Our beautiful buyer Everly and her husband Dominic, tied the knot on the 17th August surrounded by their close friends and family in a breathtaking ceremony in Cyprus.
Our editor Louise recently sat down with Everly to go through their eagerly-awaited wedding album and also to find out a little more about their special day back in August.
L: WHERE DID YOU HAVE YOUR CEREMONY AND RECEPTION?
E: “We had our ceremony in a church and the reception was at a beach venue nearby.
It was really important to me to have a church wedding as it’s so traditional of my Greek Cypriot culture. I was very lucky as the groom was really easy going.
The venue was nearby, which I think is important as I didn’t want everybody spending too much time travelling during the day. It was a great venue that was specifically designed for events, which meant that we could decorate it without restrictions and we also didn’t have a cap on the time that the wedding would end.”
L: WHY DID YOU CHOOSE CYPRUS?
E: “Cyprus is where my family is from, so it was an easy choice really. I could have chosen a different destination; however, I didn’t want my grandparents to travel. Also, a lot of our guests tend to go to Cyprus every year as well so it would be easy for a lot of them. Cyprus is also a home away from home for me, so it had the benefits of having a wedding abroad with the comforts of doing it at home.”
L: DID YOU ALWAYS KNOW YOU WANTED TO GET MARRIED ABROAD?
E: “I’ve always wanted to get married abroad as I wanted all of our guests to remember our wedding as more than just one day. The weather is also a massive plus, as well as better price. I think it’s a great vibe, as everyone is on holiday relaxing and not stressing about work and leaving early. However, there are definitely compromises that you have to make with getting married abroad – you will definitely have guests that cannot make it and you must also consider if you want to have children at your wedding. If you don’t want to have children at the wedding, be prepared to have many of your guests reject your invite as it is difficult to get a sitter while abroad.”
L: TELL US A LITTLE BIT ABOUT YOUR DRESS. WHO WAS THE DESIGNER? WHAT MADE YOU FALL IN LOVE WITH THE DRESS?
E: “My gown was by Pronovias Atelier. I had a buying trip booked to the Pronovias warehouse and I had just got engaged a few days before we flew. Once we did our buying I cheekily tried on a few dresses. It wasn’t a love at first sight. I tried it on and thought “hmmm I like this, lets order it and well see”. After that, I couldn’t stop thinking about it and I couldn’t find anything that I thought was better. When it came, all the people I showed it to absolutely adored the design, but there was definitely something that wasn’t sitting right with me. I gave myself some time and had a good think and realised what it was that wasn’t right for me. I knew this was the one, but I just needed to make a few alterations to make it perfect for me– so our fantastic alterations team made my dream come true” (see before and after pics)
L: DID YOU TRY ON MANY DRESSES BEFORE FINDING THE ONE?
E: “I tried on my dress and there was also another gown that I had seen before I got engaged that I loved. I went to one store as there was a specific designer, I wanted to see but it ended up that I preferred the 2 I had already seen. So I left the store and kept my options simple. I invited my closest friends and family to help me choose between the two and that was that. – I ended up having both!”
L: WHAT SHOES DID YOU WEAR AND CAN YOU DESCRIBE THEM TO US?
E: “I am definitely a shoe person and I could not wait to find my bridal shoes! I went for a made to order bespoke pair by Jimmy Choo.. the Pearl shoe to be specific. The service that they gave was so special. Being in the bridal industry, I didn’t get the unknown scared yet excited feeling when finding my dress as it wasn’t new to me. So, I am so grateful for the lady that helped us with the shoes. We went to the store and the assistant sat us down and offered us bubbles. I was very lucky as the store was quiet that day. We went through all the different shoes and tried on different styles to get an idea of what mine would end up like. I went for a very classic bridal shoe, I wanted to keep it simple and elegant. I loved the outcome and the little touch of the wedding date plaque at the bottom of the shoe – for me, it was honestly worth every penny.”
L: YOUR VEIL IS SIMPLE BUT SO BEAUTIFUL, WHO WAS THE DESIGNER?
E: “My veil was also by Pronovias – it was the matching veil to the gown as it had the same pattern just at the bottom. I had ordered a few veils not knowing which I wanted, and it wasn’t until I made all the changes to my gown that I could decide which would suit best. There was actually a different veil that I really loved but you have to wear the one that suits the dress- the dress is what’s important, and the veil I had set it off perfectly.”
L: DID YOU TRY ON MANY VEILS?
E: “Once my gown was altered, I took 4 veils to the fittings. There was one that really stood out to me but once I tried it on with the gown, it didn’t work at all. The veil I ended up with was the most simple but fit so perfectly with the look that I wanted. Your veil and any accessory you have can completely change your look, so it’s important to get it right so you look how you want to on the day.”
L: TELL US A LITTLE MORE ABOUT THE ACCESSORIES THAT YOU CHOSE ON THE DAY?
E: “I found the head piece the hardest thing to match up. My gown wasn’t lace and wasn’t plain, it had a beautiful sequinned pattern. Pearls did not match at all and neither did the darker beads. I went to the show at Olympia, loads of exhibitions, looked at all of our designers and there wasn’t anything that was right for me. I found a piece by Pronovias that I thought was perfect, and I even took it to my hair trial. However, when I tried it on with the dress, it didn’t work at all. I ordered another 3 pieces and just like with my veil, I had to wait to see the completed alteration before I knew what would match the most. Right at the last minute I found a piece that I knew I always liked in store by Richard Designs, but it just wasn’t big enough. I called them and they said they couldn’t make it bigger, but they have the same in a bigger size. As soon as it came, I tried it on with the gown and it was perfect! I didn’t ever look further – that was the same with everything during my planning. I found the right invites, I looked no further; the same with the venue, the flower girls and bridesmaid dresses. There is so much to plan that once I found what I loved, I didn’t feel the need to compare to anything else.
Once I found my hairpiece it helped with the rest of my accessories. I wore very small diamond earrings, borrowed from my mum – nothing too big as I had a lot going on. I didn’t wear a necklace and I wasn’t going to wear a bracelet, but the groom has surprised me with a gift on the day, and I just couldn’t not wear it! It was a beautiful diamond bracelet, very delicate and dainty and it matched perfectly!”
L: WHO DID YOUR HAIR AND MAKE UP?
E: “My hair was done with a local hairdresser called ‘Stavros’. He was great, my mum cried at the hair trial! I went to one other place that was recommended that did not compare at all. We had to drive to the salon in the morning, which I originally thought would be stressful but actually it was quite fun getting out of the house and being pampered.
My makeup artist ‘Katerina Paschali’ is hands down the best makeup artist ever! A friend of mine got married the year before and when I saw the images of her makeup, I called Katerina and booked her straight away. We did 2 trials, and both were fantastic. She did come to my house on the day and she only did my make up as she wanted to give all her energy and focus to me. It was great not feeling like she had to rush and do others as well. One bit of advice I will give, is that when you do your trial, don’t judge your make up then and there. Katerina made me call her the next day to confirm the makeup so I can see how it felt through the evening and how it lasted. Makeup as soon as it’s done is different to what you have a couple of hours later. My makeup was exactly what I’d asked for and it lasted all evening and was complemented by everyone!”
L: CAN YOU TELL US MORE ABOUT THE TRADITIONS THAT YOU BROUGHT TO THE DAY?
E: “A typical Cypriot wedding has so many beautiful traditions and we really tried to incorporate a lot in the wedding. It was beautiful as so many people don’t continue the traditions anymore and so haven’t seen them.
- We wanted to thank everybody for coming to the wedding and making such a big effort. So, we wanted a ‘pre-party’ wedding type warm up. However, we joined this with the traditional blessing of the marital bed, which brings luck and blessings to the couple for their fertility. We had a traditional musician playing traditional music, and all the guests watch as the single ladies make the marital bed, dancing around it, throwing rice and even rolling around a baby (we chose a girl) to wish our first born to be a girl. It was a great way for people to see our tradition and for guests to get together and meet each other before the big day.
- On the big day, before we go to the church the family of the bride will visit her (and traditionally likewise the family of the groom him) the maid of honour will help her dress and then the closest family members will bless the bride to wish her a happy and prosperous marriage, and again wishing fertility. We have traditional music playing. Normally this can be quite teary as it is the families chance to say goodbye to the bride, however I chose musicians that would help us turn it into more of a celebration.
- In Cyprus, the father will not walk the bride down the aisle. Instead, the groom is waiting outside the church for the bride with her bouquet, the father of the bride will walk the bride to the groom and give her away outside the church doors. The bride and groom then walk down the aisle together. I wasn’t keen on this as I really wanted to have it the other way, but my wedding planner ensured us that this was actually such a special moment. We had the bridesmaids and groomsmen line up and we had traditional music playing, and what was something that I wasn’t really looking forward to, ended up being one of my favourite moments of the day!
- Finally, our last tradition is what we call the ‘money dance’. A traditional song is played during the evening and all guests will come to pin money on the new couple as a wedding gift. This is actually a tradition that Cypriots in the Uk have carried, and my family that live in Cyprus have not seen this tradition in years. So, it was great to surprise them with it also.”
L: WHO MADE YOUR CAKE?
E: “Our cake was made by love-island cakes. I saw the cake I wanted online and I tried to find a company that has made this style of cake before. I found that a lot of companies now put fake flowers on a cake rather than the icing sugar flower which is what I wanted. I found love-island cakes on facebook and their cakes were so gorgeous I didn’t care what it would taste like. Nearer the time we went for a tasting, and the cake tasted just as good as it was going to look! I was really excited by the cake and it was so beautiful when I saw it on the day –was exactly what I had imagined.”
L: WHERE DID YOU GO ON YOUR HONEYMOON?
E: “As we were on holiday already for the wedding I was a bit lost for where to go. We decided on Dubai and we went a month after the wedding. We stayed at the One & Only and it was honestly a week of pure luxury! It was perfect for what we wanted. It has just the right amount of activity vs relaxation.”
Take a look at our gallery for a few beautiful snaps from the day:
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