Colorfully Chic Athens Wedding Inspired by The Grand Budapest Hotel
Hello, gorgeous! This colorfully chic wedding in Athens takes a minimalist approach to the ceremony and then adds a touch of glamor and sparkle at the reception all in hues of taffy pink, sapphire blue, and heather purple. With a creative twist on the bride’s love for the Wes Anderson film, The Grand Budapest Hotel, the couple and their planner, Deplanv planned and elegant evening with Elias Kordelakos behind the lens to capture it all.
From the planner, Deplanv: There’s nothing we love more than a bride and groom whose wedding vision extends past the obvious charming details and carries a rather close up and personal stamp. Carly and Kostas decided to tie the knot in the ancient grand metropolis that is Athens so that they could easily have their closest and dearest fly over without hassle. Their venue of choice was the famed Athens Riviera venue, Island Athens Riviera with its wide-open spaces and multiple levels perched on the rocks above the Saronic Gulf.
Despite going for one of the apparent choices, most couples aim for greenery and whites, or bold colors to juxtapose the venue’s aesthetic, when Carly began to discuss her vision with our art director the love for Wes Anderson’s movies, and the fondness she has for all things elegant brought about the perfect concept for the couple’s palettes. The fictional worlds evoked in film by Wes Anderson have such a
precise coloration, as the very particular pastel-hues that paint his skies, drenching the buildings and dressing the characters, rendering almost dream-like microcosms. Peering through the lens of the Grand Budapest hotel all Carly’s blooms were chosen for this specific reason, and were a perfect match to the ambiance of Athenian skies, shifting by the hour during summer.
From muted thulian to taffy pinks, and from Carolina, to cornflower, and sapphire blue to iris and heather purple, a nostalgia-laden palette jumped out in hydrangeas, delphiniums, dahlias, and peonies, trimmed with Bluebeards, agapanthus and fan flowers, just to name a few of the forty different varieties of flora we
employed in Carly and Kostas’ arrangements. And although one would expect for the result to excessively blush DeplanV twisted the plot and focused more
on the blues, in our books, the only kind of blues allowed for a bride.
Ambletters hand-calligraphed every suite the couple send out to their guests, creating custom invites and paper goods featuring florals from the bride’s bouquet, as well as monogrammed escort cards we trimmed with navy tassels. The couple’s goodie bags were all about Greek products, ranging from chocolate bars and bonbons to Mastic drinks, and waterproof sunblock sprays.
The ceremony and dinner focused on elegant accents, mirror shines, modern comfortable seating and white furnishings, while a sea of candles turned dark into magic across the manicured lawns and island-evoking pathways. Carly looked stunning in her Danielle Frankel Studio gown and Aquazzura heels, with a larger-than-life cushion-cut sapphire and diamond ring from Graff , Kostas gave her for their engagement shining on her finger. We are so thankful to the couple’s photographer Elias Kordelakos who lensed everything so beautifully.
Refined, and colorfully chic, this wedding in Athens is an absolute dream in cotton candy colors. Naturally the next step is to pop on over to Santorini after Athens for a stunning elopement that will leave you breathless.
Wedding Vendors:
Photographer: Elias Kordelakos
Wedding Planner + Florals: Deplanv
Venue: Island Athens Riviera
Engagement Ring: Graff
Jewelers: London Jewelers
Getting Ready Venue: Marigold Hotel
Wedding Dress: Danielle Frankel Studio
Bridal Shoes: Aquazzura
Groom’s Suit: Etro
Groom’s Shoes: Louboutin
Lights + Sound: Loud and Clear
Wedding Invitations: Ambletters
Linen + Napkins: Art De La Table Rentals
Furniture Rentals: Tore Furniture Rentals
Catering: Dipnosofistirion