Wedding Destinations

Beautiful Destination Wedding in Paros

People say Paros is ‘like Mykonos was 20 years ago’. It is hard not to agree, the way I see it. The island is located in the heart of the Aegean sea and belongs to the Cyclades, the most popular Greek island group, according to 2019 travel statistics at edreams. Being close to famous Cyclades, such as Mykonos and Santorini, Paros was often ‘neglected’ by the international tourists. Big mistake. Big.

I have been to 4 Cyclades islands so far and Paros is by far my favuorite one. Why?

  1. Not overcrowded
  2. ASTONISHING sights every few steps
  3. A glass of wine is a cost of 3 euro
  4. Great location for island hopping

How to get to Paros ?

It is very easy to travel among the Cyclades these days. Paros has a small international airport with few connections do Athens and Thessaloniki on a daily basis. The island is also easily reached with daily ferries and high-speed vessels Sea Jets from many different Cyclades as well as Athens and Crete. I always travel with this company as it is also the most convenient. They have 29 ports around the Aegean, and 250 interconnections. They operate 8 months of the year, which is considered the ‘season’ in Greece. The company is continuously developing its fleet and was voted number 1 highspeed ferry company capacity-wise in the world.

Let’s get to the point…

…I think Greece is a perfect destination for a wedding in general. After all, a typical Cycladic architecture makes a background for millions of wedding photos. Greece has a perfect climate, delicious food and it is very easy to reach these days. With Santorini being fully booked years in advance, and Mykonos being quite of a pricey idea, Paros is the perfect solution!

Planning a destination wedding is not easy – I know what I say, we tied the knot in Thailand in May this year. I wish I had known things that I know now. First of all – the professional help of the natives is a crucial ‘ingredient’ of making your wedding…. your way. After all – they know the wedding market in Greece better than anyone else. Wedding in Greece is a wedding planning agency operating all over Greece. How did I find them? I stumbled across some beautiful images on Pinterest, and it appeared to be them. I am truly fascinated by the number of services they offer, I haven’t seen most of them on any other wedding planning website. Wedding in Greece will help you with anything you want – from organising the whole wedding (including the photographers and videographers) to the tiniest details, such as goodie bags. They even help the brides with choosing the perfect wedding dress (made in Greece of course) and… the transportation of the dress! I find it truly outstanding as my wedding dress was lost on our way to Thailand, and I know how stressful it can get, especially a few days before the big day. They also do photo booths for the guests (which is not an easy activity to organise at a destination wedding) as well as Guests Support and RSVP. What does it mean? Wedding in Greece stuff will handle all the communication with your guests, asking whether or not they plan to attend your wedding in Greece, keeping you updated with their responses.
They will also be able to help them with legal matters and transport. How amazing is that?

Wedding in Greece have years of experience and are truly masters of outdoor ceremonies. I have fallen for the romantic setups they are able to create. Sky is the limit!

Wedding in Greece are open for any ideas and suggestions but they have so far covered civil weddings (legal service), vow renewals, catholic weddings, orthodox weddings, Hindu weddings, Asian weddings, symbolic weddings as well as weddings on a cruise. They will never say no to a Gay wedding, Arabic wedding, Sikh wedding or an elopement. Wedding planning and wedding design may vary from 1200- 3000 euro, depending on how big the wedding is, the number of wedding planners needed, guests, requested extras and even the location. The prices are fully customized but are always given to the couple at the very beginning. Check all the services provided by their wedding planning team.

Speaking of a wedding planner – you would need a great photographer whom you could trust. And you would surely need a recommendation. Wedding in Greece works with Eleni Dona, who is a real star among the destination wedding photographers. She is able to ‘adjust’ herself to every location as well as every type of events. Eleni works in Athens and the Cyclades mostly. She would make her way to Paros as well.

Eleni is aware of the current trends and is very active on social media (over 3k followers on her Instagram). She creates beautiful eye-catching images, very natural and full of emotions. I really enjoy her Instagram feed but I especially love her sunset photos from Santorini and an elopement shot from Mykonos. Oh, how many feelings, what emotions on just one photo! She would surely do the same magic on your destination wedding in Paros.

Let me quote one of her recent clients, Mrs Heather V. ‘We had a wonderful experience with Eleni Dona photography! Coming from the US, we had no prior experience with planning a destination wedding in Greece, let alone finding the perfect photographer, but she soon settled any worries we may have had about the rehearsal and wedding day! Her crew was professional and disappeared into the background of the days’ events but were readily available for taking or making suggestions.’

By looking at her testimonials as well as people’s comments on her Facebook page, I can tell she really gets on well with all of the couples. This is, in my opinion, the most important factor when choosing a person who would capture your Big Day. After all, the moments with your wedding photographer….stay with you forever.

Eleni is a member of Wedding Wire, MYWED, Fear Less Photographers and 2019 Wedding Chicks. She also works closely with Wedding in Greece.

As for the prices and packages, you need to contact Eleni directly. You could do it via e-mail, phone or on social media.

Can a foreign couple get married in Greece?

I used to start my articles from a legal note but I decided to skip it this time as I’ve mentioned it quite a lot so click here for a re-cap. Both civil and religious marriage ceremonies are legally recognized in Greece, and foreigners can choose to marry in either a civil or religious ceremony, or both. The legal minimum age for marriage in Greece is 18 years for both men and women, however it is possible for younger couples to marry with a court order.

When is the best time to get married in Paros?

The very best period to tie the knot is between April and June and September-October. Winter might be a bit of a hectic period and the ferries are usually not running. The high season on the island isn’t as long as it is on Santorini but I would suggest avoiding Paros in July and August. Not only those beautiful alleyways would be full of tourists but the heath isn’t the best option – both for wedding dress and make-up.

What to do in Paros? Naossa, Piso Livadi and the beaches…

Apart from the sandy beaches with over 120 km of coastline, you can enjoy the lovely Mediterranean towns. We were in Paros for 2 full days but we managed to see quite a lot as for such a small period of time.

We were staying at one of Mr and Mrs White properties – San Antonio Hotel Piso Livadi. It is more of a summer house, not 100% luxurious but 100% Greek. We loved the atmosphere, delicious breakfast as well as the laid-back interior. It felt like someone has just transported you to the 60’s but in a very good way. I especially loved the homey feel, the little balcony with the view as well as the location of Piso Livadi.

Do you know you can actually organize your wedding… at this lovely place? There are a few picturesquare chapels around the area where you could legally tie the knot and hold a religious ceremony. You could then transport your guests to San Antonio for a boutique reception by the pool. Contact the property for some more details.

There are so many places to discover on this island! We started at Piso Livadi, a small fishermen port on the eastern side of the island of Paros. I have fallen in love with its tiny alleyways, so typical for the Cyclades.
Piso Livadi has a number of charming tavernas famous for their local seafood dishes. I generally think sampling the regional cuisine is one of the must-do activities in Paros. You best make sure you don’t miss TZATZIKI here! 
Once a very small and quiet bay, it has become quite popular in recent years and is the main port to embark on sailing trips over Naxos (20 minutes) or to Antiparos.

Located at the North of the island, about 20 minutes drive from Parikia, this lively fishing village is where we would have prefered to stay. It’s a little quieter than Parikia during the day but comes alive at night when it can be quite the party city, like Mykonos. It’s a fishing village, which is why much of the nightlife revolves around the small harbour. We really enjoyed a few glasses of wine by the water. It was super lively and a bit crowded but in a very good way. The harbor is also where it’s also the most expensive, from what we have seen on the island (still not even close to ‘Mykonos-expensive’). I think Naossa would make a perfect base to your wedding guests and perhaps even your wedding location?

Shopping

There are some great little boutiques and stores in Parikia, Piso Livadi and Naousa and even a few funky places in the smaller villages as well. There are small markets, high-end boutiques, local Greek designer wear and jewellery, much of it very affordable ( those wonderful earrings were 20 euro a pair and I didn’t get them 🙁 ). If you’re looking to find something special to take home from your trip this would definitely be the place to do it.

Summarising, Paros is a perfect destination wedding place. It offers the whole lot and it is much more affordable than Santorini and Mykonos, at least for now. If you are still really into visiting those two iconic islands (no wonder), you and your guests could do an epic Greek islands hopping as a part of your after wedding activities. A destination wedding often means a week holiday for the majority of your guests (as it was in our case) so don’t forget to prepare a few options on how they could spend their time after your big day.

I also encourage you to take a look at my other Wedding Destination article from Amorgos.

6 Comment

  1. These pictures look so perfect! I went to a wedding in Santorini a few years back and it was magical, but it does get incredibly overcrowded. This place looks like a wonderful alternative. x

    Kate Louise Blogs

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