Incredibly gorgeous wedding at the Athenian Riviera | Anna & Alexandros

The talented team at Rock Paper Scissors dreamed up a gorgeous wedding day for this loving couple. From start to finish, this destination wedding at the Island Art and Taste captured beautiful by George Pahountis definitely has us smitten.

From Rock Paper Scissors: “It was a big pleasure to meet Alexandros and Anna on one of their trips to Athens. Their vision for their wedding day was clear to us from the first moment, and we particularly enjoyed preparing their special day…”

“We met by chance in Toronto, Canada, where we both live now. We both attended a charity event in the city. Anna was reluctant to go out that night, but her friend convinced her to go out. Despite a really great conversation, we didn’t get each other’s contact information. Anna was leaving to England to complete her Master’s degree, so on that note we parted ways.”

“A few months later, Alex contacted Anna on facebook and we got together for a coffee and a few more dates following that, including operas, galas, concerts and much more. Four months into it, it was time for Anna to move to England. However, we decided to do a big trip together with friends to Greece and France ahead of my move. After that, Alex came to visit Anna each month in England, when we would go on really great trips together.”

“After I completed my Masters, we traveled a bit more with some friends and then I came back to Toronto (Anna’s family lives about an hour north of Toronto on a farm). After almost a year back, and a few more amazing trips in between, Alex proposed at home in his apartment. We have so many adventures together that this proposal was perfect, because it was private and right at the moment when Alex felt it was right, without having to worry about setting up a huge elaborate plan. He woke me up from a nap and asked me to marry him, with just a diamond, because he planned for me to design my own engagement ring and came to each appointment with me to do so after…”

“Our wedding took place at the Athenian Rivera. Even though we live in Canada, we’ve been visiting Greece every year since we first met. Online research led us to Island Art and Taste, an outdoor venue on the Athenian Riviera. We visited about a year before our August wedding and fell in love. Alex has family in Greece, so the idea of a destination wedding was perfect…”

“Athens has always been a very special place for us, I absolutely fell in love with the city, the culture and the wonderful people after my first visit. Alex’s father’s family could not have been more friendly and welcoming and it truly feels like a second home. He was extremely pleased to hear that I wouldn’t think of anywhere else to have our wedding!”

“I found the location online while in Toronto. It was the first location I found and absolutely fell in love with it. About a year before our wedding we went to Greece on vacation and looked up a few of the venues that I had found online, however nothing compared to Island. It was the ideal location on the Greek Rivera. We wanted something close to Athens so it would be easier for his family there and at the same time I have always loved the islands and wanted something that would feel like we were outside of the city. I loved that it was outdoors, we wanted to make the most use of the amazing Athenian summer weather and the views were spectacular. The sunset during the wedding ceremony was just the perfect little touch.”

“The core idea for our wedding was for it to be a time of celebration with a relaxed atmosphere, much like the wonderful evenings we’d shared with Alex’s family in Athens. Island Art and Taste offered the perfect atmosphere with the Gallery gardens on the sea, making things feel like an intimate village event. We wanted it to feel inclusive, easy and fun so we chose to go with long communal tables and benches as a layout. The planners filled in the rest. They were able to put together the rest of the details, like a wedding guest book table, beautiful candles to make it feel very intimate, incredible flowers lining the tables and various areas of the reception and much more.”

“Rock Paper Scissors chose the bouquet and I couldn’t be happier with it. They had to import the flowers and it was simple, elegant yet elaborate! They all these details. We were so thankful not to have to worry about any of this. The wedding planners sent a detailed pdf with pictures of options for all of these things, all we had to do was circle which ones we liked best and we were set. I’m not very fussy, but I do know what I like and it was amazing that everything the planners presented as an option for these details was right on point. Alex and I both love Greek honey so the honey favors were a perfect touch for us. The decoration was simple, with a vintage twist.”

“Since Alex and I are both pretty busy at work and after work with all of the activities we participate in, Rock Paper Scissors was a lifesaver. The girls completely understood the vibe we were going for (relaxed and fun) and send a couple options for each of the items for the wedding and I would choose from there. I’ve never thought about weddings before this so I had no idea exactly what I wanted, I did look through pinterest, but mainly the girls were able to plan out everything perfectly.”

From the groom: “Together we both have gained a greater appreciation for life, for our loved ones, and learned the value in capturing and appreciating every small moment. With that being said it was incredible for us to be able to see these elements come together so perfectly on our wedding day, thanks in large part to the work of Rock Paper Scissors”.

We asked the bride to share with us her most favorite moment: “The entire night. There are too many to count and we have our guests to thank for that. We are so very blessed to have so many wonderful people in our lives and they made the day so special for us. The ceremony was wonderful, both being Orthodox the traditional ceremony overlooking the water was magical, a very spiritual experience for our families and something very different and new for many of the guests. The dinner was almost too much for the both of us, we were truly overcome by emotion looking out at all of the great people in attendance and the touching speeches our families and best friends gave. Finally the dance floor went from about 8pm until 5am, we are very lucky to count so many impressive and enthusiastic dancers in our group.”

The bride’s advice: “Don’t stress about the details. I believe it’s important to have a beautiful event, but at the end of the day, it’s all about your friends and family. Don’t worry about pleasing anyone it’s a day for you to have a big fun party and enjoy. We were lucky that we didn’t have any pressure from either side and got to do exactly what we wanted. Importantly, we stayed within our budget and didn’t go into debt for the wedding…”