A Christmas wedding: gold, red and candlelight

Most weddings in Greece happen between May and October. But winter keeps a secret: churches and halls dress in candlelight and gold like no summer courtyard can.

Giannis and Nikoleta live in Munich and chose to marry on Christmas Day, at Saint Andrew's in Patras. They asked us for something that sounds simple and is not: make it Christmas, without making it look like a shop window.

How we worked the palette

Two colours, held with discipline: gold and deep red. Roses with berries and fir on the candles, gold candelabras and tall trumpet vases in the church, candlelight everywhere against the marble. No snowflakes, no Santa, nothing that would look like a joke next to a wedding dress.

A reception like a winter table

At Panagiotopoulos Estate in Lampiri, the long table was laid with red accents, greenery and berries in gold lanterns. The warmth of the picture came from the candlelight, not from adding colours: the fewer the materials, the richer the result.

If you are considering it for your own wedding

A winter wedding has three practical advantages: dates are easier to find, venues have availability, and the early dark becomes an ally of candlelit design. All it takes is a couple willing to go against the season.

If that couple is you, come talk it through at the studio.