Jill and Yamurai's 'Rustic Elegance With a Boho Twist' Wedding in Cyprus by Karina Leonenko Photography

Happy Monday everyone, I hope you are all well and enjoyed a good weekend? Have you survived the rain?!? What a wet and windy weekend we had! Dexter and I had a morning with his best friend on Saturday then we met Nik and went out the cinema, the first time since March. It felt like such a treat! Then Sunday his Nana came round and we cooked a Sunday lunch. We are starting this rather wet week with a trip to Cyprus for this sun filled outdoor wedding. Jill and Yamurai both live in the UAE so deiced that Cyprus would be a good meeting point for their family in the UK. They filled their day with so many beautiful elements from the Macramé backdrop, to the beautiful table plan, stunning flowers and of course the gorgeous location. Karina Leonenko Photography was there to capture the day for us.

BEST DAY EVER! An amazing melting pot of cultures and one hell of a party!

Jill and Yamurai were married on 26th April 2019 at Aelia Wellness Retreat in Nicosia Cyprus. ‘We are from the UK and live in the UAE so Cyprus was a mid point for us and most of our guests-we literally met them half way! I found the Aelia through the Event Co. website and it was exactly what we were looking for. We had 75 guests, we got engaged in Feb 2018, so it took just over a year to plan it.’

How they met
We met in Dubai, in an Irish pub! We have been together for 5 years.

The proposal
Yam took me to Abu Dhabi for my birthday, and we stayed in the Shangri-La Hotel overlooking the Grand Mosque. In the evening we went for dinner and when we got back to the room there was a huge sign up saying ‘Will you marry me?’ with champagne, roses and chocolates. Yam got down and one knee, and I have no idea what he said because he had to repeat it again!

How did you allocate your budget?
We made a list of what we thought was most important and focused our budget on those areas and made some compromises on the rest. For us it was venue, food & drink and music.

Where did you splurge and where did you save?
We splurged more on the menu & music because we wanted our guests to have a brilliant day too. We were lucky in that I am a designer and have many designer friends (who were also bridesmaids!) so I did the invites & signage myself, my bridesmaid Jen made all of our beautiful headpieces and buttonholes, and my dress was designed and made by my Maid of Honour Barbaranne.

How did you choose your photographer?
Instagram stalking! The Event Co. sent us some options and I looked through each of their portfolios-Karina look & feel was exactly what we wanted.

The dress
My dress was a bespoke creation by HOM Bridal, headpiece was handmade by @jen_did_this, necklace was bespoke @carajewellers, decorate rings Free People.

The suit and bridesmaids
Suit was bespoke tailored by @whistleandflute, Bridesmaids- Floral dress- Jenny Yoo, Solid colour dresses- Lulus.com

Theme or colour scheme
Oh yes! I had many mood boards

Flowers
I wanted rustic flowers, and whatever was in season. But was important for me to have some thistles in there-and they were wrapped with an african style taping- a nod to our fusion wedding.

Decoration
It was very boho in theme so there was a large macrame wall hanging behind us during the ceremony, lots of lights and minimal rustic flowers

Food
Our meal was a buffet with a mixture of traditional greek food, currys, salads, and meats.

Wedding cake
We didn’t have a wedding cake, this was one area I really didn’t want to spend money on! Instead a family member made us a scone tower!

Entertainment
My brother is a professional musician, so he performed with my Dad at the beginning of the night. Then we had the amazing DJ Marko

Who supplied the stationery
I designed and made the seating plan, table names, bar menu & signage.

Where did you go on your honeymoon?
We went to Mykonos and Santorini (the amazing Phos Boutique Hotel overlooking the Caldera).

Personal touches
I did my own make up as I am a sometimes make up artist!

Special moments
Yams family sang a traditional Zimbabwean song during the ceremony which our guests loved, but our favourite part was our entrance to the evening do, running in to ‘I Predict A Riot’ got the party started!

Advice for other couples
It’s your day-you (hopefully!) only get to do this once, so make sure it’s exactly what you and your partner want it to be-try not to be influenced by what others want.

Biggest surprise
How emotional Yam was! I’d never seen him cry up until our wedding day!