A wedding by the sea: what we have learned

We have set weddings on the sand, in courtyards above harbours, and at beach bars with the tables running parallel to the waterline. The sea offers the finest backdrop there is, on its own terms. These are the terms we have learned to respect.

The wind decides first

Whatever is set up on a beach is set up for wind: low arrangements with weight in them, lanterns with glass instead of bare flames, fabrics tied rather than draped. At Argyris and Konstantina's wedding in Kilada, the garland of salmon roses ran along the long table, low, where the wind cannot reach it.

The light keeps a schedule

The appointment with the sunset cannot be moved. We build the timeline backwards from the hour the sun goes down: ceremony in the soft light, portraits in the gold, dinner as the candles come on. In Panagopoula, the couple stood beneath the arch at the blue hour, the lights of the far shore on the water.

Light after sundown

A beach has no sockets and no chandeliers. Lighting is designed in advance: paper luminaries on the sand, candles inside glass, fairy lights where the guests will actually walk. In Vrachneika, a path of white lanterns on a runner of burlap and navy fabric led the guests to the water.

And always a plan B

We have rarely needed it, but it always exists: covered space within reach, paper goods protected from the evening damp, and our team on site hours early, so that whatever the weather brings, we meet it first.

Thinking about a wedding by the sea? Tell us the place you have in mind. We may already know it.