A Wedding for Two in Santorini — Aneta’s Story

Come with us to Aneta and Petr’s wedding on the beautiful island of Santorini, a place some have linked to the legend of Atlantis.

Aneta had quite literally dreamed of getting married here. She had a picture of Santorini as her desktop wallpaper, so she saw it every day.

Despite all the difficulties of the Covid pandemic, she and Petr made that dream come true in July 2020 and had a wedding day they would never forget.

They shared their experiences with us, including everything they had to overcome while planning their wedding in Santorini. So how did it all turn out?

Why did you decide to get married abroad? Where did the idea come from?

My now-husband and I had been together for ten years. The idea of getting married abroad had come to me a few years earlier, when I used to imagine us saying “I do” on top of a cliff, beneath a beautiful wedding arch — ideally on the Greek island of Santorini.

I even had one of those typical pictures of white houses with blue shutters as the wallpaper on my computer at work. I remember thinking to myself that it would probably never happen.

Then we got engaged, and naturally we started talking about where we might get married.

We both love mountains and nature, so at first we thought about places like Austria, Switzerland, Iceland or even faraway Bali. But somehow we couldn’t quite make any of those ideas work. There were more and more “buts”, and it wasn’t easy to arrange everything ourselves. Our enthusiasm was starting to fade.

Did you ever consider having a wedding back home?

For a while, we also considered a traditional wedding back home, with all our family and friends. I’m the sort of person who overthinks things and gets stressed about little details, while my partner doesn’t like being the centre of attention or feeling under pressure. So we decided to get away from all of that and have a quiet, worry-free wedding, just the two of us.

Determined to find a way, I searched for “wedding abroad” and came across a wedding agency called YachtWedding.

With so many countries and wedding venues to choose from, the island of Santorini — the one I’d been dreaming of — caught our eye straight away. The romance, those gorgeous sunsets and beautiful wedding arches with a view. This was it!

So was Santorini the obvious choice for you?

Yes. A lady from the agency sent us a full selection of wedding venues around the island. We liked the wedding terrace at Andromeda Villas the most… It was exactly what I’d imagined. To be honest, my fiancé liked everything, so he left the final choice to me.

After that, it was just a few emails, a quote, picking a date, booking our trip — and then we could look forward to it!

We planned everything from England, where we were living at the time.

I really appreciated the way the agency worked with us and kept in touch. They were patient and happy to sort everything out with us by email.

All that was left was to tell our families we were running off to Greece for a week’s holiday — and that we would be getting married while we were there, too.

How did they take the news?

It was easier than we’d expected, and they were very understanding.

How did Covid affect your wedding by the sea? Did you have to change the date?

The ceremony was supposed to take place at the end of May, on our tenth anniversary, but then Covid hit and our plans were suddenly up in the air.

First our flights were cancelled, then the hotel, and then there was the wedding itself to sort out.

YachtWedding were really accommodating in that situation and let us move the wedding to July.

And how did you enjoy your wedding in Santorini in the end?

The truth is, thanks to the pandemic, we had the most beautiful wedding, holiday and honeymoon all rolled into one.

The island was half-empty. We could enjoy the sunsets in peace from almost anywhere on the island, without crowds of tourists, and our wedding was perfect — and the only one on the island that day.

YachtWedding gave us a truly magical experience that we’ll never forget. The atmosphere was unbeatable, and it really was the wedding we’d dreamed of. Above all, the whole thing was just about the two of us — exactly as it should be.

What would you say to couples who are thinking about getting married in Santorini?

If the idea of a wedding for two appeals to you, I can’t recommend Santorini enough!

I can honestly say, hand on heart, that you won’t regret it. You’ll take home some truly heartwarming memories.

A huge thank you to everyone at YachtWedding, to the photographer and to all those who helped make this dream come true…

Thank you, Aneta, for sharing your story with us. We wish you and your husband a wonderful marriage full of love, happiness and joy.

For their wedding in Santorini, Aneta and Petr chose the elegant terrace at Andromeda Villas, with a beautiful view over the caldera, its deep lagoon and the islands beyond. In the distance, you can see the white houses of the glamorous village of Oia.

The ceremony at Andromeda Villas took place beneath an elegant white wedding arch, draped in flowing fabric. A small white table stood underneath, holding the rings, flowers and other decorations. It also served as a place to set down the bridal bouquet during the ceremony.

Photos: Lana Ryajentseva (GreecePhotographer), for YachtWedding.