Sifnos, Milos, Naxos, Zakynthos, Elafonisos, Samos, Paros, Ios, Symi, Karpathos, Spetses and other Islands in Greece are amazing for weddings.
If you are going to organise your wedding on a Greek Island by yourself without a wedding-agency or a wedding planner, in this article you will find out how to keep your guests informed and what information to provide if they are going to be getting themselves to the Island for your wedding.
I’ve been to many weddings on Greek islands I’ve noticed a similar problem at all of them:
- guests got lost on their way there,
- they also didn’t book hotels early enough and prices got really high or everything was fully-booked,
- they had never traveled before,
- don’t know how to get a ferry,
- they don’t speak English and they have never been abroad,
- and they can’t cope with all this organisation needed to get to the Island.
To prevent this stressful situation which can destroy your mood I recommend giving your guests this wedding instruction:
1. Hotels. If you don’t provide a hotel for your guests you have to provide the list of hotels near your wedding restaurant or wherever you’re getting married. Give them links with a full range of hotels from 1* to 5* so that they can book the best option for their budget and preferences. Not everyone knows how to book and choose hotels. This information will help them a lot.
2. Airplanes from Athens to the Island. If you chose an Island where only small and domestic airplanes are allowed you should inform your guests about how to go there. You can send them details of the Airline companies that run flights from Athens to the Islands with a note that this is a domestic flight. Alternatively, if you rent a charter flight you’ll need to send them details about this flight: terminal, gate, flight number, departure time.
3. Ferry. If you choose an Island to which they need to take a ferry you have to inform your guests about how to get there by ferry. You should send your guests the websites of the ferries that go to that Island where your wedding will be. You also have to give the address of the ferry terminal so that they can easily find it and not get lost on their way.
4. Transfer by car. If you or your guest arrive in Athens by car they can also get to the Island with their car. They just need to choose a car ferry option. Those who don’t have a car can go by Speed-boat, which is only for passengers. The speed-boat goes much faster than the car ferry and the price is not that different.
5. Warm clothes. Inform your guest that in the boats it is very cold. Especially guests with small kids will have to take something warm (an autumn jacket, warm blanket or very warm sweaters and shoes). The temperature on the Boats is always very low as they always switch on the air conditioners to keep the inside cool but this can be extremely cold, especially for kids.
6. These warm clothes also will also be useful for evenings on the Island because the wind and humidity makes the temperature much lower in the evening than in the day time. A jacket or sweater will warm you in the evening even in hot July or August months.
7. Navigation. Give guests a precise address and a map showing the location of the ceremony or reception and how to get there. You should also make it clear whether they need to take a taxi or if they can get there on foot.
8. Kids zone. If your guests have small kinds, ideally choose a restaurant with a zone for kids where they can play, eat, change diapers and sleep in their pram. Some restaurants have such an area that they can organise for kids and provide some toys, tables for changing diapers and tables where kids can eat and play. And believe me your guests will really thank you for this organisations and care. You just need to inform the restaurant of your requirements before you book it.
9. Yacht. If you rent a yacht to have dinner on or to sail on with your guests around the Island you have to inform them what they need to take to the yacht and what they can’t. If you want to know how to rent a yacht for a couple of hours you can read about it here.
10. Web. You should ideally create a website with your wedding program. From the website your guests can get all information they need without disturbing you: hotels, boats, the list of necessities, the address where the ceremony and celebration will be, when photos will be ready and where to get them and so on. You can also create a Google folder where your guests can share the photos they take on the day. Read about how to do this here.
I hope these recommendations will help you a lot and your wedding on a Greek island will be fantastic and provide you and your guests with amazing memories.
Να ζησετε!
