Ellena and Stephen’s rustic wedding took place in one of the most beautiful castles in Greece, Methoni Castle – and we love it all the more for it! This unique castle wedding took place next to the endless blue was filled with lush olive leaves and lovely roses in white and pink shades. “Hugging Stephen and walking into our ceremony together just felt so special”, Ellena mentioned to us and we can’t wait to explore every gorgeous snapshot with you! Konstantinos Theofilopoulos Photography was there to capture all the prettiness and every emotional moment from this unforgettable day!
Captured by Konstantinos Theofilopoulos Photography.
“We met on New Year’s Eve, on a night out in London. Stephen tried to impress me with his Spanish when we bumped into each other at the bar – little did he know, I was fluent in Spanish! We bonded over traveling and having fun and the rest is history! Stephen proposed during lockdown. We had enjoyed a beautiful spring day, with our favorite walk down the canal and cycling in the park. When we got home, he set up an Italian-themed picnic in our garden – with Aperol spritz, candles and signs written in Italian. We had pizza from our favorite restaurant and then he brought out dessert – marshmallows and a mini campfire! The ring box was hidden underneath the marshmallows. He had picked a beautiful antique ring from the 1930s with Art Deco details. I couldn’t believe it was real at first and it’s all a blur after that – but we were so happy”, the bride shared with us.
“I’ve been going to Greece every year since I was a baby because my grandmother lives in Methoni. She has a lovely little house in a valley surrounded by olive trees and a beautiful garden. We wanted the flowers to feel like that! Lots of olive leaves and then simple white and blush roses. Peonies and roses are my favorite flowers, but I didn’t think I’d be able to get peonies in August – our amazing wedding planner Elena suggested David Austin roses which worked perfectly. She even managed to find white peonies for my bouquet which was a beautiful surprise on the morning of the wedding! We wanted all of the other details to feel simple and rustic. We have our own design business, Good Egg Prints, so we designed all of the stationery and Elena made sure to get it printed beautifully for us. I loved our long tables full of flowers, olive leaves and candles at the reception. They looked so magical and atmospheric”.
“I followed the Love4Weddings’s Instagram for inspiration for my destination wedding in Methoni Greece! Always so many gorgeous photos and stories to be inspired by”.
“My favorite moment was walking through Methoni castle with my bridesmaids and my mom and dad. I’ve been in that castle dozens of times over the years and it felt like a dream to be walking through it in a wedding dress. When I got through the archway and saw all of our friends and family lining the bridge, with Stephen waiting for me outside the Bourtzi, I just felt so overwhelmed and happy. My stepdad and my good friend Brydon played one of our favorite songs as I walked across the bridge to Stephen and I was so full of joy and emotion. Hugging Stephen and walking into our ceremony together just felt so special. We were then married by my lovely aunt who did an incredibly personal and touching ceremony for us – there wasn’t a dry eye in the house!”
“My wedding dress was probably the most impractical choice for walking through an ancient castle. I knew I wanted something with floral or botanical lace to fit the theme of the whole day. I had been looking at very laid-back, boho dresses but my mom found the Essense of Australia dress in a bridal shop in London and insisted that I try it on. It had a lot more fabric than I had planned to wear! But the moment I put it on I could imagine walking across the bridge to my Prince Charming. I went back and tried it on again at The Bridal Shop Romford and knew it was the dress for me. I loved the detail of the bodice and the layered skirt – I also liked that it had a blush undertone rather than pure white. The ladies in the shop helped me design a custom veil with lace from the dress and lace with a leaf motif – I absolutely loved the veil and wish there was an excuse to wear it again…”
“My main piece of advice would be not to let other people affect your decisions. Your wedding should reflect you and your partner – the people you want there, the food you like best, the music, the overall vibe. Think about YOUR perfect day and don’t be swayed by what anyone else thinks! It will work out perfectly in the end!”
