Guestpost: Greek Wedding Traditions from Love4Wed
Hello my belles, I am very excited to welcome Greek wedding blogger Eleni from Love4Wed to the blog today!
Eleni will tell us all about Greek wedding traditions, and I hope this will be only the start of a series of Southern European bloggers explaining their country’s individual customs. There is so much to learn and you even might want to incorporate some of these ideas into your own (destination) wedding…. take it away Eleni!
Getting married in Greece, a country with beautiful art, insanely gorgeous wedding locations and respected traditions… undoubtedly an unforgettable experience. Today weddings in Greece are stylish, sophisticated and overflowing with inspiration for brides all over the world. Most importantly a Greek wedding has interesting traditions that even to this day, brides follow with pride and the outmost respect. I am going to take you on a little journey, showing you the most beautiful highlights of a real Greek traditional wedding in a picturesque village with traditional mansions, stone walled houses and cobblestone roads… an authentic Greek mountainous village.
On the wedding day the celebration begins at the bride’s home when she is getting ready. Friends and family are present, enjoying every single moment and helping the bride get ready for the most important day of her life. Family members sing traditional weddings songs and wish the bride to have a fortunate, healthy and happy life with her husband.
An interesting wedding tradition that all Greek women honor with joy is writing the names of their single girlfriends on the sole of their bridal shoes. It is said that the first girlfriend’s name that is erased… is the next woman to get married!
A wedding tradition in many Greek villages, especially during destination wedding away from the big cities, is having local musicians escort the bride to the church while playing festive traditional wedding songs. The residents of the village gather outside their homes to admire the beautiful bride and share their warmest and heartfelt wishes with her. As the groom is waiting at the church he can actually “hear” his bride approaching him… So romantic and emotional!
Wedding wreaths… or “stefana” as they are known in Greece. In a Greek Orthodox wedding the stefana represent the eternal connection between the bride and the groom. During the ceremony the priest ties the ribbon of the wedding wreaths … meaning the couple has to remain together forever.
My favorite of the Greek wedding ceremony is the “dance of Isaiah” or as I call it “Happy ever after moment”. The blissful couple, led by the priest and followed by the maid of honor and best man, takes their first steps in life together as husband and wife. The priest holds the couples’ hands and walks them three times counterclockwise around the table in a “dance”. The Greek wedding dance that symbolizes the eternity of marriage.
Following the emotional ceremony, the reception takes place and like all weddings in Greece that is when the true party begins. A wedding tradition very common in small villages and that is also becoming a popular wedding trend, is for the reception to take place in the town square. Friends and family celebrate with the newlyweds under the maple tree until the early hours of the following day. Memories that everyone will cherish many years to come.
Besides the wedding traditions and customs that make weddings in Greece so unique, this particular wedding location on Mount Pelion is one of a kind. How could you not fall head over heels in love with Promiri, the picturesque village situated on one of the most beautiful mountains in Greece? The amazingly romantic video teaser by videographer Nikos Dimou gives a little glimpse of traditional weddings in Greece and the utterly gorgeous Pelion village.
Post by Eleni Balkouli of Love4Wed // Photography: George Pahountis // Videography: Nikos Dimou of I LIKE TO MOVIE IT
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