Nicole & Lewis

Kiva and Zen a Catherine Deane stockist

Tell us about your Wedding Venue:

On our first holiday together, we visited the beautiful Greek island, Kefalonia. Whilst watching the sun set at a little taverna called Sestos on the clifftop, overlooking Koroni Beach which is known for turtles laying their eggs and hatching there, we mentioned to one another what an amazing place that would be to get married. Fast forward a year to two later, after getting engaged, I just so happened to search for wedding venues in Kefalonia... and an image of Sesto's appeared. It was meant to be!

Due to the pandemic, Sestos had to close down as a taverna. However, our incredible wedding planner based in Kefalonia reached out last year to the couple who own it. They were over the moon to host our wedding, as were able to open for private events. We couldn't have asked for a better setting. Sestos is secluded, with a fairly hidden track that leads the way, and is surrounded by such beauty. Mount Ainos towers behind you with such stature, whilst the beautiful blue Ionian Sea takes your breath away. On the day of our wedding, it was so clear, we could see other Greek islands in the distance.

We were framed by the most incredible square flower arch which was adorned with white roses, peonies, eucalyptus, Gypsophila and olive leaves, handmade by a local florist their team. The path to the venue itself was the perfect aisle for my Dad and I to walk down, led by my niece who was our flower girl. I took a slow walk up here to the Little Mermaid 'Kiss the Girl' played by a Greek duo on a traditional Ukulele and guitar.

Natural, handmade parasols were the perfect place to shade from the heat. Although luckily for us, there was a breeze that just took the mid-afternoon heat off.

The whole ceremony was better than we ever could have imagined. The location, the people, just everything was a dream!

 Wedding style:

We wanted something very simple - there was no specific style nor theme. The island of Kefalonia is stunning, as was the venue. We wanted the natural beauty of the location to do the talking, simply complimented with the natural whites, greens and blues that we associate the island with. It was very natural, and I guess you could say we were fairly eco-conscious, which made my Catherine Deane pieces fit in perfectly.

Our Honeymoon:

The destination of our wedding was also our honeymoon. We spent the days after travelling to areas of the island we hadn't been before, making memories to last a lifetime. The great thing about Kefalonia is that every corner of the island is accessible by car, and can be reached in a couple of hours. Yet, every time we've visited, we're always exploring new places we'd never found before. It's just an endless trove of treasures! 

Our most memorable moment:
All of it! The entire process was so easy - from the planning to preparation, to the big day. Rachael our wedding planner who owns Cephalonia Concierge just made things so simple. We suppose the most memorable moments were just having everyone together. Our wedding was very intimate, with 19 of us altogether - our closest family and friends. Seeing them interact, and share this incredible memory with us was more than we could have ever asked for.