Greece: Flashback 5 – The Wedding

I have to leave for the airport in about ten minutes, so no time to write about what I did in Paris yesterday. In the meantime - more Greece. This is almost the last one and it's a good one: a wedding! Babies! Fairy lights!

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The sun shone, the sky was blue … the wedding was held in the grounds of the Skiathos Princess hotel, out near the pool (lots of white chairs and umbrellas). They had constructed a kind of secular altar with a big hoop of flowers. All of the people in the wedding party had hot pink accents – pink flowers, pink ties, pink scarves. Simon was wearing a sharp suit and blue shoes!

We had a drink beforehand and then all went over to where the ceremony was to take place. Phaedra walked through the gardens holding her father’s arm with one hand and Hector with the other, followed by four grown up bridesmaids and two little ones – all the girls wearing flip flops!

The service was short, conducted by either the mayor or vice mayor of Skiathos with translation into English. There were some readings in English and Greek, the vows and that was pretty much that!

Cocktails and photos afterwards by the pool and then dinner in a kind of bar area by the beach. I say bar, but again, lots of white everywhere, a wooden floor, lots of fairy lights and coloured balloons everywhere, pink flowers on the tables. Lots of amazing Greek food, lots of wine – then the speeches.

I think tying for favourite moment of the wedding (with the entrance of the bride) was the end of Si’s speech. He had put together, with a graphic designer friend, a slideshow (except 5000 times better than any slideshow ever – more like a short film) consisting of pictures of Phaedra, playing to the tune ‘For Me, Formidable’ with words from the song superimposed over the pictures, like subtitles. The last few slides were photos of Hector and Simon wearing t-shirts that spelled ‘For Me, Formidable’. It was awfully sweet and I doubt I was the only one in tears.

And then there was dancing, more dancing (Greek and your standard wedding disco music), more wine, dessert, more dancing … I remember eating an ice cream about 2 in the morning and being very giggly with Georgie. Sunday stayed awake almost the whole time – she loved the music and dancing. It was a magical night.