The beautiful bride, Fotini, said "yes" on the magical Greek Island of Tinos.
We chatted with the bride to find out more details about her special day.
Tell us a little about yourselves, what you do, what you love, and what is unique about you and your relationship.
Adam and I met at a wedding (the groom was a friend to Adam, and a cousin of mine), it all began by my cousin Despina pointing Adam out and saying he’s single. Thankfully I’d been eyeing him up all day, and I had a few drinks in me so as he was ordering shots at the bar I strutted over, knocked one back and said ‘hi, my name's Fotini. Nice to meet you’ … and 8 years later we’re still together.
We both love to travel and eat delicious food so our relationship has centred around that. We went travelling back in 2017, moved to the South of France in 2018 for a few years and have just settled in the Netherlands. What I love about us is everything we’ve created or achieved we’ve done together. Our relationship is all about trust, and supporting one another. It’s us against the world really and we never like to do what’s expected of couples in today’s society. Every day is an adventure, and we’re both super excited for our next chapter as a married couple.
Care to tell us a little bit about your proposal?
Adam proposed on 22nd May 2020, at this time we were living in Nice, France and lockdown restrictions had eased slightly (we were allowed to travel further than 5km from our flat!). Adam packed a picnic and we did the coastal walk in Saint Jean Cap Ferrat.
Adam had a specific spot in mind, but as we were about to set up a picnic a group of young teenagers turned up with bags of McDonalds playing loud French rap! Not quite the vibe he was hoping for so we continued on.
We sat for the picnic but Adam didn’t feel the area was quite right, he kept saying to me to save the Prosecco and not drink it all and I couldn’t understand why. He managed to convince me even though I kept insisting it would get warm. We finally found a secluded spot looking out over the deep blue of the Med sea. As I was watching a boat go by, I turned to find Adam on one knee holding out the loveliest ring which he’d designed with jeweller Rachel Boston. I screamed, said yes, cried then drank the remaining of the bubbles.
Tell us about your special day, was there a specific theme or style? Tell us a little about the setting, the styling, and some of your favourite details.
The theme of the day was minimalist boho, we wanted it to feel special but also have a relaxed vibe. We went for neutral tones, with toffee and white roses, plus hydrangeas and pampas grass. The charger plates were a lovely beige stone, dressed with linen napkins, dipped gold cutlery and individual menus. We wanted to find that balance between luxury yet laid back and natural. We got married on the island of Tinos, one of the Cyclades Islands of Greece. The landscape there is minimal, with blues, whites and earthy tones. The island itself did most of the talking when it came to the look of the day so we wanted to highlight it in a minimal but elegant way. The men wore light beige linen suits, and the bridesmaids were in a mix of champagne and mocha with single roses to match their dress of choice.
We got married at Agia Paraskevi, in Isternia. The most stunning Greek Orthodox Church which overlooked the sea. The village is typically Cycladic with whitewashed walls, and small streets. We had a typical Cycladic procession with traditional musicians walking me to the church. It was such a lovely moment walking through the village with my parents, bridesmaids and meeting Adam at the door.
Our reception was at Bianco Beach Club in a private cove by the sea. We had a large list of cocktails, a saxophonist for cocktail hour & dinner followed by a DJ for the evening. We entered dinner to ‘An Everlasting Love’ and had our first dance to ‘Champagne Kisses’ by Jessie Ware. We had a mix of UK and Greek traditions with speeches from the groom, best men and Bride's Step-Dad followed later by the traditional money dance which is a Greek-Cypriot custom and a bit of Greek dancing on the beach.
Food is important to us, we wanted to have an unforgettable wedding dinner and that we did. The chef, Illias Kiazoli and his team put on the most incredible meal. We’ve not eaten such incredible food in a long time! It was all plates in the middle as we wanted our guest to interact. This is also a typical way of eating in Greece. Guests enjoyed a mixture of fresh seafood, steak and fresh salads all washed down with Mirabeau Rose, a lovely white Sancerre or red from local winery Vaptistis.
How did you spend the morning of your wedding? How did you deal with the nerves leading up to the wedding?
The morning of the wedding was spent with my Mum and 6 bridesmaids. It was surprisingly very relaxing. We had coffee and pastries in the morning, followed by Champagne at 12pm and a lovely charcuterie board. We loved wearing our Meeka dressing gowns. I really wanted the girls to be comfortable in the heat, and the natural fibre of the gowns made them the perfect choice. Plus I knew they’d be able to use them again.
We had only one artist doing both hair and make-up (Izzy Pratt), and she was amazing. We started at 8am and all eight of us were finished by 1:30pm ready for the photographer.
My nerves subsided as soon as we landed in Greece with all our bags and my dress in tow. At that point there’s nothing more you can do but sit back and enjoy it. Plus, how can you not feel relaxed on a Greek island?
Talk us through your main outfits of the wedding day.
The dress was by Halfpenny London and semi-bespoke. I combined parts of different dresses to create the look I was going for, plus commissioned a bespoke cathedral length veil which looked incredible in the church.
I am minimal in how I dress, but my Mum kept saying this is your only chance to be a bride and I feel like we got the perfect combination. The dress itself was sleek and figure hugging in a Duchess Satin whilst the overskirt which was dotted with sequins added that extra touch of bridal in a modern, chic way. I took the overskirt off straight after the first dance.
I didn’t want to over accessorise as I felt the dress didn’t need much with the overskirt and veil so I wore statement earrings from Victoria Percival, a delicate tennis bracelet and embellished Jimmy Choos for some added sparkle.
Are there any areas of your wedding that you wish you would/would not have splurged on?
At first, I thought we’d spent too much on flowers but now we’ve got our photos back I think they were worth every penny. I’m a sucker for the details and I think they made the venue look really special.
At times I think it would’ve been lovely to have a band in the evening, but being on a Greek island made things quite pricey … you need to cover transport and accommodation costs for all vendors so it made having a band just that extra bit expensive but hey everyone had an amazing time and we were dancing until 3am… with the final half hour with our feet in the sea!
Any advice you would like to give to future brides?
Advice wise it would be to enjoy the process, it’s the only time you’ll ever do this so enjoy every minute. Don’t sweat the small stuff, everyone is just so happy to be there. Have time with your new husband, we had a 15 minute drive to the venue and that was such a precious time to chat and feel excited together about the rest of the day (and our lives). Also, put an hour aside for photos … it’s worth it! Give your bridesmaids tasks, I asked my friend who takes amazing videos and photos when we go out to capture as much as possible. From this I managed to make a wedding reel which I love (especially because we didn’t have a videographer).
Try and have a before and after event if you can, even if it’s just with select people. It means the event lasts longer. We had a pre event which meant we could chat with everyone properly and not worry so much about it on the day, followed by a pool party the next day when everyone could debrief about the night before.
After the big day, don’t think of the what ifs. The day was perfect for the two of you and that’s all that matters. Everyone will have an opinion, but that’s their issue. What I love about weddings is how it reflects the couple, and so many people came to ours and said: ‘That was so Adam and Fotini’ … and that’s what I love so much.
Bridal morning Gowns - Camillo Nude robes
Stationery: Splendid Moment (Digital templates from Etsy which we personalised and had printed locally)
Bridesmaid dresses: Pretty Lavish
Wedding Scent: Figuier by Diptyque
Saxophonist: Thomas Alvertis