MR. & MRS. WORLY TIE THE KNOT WITH EPIC SCENIC VIEWS OF ST. PAUL'S BAY, RHODES

Tania & Aj

This destination wedding was inspired by the couple because of the Greek heritage that Tania holds so close to her heart. Tania is an exquisite creative chef and Anthony is a contractor and this couple fell in love not only with each other but both valued and love their creativity! Anthony’s family culture is from Ecuador and resides in the United States. Cherishing Tania’s ancestral roots, both decided that it would be a grand idea to host their wedding on the beautiful island of Rhodes. The Greek islands were a stop they were going to put on their bucket list! So what better way to do both and include their friends and family?

In 2019, the couple traveled to Greece to begin their planning and had their engagement photos taken. Our company, Golden Apple Weddings had the honor to meet them and go over the planning process for their big day. The unforeseen global circumstances of COVID-19 put this couple's plans on pause. They say everything happens for a reason, but this reason was something the entire world was unsure of. Not only uncertain of what was happening but unsure of the outcome of this pandemic. This couple stayed positive and surfed the waves of emotions that changed not only the world but their special day. The emotional outpour on this day shared by family and friends from the United States was tears of joy, relief, and love!

The wedding took place on July 22, 2022, a sunny summer day at St. Paul's Greek Orthodox church in Lindos. This location is breathtaking because the church sits on a stone platform next to a crystal clear magnificent beach with views of the Acropolis and the bay. The couple's goal was to create an elegant all-white wedding with hints of emerald green, silver, black and white!

The bride, groom, and families stayed at the princess Adriana Hotel where they got ready for their eventful day! The bride and the groom stayed in separate rooms as they prepared to get themselves ready for their wedding. The bride's hair and makeup were completed in the suite, where the girls were dressed in matching silky pajamas that were personalized with their names. They also had comfy room slippers that had their names embellished on the side with dazzling diamonds! The bridal shoes were “Amina Muaddi,” and were a wonderful balance for her lace mermaid wedding dress. The Groom dressed in a dark blue fitted suit was simply stunning! We added our touch of a Phalaenopsis boutonniere to match the bride's bouquet and let's not forget his stylish Louboutin glossy black patinated leather that had a double monk strap and silver-tone buckles.

Each bridesmaid held a bouquet made with handpicked white roses, anthurium, astible, ruscus, baby’s-breath, hydrangea, and phalaenopsis. The reception area of the church was simply gorgeous!

The bridesmaids' dresses were silky, long, emerald green, and they were each given a pair of sunglasses with their names printed on the case for the sunshine of Rhodes. The bride, Tania arrived at the church in a vintage British luxury automobile of superior performance and unmatched comfort of a white and gray antique Rolls-Royce.

They creatively selected to have unique fan signage that sent a message of gratitude for their guests stating, “The sand may brush off, the salt may wash clean, the tans may fade, BUT the memories will last forever. Thanks for traveling 5,400 miles to be with us on our special day !!!”.

A lovely refreshment bar was set up to cool the guests, bride, and groom on this simmering hot day! This exhilarating refreshment bar was set up on mirrored silver pillars and a touch of a sweet traditional treat called “Melekouni”. The melekouni is a dessert of the island of Rhodes, known for its rich soft texture, made with orange, cinnamon, almonds, sesame, and honey! This sweet is given on wedding days and is a symbolic message for the couple to have a sweet life journey.

Church bells rang, Greek instrumental music playing as the guests arrived in a warm processional order walking up to the outdoor wedding ceremony. The church was dressed with beautiful ground floor baby's breath flowers down the isles, over the arch of the doorway, and white x-backed chairs were set up for the guests to sit down during the ceremony.

The reception took place at Mea Terra venue which is a beachfront luxury venue and an enchanted garden. When entering the guests embraced the area and sipped on a welcome drink cocktail with a creative edible floating personalized logo that included the couple's initials.
Wedding escort favors were given as a gift to each guest at the welcome area presented in a unique display. This unique wedding escort favors bottles filled with local olive oil and decorated with a stamp of a white wax seal, dressed with a silky ribbon that was tagged with a floating printed label of the guest's name and table number.

 A toast for the couple and the guests were made and then the dinner procession began.
 This 11-course tasting menu was out of this world! Mea Terra is known for its gastronomic food experience, and drinks made by its experienced mixologists. Their menu consisted of a starter bread basket served with a selection of dips, grilled octopus, Mediterranean tuna sashimi, and lobster ravioli.

The elegant minimalist menu cards were creatively designed with white plexiglass, blue text, and a wax seal that included a fresh green leaf to add an earthly touch! The menu card also included a minimalistic smaller blue place card that entailed each guest's initials and had their name printed on the bottom. Not only was that unique, but it added a touch of personalization to each honored guest. The tables were filled with luxurious decor and airy flowers. The art de la table details were coordinated with plate chargers that had silver beads detailing the outline, while linen napkins with silver table napkin holders that were garnished with fresh white phalaenopsis flowers, green glass goblet glassware, and silver cutlery tableware. A favor was placed on the table for each guest that included a thank you note and was tagged with a white wax stamp. Inside this gray-wrapped linen box was “Koufeta”. Koufeta is a candy-coated almond that symbolizes endurance and the sweetness of the couple's life ahead. Each box had an odd number of Koufeta because the number cannot be divided into two, just as the couple is now one and will not be divided.

The table had its centerpiece that was filled with baby's breath flowers, and roses that were imported from Ecuador. These decorations were completed with touches of silver pillar candle holders around the tables. The table runners were a blush sheer that was dressed with small clear glass tealights and tall silver pillar candles.

The sweetheart table was a long linear table that was decorated with the same flowers as the centerpiece but this table had a GRAND fresh dropdown garland that made a statement! These blooms were simply gorgeous and the background was the Aegean sea. A highlight of the night was the flowing champagne tower where the bride opened each bottle to complete the “Dom Perignon” champagne toast in the crystal glasses specifically ordered for this grand moment followed by impressive fireworks! Following the fireworks was the cake cutting of the minimalist square design for the couple's minimalist style and dressed with editable handmade sugar flowers and editable silver loose leaves for a touch of glitz and glam!

A dessert bar was set up with gluten-free options, local Greek desserts that reminded the bride of her childhood dessert memories, and American desserts. The scrumptious desserts were placed on a beautiful white console table that included detailed signage and was illuminated with clear glass candles placed in tall clear glass cylinders.

This couple enjoyed every instant of their special day and was honored to share each second with their guests. The twinkling celebratory day was captured by photographer, Sotiris Tsakanikas and filmed by Jim Grillas cinematographer. The event planning was enthusiastically completed by Golden Apple Weddings. Kay Creations designed elegant blooming florals and dazzling decor.

It was an honor to have planned this stylish emerald green-inspired wedding and we wish the couple a wonderful future together. Cheers!