Crete, Greece is known for its gorgeous beaches and impressive mountainscapes. Annette and Jaime took full advantage of the beauty of this island for their July 4, 2015 destination wedding. Learn a little more about the couple in few words from their event photographer HannaMonika Wedding Photography.

The Ceremony

Annette & Jaime’s elegant destination wedding in Crete was a delight to style and document. The international couple, Jamie from Brazil and Annette from Belgium, wanted their sophisticated attitude to translate onto the decoration and theme of their destination wedding. Married near the shore of the Aegean Sea in an exquisite private palm bay, their ceremony was the stuff of dreams! Gold and white, a timeless modern choice, were their main colors and played against the vivid colors of the local landscape gorgeously.

The Reception

Their reception was held at a stunning rustic estate in the hills. 360 degree sweeping views of the Cretan countryside offered the backdrop to this elegant affair. Annette was such a great bride to work with. She had very precise ideas of what she wanted and how she wanted everything to look. We enjoyed working within this structure as it gave us clear cut guidelines and a definitive look and feel for the event. Each table, adorned with crisp white table cloths, was decorated with intricate gold frames displaying the table names, in this case the different countries that had significance to the couple. Guest favors in small gold boxes sat next to each place setting as well. White and green hydrangeas, arranged in gold colored glass vases, added to the elegant look of the tablescapes. When Annette and Jaime arrived at the venue, walking along a flagstone path decorated with romantic blinking luminaria bags, a string duet greeted them, along with their international guest list. Dozens of hanging jars filled with glowing tea lights added a romantic atmosphere to the chic wedding. Professional Greek dancers performed at the ceremony, delighting the guests and inviting them to join in the dance. A modern destination wedding with exquisite details, we had such a wonderful time working with Annette and Jaime to make their dream day come true!

From the Bride:

Getting married in Crete was almost like a fairytale. The amazing beauty of the island and the always wonderful weather, together with having dear memories, family and roots there made it so special to both of us. I found my dress rather soon but then I almost lost it again! Although I fell in love with the first gown at the first wedding dress shop I went to in the Netherlands (John & Ann Bruidsmode) and it being the very last one, I decided not to buy it as I still wanted to look around a bit more and enjoy the quest for “The Dress” a little longer. However, trying dress after dress over the next few months (even in Sao Paulo and London) I kept comparing them with the first dress I tried on. So I decided to buy that particular dress, however unfortunately at that stage they did not sell the dress anywhere anymore. Getting slightly nervous and trying to find somebody to perhaps make the dress for me I decided to call the first shop just in case, and after nine months they still had that one last Pronovias Urania dress! My wedding shoes were from Jimmy Choo and the beautiful bridesmaids dresses are from Twobirds. Jamie’s suit was a bespoke suit from Cad and the Dandy and his shoes from Cheaney & Sons. Two important “old” accessories that made my day and outfit even more special were a silver six pence, given to me by one of my bridesmaids and a brooch. The brooch has been in my family for at least four generations, once given to my Grandmother by her great aunt, I got to keep this special piece after the passing of my Grandmother. As I wanted nothing more than my Grandmother to be a part of our special day, I decided to wear the brooch in my hair and in that way, have my Granny with us in spirit. We could not have been more lucky with the amazing team of people around us helping to create and organize the most special day of our lives. Special credits to the very talented and great to work with couple, Hanna and Slavomir, of HannaMonika Wedding Photography and the incredible wedding planner Annika and the team at Moments.

We’re still gushing over this ultra chic wedding and we’re delighted to share it. Check out some snippets below. Enjoy!

Vendor Collaboration

Photographer:  HannaMonika Wedding Photography // Reception Venue: Agreco Farm // Tuxedo and Mens Attire:Cad & the Dandy // Pre Ceremony Location: Caramel Boutique Resort // Shoes: Cheaney & Sons // Shoes: Jimmy Choo // Event Planner: Moments Weddings & Events // Dress Designer: Pronovias // Dress Store: twobirds Bridesmaid

Submitted via Two Bright Lights