The Idea of Hiring in Greece

I know that we have already mentioned this in our chats but we felt that it should be elaborated on a little more! Now, don’t get me wrong you can hire accessories for your wedding in Greece but it is not that easy and it will cost you a lot of money. Here is why: The likelihood of finding a hire company on the islands is slim to none. Trust us we have tried and failed. In Athens is where you will find them and this will obviously incur costs. Firstly; you have the hire cost itself, which is quite dear. Secondly; you have then got to pay the transport cost of getting it to your location. This will normally involve a van and a ferry. Lastly; you will have to pay for the accommodation of the people who will deliver it and no, collecting and returning yourselves is not an option. We are very spoilt in the UK, USA and many other countries in that our event and wedding industries are very advanced. I went out expecting the same level of service and suppliers as I had at home and was quite shocked by the difference. So, you need to think carefully through what you will want and make plans accordingly. The above advice also extends to things like chairs, tables, marquees, glasses, crockery etc and also if you want something a little different from your florist, you will again have to buy the vessels. I was lucky in that I used a lovely German lady called Birgitte who lives in Chania. She did not charge me for a lot of it and the things she did charge me for were at a very cheap rate. All the other florists were trying to charge me for everything including the earth to pot the plants with.
Your caterers will have tables and chairs of their own but a lot of the smaller, more local caterers will have a very basic range. I chose to just take it for the team on this front, but if you want to have more stylish, modern things you will need to budget for them. I also found it cheaper to go to the cheap stores and buy candle holders and other accessories.
It bottles down to the Greeks don’t really understand the concept of second hand! It doesn’t appeal to them. So you need to really think about what is vital for your wedding look and then compromise on the rest otherwise it will cost you a fortune.

NY