Evergreen olive groves and the turning leaves of the plane trees inspired this talented team to create a styled shoot influenced by autumn in Lefkada, Greece. Together with Ellwed, the Lefkas Weddings planning team wanted to reveal the beauty of this unique Greek Ionian island and incorporate the international team with a mix of local suppliers. Planner Claire Salisbury explains how it all came together below:

Our model and muse, Maria, was chosen for her dancer’s grace and elegance. Her striking features and beautifully braided hair is reminiscent the Cleopatra style. This famous historical figure is associated with Lefkada from the battle of Aktium where, following defeat by Octavius, Cleopatra commanded her ships to retreat the nearby Lake Voulkaria

The idea behind this cover shoot was to display the diversity of the Ionian Islands as a wedding destination across the seasons, whilst keeping close at heart the beautiful beach locations the islands offer you. The beach at Agios Ioannis stretches for miles and ranges from glorious golden sands at its western end, to wild windswept sand dunes dotted with old stone windmills where our shoot took place.

A Complice by Stalo Theodorou wedding dress, kindly provided by Vlaxos Atelier Bridal, encompassed some of the trends from Vogue Italy Bridal report for 2019. With bow detail, nude tulle embellished with lace detailing and exaggerated volumes, for a skirt to make you feel like a true princess.

Fit for royalty the cake had to be dramatic and we choose an eye-catching drip cake by Il Sapore patisserie, which was decorated with flamboyant floral touches by Maxeen and myself.

Tasos Korfiatis at Gourioti Flowers designed a free-flowing bouquet and all the floral arrangements with complimentary autumnal tones. He combined peach Tiffany roses, hand died copper roses, eucalyptus and pampas grass, wrapped in silky, emerald green ribbon.

All stationery, from thank you cards to menus and invites, was created by White Olive Design Studio, London especially for our styled shoot in Lefkada. Copper embossed menus and agate crystal slices with hand-written calligraphy script, place settings and favors, were the important touches to the table.

As a planner and founder of Lefkas Weddings, when planning with each of my Brides I create a mood board to help visualize and focus their wedding styling ideas. The autumn concept for our Ellwed cover shoot was produced in the same way assisted with ideas and creative input by photographer Maxeen Kim who is known for her love of capturing personal wedding details. We set up this copper-infused wedding table and blended the metallics with other textures such as tiles and glass. Adding the multi-tonal copper, emerald and deep blue crockery supplied by our venue, we brought the look together. The keepsake for each guest was a polished agate slice personalized with their name and a traditional Greek coffee pot called a “briki” planted with a succulent as a living reminder of the special day. Destination weddings are all about outdoor dining and our table had a wonderful, uninterrupted view of the sea. The dining area view is framed by stylish wood paneling which continues to form a unique roof above the tables. The surrounding decoration is full of natural tones and textures with grey wooden furniture, natural stain decking, plants and terracotta.

The green pleated skirt and matching top was hand-sewn by Greek designer brand; Contreras. We paired it with rose copper handmade shoes and a hair tiara designed by Katerina Sarani, founder of Savrani Creations. The custom made red beaded shoes were also a flash of autumnal color beneath the more traditional tones of the Complice wedding dress.

Jewelry by Lilo Accessories matched perfectly with Maria’s whole look both in the green outfit and the wedding dress. The ancient Greek motif on the gold-tone earrings we paired with the wedding dress, brought out the archaic vibe we were going for.

Our MUA and hairstylist Despina Kourbei made sure that Maria’s flawless “Cleopatra” inspired look stayed intact throughout the whole day. She took the opportunity to express the strong, more Greek style of makeup that suited Maria’s features perfectly!

We could not have done this shoot without Maxeen, our talented photographer who made sure that all details and aspects are properly captured. As an artist, she also had a major impact in the overall shoot. Her creative soul and eye for detail played a major role in this project. As both of us come from outside of Greece, from UK and South Africa respectively we feel we have successfully shown how a mix of both international and local talent can result in a beautiful destination wedding in this amazing location we love in Greece.

Vendors: Coordination: Ellwed Magazine; Photography: Maxeen Kim Photography; Planning: Lefkas Weddings; Floral Design & Pyramid Arch: Gourioti Flowers; Invitations & Stationery: White Olive Design Studio; Hair & Make up Styling: Despoina Kourbei; Model: Maria Grapsa; Jewelry & Hand-painted Hat: Lilo Accessories; Bespoke Shoes & Hair Accessories: Savrani Creations; Wedding Dress: Complice by Stalo Theodorou provided by Vlaxos Atelier Bridal; Green Dress: Costureras; Cake: Il Sapore Patisserie; Tiles: Porcelana Lefkada; Venue, Crockery, Linen & Flatware: Veranda at NV Beach Bar and Restaurant