Christine & Luke

NUMBER OF GUESTS: 28

Tell us about your love story!

Just over seven years ago, I was backpacking through Australia when a mutual friend introduced me to Luke. Being Canadian, my visa unfortunately ran out within the year which forced us into a long distance relationship. We spent many months apart in our first couple years together until I was eventually able to move to Australia. On our fifth year together, Luke proposed while on a trip to Stradbroke Island with our puppy.

The wedding location.

We got married on the greek island of Santorini. We chose this location not because we loved the island (we had never been there before!) but because it was a destination and we thoroughly enjoy travelling.

The dress.

Christine wore Mia Solano Brighton gown in ivory lace with light gold underneath. We chose to do the first look which was a great way to save time but also to have those few intimate moments together prior the celebration. The moment passed so quickly but luckily there are many wonderful photos to show our facial expressions, displaying just how special that moment was for us.

Ceremony and reception.

We had a sunset ceremony at Santo Wines which overlooked the caldera. After a celebratory drink with our guests, we went to Pyrgos Restaurant for our reception. At Pyrgos Restaurant, we had traditional Greek dancers who were very entertaining and had every single one of us up dancing with them. We continued the celebration some more with plate smashing!

Wedding songs.

I walked down the isle with three Greek musicians right behind me. They continued playing after we said our vows, making the atmosphere lively and so much fun! As for our first dance, we chose bonfire heart by James Blunt due to its lighthearted upbeat tune. There was minor mess up with the version of the song which caused for more laughter and fun! For the father daughter dance, we had Stealing Cinderella by Chuck Wicks, a country song that I grew up listening to with dad.

Food, food, food!

At Pyrgos Restaurant, we chose to have lamb shanks as our main. What we didn’t realize was that this was part of a five course meal and by the time we all got to the lamb shanks, everyone was already full! However the food was so delicious that we all ate everything. Other parts of our meal included traditional greek food such as greek salad, mousakka and baklava.

Most memorable moment.

The most memorable moment for us was not just our wedding day, but the days before and after it as well. It is the very first time that all our family and friends from both Canada and Australia have been in the same place at the same time. It meant the world to us that all our guests were there for us and we were able to spend so much quality time with them in a new country. We can’t thank everyone enough for being there for us!

What’s the best advice you can give a bride and groom planning their wedding?

Don’t worry about things that might go wrong on the day because chances are, it might happen. Instead, laugh and celebrate this special day because it goes by way too quickly!

Wedding credit

Wedding Venue: Santo Wines & Pyrgos Restaurant

Photography: Nathan Wyatt

Dress: Brighton by Mia Solano

Hair: Hairstyling Santorini – Marianna Nomikou

Makeup: Eleni Illio Makeup – Santorini & Athens

Shoes: Jo Mercer

Groom’s outfit: Roger David

Wedding Coordinator: Nikos & Anna

Jewellery: Mimco and Gold River Jewellers

Videography: Nikos

Celebrant: John Kavallaris