Popular Wedding Trends 2021 for your Greek wedding

2020 has been the year of change for the wedding industry, the coronavirus pandemic has thrown many brides and grooms’ plans into disarray, having to change the date of their big day, even the destination. With that being said, Greece is a dynamic option for many couples who want to combine their magical moments into an extraordinary trip abroad, the wedding day itself, the good food and of course an unforgettable honeymoon, all in the small paradise called Greece.

Weddings will no doubt look different in 2021, taking into account new wedding trends, as well as lessons learnt from COVID-19. We’d love to share with you some of these new ideas as already have been spread out from the most globally influential wedding blogs, as we adapted them in the reality of Greece and the organized Greek weddings that take place in Athens, mainland and Greek islands. So let’s go!

Relaxed, intimate and meaningful weddings in Athens

One of the most famous wedding blogs, the Wedinspire forecasts that next summer couples will opt for more intimate weddings in Greece. During the past summer, we welcomed a new concept, known as “micro weddings”. Usually these occasions tend to have a small list with a range from 25 to 50 people. They can be formal or informal, and keep up with tradition, or take a more modern wedding approach – however, they tend to be a fusion of both.

Since Greek Churches conduct strictly religious weddings, many couples choose to get married officially in their countries and hold the big celebration and combine it with as symbolic ceremony, for when they come to Greece. In this fashion, we approach another big trend of the season, which is, according to the same wedding blog, the extended wedding celebrations in Greece. In other words, this addresses to the opportunity to enjoy the wedding for not just the day itself only, but also a long weekend, or even a wedding week. When the wedding is big in guests’ number, this becomes difficult and even impossible financially.

We could not be more consented with the fact that the world pandemic, forced couples to invite less people on their wedding in Greece. However, this, instead of bringing them down, has developed a new trend. Couples are opting for a smaller and more meaningful wedding with the nearest and dearest as per the famous blog. Last but not least, the “offset” of having smaller guest numbers will mean that couples will have more budget for “upgrades” such as hiring a videographer, adding a special stationary for cocktails, or a floral install and decorations that are ethical and sustainable.

Treats table and different stations ideas for a Greek wedding

Another trend as pointed out on the same article and matches perfectly with the Greek wedding reality is that treats become a must-have for a wedding. Personal touches are always part of the vision of each couple. Everyone wants to incorporate original ideas that indicate their personal taste and aesthetics. It is commonplace that one of the reasons that couples choose to have their wedding in Greece is also because of the food.

Greek cuisine offers a vast variety of local Greek delicacies and this does not only mean olive inspired displays.

As there are lots of fresh vegetables and abundant seafood during the summer, especially on the Greek islands, more and more couples are opting for stylish options such as vegan street food, retro-style vegetables pies station, and even oysters and seafood bars. After all, a wedding on Greek islands or even a traditional wedding on the mainland like in Peloponnese, truly calls for that.

Individual mezze style serving is also very appealing to couples choosing to get married in Greece. For safety reasons, in 2021 they seem to take a more simplified approach to their wedding buffet and food stations. They don’t seem to lean towards to an elaborate, picture- perfect concept, but to a simple, tasteful, based on Greek local sourced products. Individually served menus will also take a big part of the preferences of the couples concerning the serving style, since they combine the elegance, with the safety and the ability to control the quantity of the food required in a more sustainable way.

Wedding Décor for a 2021 wedding in Athens and Greece

One of the clear wedding trends for 2021 is the inclusion of luscious greenery, predicts the Wedinspire. “Tables dressed with cascades of foliage or ceremony arches displaying masses of leaves and greenery on show are the go to for sophisticated wedding adornment. Think ferns, succulents, garlands of eucalyptus” and we will add small olive trees. This natural decor trend can be adapted and make almost any style of any outdoor wedding in Greece.

Another wedding trend for 2021 is the details, as part of a modern look. Amy Shey Jacobs explains in The Knot blog, “Part of the 2021 wedding trends is going really deep on the details. People will go bigger in smaller ways.” But what this mean in practice? A dinner table for instance consists of many elements: the furniture itself, the linens, the flatware, the plates, the glassware, the florals and of course the food and the drinks.

Seasonality is the key word that connects all those elements and brings the sense of harmony and modernity on the tablescape. For the food and drinks, seasonality is always important in the Greek wedding reality.

But this acknowledgment needs to be affirmed by the rest of the components. Each season has its own color palette and in Greece it is rich, vibrant and playful. Such a specification surely applies to the wedding florals as well especially in some Greek islands like Corfu or Kefalonia. Greek florists work intimately with the Greek wedding planners. The mood board that the wedding planner prepares is the tool that help all vendors align and complete the concept. The florist is the first person who gives his input and suggests florals which match with the location and the season of course. There is a lot of differentiation to Greek morphology. For example, you can find lots of greenery in some islands like Spetses, Skiathos, Meganisi. “ In these locations foliages and greenery would add importance and elegance to the tables and the arch”, explains Pavlos Roussiakis, a very distinct Greek florist and owner of the https://pavlosworkshop.eu/ “whereas in Cyclades, known for the white and blue color, flowers with bold color will remain at the top of the preferences list of couples. 2021, will be a year, that flowers like the anthuriums, succulents, pampas grass, ferns and succulents can be an ultra-modern option, especially when painted”.

Greek eco friendly weddings 2021

What does eco-friendly wedding mean? It means a responsible way for the couples to approach their big day. It is an intentional act of celebrating your wedding, without harming the environment. This can be manifested in many ways, starting from the process of the preparation of the wedding in Greece, by sending of the save the dates, finding a wedding venue, which respects nature and a catering, and uses local and seasonal ingredients and of course not plastics. Concerning the wedding’s invitation suite, recyclable paper is an option that more and more couples tend to lean towards.

The most popular backdrop of the year goes to: outdoor space! Many wedding venues in Greece, are natural and perfect for having an eco-friendly wedding, a rustic natural feel in the great outdoors, such as the Agreco Farms and the Kinsterna Hotel. These venues and many more all over Greece form the perfect canvas themselves and do not require lavish wedding decorations that will end up in landfill.

Using local wedding vendors will help not only to keep the budget lower but also to reduce the carbon footprint, which is being produced from the transportation of the products. And of course it is very important to mention that by choosing flowers, food and drinks from the place where your wedding will take place, you support the local community too.

Each part of Greece – whether on an island, Athens or mainland, is unique and being connected with local vendors, is undoubtedly a great way to assure authenticity in your romantic wedding in Greece.

Thoughtful and sentimental wedding favors

Now, more than ever, couples want to focus on what is really important and this is the love and their true story. Aesthetics represents their personal style and who they are on their wedding day, but even beyond that there is now an extra sentimental layer: the feeling of being happy and grateful for good health and safety, the fact that despite all the unforeseen events that happened in 2020, they have managed to be together with their beloved ones and celebrate.

Wedding favors and wedding welcome gifts have been established since many years as a tradition in weddings, but from now, these add a deeper meaning on your wedding day. A personal note along with a small bottle of olive oil, or a basket filled in with local products, will not be just a thoughtful gesture but much more. Like an act of gratitude to your wedding guests, for being patient with the reschedule of your wedding and / or with the travel process which, due to new measures, will become more complicated for everyone.

Wedding Entertainment for a wedding on Greek islands

In 2021 locality will set the tone on the wedding entertainment as well. The good news is that there is a plethora of options concerning the entertainment in a destination wedding in Greece.

Starting from the pre wedding event, you can enjoy a God and Goddesses themed party, where Eros and Afroditi, dressed in true Grecian attire, accompanied by Grecian soldiers and live statues. With the help of Greek mythology, the pre wedding party will be extraordinary and distinguished by its fun aesthetic, thus helping all the guests live the Greek mood.

On the wedding day itself, the ceremony can be sound tracked by an all-female string quartet performing either classical or contemporary musical performances.

For the cocktail or the party afterwards, there are many Greek folk music bands that can create a unique ambience, adding a tone of authenticity. You can also hire a Greek party band, which really draws guests onto the dance floor and keeps them there until their feet start to hurt! OPA!

Custom wedding cocktails to go

2021 is the year of wedding customization and this also applies to the drinks and the cocktails for your elegant wedding anywhere in Greece.

The cocktails list tends to be shorter but more exceptional and their preparation will take place beforehand in order to limit the wait time on your wedding night. We may even see more often canned cocktails or pre-made ones but in a very elegant way with respect to presentation, so to even match your wedding design. A beach wedding in Athens Riviera or on any Greek island calls for that!

Greek cocktail caterers can suggest you ways to supplement your custom, ready-to-drink cocktails, whether it includes a unique display of fresh mint leaves, citrus slices, Greek herbs and even custom liqueurs based on local products like Masticha  to help your guests enjoy their to-go drinks during your Greek wedding party.

Concept wedding lighting for an authentic Greek wedding

Another reason that people choose Greece for their wedding day, is because they love the idea of an outdoor and alfresco wedding. Concept lighting can create an aura and the perfect ambience to make an outdoor wedding in Greece, unforgettable. Therefore, it’s no surprise that one of the top priority of an outdoor wedding is to invest on the mood by adding string lights and give that old fashioned Greek tavern look. In 2021, all forms of sparkle will be embraced, from the simple bulbs, to geometric installations and the curtains or “cages” made from innumerable fairy lights for a romantic Greek wedding. Let’s not forget the inimitable lighting that chandeliers or rattan lights can offer, when lighting a dinner area on your luxury wedding in Athens Greece.

Dancefloor is also another area that your guests tend to spend a lot of their time during your wedding party, so decorating your dancefloor with appropriate lighting and florals will definitely keep everyone going till the early morning hours even if your wedding is organized on some fancy Greek island or a rustic wedding venue anywhere in Peloponnese.

Live stream your wedding from any Greek location

Every year, there are many people who come to Greece to celebrate their wedding along with their loved ones. This year, circumstances may prevent some of those to travel and be able to attend your intimate wedding in Greece in person. And this is where live streaming and videography make their entrance. Markos Fotiadis, founder and owner of “Loud and Clear”, one of the biggest sound and lights company in Greece explains that this requires the help of a videographer and a drone so couples may send live footage to the people, who will participate virtually. This is also a great way for the people who won’t be there physically to feel the atmosphere and the beauty of the wedding day.

Green wedding shoes”, one of the most famous wedding blogs, initiates the idea of a Wedding Party in a Box. This consists of a, beautifully wrapped in the theme of the wedding, box, tagged with the guest’s name and lots of funny props inside to make the party more fun. We may even go one step further and send “a party in a box” to the people that will be attending your wedding day virtually. For example this party box might include party favors, a mini percussion to play with, a mini ouzo bottle and Greek products originated from the location that the wedding is taking place. This will increase engagement at the wedding and be remembered for a long time after, since your guests will kind of feel they visited Greece themselves.

Weekday Weddings

According to the most recent The Knot Real Weddings Study, weddings outside of Saturdays already accounted for one in three nuptials—and it’s a wedding trend that will certainly rise for weddings in Greece in 2021, too.

This tendency is a trend that applies in destination weddings in Greece for many years now. People who come to get married in Athens or the Greek islands, usually plan to combine the wedding itself with some days or even the whole week off.

Most of the top wedding planners in Greece, including us, suggest their couples to realize their wedding celebrations during the week, from Monday to Thursday. In this way they can save thousands of euros, since – especially for weddings in the Athenian Riviera – the extra charge for the minimum number of guests doesn’t apply on the weekdays and instead, they get discounted for choosing to organize their wedding in Athens on a weekday.

We should also mention that more and more couples lean towards the late summer and even September and beginning of October to book a date for their Greece wedding. There is a twofold reason for this preference. The first is financial, since prices of the hotels and flights are considerably lower after the 20th of September in Greece and secondly the weather is still warm and as it seems over the past couple of years, less windy or rainy comparing with the weather conditions in May and June.

Weddings in 2021 in Greece

If you are a 2021 bride and plan to organize your wedding in Greece, do not feel overwhelmed by the do’s and don’ts. A wedding in Athens has different needs from a wedding in Paros, Mykonos or any other island in the Cyclades. A wedding in Mani or anywhere in Peloponnese again has different aspects you need to take care of or that will guide you for your wedding design. You only need to trust the top wedding planners in Greece, and let them get to know you better and where you’re coming from, what your guests expect from you and most definitely the type of couple you are and your vision of your wedding day. It will all then magically fall into place, we promise you that!