1

Feb

2018

Lisa and Ben’s ‘Rustic Romance’ Farm Wedding in Crete by Moments Weddings and Events

Today we are all about the warm weather and summer sun here on the bog, as we jet you away to beautiful Crete for the wedding of Lisa and Ben. The wedding has been sent in by their wedding planners Moments Weddings & Events and it is clear from Lisa’s write-up that she thought the world of them and the service they offered her and Ben. The whole day is just stunning, set in a beautiful Crete farm, with amazing views, the most delicious back drop and of course all of that amazing sunshine. ‘Rustic Romance’ at it’s best! Big thanks to HannaMonika Wedding Photography for the wonderful soft and romantic images.

Our wedding day was everything we dreamed of, with all of our closest friends and family in the most beautiful setting. We had the best day and wish we could do it all over again.

Lisa and Benwere married on 31st May 2017 at Agreco Farm in Crete. ‘We visited Agreco Farm a few months after getting engaged and fell in love with the venue. It has the most beautiful views and delicious food which is very important to both of us! We had 50 guests and it took 18 months to plan.’

How they met
We met over 10 years ago through work but lost touch over the years. We started talking again about 4 years ago and the rest as they say is history.

The proposal
We were on holiday in Santorini staying at the Aria Lito Mansion in Fira and got up early one morning to watch the sunrise from the hotel balcony. I was trying to get the camera to focus so I could take some pictures and Ben popped the ring in front of the camera and asked, “Can you see this? Is it focussed now?” He then got down on one knee and popped the question…I said yes and we celebrated with a champagne breakfast before trekking across the island to watch the sun set in Oia.

How did you allocate your budget?
We didn’t really have any savings set aside for a wedding, so decided to set a realistic date 18 months away so that we could save each month to be able to afford everything we wanted. We also had some support from our parents, which really helped!

Where did you splurge and where did you save?
We spent the most on the venue including the food and drink – but the great thing about the venue was that it is so beautiful it didn’t really need much dressing. We sourced nearly everything through our wedding planner, Caroline at Moments Weddings & Events, who we found invaluable in making our wishes come true. She really understood what we wanted and sourced everything for us whilst helping us to stay within the budgets that we set. We saved money by creating our own place settings and table plan, as well as hiring a sound system and creating a playlist for the evening rather than hiring a DJ or band.

How did you choose your photographer?
Our wedding planner sent us some different options for the photographers and we knew as soon as we looked at Hannamonika’s work that we wanted them to photograph our special day, and we were not disappointed. They did a fantastic job making us feel at ease throughout the day, capturing natural moments and making the most of the fantastic scenery too.

The Dress
My wedding dress was by Pronovias and the shoes were Carvela by Kurt Geiger. My pearl necklace was from an oyster opening experience on a family holiday in Florida and the pearl earrings were a thoughtful gift from my mum as she knew they would match.

The suit and bridesmaids
Ben wore a blue suit with contrasting grey waistcoat, which came from Guide London, and an Ascot tie, as he wanted something a bit different. His shoes and matching belt are from Barker (a local shoemaker in our hometown Northampton). The bridesmaid dresses came from David’s Bridal. We wanted them to have a Grecian look so went for a one-shoulder floor length style with some lace to compliment my dress.

Theme or colour scheme
Going with the Grecian theme we opted for a blue colour scheme but kept things rustic to fit the style of the venue.

Flowers 
Our flowers were sourced through our wedding planner and were a beautiful mixture of blue and white wild flowers. The men had button holes to match.

Decoration
We kept things simple with fairy lights, some candles and we also hung some polaroid pictures of the two of us for a personal touch.

Food
Delicious traditional Cretan food provided by the farm. We had a selection of starters including stuffed vegetables, fresh bread and feta followed by antikristo lamb and lemon chicken mains. The deserts were traditional Cretan cheese pies and seasonal fruit from the farm, with a mandatory shot of raki to finish.

Wedding cake
This was sourced by our wedding planner and was inspired by our engagement in Santorini. We had two different layers, chocolate orange and a lemon & vanilla sponge.

Entertainment
After the ceremony we provided wine tasting for the guests and asked them to choose their favourite so we could give them a bottle to take away as their wedding favour. We also had a photo booth with polaroid camera which we hired from our wedding planner.

Who supplied the stationery?
We had our invitations and the wine bottle hangers for the favours designed by a friend, and we created the table plan, place cards and wine tasting cards ourselves.

Personal touches
We featured the Witham family crest on the invites and favours, and designed our table plan to tell the story of how our relationship has grown over the years.

Special moments 
There are too many moments to mention but we would say all the nerves and excitement of seeing each other for the first time that day, and the giddy feeling walking back down the aisle together as husband and wife. Our first dance was also a special moment with sparklers and everyone singing along with us – we loved it so much we recreated it back in England at our after party

Advice for other couples
Don’t forget that it is your day (nobody else’s) Plan the day how you want it and remember to enjoy every minute as it flies by so quickly!

Biggest surprise 
The biggest and most pleasant surprise was that we didn’t have to lift a finger to make sure everything ran smoothly. Our wedding planner Caroline was amazing in coordinating the venue, the guests, the bridal party and making sure that everything was as we hoped it would be. She took the stress out of wedding planning completely so that we could enjoy our day and focus on each other, which is everything you could hope for on your wedding day.

 

Supplier Shout Outs

 

For more information about Moments wedding planning go to

www.weddingincrete.com/ +30 2831027305 / Email: [email protected]/ FACEBOOK / PINTEREST / INSTAGRAM 

Based on the sun-drenched island of Crete, we organize boho chic & one-of-a-kind boutique style weddings based around the individual personalities of each of our couples at stunning locations, which with unique natural beauty. Gorgeous beaches, picturesque wineries, majestic ancient locales and traditional private estates…all jewels in Crete’s crown, making this Greek island paradise the perfect setting for nature-inspired rustic weddings

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