Tell us a little about yourselves, what you do, what you love, what is unique about you and your relationship…
It’s a bit cliché but it’s very much a case of opposites attract. Elliot works in Planning and Operations in the Logistics and Transport industry. He’s very analytical, neat and ordered.
My (Bri’s) background is in fashion styling but now I work in marketing and communications. I’m more of the creative type and my general lack of tidiness is something Elliot has accepted as a ‘cute’ personality trait. (Obviously) we love travelling together, exploring the outdoors, and finding new delicious things to eat. When we’re at home, we love cooking for friends and enjoying a red wine or two or just hanging in the sun with our fur-baby Marnie, the Briard. We’re lucky because, although we’re very different, we have common goals and belief systems. Our opposite strengths make us a good team!
We were together for nine years before I convinced Elliot to help me hunt down the ring I always dreamed of. He took some convincing as he was reluctant towards marriage for a long time. Once I found my ring, that was it. We love making plans together, so needless to say, planning our wedding/ honeymoon/holiday-of-a-life time was a wonderful and memorable experience.
Tell us about your special day, was there a specific theme or style? Tell us a little about the setting, the styling and some of your favourite details…
Like most, I am a total Pinterest victim and I had SOOO many grand plans at the beginning! When I started to refine them, I realised I just wanted it to be about us. All the bells and whistles would (a) create more hassle and (b) take away from the purity of the situation. Don’t get me wrong. I love bells and whistles – but we didn’t need them to express our feelings, and our backdrop was one of the most beautiful places in the world so why hide it? I wanted to spend our money on things that would really mattered: the venue and a solid team of pros to bring everything together.
We got married on the balcony of our hotel room which was so easy and super intimate. We stayed at Ikies Boutique hotel which is on the edge of the most picturesque village in Santorini, Oia. We had THE ABSOLUTE BEST view of the famous sunsets, the Caldera, and the village itself. It was incredible.
The décor touches were simple, unique and elegant – especially our stunning cooper arbour. Evita and Julia did a spectacular job of custom-making it just for us! We were able to recycle the flowers for our reception table which was a nice little budget hack. Flowers are expensive on Santorini as they are all imported and the only negative thing about eloping is that you can’t take the flowers with you! Our table setting was so gorgeous too! It completely took my breath away! Julia and Evita did an
amazing job of creating a modern, elegant, and slightly understated environment for us – exactly like I
wanted.
Tell us about your main outfits:
Elliot’s outfit was an awesome find. We booked in with a custom tailor, but the week before, we hit the shops to do some recon. We were lucky to pop into Calibre and they dressed him from head to ankle is the most perfect attire. It was almost too easy. He looked so refined and handsome – He totally outshone me!
In the spirit of keeping things simple – I wanted a sleek minimal dress that I could wear on our wedding day and also for our Sydney-based reception with family and friends when we returned. It also needed to be light and easy to carry whilst island hopping around Greece. At the beginning I was considering sewing my own dress, however, Mum convinced me that it wasn’t a good idea (more stress, potential mistakes, etc). Sometimes Mum knows best, and I was luckily referred to Angela Dore in Sydney’s North and she worked with me to create a chic and simple 90s-inspired slip dress with had the most incredible cowl back. I managed to keep my budget relatively under control until Mum and I went shopping for accessories and we fell in love with my Steven Khalil pearl encrusted veil. It was such a splurge but I’m glad we did it! It made me feel so luxe and romantic wearing it – combined with my custom dress, it really made my outfit so special.
What were some of the most memorable/unique moments from the day?
It sounds crazy but we got up at sunrise for a preliminary photo session in Thira with Montana. Montana had scouted out all the nooks and crannies the day before for those dreamy Santorini #feelz. I was a bit reluctant at
first, because it meant I had to get up at 4:00am to do my hair and make-up! I’m glad we did it – we had perfect light, weren’t competing with hordes of insta models, and we have the most jaw-dropping photos to show for it. It was also a beautiful way to spend some quality =me together, and a great dress rehearsal for me too! I went home and washed my hair because I was unhappy with how I’d done it. If we didn’t have our morning shoot – I wouldn’t have been able to re-do it! When we got back to the hotel, there was a champagne breakfast waiting for us. It was a win-win!
I had a nap later that day and got woken by Elliot so that he could read me his vows to make sure that he had “done it right”. It was pretty cute and so special to hear the words that he’s written. I think that’s when it sunk in that we are actually getting married today which was just so surreal
We didn’t realise, but during the ceremony we had an audience watching us from the balconies above. When we kissed for the first time we heard multiple cheers. (It’s suppose to be just us, right?). I looked up to see about 40 smiling faces looking down from their rooms above. Then someone with a thick Aussie accent yelled ‘Congratulatoons!’. Elliot looked at me laughing and said ‘Of course it’s a bloody Aussie!”. It made my day. We had traveled so far from home and were surrounded by familiarity. It’s one of my favourite memories from the day.
When we sat at the table for the first time everyone, apart from waitstaff, had left. We were sipping on a bottle of Moet that our good friends, Kurt and Charlie had surprised us with. The sun was settng in a pink and orange sky over Oia, and all the little glowing lights from the hotels were spilling down the hillside. Everything was just so peaceful and breathtaking. I turned to Elliot and said the only thing that summed up our day, ‘I feel like an f***ing Queen”. Being just us, meant we could truly be present and lap up the magic parts of our day
Any advice for other couples planning to spend the rest of their lives together?
Invest in a talented photographer; one you can identify with, work with, and one who ‘gets’ you. I can’t stress enough how fortunate we were to have Montana guiding our day. We trusted her to create magic and she did
in every image. Remember : Don’t cut costs or corners when it comes to those in charge of your day! They are more important than anything. All of our vendors were amazing. We weren’t lucky, we did our research and made the best decisions for what we wanted. If you’re considering getting married legally in Santorini, unless you know the language or a local, you’d be crazy not to work with a professional planner. Julia and Evita guided us throughout the the entire legal process and even escorted us to town hall the next day to translate to the officials so we could register our wedding.
They also made excellent recommendations for vendors and took care of all the details to save us the hassle. We couldn’t have pulled it off without them.
And finally, if you’re thinking of Eloping, ask yourself: am I motivated mostly by love, spite or fear? If it’s not love, don’t elope – you’ll probably regret it. If it’s love – do it, but be prepared to wear the disappointment from those who weren’t included. Remember why you’re doing this in the first place. Stay authentic to you, your partner and your relationship. I would suggest telling your loved ones before the day. That way it gives them a chance to come to terms with it. We threw a reception when we got home to try and make everyone feel included. I’m not going to lie, it was hard to deal with some of the disappointment but it didn’t dampen our day. What’s a wedding without a bit of family drama anyway?
Photography and Videography: Montana Wilson Photography | Ceremony and Reception location: Ikies | Styling and Planning: Julia & Evita | Flora: Betty Flowers Santorini | Catering and Beverages: Spicy Bites | Bride’s custom gown: Angela Dore | Veil: Steven Khalil | Shoes: Stuart Weitzman | Earrings: Oscar de la Renta | Wedding rings: Markbridge Jewellers | Groom’s outfit: Calibre | Shoes: Politix | Wedding band: Natalie Marie Jewellery
