Leslie’s and Spencer’s destination wedding took place on the beautiful island of Zakynthos and we love every beautiful detail! The couple chose minimal white florals and greenery in wicker baskets for their special day and exchanged their vows on a gorgeous location with an amazing sea view! We must say that Leslie looked absolutely stunning with her lovely natural makeup and soft curly hairstyle by Michalis Tsotras!
Captured by Veronika Maxantova Photography.
«We met at an office Christmas party. I had just signed my job offer and was invited by someone who had helped me get the job. These office parties weren’t your typical office party but were more like a house party. I had walked in and sitting at the front desk with two other people picking out the playlist was Spencer. I had introduced myself and he pointed me to the people that had invited me, and from there we really went our separate ways that night. From there we acknowledged each other when we saw each other around, but never really hung out or went past small talk, until Spencer lost his job and was looking for opportunities and knew my office was working on a project he was interested in. In between finding his next opportunity, he volunteered in my office.»
«That’s where we talked more and started hanging out outside of the office. The first time hung out outside of work, we went on a hike and went for poutine (a Canadian specialty of cheese curds on top of fries, smothered in gravy) afterwards. I remember feeling so comfortable with him already. We sang in the car on the way back and really just had so much fun. What we consider our first date, Spencer took me to this amazing tapas bar. It had less than 10 tables, but it had the most amazing food and staff. The restaurant became our spot for special occasions and celebrations until it sadly closed during covid. », the bride shared with us.
«Spencer proposed! I kind of ruined it! I did know it was coming as we had looked at the rings but didn’t know when. Knowing it was coming I had asked for two things for his proposal: that it be away from any crowd. I didn’t want to make a scene, and to have a photo. I always get a flood of memories when looking at photos, so they are really important to me. We had recently gotten into hiking in upstate New York, so Spencer recommended we go there and get some fall photos (we usually go and take photos somewhere in the fall as I love to fall with changing leaves). I had it in the back of my mind that it might happen, but it had been a few months since we looked at rings, so I didn’t put too much thought into it.»
«Anyway, he had asked that I pack some nicer clothes to take a photo of at the top. The morning of I was putting on my makeup and realizing it would melt off by the time we got up to the top, so I asked if we could spend the day in the town the hiking spot was close to and take photos there… Spencer knowing what he was going to do was like that makes sense but was frantically trying to find another spot that wouldn’t have a crowd. We drive and cross the border into the US (he’s driving so he can’t google for a new spot) and get into the town… and it’s PACKED. Everyone was there for the fall leaves. Poor Spencer couldn’t find a nice, secluded spot anywhere. We had seen the most beautiful lookout on our drive up, so after taking photos in the town, we stopped to go look. We had a tripod with us to take the photos. He had been so stressed all day, so I started to clue in lol. Anyway we were at the lookout and there was another couple there that we chatted with for a few minutes (I now know Spencer was in his head begging them to leave). After they left, we went into the lookout spot, set up our tripod to take the photo, and then posed together. Well, that’s when he got down on one knee! It was perfect! I was just processing everything, and I had forgotten to say yes lol… just shook my head, so he was like confirming it’s a yes, right? So funny! We were walking back to the tripod, laughing and really happy. We went to take a look at the photos and none of them had been taken… we laughed and were like well let’s recreate it… we tried again and that’s when we realized we were too far away so the remote wasn’t being recognized. So we moved closer and I took the remote and we recreated it again. In the photo we have you can see me holding the remote… it’s very funny, but every time I look at it, it brings me so much happiness and laughter thinking about it all. »
When Spencer and I sat down to discuss florals and decor we decided we wanted local and minimal florals and greenery so the landscape could take center stage. Also due to wanting to keep the landscape center stage we wanted our florals to be largely greenery with sprinkles of white.
leslie, bride
« We were originally supposed to get married in a gazebo on the Blue Cave Villas property and planned for florals to wrap around it, but when we checked in, Giorgos, the owner of Blue Cave Villas, offered us the incredible balcony spot we got married at. So, with less than a weeks’ notice the incredible people at Fiorentinos allowed us to change our florals to be the baskets, which were a great choice because if we had done a more traditional arch, it likely would’ve ended up in the ocean due to the extreme wind, we ended up having. We also had them line the aisle with greenery that we were able to reuse when decorating our table. Spencer and I have so many highlights from the ceremony. »
«Our incredible celebrant, Elizabeth Cass-Kanti, planned an amazing ceremony where we shared stories we had submitted to her about relationships, and thoughts on marriage. This is Spencer’s favorite part. Mine is really torn between the wedding crown part my sister Julia helped do. It was so windy and made it very challenging for her on top of Spencer being quite a bit taller, so we had to reach quite a bit and Spencer had to bend down a lot. The other part that’s a favorite is my sister Anndrea wrote the most beautiful poem and delivered it so well! It was a tear jerking, and heartwarming moment for sure! Because there were just 10 of us, our reception was largely focused on the food. We hired Chef Alexandros Patrinos and his team to cater the entire day (breakfast, lunch, snack, and dinner), so we had a beautiful meal prepared by his team paired with delicious wines that were both local to Zakynthos and from across Greece. It was very simple but more focused on enjoying each other’s company and the moment, and we loved it. »
We visited Chic & Stylish Weddings when we were choosing where in Greece we wanted to get married, and what kind of look we wanted we looked at several blogs!
leslie, bride
«I mentioned the ceremony and reception aspects previously, but our favorite part was making our wedding a family vacation. It was great to spend so much quality time with our families and relax ahead of the big day. »
The bride’s advice: «1) Plan together. Spencer and I divided up the tasks and came together over a glass of wine and some cheese and reviewed the different options and made a decision. This helped us share the load of the planning, while making sure the day was one that made us both happy. 2) Don’t worry about the things you can’t change. We ended up having some insane wind, and we decided to just roll with it. I think this allowed us to look back on this day with so many happy memories, and my veil flying off when I walked down the aisle is a moment we look back and laugh on. If we would’ve gotten upset that it wasn’t the weather, we envisioned I think we wouldn’t have the same happy memories to look back on. Pick vendors that you connect with! Then trust them. They’ve done lots of weddings and know what works and what doesn’t! »
«My wedding dress is from Essence of Australia. My mom had flown from Winnipeg to Ottawa Canada, and Spencer’s mom drove from Oshawa to be with me to pick it out. It was actually the second dress I tried on! I loved it at the first store we visited, but wanted to keep my options open, so we went for lunch and then went to the next store where I tried on a number of other dresses, but when I tried the dress at the second store, I knew it was my dress. »
«We had a lot of symbolism in our ceremony: My brother passed away more than 7 years ago, and it was hard thinking of him not being there. So, I had part of his blue shirt sewed into my dress, so that he’d be there with me. We also left an open seat for him so that he could be there in spirit. Spencer also honored his late grandparents by wearing a pin from his grandfather and cuff links from his nanny. My jewelry was all pieces that Spencer had gifted me throughout our relationship. Our ceremony music was also intentionally chosen. My aisle song was a recording done by my talented cousin, Alex Barber. Our recessional, We Found Love by Rihanna, was a jesting nod to us first meeting when we worked in Canadian politics. We had a hard time picking Spencer’s aisle song, but in the lead up we were constantly watching Shotgun Wedding with Jennifer Coolidge and near the end she sings I’ll Be as the bride walks down the aisle just before they defeat the pirates that ruined their wedding. So, it was a nod to that movie and our belief that marriage should be based on trust, honesty, teamwork and a healthy dose of humor.» the bride shared with us.
