An Interview with a Groom About His Wedding in Croatia

Petr married his beautiful wife six years ago in the Croatian island town of Trogir.

Their wedding day brought them good fortune — and an adventure was waiting for Petr, too.

In this interview, he shares how he experienced getting married abroad and why, for him, it turned out to be the best choice.

Why did you decide to get married abroad?

Honestly, I had always dreaded the idea of a traditional wedding with lots of guests, perhaps at some castle, where I would have to play the role of a prince I’m not.

Nothing against traditional weddings, it’s just that, personally, there was nothing about being the groom in that kind of setting that I could identify with, and despite all my efforts, I simply wouldn’t have enjoyed it. For me, it would have been a social obligation I would somehow have had to endure, rather than a memory I would want to come back to. I’m not really much of a wedding-and-celebration person.

My wife and I quickly agreed that this wasn’t for us, because we both preferred a more natural, intimate atmosphere. Dozens or hundreds of guests, all the traditional wedding trimmings, and the two of us as the main focus of attention — I don’t think I could have survived that.

Why did you choose Croatia for your wedding?

There were several reasons for getting married in Croatia. We both love Dalmatia, and we return there every year on our yacht.

At the time, it was very important to my wife that her little dog could also be there for the ceremony, because he wouldn’t have managed a flight somewhere more exotic. Although I have to admit that I was the one suggesting somewhere more exotic at first.

But the more we talked about it, the more enthusiastic I became about getting married in Trogir. I was in my element. I immediately started planning the logistics, choosing where we would anchor and so on. I got actively involved, which I definitely wouldn’t have done when preparing a traditional wedding at home, because it simply meant nothing to me. But everyone is different.

Why Trogir in particular?

We already knew Trogir, and it’s an incredibly beautiful place with excellent restaurants and picturesque little corners. And I could sail right up to the ceremony on my own yacht, which was one of my conditions.

There are our favourite little islands and picturesque coves nearby, as well as plenty of places for wedding photos.

You had guests at the wedding. How did you arrange the accommodation?

We arranged it so that my wife, our dog and I would stay on the yacht, while we rented apartments for the guests.

We chose the accommodation and anchorage in a nearby well-protected bay, where we could spend time with the wedding guests while still keeping the privacy of our own floating island.

We spent four lovely days there together, and apart from the wedding day, we also took our guests on boat trips to our favourite coves.

It was very pleasant and relaxed. We had enough time for everyone — and, most importantly, for each other.

What did you do after the wedding?

We had a little table with refreshments and champagne set up by the yacht on the waterfront for a toast.

It turned out that the morning storm and rain had a very positive effect for us: the historic centre of Trogir and the waterfront emptied out, and we practically had the whole place to ourselves. It was a wonderful bonus — I’d even say we had hit the jackpot that day.

After the wedding photos by our yacht on the waterfront, we and the wedding guests got into cars and moved to one of our favourite spots with a beautiful view of the sea on the nearby island of Ciovo, where the wedding photography continued until sunset.

Did you also have a wedding reception?

Yes, we had our wedding dinner in a very pleasant konoba, a Croatian restaurant or tavern, a short distance from the waterfront.

Everyone ordered whatever they felt like. We didn’t have to stick to the traditional dishes normally served at weddings back home — I had the Dalmatian grilled squid I love. And there was a tiered wedding cake too.

The best part came right at the end, when we went outside after dinner and the guests drove back to their apartments.

Yes? Now that is especially interesting to us…

I took my newlywed wife to my yacht, and together we set off into the night. And what a night it was — the most beautiful Mediterranean night I had ever experienced.

It was completely dark, the pines smelled wonderful, the sky above us looked like a planetarium, a lighthouse flashed now and then, and our yacht was quietly floating on the waves, in which what seemed like the whole solar system, with a billion stars, was reflected.

It was like a scene from Pirates of the Caribbean, with the yacht floating through a star-filled universe and quietly sailing onwards.

I switched on the autopilot, and together we sat on the foredeck, taking in the power of the moment. It was unforgettable and, for me, probably the most powerful moment of the whole wedding.

If you had to sum up your wedding day, was it what you had hoped for?

Our wedding day was amazing. It was only about us. We were ourselves, we weren’t pretending to be anything, we were natural, in our element and without compromise.

It was also a beautiful allegory for our life, and I’m very happy that that beautiful bride became my wife and that we have been together for six years.

I like looking back on it. It was more than a “wedding”; it was an initiation.

I would never have believed before that I would ever say something like that, but now that we’re talking about it, that really is how I feel, and I realise how important it is for our relationship.

I believe that human beings are archetypal creatures, and that rituals therefore have great significance for us and shouldn’t be underestimated.

Just think of the rituals of kings being crowned, knights being knighted, graduation ceremonies, reaching adulthood, and so on. They are simply moments when we should stop and remind ourselves that we have reached an important milestone, and that there is something greater connected with it that we should honour.

So my wife and I are definitely planning a vow renewal for a milestone anniversary, perhaps during a symbolic ceremony on a beach in the Maldives or on our beloved Mauritius.

My wife isn’t exactly a beach person, as she herself says, but she is looking forward to it. A relationship needs to be cared for, and part of that is remembering why we said yes to each other back then and what we felt for one another at the time.

We thank Petr for the interview and wish him and his wife all the very best, above all that their love may deepen and flourish with every passing day.

Photo: YachtWedding.com archive