When Ella and Rob first got in touch with me about their beach wedding in Corfu, I was so excited – they were planning the most fun and laid back wedding with a beach garden ceremony, a live band and lots of yummy Greek food. I'd met them a few years ago and Hannah and Jed's Cambridge wedding, and also shot Ella and Rob's Cambridge ceremony the week before. It was so much fun and I loved all their friends and family so I couldn't wait to see them all again in Corfu!
The Big Greek Hen Do
I stayed with the girls at their villa, which meant I got to join in all the fun, which included the "Grease" themed hen do. We took a party boat to a beach where we had a huge Greek lunch, then stopped off for a swim in the sea before going back to the villa for a Grease pool party, Mr and Mrs game, guess the body part game (WARNING EXPLICIT IMAGES!!) and then to a club where the boys and girls did a Grease dance off. I stayed for the dance off then slunk off back to the villa as clubs really aren't my thing! There was an almighty thunderstorm that night so I was dripping wet when I got back to the villa, and sadly my camera did not make it alive 🙁 I still had a second camera luckily but from now on I'm taking 3 cameras to every wedding!
Bridal prep
I started shooting at the girls' villa where I was staying, where the girls were getting ready, and it was so much fun, because everyone was in a good mood. The morning of the wedding was spent with Ella putting the wedding cake together, a few trips to the shops for extra icing and flowers picked from bushes around the pool, and a big group breakfast at the villa. A hilarious moment of the morning was when one of Ella's friends stood on a sea urchin (5 days before!) and needed to get the painful spines out, which were now buried under her skin - there are a couple of photos of them being yanked out!
Getting to the ceremony
We took a speedboat to the ceremony, which was so much fun - the driver went REALLY fast!! But it made for super fun photos! The boys also took a speedboat and we rocked up at the pier together - it was a feminist wedding, so they wanted to arrive at the same time and walk down the pier together (which I'm ALL for). However our Greek boat driver had other ideas and whisked us away again, saying "the man always arrives first". Cue lots of yelling at him to get back to the pier!
The beach garden ceremony
The wedding took place in a beautiful garden next to the beach, and was a personal ceremony with their friend Jenny officiating. They had an incredible song from Rob's mum, which brought pretty much everyone to tears. After the ceremony the couple danced back down the aisle together, and then the band (consisting of their good friends) played Reach For The Stars by S Club 7 as they're Rob's favourite band! They then handed out table numbers where each person had to find another guest to give them their seat number by working out who the 'random fact' was about!
The Greek Taverna reception
The wedding reception took place at the Kerasia Taverna, which is a Greek taverna right on the beach. During the reception they had a whopping 8 speeches - it was a feminist wedding so half the speeches were by women, which was so refreshing. The best bit was when Rob mentioned Ella's sister, and Ella (and everyone in the room) broke down in tears - the whole speech was so moving and there wasn't a dry eye in the house.
For dinner we had traditional Greek food followed by baklava, and it was absolutely delicious. After the meal the band (the Balkanoes, who are friends of theirs and bloody amazing) kicked off the party and everyone hit the dancefloor. At the end of the night they also had a second rendition of the Grease dance-off that they'd first done at the hen do (there are photos!) but I was tucked up in bed by then!
The couple
Ella and Rob met at Cambridge Uni 10 years ago. They say if you’re planning a wedding, don't lose sight of what you want to do. Know that there may be difficult decisions and conversations but be open with each other and receptive to different ideas. Ultimately it's one big party - you can't fail to have a good time!
Here’s their big fat Greek wedding (and hen do!)!
Dress: David's Bridal // Suit: A Suit that Fits // Hair and make up: Ella! // Florist: Rizos Gardens // Cake maker: Sophie Jones // Band: The Balkanoes // DJ: Alekos Mouzakitis // Catering: Kerasia Taverna
