ardeisfka

I'm an ER doc in Tampa, 38 yo, and I'm trying to find "topshelf" hotel accomodations with a pool, a romantic balconey view, romantic rooms and a detail-oriented coordinator for a Santorini wedding next May. I'm hoping to use the Aghia Irini chapel but I haven't yet confirmed if non-catholics or Greek Orthodox couples can do so.

How many days to take in Santorini is best? I've been once before for a day only on a cruise. Our party is small--two close friends our age is it.

Was the documentation really that bad???
What is the ferry travel time from Santorini to Mykonos?
Any rec's or things to avoid would be most helpful, more-so for my fiance I think!
Thanks

Ardeis--Greek in name only!!

koolforkatz

I/we were married in Oia, Santorini about 6 weeks ago. Everything - apart from the unexpected thunder storm! - went very smoothly. Our ceremony was a civil one and took place at Esperas, the hotel in which we - and 6 of our guests - were staying. I can highly recommend Esperas - the staff there were amazing and the woman who looked after all the wedding arrangements was fantastic. A photographer and videographer were also part of the package and their work was absolutely wonderful. Everything was done through the Internet and I had no complaints whatsoever. The documentation wasn't too bad - the most difficult part was getting everything translated.

There were ten of us in total and we stayed for about 6 days. Although I have heard many say this is too long, I could have stayed a couple of days longer. We went to a couple of beaches, Akrotiri, went for long walks, long lunches, shopping, etc.

We actually travelled from Mykonos to Santorini. We took a fast cat from Mykonos to Paros and then a slow ferry from Paros to Santorini. The total travelling time was about 5 hours. I highly recommend taking a ferry to Santorini - the approach almost brought tears to my eyes it was so breathtaking.

Hope this helps you out - if you have any more questions, please ask. Good luck with your plans - if you do decide to get married there, you will not regret it!

ardeisfka

thanks for the informative and quick reply....getting rained on in the Greek Islands, that's unusual!

I just got registered here at Fodor's and I haven't figured out how to email another user. I had an email written out to you personally since I had seen your post of the upcoming nuptials.

Would you mind if I emailed further questions as they arise? My email is [email protected]. Thanks!

Ardeis

mzani

Getting rained ...during your wedding in the Cyclades (where water is equivalent to gold),..is a good sign for good luck, hapiness and prosperity.

Most upscale hotels in Mykonos can handle logistic matters and take care of all details , for the succes of your ceremony including 'lobbying' to book the church of your choice and of course the restaurant(selene,kukumavlos are the best in fira)
Do not forget to organise a hang over beach party ,the day after...

AllyPally

Hi there! I'm staying at Esperas for 1 week in August and CANNOT WAIT. It is my 3rd visit to Santorini but the first time I am staying in a 'topshelf' hotel.

I found this excellent website of a couple who married at Esperas and used their wedding coordinator. I was looking for picks of the hotel and found this in my search. If you are in any doubt, you won't be after having a look at this:

http://www.idomemories.com

p.s. I think Katikies hotel looks AMAZING. If you can stay there, you should.

www.katikies.com

mccamish

All this sounds really romantic and wonderful.
Maybe someone can help me. We are a couple 50/60 who want to have a wedding ceremony in Ia in November. We want it to be a very quiet simple civil ceremony ONLY without all of the trimmings that seem to go with all the advertised sites. Just us and two witnesses.
Advice about the paperwork too. Can that be done in Australia prior to our departure?
Can we do the paperwork here in Australia and just arrive and organise the ceremony?

Trish

I would be very surprised if you can be married in a greek orthodox church or by a priest without at least one of you being greek orthodox. I'm married to a greek orthodox and was married in his church (in Canada) and had to provide my baptismal to prove that I had been baptized into an accepted religion. One of my friends married a greek in Greece and had to be baptized into the greek orthodox religion, being anglican wasn't enough, had to be greek.

Another vote for Esperas it's a great hotel. You can also check out Perivolas it's supposed to be the best!

brotherleelove2003

Markos Karvounis is an excellent wedding planner/coordinator in Oia. I have known him for 18 years and trust him implicitly. Not only can he plan a unique wedding for you he can find you the perfect place to stay for whatever your budget is. Calling his mobile phone is the fastest and most reliable way to reach him. He gets so many emails it takes him forever to answer them. If you call one of his office numbers, the best time is between 8-10PM (believe it or not!).

Markos Karvounis
Karvounis Tours
02860-71209/71290
mobile: 09446-22333
emailll: [email protected]

MAS16

I am getting married on Santorini in September! We used Fantasy Travel to plan the entire trip and wedding - they are out of Athens (www.fantasytravelofgreece.com) - I highly recommend them. They have taken care of everything - flowers, photographer, videographer, hairdresser, etc.

For the paperwork, we hired Dorian Kokas (http://www.athensguide.com/dorian/marriage.html) for about $250 - he told us exactly what we needed to gather and then we sent everything to him, he reviews for accuracy, and takes care of all translating and processing of the paperwork - money well spent in my eyes! It wasn't too difficult - don't worry! But I felt a ton better knowing that it was going to be done right - even if it cost a little extra.

Katikies is supposed to be one of the nicest hotels on the island (it is in Oia)....we are staying at Chromata, which is in Imerovigli (closer to Fira).

Our ceremony will be a civil one, but it will be in the yard of Aghia Irini - you may want to think about that option if you are unable to marry in the church (I believe the restrictions are hefty - Dorian could probably help you with that). They have a very pretty area for weddings overlooking the caldera - ours will be at sunset.

We'll be in Santorini for 6 nights - we wanted a nice long relaxing honeymoon (we are also spending 6 nights in Mykonos and a few in Athens when we first arrive).

Good luck!!!

kristina1

Ardeis,

My husband and I got married in Santorini in September at Astra Apartments in Imerovigli (www.astra-apartments.com). George, the hotel manager, took care of everything except the paperwork. (I handled the paperwork, but do that kind of thing for work a lot. The paperwork will take about 6-8 weeks, depending on Florida government-related delays. You might want to find a document authentication service in Tampa.) The hotel was fabulous, George was fabulous, the photographer was fabulous, and the arrangements were fabulous. The Deluxe Astra Suite is also amazing (on caldera, private pool to the edge of the cliff).

We spent 6 days in Santorini and thought it was the perfect amount of time. We flew between Athens and the islands we visited. Athens-Santorini is a 1-hour flight.

The ONLY issue we had (and this is my recommendation for your fiance) was figuring out how to get my wedding dress to Greece. Delta would not allow me to carry it on (on a hanger), I didn't want to check it, and I didn't want to FedEx it and have it get slapped with a Customs duty. Solution: I bought a small carry-on rolling bag and had the bridal salon pack my dress. Solved all the problems (except for the fact that I forgot to unpack it until the day of the wedding and spent my last 3 hours as a single woman ironing!).

Congratulations and have fun!