Today we will travel to beautiful Monemvasia for the unforgettable wedding of Hanner and Alistair! The lovely couple travelled from Palestine to Greece to hold the wedding of their dreams! The main theme of the wedding was olive which dominated in the gorgeous decoration by Think Happy Events! Green, beige and purple hues were combined creating an amazing result that complemented the natural beauty of Monemvasia. Do not miss a single moment of this beautiful wedding through the lovely photos captured by George Pahountis!
Photography : Pahountis Photography
Photography : Pahountis Photography
The bride shared with us: “Our story begins in Ramallah, Palestine back in July 2014, when we were both encouraged by our housemates to try out a new “dating” app called Tinder. While Haneen maintains that she was using Tinder for a social experiment, Alistair was less so. Having recently moved to Palestine as a bachelor he was hoping to “make friends” but got a lot more than he bargained for. Alistair won the Tinder lottery after matching with Haneen. Whether Haneen consciously swiped right or was just being generous that day is frankly irrelevant now and let’s not question it people, even though we all know she’s a 10 and he’s a 7 on a good day.”
Photography : Pahountis Photography
Photography : Pahountis Photography
“That summer, Haneen and her housemate, Caitlin, had been conducting a “social experiment” recording the colorful reactions of Israelis matching with Palestinians and the ensuing rants that followed, so all Alistair had to do was to not be discriminatory against Palestinians and he was in with a fighting chance. After a few witty comments and Haneen’s realization that Alistair had a British accent, she agreed to meet him. Their first date was going well until Haneen dropped the bombshell that she was returning to the US in two weeks to pursue her Masters. To then make matters even worse two days later Alistair was evacuated from Palestine due to the war on Gaza.”
Photography : Pahountis Photography
“After only two dates Alistair had to choose if this would be just a summer fling or commit to a ridiculously long-distance relationship. Now Alistair has made some pretty stupid decisions in his time (more on them during the best man’s speech) but this was not going to be one of them. So, he decided to buy a last-minute ticket back to Palestine to surprise Haneen, with the hopes of winning her over before she left for graduate school. Well clearly the romantic gesture worked as six weeks later he visited Haneen in Boston and this time it was Haneen’s turn to surprise him… an introduction to the family! While Haneen’s parents, Khalil and Samar were loving and welcoming, it was Haneen’s brother John, who tried to warn Alistair about his potential future by asking the simple question; “So… have you ever seen My Big Fat Greek Wedding? Well that’s us.” Fast forward three years and Alistair chose to propose to Haneen despite John’s sage advice and now ya’ll get to experience our very own Big Fat Greek-Palestinian-British-American Wedding!”
Photography : Pahountis Photography
“What I didn’t realize was that he had also hired photographers to capture the whole thing. (I have attached some photos to this email). In addition to this, he had been working closly with a good friend of mine who is a gemologist, since February, to design the most perfect ring.”
Photography : Pahountis Photography
“Last June 2017, I was on holiday with my family in Thailand. Unfortunately, due to lack of vacation days Alistair was unable to join us… so I thought. After a few days in Bangkok, we traveled to a small island called Koh Tao where my brother and I were planning on getting our diving certificates. On the first evening we were on the island, by brother had made plans to go to a beachfront restaurant at Koh Tao Cabana Resort, for a sunset dinner. Upon our arrival we ordered drinks and my dad kindly asked the waiter to take a picture of us…”
Photography : Pahountis Photography
Photography : Pahountis Photography
“As he started to take a few pictures of us, one of Alistair and my favorite songs came on, which made me instantly think of him and wish he could have been with us. Within a few seconds of me thinking this, I heard a bottle of champagne pop behind us and when I turned Alistair was standing there with a huge smile on his face. It seemed that he had been planning this behind the scenes for a while with my brother and after I had spoken to him the night before he had boarded a flight and a ferry to give me the surprise of a lifetime. After saying hello to my family, he guided me down to a rock on the beach where he got down on one knee and asked me to share a lifetime of love, smiles and adventures together…”
Photography : Pahountis Photography
Photography : Pahountis Photography
Photography : Pahountis Photography
“My wedding dress is called TILDA by Maggie Sottero.”
Photography : Pahountis Photography
Photography : Pahountis Photography
Photography : Pahountis Photography
“My bouquet was comprised of lavender, olive branches, thyme and rosemary. I am not a huge fan of flowers and wanted more of a natural and organic bouquet and floral arrangements for the wedding, and being Palestinian American since I was a young girl I always envisioned incorporating olive branches in my wedding. When I requested a simple bouquet of lavender and olive branches, I would have never thought to incorporate thyme and rosemary so when I received my bouquet it not only looked way better than what I had envisioned, it also smelled so good! I could not have been more pleased with how my bouquet and all my flower arrangements turned out. “
Photography : Pahountis Photography
Photography : Pahountis Photography
Photography : Pahountis Photography
Photography : Pahountis Photography
“The ceremony took place in Monemvasia, Greece. For the wedding we wanted a very simple yet elegant style, one that showcased the natural beauty of Monemvasia. We decided to go with Lavender & Olive as the main colors for our wedding, which really helped add an additional layer of beauty to the picture-perfect scenery of Monemvasia Castle.”
Photography : Pahountis Photography
Photography : Pahountis Photography
Photography : Pahountis Photography
Photography : Pahountis Photography
Photography : Pahountis Photography
Photography : Pahountis Photography
“It is hard to pick which moment was the best, as every moment of our wedding special and memorable in its own way. We were just so honored that so many of our closest friends and family were able to share our special day with us in the spectacular town of Monemvasia.”
Photography : Pahountis Photography
Photography : Pahountis Photography
Photography : Pahountis Photography
Photography : Pahountis Photography
Photography : Pahountis Photography
“As mentioned above, we really wanted to keep our decorations simple yet elegant. Our wedding venue was stunning on its own, so we wanted to select decorations that would complement the surroundings rather than overpower it.”
Photography : Pahountis Photography
Photography : Pahountis Photography
Photography : Pahountis Photography
Photography : Pahountis Photography
Photography : Pahountis Photography
Photography : Pahountis Photography
Photography : Pahountis Photography
Photography : Pahountis Photography
“To be very honest, I stumbled upon a few posts on Chic and Stylish weddings, and I found the fact that all vendors were posted for each featured wedding was VERY helpful. It allowed me to learn about different vendors in Greece and their different capabilities. It also helped me learn about different wedding planners, which ultimately lead me to working with the BEST planner out there!”
Photography : Pahountis Photography
Advice to a bride-to-be: “Remember that this is your special day with your partner, enjoy it to the max, every part of it, even the planning. On the day don’t forget to take a step back together and admire the fact that everyone around you is there for you, to celebrate your love.”
Photography : Pahountis Photography
Photography : Pahountis Photography
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