When I saw Dimitri and Tate’s destination island wedding with nods to one of the groom’s Greek family roots, a surprise donkey, a handsome sailboat and hand-stamped guest tote bags, I was over the moon with bliss. There’s such a free-flowing feeling to this wedding that captures the heart of the island and is authentic to the culture, which wasn’t what the grooms first had in mind!

FROM THE GROOMS: Dimitri Koumbis + Tate Ragland

Mykonos has special meaning to us. As it’s where we’ve spent some of our most memorable moments together, and Dimitri‘s Gia Gia (Greek for grandmother) has
her roots in this enigmatic island. So when choosing a wedding destination, there was no other option for us and quite an easy decision.
 
However, when it came to finding a venue on the island it got a bit more tricky as there are so many options, each with their own unique character, but we wanted that quintessential “island wedding.” With the help of our wedding planner, Mimmika, we did finally find and decided on Elia restaurant, which was the perfect beach side venue for the wedding we both envisioned.
 
Planning from 5,000 miles away was no easy task, but we had a great team to help move things along and ensure everything went off according to plan. We wanted a simple wedding, not overly decorated so the natural beauty of the island and our surroundings could take center stage. Gray and yellow where our colours, which where weaved into the day without distracting from the intimacy of our ceremony and enhanced the joy of our reception. Not to mentioned they played harmoniously off the blue of the Aegean Sea.
Initially we wanted the styling of the day to be very structured, minimal and with clean lines. After arriving on the island we had a change of heart and wanted the free feeling, natural aesthetic that is Mykonos, to be translated into our day. With just three days to go, our planner and florist redesigned the theme of our day and the perfect yellow and white wildflowers were found — they brought something of the natural beauty and freeness of the island, and added to the tranquil feel of our day.

Hand-stamped welcome bags and custom-designed stationery (by Tate’s dad), having a Greek Wedding donkey theme began to unfold, though a ripple in the plan caused dismay. Dimitri had his heart set on having a wedding donkey at the event, which we thought would not be possible. But with Tate’s work behind the scenes, the surprise appearance of Marcos, the donkey, made Dimitri’s — and the guests’ — day! Complete with a flower wreath and handmade crochet throw that once belonged to our wedding planner’s grandmother, he could not have been more authentic. It was exactly what we both wanted to our special day to be and we both could not have been happier.

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Photographer: Bernard Pretorius | Wedding Planner: …by Mimmika | Ceremony: Elia Mediterranean Restaurant | Reception: Elia Mediterranean Restaurant | Catering: Elia Mediterranean Restaurant | Florist: Cycladitiko Aroma | DJ: DJ Argie | Cake: Epoca | Favors: Yria Ceramics | Grooms’ Suits: Zara | Wedding Rings: Olive Wood Jewellry (Etsy) | Celebrant: Robert Mauksch | Invitations: Minted | Day of Stationery: Kenny Ragland | Guest Welcome Bags: Handmade by Couple