Wedding Destinations

Want to get married in Greece? Consider Thraki!

‘Love has no borders’

Wedding in Greece. You would think it won’t become possible as Santorini, Mykonos and Crete are either overbooked or stuffed with tourists. Two famous Cyclades and the rest of the Greek islands have recently become extremely popular – the so-called ‘high season’ has been extended to April-November. You would have to be lucky to score a good wedding date within the next…couple of years. But, hey! Greece is a large country and there is so much more to see! Forget the islands, Athens and Halkidiki and consider something further north instead.

We had a pleasure to discover the North of Greece – Thraki. We landed in Thessaloniki and drove around 200 km, but there is another airport in Alexandroupolis (it operates domestic flights so you would have to change in Athens to get there). Thraki is in general less touristy place, which will undoubtedly allow you to experience ‘the real Greece‘. The locals are very friendly and would definitely advise you where to go and what to do.

Ramada Plaza Thraki

Ramada Plaza Thraki is a 5star hotel operated by Wyndham. It is located just 4 km from Alexandroupolis. As for the ***** standard, the hotel has it all. From a luxurious SPA to several swimming pools, restaurant, pool bar, suites and about 150 spacious rooms. With its strategic location just outside the city, it makes a perfect destination for the weekend and for a wedding of your dreams.

 

 

 

Wedding at Ramada Plaza Thraki

Ramada Plaza Thraki features all the facilities and possibilities to make your dream wedding come true. Whether you would like to have a beach ceremony and a pool reception or a ceremony to be held somewhere else, the professional wedding planners are there to help you. One thing you can be sure of is – you will able to pleasure you guests with the best quality wine, olives, food and Greek live music! What more could you possibly want on your Greek wedding?

The total cost is adjustable to your desires and needs. I gathered some of the packages for you to have a look at :

HAPPINESS PACKAGE

 

  • Booking of your wedding date and time
  • Assistance with legal paperwork for every type of wedding
  • Registrar and two witnesses
  • Pre-wedding meeting with a wedding planner
  • Professional photographer during the ceremony
  • Decorated gazebo with textiles and flower bunches
  • The decorated path to the gazebo area with lanterns, candles, rose petals
  • Bridal bouquet
  • Wedding cake for the couple
  • Ceremony coordination
  • All taxes and VAT included

 

Package price: 1.860€

 

ONCE IN A LIFETIME PACKAGE

 

  • Booking wedding date and time
  • Assistance with legal paperwork for every type of wedding
  • Registrar and two witnesses
  • Pre wedding meeting with a wedding planner
  • Professional photographer during the ceremony and the reception, extra shooting ½ hour for the couple
  • Decorated gazebo with textiles and flower bunches
  • Decorated path to the gazebo area with lanterns, candles, rose petals
  • Bridal bouquet- groom’s boutonniere
  • Ceremony coordination
  • Bridal make up
  • Bridal hair
  • Bottle of champagne after the ceremony
  • DJ playing during the reception
  • Wedding Cake
  • All taxes and VAT included

 

Package price: 3.450€

 

DREAM WEDDING PACKAGE

 

  • Booking wedding date and time
  • Assistance with legal paperwork for every type of wedding
  • Registrar and two witnesses
  • Pre wedding meeting with a wedding planner
  • Professional photographer during the ceremony and the reception, extra shooting 1 hour for the couple
  • Decorated gazebo with textiles and flower bunches
  • The decorated path to the gazebo area with lanterns, candles, rose petals
  • Bridal bouquet- groom’s boutonniere
  • Ceremony coordination
  • Wedding cake
  • Bridal make up
  • Bridal hair
  • Bottle of champagne after the ceremony
  • Welcome decorated table with floral arrangements, textiles, wish book, welcome drink for the guests
  • DJ playing during the reception or live band with two musicians
  • Video coverage for ceremony and reception
  • Fireworks for 3 minutes
  • All taxes and VAT included

 

Package price: 4.800€

 

  • The dinner price per person is 25 standard and 50 luxury, which is around 35 less than Santorini standards.
  • The flights from Berlin to Thessaloniki is the cost of around 20-80€ return off season and 100-150€ return in the high season
  • The flights from London to Thessaloniki is the cost of around £50-70 return off season and around £120-170 return in the high season.
  • The car rental at Thessaloniki Airport is 58€/ 1 DAY for a very comfortable Nissan Qashqai ( -15% off with the code: CARMELATTE15 ). As for the rest of the costs : be prepared to pay for the ‘Super Relax’ car insurance, toll road (around 6€ ) and the petrol. At present 1l petrol is 1,63€ (13.06.2018) and it is around 200 km driving from there. There is an alternative way of getting there: you could search for the flights to Alexandropoulis (£400 return)

 

Why would you actually want to choose Thraki for your DESTINATION WEDDING?

 

Temperature

You probably want a beach wedding/ wedding in an exotic country because of the temperature. But what if it’s 40/50 degrees? Such a scorcher is definitely not the best choice for a ceremony – not only for your guests, but also for the staff working at your wedding. European summer in Greece could be a bit tricky, but… not in the North. Thraki is the region, where the temperature reaches 30/32ish degree in the full summer. Which is manageable, the way I see it.

The first half of June is the perfect time to say ‘I do’ in Thraki.

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Get a similar linen dress here (20% off with the code: carmelatte20)

 

Food

Greek food is undoubtedly one of many reasons you want your wedding to be in Greece, huh? Well, Alexandropolis is said to have some of the most famous Greek taverns and restaurants, with the best suppliers all around. Locals know the good food! We were invited to try some dishes and, I have to say, I have never had a better seafood.

‘Saint George’s Tavern’, at the village of Makri near Alexandroupolis was the first ‘Food Destination’. The place does not only make a lovely impression, has a great and posh Mediterranean vibe, but the food itself is great. What I would definitely recommend ordering is the ‘Greek caviar’ Taramas, Psari imeras carpaccio (fish carpaccio), Garides Saganaki (delicious shrimps in tomato sauce), Kritharoto me Garides (Greek-style risotto) and, of course, the red wine from the local winery. The average price per lunch is 40 per person, which is around 15  less than the same lunch in Santorini.

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Another ‘Food Heaven’ we had a pleasure to visit was Nisiotiko Fish Tavern in Alexandroupolis. We met the owner, who is really passionate about what he does. And he does a great job! We had a sea food feast. The food served at Nisiotiko is fresh, made with the healthiest and the best ingredients and inspired by… the world and travelling itself. My personal fav were the mussels cooked in white wine as well as an octopus with chilli. The average price per person is around 50(3 courses + wine), which is a London price range.

Nisiotiko IS a must-do while in the North of Greece for sure.

Wine and Olives

Did you know Thraki is the oldest written reference of wine in human history?

I am assuming you know Odysseus – the legendary Greek king of Ithaca. His most famous contribution to the Greek war was the idea of the Trojan Horse, which allowed the Greek army to sneak into Troy under the cover of darkness. After 10 years the Trojan War ended, but his adventures had only just begun. It took him another 10 years to return home to his wife Penelope.

His story is also related to Thraki.

Odysseus and his people reached Ismaros, the land of Cicones or Kikones, an ancient Thracian tribe. They decided to ‘wait out’ as the storm did not allow them to sail any further. They got into a huge argument with the locals and beat them in a fight. Maron, the elder druid, gifted Odysseus 12 barrels of wine as a ‘prize’. If not the famous wine, Odysseus wouldn’t be able to get Polyphemos, the giant cyclop, drunk!

Kikones, as referred by Homer, was the ancient tribe of Thrace. It was the area between the Vistonida lake and Evros river. People of Kikones were known as excellent horsemen and their wine seemed ‘popular’ in the ancient world.

In the 21st century, we are still able to find Kikones in the local shops. It was one of the best wines I have had. I would love to serve it to my guests on my big day! At Ramada Plaza Thraki it would be possible 🙂

The winery is located around 40 minutes driving from Ramada Plaza Thraki.

Thraki is also proud to have one of the oldest olive gardens in the world! The region produces extra virgin olive oil, which is known as one of the best one in the world! Another great position in your wedding menu, huh?

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For our press trip, we had a pleasure to be working with GOLDCAR. If you plan to go to some of the European destinations in the nearest future, use my code CARMELATTE15 to get a 15% discount at GOLDCAR.

Silk

After the wedding, you could take your guests to Soufli, a former major silk-producing centre in the late 19th through to the mid-20th century, in order to see how the silk is made.

I headed there in order to see ‘The Brides‘ exhibition that is being held at The Silk Museum. To me, it could be a great idea to head there before the wedding in order to get some inspiration. The exhibition features the real-life models from 1930’s, 1940’s, 1960’s and more recent 2008.

Tsiakiris is a museum and the shop. We had a chance to see the silk worms (for the first time) and witness how the silk is made. After the exhibition, you are able to purchase one of the finest silk scarfs. Tsiakiris is responsible for the silk garments of many Parisienne, Italian, Greek and Turkish fashion designers!

Did you know one silk worm can deliver up to 2km of silk thread?

 

One flight = 3 countries

 

Ramada Plaza Thraki is located a stone’s throw from Turkey and Bulgaria. It takes around 1 hour ( 80 km) to reach Bulgaria and around 50 minutes ( 50 km) to go to Turkey. You would have to make sure with the car rental if it is possible to cross the boarder, but if not – there are several other connections. Turkish Market is surely a great idea for a family day! Grande Bazaar of Edirne offers some great treasures you won’t be able to find anywhere else!

 

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Winter Time/Colder Days = SPA

Luckily, Ramada Plaza Thraki could also be your winter destination. With the Medditereanean Sea just in front of your eyes and the Greek taverns, you could head to this part of the world in January!

After the wedding, you could chill out at ‘the couple lounge’, enjoying a lovely massage of your choice and a jacuzzi for two followed by sauna. I think it would make a great gift for your both parents.

Check out my other ‘Destination Weddings’ articles from ISRAEL and DUBAI.

 

17 Comment

  1. very interesting post. This is helpful for people planning a wedding there. It’s good to read and perfectly matched photos. I’m comeback here. Maybe you make one more post about Greece ( what we must try to food, monuments, etc.)

  2. This looks so beautiful! I would love to have a destination wedding some day and Greece is one of my favorite countries. I had such a fun time while there. Beautiful photos!q

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