me a ring I really loved and because I wanted to wear it all my life. It’s not easy for men to buy a ring for a girl. I’m very happy that he knows me so well even though his choice was the right one!

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The Dress & Attire

My wedding dress was made by Yolan Cris – designed by two sisters in Barcelona – bought in Amsterdam at the bridal salon I do I do. My dress was handmade from lace with a floral pattern. I wanted it to be open and light because it was a beach wedding in Crete. I wanted it to be refined, graceful and creative – so I felt good and it suited me. I got this beautiful dress as a gift from my dear father.

For my jewelry, I wore a very beautiful gold cuff bracelet by the French designer Aurélie Bidermann, with clover shapes that fit very well the bohemian theme of our wedding and my dress. I went barefoot for the ceremony since it was on the beach and we had a bohemian theme. But the rest of the evening I wore beautiful metallic champagne leather sandals by the brand K.Jacques – a French brand from Saint-Tropez. During the ceremony, I also wore a flower crown if beautiful fresh wildflowers designed by Fabio Zardi (who also created my bouquet). My make-up was so beautiful – naturally done – and my hair had beachy waves with half of my hair braided. I was really happy with the result and it was still “me” after everything.

Manoli wore a light-colored suit tailor-made by Rietbergh which suited the beach. Also, the logo I designed for our wedding was woven inside in the lining of his suite.

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The Destination

Were in love with the island Crete because it’s a beautiful pure island. We love its nature and its purity. The people are sincerely and real, there’s no hidden agenda. Of course, the weather is great and we wanted to have a beach wedding because we love the openness and smell of the sea, the beautiful romantic bays, the feeling of the soft beaches underneath our feet and the warm feeling of the sun on our skins. The bohemian theme suited us even more because it respresents the unconventional lifestyle. The area around Elounda is beautiful, it was the perfect place for us to get married. This unconventional lifestyle also respresents us as well: creative, free minds, real, pure, love.

Our decision was easy because most of the Greek family comes from Crete – Manoli’sfamily is from Crete and Athens. And we knew that my Dutch family and our Dutch friends did not mind coming to Crete. We dutchies love the sun and really love to travel. Manoli and I also have an apartment in Crete so every year we go back for holidays and visit family and friends. For us coming to Crete feels like our second home – we love Crete.

The Venue

Porto Elounda Golf & Spa Resort is a dream and our guests were treated like royalty. It’s a beautiful place to marry – everything went smooth, it was professional and it was really worth it to celebrate here this special moment in our lives. Were still welcome at the resort and this place feels like coming home. The resort and its people will always stay in our hearts.

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The Ceremony

The ceremony was very beautiful. We held it at the beach with nice music. Sanne from Love Sound began by singing the song ‘Halo’ by Beyonce. After that the ceremony began. The ceremony was half spoken in Greek by Manoli’s sister and half spoken in Dutch by my sister. So all the guests could understand our love story. Manoli and I also spoke vows for each other. At last, the mayor married us and we were officially married. It was not a symbolic wedding but it was at the moment for real. So, we signed the papers with the mayor and our witnesses, my two sisters and Manoli’s best friend from Crete.

Our favorite moment was when we said “YES!” in the Greek language: “Neh” Finally, we became husband and wife and our future together as ‘one’ began! At that moment an indescribable feeling is going through you. It feels really special to first tell each other your vows and then to look each other in the eye and finally to say “Yes” (“Neh”). So many emotions! We feel enormously blessed with so much love and happiness

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The Photography & Videography

Paulina is a very talented photographer and a wonderful and creative person. Its was really nice to share this special day in our lives with such a lovely person. Her pictures are like a magical dream. The light she uses in the photos is exceptionally refined. Working with her goes naturally. We are so happy with these perfect pictures that she made for us – endless, beautiful memories!

George Pada of Atheaton Films is a very modest person but so talented! If someone doesn’t need to bo modest, its George! He is really a sweetheart and such an artist. His work is absolutely amazing – team did such a great job! The video he made of our wedding was really professional. But it wasn’t just a video, it became a film so beautifully made. It feels like watching a movie and we were the actors, it’s very special and an amazing memory to keep for the rest of our lives.

The Planner

One word: the best wedding planner ever! Vivian is so lovely, not old-fashioned and very smart and most important good by heart – an angel! We connected really well and she fully understands what we wanted. She is a best friend of one of my best friends and now she is also a really special friend for me and my husband. She is great in organizing and she is amazing with people – she knows how to bring everything together. Organizing such a big wedding abroad is so much work, but she knew how to keep an overview. My husband and I really needed this because we didn’t have much time ourselves for this because of our busy life with our own companies. We recommend her to everyone. You can really count on her!

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The Florals & Decor

We choose a natural colour palette: a beachy feel with floral accents and pastel soft natural colors. We loved all of the wildflowers! Also, the designed signs and shaped parts for the ceremony, the dinner table seating, the dessert table and party gift table were beautifully designed and suited the bohemian theme perfect.

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The Reception

After the dessert, our first dance began at the beach bar that Manoli and I practiced in the Netherlands. We did not want a traditional, stiff dance, but we liked a dance with more rhythm. We chose to dance a merengue song ‘Addicted To You’ by Shakira. It went really well! After that, the party started.

Sanne the singer, the DJ and the saxophonist really made the evening complete with all the nice songs. It was an evening with a lot of rhythmic music and a lot of people took their place on the dancefloor. In between, there was some traditional Greek music, so the Dutchies could learn some Greek dances. It was such a blessing to see and feel how everyone was having fun together. The modern and traditional songs mixed so well!

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The Honeymoon

After the busy and amazing wedding, we wanted to spend our honeymoon in Paros – a gorgeous and lovely small island located in the Cyclades. We stayed at Angels Villas near a beautiful bay and the beautiful town called Naoussa. We went to this island because of its beauty and allowance to rest – very suitable for newlyweds. We stayed here for seven nights. The island is very small so one week is enough but when you just get married it is really nice to stay on this beautifully peaceful island.