Shannon & Joss’ Bohemian Destination Wedding In Greece

Shannon & Joss

True to their spirits, Shannon and Joss chose a bohemian destination wedding in Greece for their nuptials. Their love of the water and of the sun led them to invite their closest family and friends for a very special celebration in Santorini.  Chris Spira Photography was there to capture the week’s festivities as they unfolded!

Shannon tells, “I (Shannon) designed, printed and sewed our invitations which consisted of simply an anchor and our initials on the front and details on the inside of the card (in blue) on kraft paper. I sewed a little detail on the cards with twine & ivory cotton. Within our favors we included printed & sewn cards that read ‘there are tall ships, small ships, ships that sail the sea… but the best ships are friendships, may they always be’ as well as printed on fabric our surprise invitations to the boat cruise the following day, tied with twine as a scroll with little anchor charms.”

Shannon tells, “One of my best friends is a hair stylist- so Cassie from True Vanity did my hair on the day. My bridesmaids helped me with my makeup which was all MAC products bought over from home.”

The Babushka Ballerina created Shannon’s gown, she remembers, “I had my gown made by The Babushka Ballerina in Brisbane (QLD, Australia) I had a cropped bustier bodice with a satin and chiffon skirt in ivory & with a two metre extended train. I always loved the idea of having a cropped bodice. A little less formal, a little bit fun and it fit the boho brief I was going for.”

Shannon and Joss chose Marizan Caves, Oia, Santorini for their wedding ceremony.

Shannon telling, “Joss has a very strong connection with the ocean and I (Shannon) have always loved the bohemian style. We wanted to effortlessly combine the two to create a casual ceremony.  Our groomsmen with the help of the Staff at Marizan set up our simple ceremony. We didn’t use personal decorations for the reception dinner, but Bronte had it all beautifully lit by candlelight. We re-used some of our ceremony decorations for the boat which included antique alcohol bottles we found at a local op-shop back here in oz filled with wildflowers.”

Fabio Zardi created the floral arrangements, Shannon remembers. “Everything was done by email and they were so great in advising what flowers could be sourced and appropriate for the climate. We wanted bohemian, romantic, effortless with a cool palette. They used lavender, daisies, million stars, blue stars & more among wheat and millet. Flowers I had never heard of before, nor seen locally. It felt risky but it was worth it, it was the most beautiful bouquet I have ever seen.”

Shannon’s bridesmaids wore different cream dresses while the groom wore Wayne Cooper . Shannon notes, “We wanted to keep the guys quite casual. Joss wore navy Chino’s by Wayne Cooper and a long sleeve white linen shirt.”

As the suns set, the couple adjourned to  Katharos Lounge at Katharos Beach for a private dinner noting, “We found our reception venue whilst casually looking at venues over Facebook – Katharos Lounge was our dinner reception venue. We booked a private table and selected many shared tapas plates. Bronte (owner and chef) and I discussed the menu via email & confirmed the day prior. The food was beyond outstanding! And was a great way for our guests to try lots of foods they hadn’t eaten before. We had an open bar and the crew made delicious cocktails all night. We had a table with a perfect sunset & the bar supplied great jazz/soul music which made way for some sexy dancing!! Was a very memorable experience! ”

But day two held even more in store for the guests of this special wedding – a surprise cruise on the Bella Aurora! Shannon explains, “Our guest favours included the card, fabric invitation to the surprise cruise as well as a little Santorini donkey souvenir we picked up the day prior from the street stalls. We also used the two days prior, equipped with a 4 wheeler, took Polaroid pictures from all over the island and popped them in the little white bags as well.”

Lixoudis Bakery created a beautiful wedding cake, Shannon telling, ” We used Lixoudis bakery in Fira for our wedding cake. Vasiliki answered my emails promptly and everything was easy. As I was indecisive on the flavours & style, she encouraged we visit her within the 2 days we had prior. So glad we did – we taste tested the Greek sponge and end of story. We had a three tier nude chocolate/vanilla sponge with cream & fresh strawberry filling. Vasiliki had our consult and wedding with delivery booked in even though we weren’t able to wire her a deposit beforehand.

The delivery to the boat was prompt before we arrived & I cannot speak more highly of the service! We used a wooden cake topper which had engraved our first initials separated by an anchor which we found from the Etsy store Timberandstitch. And two engraved spoons created by ‘House Of Bec’ scouted from instagram that read ‘You me and the Sea’ and ‘Joss & Shannon Greece, 2014’ ”

Congratulations Shannon and Joss! Thank you for sharing your day with us! Thank you also to Chris Spira Photography for sharing today’s wedding with us!