Real Wedding in Chania: The details

I know, I know, this is long over due!  Here are the details from the wedding in Chania, Crete in June.  The couple Elias and Nancy were from San Fransisco, Elias being of Greek descent.  Nancy's pro activity in the DIY area really made this wedding and all the personal touches were clearly apparent throughout the decor.  Firstly, she had designed and hand printed welcome tote bags for all her guest which were waiting for them in their hotel rooms.  Along with the very cute bag she had included a handmade sarong, local products such as herbs and sesame brittle and information sheets so as all their guests knew where and when the events were happening.

 The table design was striking.  Tall tapered candle sticks with gorgeous  flower arrangements of Peonies with a mixture of foliage and berries looked beautiful.  Now just a bit of a heads up, in 36 degrees candle sticks tend to melt!  So if you are have tall tapered candles they need to be put out at the last minute otherwise they tend to bend out of shape.  

Each place setting had a menu, printed on the gorgeous petal effect, watercoloured card and a sprig of rosemary and lavender.  The place names, again on the same car, also had a print of either a fish, pig, lamb or vegetable to depict to the caterers which main dish the person had requested.  This detail blew me away.  It was so simple and yet Nancy had incorporated it into the design with such ease and the caterers were thrilled!

Unfortunately due to the strikes in Greece at the time there was a power cut for 1 hour just as the music and Greek dancing began.  What was wonderful was how all the sound and lighting guys steeped up to the plate.  With a little help from around 150 tea lights we had as back up and an amazing catering staff, the show went on.  The Greek band played beautifully whilst all the catering staff, including Costas who is the main chef from Tsedakis Catering, got up and started Greek dancing for the crowd.  It was wonderful so see and the whole wedding party loved it.  It especially got interesting when all the guests were dragged up too.  Greek dancing by candle light, it doesn't get more romantic than that!

The courtyard at Kindelis is a magical place to first enter at the venue. It sets a wonderful atmosphere for the rest of the reception.  The Greek band was set up playing traditional music to greet the guests at the cocktail hour.  There were long stem peonies in tall vases and meze menus on the each of the tall cocktail tables.  What made this area for me was the personalised match boxes with OPA on them. They were awesome!

 

The escort cards doubled as the favours.  Nancy had designed them again with the same watercoloured design as little boxes.  Each had the guests name on it with the table number in sticker form sealing the box.  Inside she had put an uneven number of koufetta (in keeping with tradition).  Coupled with the bougainvillea and Peonie arrangements the table looked gorgeous, especially when the tea lights were lit a little late on.

Then there was the photo booth!  As you all know I am hugely keen on this idea.  I love them and the further into the evening you go the more hilarious the photos!  The backdrop for the booth was made out of different coloured ribbons and although it doesn't look like much on its own the photos come out amazingly (as you can see by the photo of Niko, Sara's gorgeous husband!).

The wedding was a blast and topped off by the awesome mix of 90's RnB that kicked off in the party zone later.  Nancy's DIY touches really paid off and made the wedding such a personal event.  As always the suppliers were amazing.  Tsedakis' food was delicious, the flowers from Birgitte were beautiful and as always the music and lighting by Manos from Sound Design was awesome!  Sara played out of her boots on planning and design and I must say I had such a wonderful time assisting her and Niko.  

There is nothing more to say than a huge CONGRATULATIONS to Elias and Nancy.  We hope your honeymoon was as amazing as your wedding.

NY

Real Wedding in Chania, Crete

So as you all know Sara and I headed back to Crete last week to set up a wedding she had been planning for the gorgeous Nancy!  It was awesome to be back at Metohi Kindelis again and I must say, Manoli the owner, has made it even more beautiful!  Seeing it at a different time of year also bought a whole new aspect to the venue for me, as different plants were in full bloom and obviously the light was different as the sun set later.  The bride was amazing.  So chilled and generally a very kind soul to work with.  Her ideas were beautiful and due to the fact she works in the design industry her eye for detail was striking.  The menus, invitations, escort cards and place names were printed on hand painted card which resembled the colourings of a rose petal.  They were honestly breath taking and my photos do not do them justice! 

So to break down the different areas for the wedding. The main courtyard was were the cocktail hour was held.  Champagne and strawberries with an array of meze.  Through to the rear garden, the dining area was set up around the pool with the live Greek band situated in front of all the tables.  Lastly, the party area.  This was in the second pool area of the property (there are 3 private gardens with pools at the venue) with bare bulb lights and pom poms not forgetting the bar and the DJ.

What I love about Greece and it is something that any bride getting married in Greece needs to accept, is that the Greeks go at their own pace.  This can sometimes be alarming, for example when you are heading to Church for the service and the tables are only just getting set.  Don't fret.  It amazes you when on return and hour or so later the whole venue has been transformed!  The heat has a lot to do with it.  We were working in mid thirty degrees, it was hot to say the least!  So the later you can leave it the better.

The suppliers that were used were the same we had sourced for my wedding and I must say they never cease to amaze me.  The food was divine, the flowers gorgeous and as always the sound and lighting were spot on.  It was also really cool to be on the other side of the procedure.  Am not sure that I didn't enjoy it even more this time!

I will showcase the wedding over the next couple of posts. It really was gorgeous!

NY

Traditional Greek Wedding Cake

I got asked the other day what was a traditional wedding cake in Greece.  To be honest I had no idea so I asked Sara.  So here is the answer!  Traditionally the Greeks have a very thin sponge cake with a white, very sweet cream.  Some people opt to have the sponge flavoured with fruits, syrup or a little chocolate.  It was originally to be white on the outside and oblong rather than tiered. 

Image from blog.natashamaresca.com

The other rendition of this cake consisted of honey, sesame seeds and quince.  It was said to symbolise the couple's enduring commitment to each other.  These days, most Greek couples prefer a flourless almond cake, which is filled with vanilla custard and fruit, and covered in sliced almonds.  

NY

I love this Blog!

I have just come across a blog that I love and wanted to share it with you all.  Although it is not a wedding blog it is Greek inspired and has an array of different posts that I found interesting and quite beautiful.  As you all will have gathered I am a bit of a feeder (to put it in the words of my friends and husband), so any blog that has awesome recipes is right up my alley.  This blog is one on them!

All images from seeminglygreek.blogspot.com

It is called seeminglygreek.blogspot.com and is full of informative posts as well as recipes for food, frappes, travel stories and beautiful photography.  It is definitely worth a look for inspiration for your Greek wedding.  Here is the link http://seeminglygreek.blogspot.com/  I really hope you enjoy it as much as I am!

NY

Comment Response: Cake Thoughts

I am sorry this has taken four days to materialise and I hope the below ideas make it worth the wait!  On Friday Charlotteandglenn asked what our thoughts were on cake types to follow a meze styled dinner.  Now for me following that with a formal cake would not flow properly but there are so many different options out there nowadays to choose from, that you are not left without amazing options.  Here are a few of my choices:

The Cupcake Tower

Image from Manolobrides.com

As with all of my options it will be easy for your guests to grab one of these cakes and carry on mingling, not to mention very easy to eat.  Having the top tier as a normal sized cake of your choice will allow you to still be able to have the ceremonial cutting of the cake. 
If you are struggling to find a baker whose decorating skills are up to scratch the good thing about the cupcake tower is, you can always pack an array of decorations and set about designing them yourself (or delegate one of your bridesmaids to do the job!).  Don't forget there is also the option of decorating with real flowers.

The Ice Cream Cake

Images from caketodays.com & 123rf.com

Simple and yet striking. Again adapting the top layer to allow for the cutting of the cake but this time having individual wafer baskets filled with ice cream and fruit.  I personally love this but you will have to allow for the fact that the cake cannot be sitting out all night. As you can imagine it will not last very long in the warmth of the Greek evenings but would be a wonderful choice if you are looking to surprise your guests by bringing out the cake at the last minute.

The Dessert Tower

Image from sweetart.co.uk

Lastly, the dessert choice.  This was my personal choice for our wedding and worked perfectly.  I had a choice of 4 desserts (a mix of South African favorites and Greek) each, individually portioned in perspex pots.  On top was an ekmek kataifi for us to cut, although truth be told, we never got round to that part.  If you would like to see what our dessert tower looked like please click the following link http://littlewhiteagenda.blogspot.com/2010/06/nattys-catering-choices.html

I know that I have chosen 3 versions of towers but I think that this is going to be the most striking and perfect way to not only present your cake but also to serve it.  I hope this has been of some help to you and please let us know what cake you decide upon as we would love to see it!

NY

Menu Ideas for your Greek Wedding

Good afternoon all, today I thought we should talk about a really important element of any wedding reception around the globe and that is the food that will be served to your guests!

Of course when having a destination wedding in Greece the three important elements are going to be finding a beautiful outdoor venue, preferably with a sea view, great wine and of course some great Greek food.
Some of your guests may never have tasted the local cuisine so it is a chance to incorporate some local dishes and perhaps serve the meal "meze" style, with all being served to the centre of the table so everyone can try a little of each!

As it's really difficult to choose one "ideal" menu that will suit all tastes, I will just indicate what I think should definitely be included on a menu and how I would structure it ideally!

Meze or starters

Great selection of bread, ask for the village loaves, perhaps small ones on wooden cutting boards for guests to slice themselves!
A selection of dips which must include tzatziki, skordalia, taramosalata and olive oil flavoured with oregano!
A Greek salad (obviously, although you could embelish with Cretan rusks, they call it Dakos salad)
Fried vegetables, this is really tasty, especially combined with the skordalia as above
Fried cheese (called saganaki)
Roasted feta with spices, absolutely love this dish!

You would then go on to include either seafood like kalamari and grilled octopus or meat based dishes like bekri meze (pork cooked in wine, the exact translation is boozy starter)

Image from 123rf.com

Main Course

For main course again I would suggest keeping it simple with a large fish with olive and lemon dressing served with roast potatoes with oregano and lemon and some other vegetables of your choice.

Alternatively I would serve a fillet of meat that you prefer, again if cooked well this is tasty with just some freshly squeezed lemon on top, but you could also offer a choice of pepper sauce or hollandaise for those that want to add some interest to their main course!

Loukamades image from Tiny Bites flickr.com

Dessert

Dessert is really important to me, being a "sweet" loving girl, this is where my attention is focused, I think you must include a platter of Greek pastries i.e. baklava and kataifi, perhaps served with ice cream. Another vey Greek flavour is mastiha, do try before adding to your wedding menu, some love it  and other hate it (Natty being one!), I love it, so would serve mastiha flavoured ice cream.

Loukoumades are always a favourite as well, for those that are not certain what these are, dough balls with honey and cinnamon on top, served hot!

SP

Greek Delicacies

Food is obviously a big part of your wedding day and getting the menu right is of utmost importance.  If you are going for a menu of Greek cuisine it is important to go out and try as many different dishes as you can.  That can be a little hard if you live outside of Greece and do not come from a Greek family.  So my advice is, go out and buy a Greek cookbook and test drive some of them at home or if you have a Greek friend, rope them into cooking for you!  Here are a couple of cookery book ideas for you to try.

Image from whsmith.com

I have been raised eating Rena Salaman's recipes and am a big fan of her books.  Every trip to Athens I pack my copy so I can update it with any changes my Aunt may have made to the recipes.  I know for a fact Auntie Fi uses hers on a daily basis and to this day, I have not come across a better cook in the Greek cuisine department than her.  

Image from deliciousmagazine.co.uk

I saw Tessa Kiros's on the shelves of a Waterstones store and was truly tempted to buy it.  I later saw a blog post about it on the Ammos Hotel's blog as Nikos, the owner, knows the author and raves about it.  I have stayed at his hotel a couple of times and am planning on returning again this September.  His food is amazing, so in my opinion, any cookbook he says is great, will be.

Not only will it give you a wider range of dishes for you to choose for your wedding menu but can be used as a great way to entertain whilst doing research at the same time.  Invite some friends round, make an evening of it and get their feedback on the food.  If you really want to box clever, you could couple it up with some Greek wine tasting.

NY

Stained Glass Window Inspired Cake

I saw this cake and thought it was divine.  The detail in the icing is just breath taking and would make an incredible center piece for any wedding reception.  

Image from magpiescakes.com

The use of colour also impresses me and would make it fantastic to tie in with a wedding theme along the same palette as there is such an abundance of different tones to play with.

Hats  off to Magpie cakes for this beautiful creation.

NY

Edible Menu

I think firstly it should be stated that these are only going to work at a wedding in Greece if they are laid out at the last minute, otherwise your guests will just be met by a melted mess.  

Image from delysia.com

That said,  how amazing are these?  Not only are they striking but the guests are in a win win situation.  These menus are informative and tasty! Just plain brilliant.  

Image from delysia.com

They are made by Delysia Chocolatier and are such a unique way to dress your table.

NY

Menu Choices and Serving Options

I thought that a chat about menu choices is over due.  It is quite a hard call to make but I think the first choice to be made is if you want a buffet or table service dinner, or even a mixture of the two.  There are pros and  cons to both options depending on what kind of reception you aim to have.

Images from friends

 We went for a mixture of the two.  It was decided to serve the main bulk of the starters during the cocktail hour and for this we had a mixture of both served meze and a buffet table for those who wanted to help themselves.  I have been told by the caterer that never in the history of their wedding catering has anyone served so much food at a wedding (am not sure this is a good or a bad thing) and on the Sunday they were astounded at how much food had actually been consumed!  I am not going to lie, it does make me slightly proud that we hold the record with them for a hideous amount of food consumption!  I am surprised any of us could even dance afterwards.

For the meze we had a mixture of classic Greek, dolmades, keftedes, chicken and pork souvlaki to name a few.  Once the cocktail was over everyone was seated with bowls of olives on the table as well as houmous, pittas and melintzanoslata.  Then came the onslaught of the mains.  Spit roasted lamb, gemista, lemon roasted potatoes, gamopilafo and agkinares kokkinistes.  As you can see, it was a little excessive but it was delicious.  We opted for the classic, taverna style food as a lot of the guest came from abroad and we felt that a Greek menu was appropriate and I was delighted with the result.  It truly was mouth watering.  The main course was served to the tables although, the tables were not big enough to hold such a large amount of dishes along with all the water, wine coolers and candle holders.  But in a way it added to the atmosphere of the wedding when all the plates ended up piled onto of the coolers or on the ground next to the tables, sounds bad but was quite cool really.

Image from a friend

The desert course reverted back to buffet style with some table service.  As you all know we had mini puddings as our 'cake' so these were at the buffet table with some mizithra pancakes being made to order and an array of fresh fruit and ice cream cones!  I know, food over kill.  I just couldn't make up my mind so we had it all.  I found the mixture of buffet and table service worked really well and also enabled us to keep a handle on the time.  Buffets can lead to a disjointed dinner service if not organised well and I wanted all the guests to be eating their mains at the same time, we did over run a bit but as there was no time cap on the party it was not a deal breaker.

I think the important part of getting the menu and serving choice right is to establish what feel you want for your wedding.  Also taking into account what time limit you are on, is going to be key in deciding how you want to serve your meal.  Also what type of food and the amount will also play a key part.

NY

Anyone for Cake?

After getting very excited and to be honest, very hungry, writing the 'Croquembouche Greek Style' post, I punished myself by scrolling through hundreds of cake images to post you some more cake inspiration.  The cake can be a pinnacle point in your reception decor and the wedding day, so getting it right is important.  Here is an array of different cakes for your perusal.   

Images from ( left filmsrtip )cakeladycakes.com, 
bluecakecompany.com & themacbeths flickr.com
(right filmstrip) kiccacakes.co.uk,
cakeladycakes.com & cateritsimple.com   

How gorgeous are these cakes.  The angel cake by cakeladycakes is incredible.  It looks so tactile and light.  I also love the rose cake by Kicca cakes.  The colour is striking and the use of roses in vases to break the tiers is beautiful.  

NY

Croquembouche Greek Style

Image from wedding-cake.co.uk

We very nearly had a tower of loukoumades at our wedding and for the life of me, I don't know why we didn't.  After looking at the wonderful pictures of Croquembouche cakes, I am still convinced it could be made with loukoumades and be incredible. Am so bleak I didn't have one, can you imagine how cool that would be.  I am going to have a word with the patissier in Chania and see if she can rustle one up, just so we can see it in all it's glory! What an great choice for a wedding cake.

NY

3 Day Eventing

Ok so if you are getting all your family and friends to travel abroad for your wedding, you are more than likely going to organise more functions than just the wedding. So in reality you are going to find yourself with more work and a little more stress than normal. This is ok if you make sure you have a structure to your events. Let's say you are organising a 3 day event. Friday night dinner, Saturday Wedding and Sunday Lunch. Now that is at least 2 venues and 3 menus to organise. A lot of work but if done well, truly worth it.
Jubbs and I opted for the exact layout as above. Finding the wedding venue turned out to be easy. Sorting the other 2 venues, a little more tricky. Not only that but it meant thinking through 2 other menus.  I knew exactly what menu I wanted to have for the actual wedding reception (lamb on the spit with an array of other Greek dishes) but then I had to organise the other two event's menus to compliment that evening.

Images from Okeanos Beach Bar on Facebook & Friends

Originally, we were going to use the villa where Jubb's family was staying, as the venue for the Sunday lunch. The caterers were going to sort all the food, drink, tables etc and it was to be a casual, swimming party affair. After a little more thought it was decided that that was actually a terrible idea as his poor family were to have 150 people invade their privacy and make a complete mess of their villa. So 2 months before the wedding, the wonderful Nikos from the Ammos hotel, showed Sara and I a cool beach bar called Okeanos. It as right on the beach, had a pool, obviously a bar and the guests could stay as long as they like. As for the menu; the caterers made amazing pork gyro, chicken souvlaki, with chips, salad and Loukoumades for pudding, what else does anyone want when horrendously hungover!

Images From Friends

So only the Friday to sort out and this is where my advice on befriending the locals comes in handy. A lovely lady who runs the Drakiana Taverna, nr Platanias, told us, after plying us with a substantial amount of Raki, about a fish restaurant in Halepa. The next day, after drying out, we headed down to check it out and were astounded by what we saw. OK so it is no oil painting but it is right on the water and has stunning views over the sea of Chania harbour. The fish was renown for being spectacular and the owner insisted that my father came on the day of the party to check the fish out personally, otherwise he would not agree to have us there. To be honest he nearly cancelled it at 2pm on the day of the party because Dad had not turned up already to check out the catch and he had to rush down there to appease the poor chap! It turned out to be my favorite evening. I know I should say that the wedding day was but the Friday was awesome. We could relax and enjoy our friends and I got a little too drunk for my own good but I had a blast doing it. The only let down was my Mother insisted that I had to leave before 12am because Jubbs was not allowed to see me after that time and I was forcibly removed from my own party by a family friend. I would like you to know it was not without huge protest.
Seriously, if you get the right places to hold the events they really make the wedding a memorable one. You could just have 2 venues and hold the Sunday event at the wedding reception venue, whatever works for you. As long as you make sure you are having a diverse array of food it will be amazing, as each event will set a different atmosphere.

NY

Natty's Catering Choices

Sara says: Ok, so over to the catering, what were your initial thoughts on the type of food you wanted to serve at the wedding and how was it approaching local caterers compared to those in the UK (if you have experience with them)?

Natalia says: I was always going to go with traditional Greek food. To me there was no point in going all the way over to Crete and eating what would be served at an English wedding. Lamb on the spit was a priority. Finding someone who would agree to it for up to 200 people was another thing! The local caterers differed on their reaction to me. As we have already covered the fact I am quite particular about things, it is no surprise that some of them were a little wary of me at the start. We had initial meetings with the caterers and then a food trial! The first caterer refused point blank to spit the lambs and then changed his mind once he realised I knew and loved my food! The one we ended up going with, was game from the start!

Sara says: I see this with Greeks all the time . The point blank refuse at the start and then come round to the idea as you talk with them in more detail! It's really strange!

Natalia says: I think the difference between the English caterers and the Greeks is; The English appreciate that you are the client and want what you want even if they know better. The Greeks don't really care if you want it they know better! It is your job to gently coax them round to your way of thinking and then let them believe it was their idea in the first place. Sound familiar ladies?!!!!!!!! Yes both my caterers were male!

Sara says: Exactly

Natalia says: Oh apart from the cake lady! And she agreed from the start!

Sara says: Because she was female

Natalia says: basically, yes!!!!!! She was lovely and so were her cakes and I ‘tasted’ a lot of them! Yummy!

Sara says: It really depends how modern and open the supplier is, most of them do think they know best and that there are only certain ways of approaching a job. They also think they should be able to choose what is most convenient to them rather than the client. It's an interesting concept and happens throughout Greece

Natalia says: If you have a planner or you know how to gently bring them round you will always end up with what you want

Sara says: It’s also frustrating when you try to investigate how exactly they are going to lay out and event or what process they are going to use for a specific event, they will tell you they have huge experience and everything will be great. Greek Men are simply frustrating. My main recommendation is to have EVERYTHING in writing

Natalia Yannaghas says: I agree and if they can't email you, get them to fax it! It is usually quicker! In the end I used a lovely catering company called Tzedakis

Sara says: They were so lovely, both the owners. Their main attribute was setting up the kitchens on site so all the food was cooked that minute rather than being transported which is usually what happens

Natalia says: For me they were great and they catered for the Saturday wedding and the Sunday lunch. Definitely would have been a deal breaker for me if they had not cooked fresh on site. The lamb was spectacular and the Gyro that they produced on the Sunday was out of this world. Just what the doctor ordered after a 12 hour bender! They were flexible and had a very open mind which is quite rare in Greece. Nothing was a bother and they gave us a wonderful food tasting session and one of their own homes! It was amazing.  think Jubbs was in heaven!  We also wanted loukoumades. A very controversial thing to ask for it turns out!!!! Apparently they are extremely hard to make on site because the batter doesn't like to travel!!!! Well that is what one caterer told us! Take it from me...Tzedakis batter travelled just fine and all the Greeks at the wedding said they were some of the best they had ever eaten!

Sara says: So what were the pros and cons of using a small local caterer rather than a large one from the mainland?

Natalia says: I suppose firstly the cost. It would have cost a lot more to have paid for logistics, and accommodation for all the staff coming from the mainland. I think if you are on an Island it is nice to give the work to a local. They know the traditional food of that island and also sometimes the small guys are better. Especially if you are going for Greek food. Some of the best Greek food is from recipes handed down b y generations. To be honest, Crete is a large island I so had anything I wanted there, food wise. Maybe if I had been on a smaller Island I would have been more restricted.

For me it was very important to taste the food of the caterers before I made any decisions on which I would use. Then to make them cook absolutely everything I had wanted for the wedding. It was at that point I set the menu and to be honest went on a 2 day starvation diet! Eating 2 days worth of food in one sitting kills you, especially after you have had gyro for lunch and cake tasting in the afternoon! I wanted to die.

Sara says: Oh yes, I too remember, we seemed to forget the tasting in the evening until very late in the day and then had to make room for a meal for 10. What about the set up and appearance of the food?

Natalia says: The set up and appearance was rustic! But that is what I had wanted. I checked their portfolio before and told them what presentation I like and what offended me! They were very good at listening to me! This helped! In the end there were some teething problems, nothing to do with the caterer I would like to add, but all went very well and it was delicious!

SP & NY