Savoring the Sweetness of Pastel Hues in the Cycladic Island of Paros, Greece

John’s mom's side of the family is Greek and he grew up going there every summer. We went together in the summer of 2019 and I fell in love with the islands. We knew having our family and friends flying across the globe was a big feat, so we did everything in our power to make the trip worth it. We wanted to make the most out of the island, allowing for the effortless views of Paros to set the vibe for the wedding, ultimately the Greek sunset was our focal point and theme. It was the inspiration behind our invitations, flowers, color scheme, everything really! We also love the feeling you get when you’re in Italy so our wedding planners did an incredible job merging the Greek and Italian influences together when it came to the design and decor.

John and I met in Long Island, (shout out to Bumble for the formal introduction) the summer of 2018. We both lived in NYC when we matched and realized we would both be away that weekend, staying about 20 minutes away from each other. Once the weekend came, both of our friend groups made plans to go to a bar called Southampton Social, what were the odds? We met up at the bar, took shots (lol), feeling like we had known eachother forever. After that weekend, days barely went by without us hanging out and seeing each other, friend groups blending seamlessly together. Fast forward to 4 ½ years later, John proposed in our apartment in Greenwich Village. I was rushing back home from a workout class to get ready because we had dinner with his brother and sister in law that night, or so I thought. I walked into our apartment with Rihanna’s Love on the Brain blasting and roses everywhere. I was in complete shock and could barely put words together besides WTF, the proposal video could attest. We had dinner at our favorite restaurant, L’Artusi, and John had our friends waiting at a bar nearby to celebrate with us. Round 2 of celebrations started the next day, we flew to Miami to celebrate with my family and friends back home.

John’s uncle is a designer and owns a bridal company called Demetrios, so I was lucky enough to get both of my dresses custom made. I had a vision in mind and we went back and forth, with the final sketch being exactly what I envisioned. For the second dress, they showcased a piece that they created for me and I was in complete awe! I wanted to do something fun, vibrant and light for the second dress since the father daughter dance was a salsa song (I’m half cuban) - and the dress served its purpose!

We decided to go for soft pastel colors for the bridesmaid dresses. The girls did an amazing job choosing the dresses, they all meshed perfectly.

We went with creams and neutral for the groom. We wanted a sophisticated and relaxed look for his suit and he opted for dark brown suede gucci loafers.

Our cocktails we’re so inline with who we are and our everyday cocktail choices, we got a kick out of naming them - we chose Steph’s Green Juice (Gin, Cucumber, lime and mint) and J-Nice Margs (a mezcal margarita), and Maria’s Mojito (needed to add a little cuban cocktail to the menu, of course)The food menu was influenced by our greek and latin roots - eating dinner family style. We decided to create a menu that incorporated fish, lamb and pork with every side you can think of.

greek florals meets tuscan greenery inspired the florals and decor. I wanted the decor to feel inviting, cozy yet still allowing for a wow factor, and i think we captured it!

We’re a bit embarrassed to admit, we didn’t give the wedding cake too much thought until “last minute” so we went for a simple vanilla cake with florals that went with our decor. It ended up coming out beautiful!

We decided on live music for the cocktail hour and a DJ for the reception and party. We loved hosting dinner parties at our NYC apartment so we created a playlist specifically for dinner that helped set the vibe with the likes of Frank Sinatra, The Johns - Legend & Mayer, Mariah Carey, Fugees, Stevie Wonder - you get the jist. Party playlist was a mix of our favorites from the 2000’s with a mix of dance songs.

The flower girls and ring bearers outfits were SO cute. The flower girl dresses even had a bow to match mine. I’m proud of those outfits.

The entire day felt like a dream but some of my top favorite moments were our first dance and the dance with my dad. For John and mine’s first dance - we chose To Love Somebody by the Beegees, leading up to the day I couldn’t hear the song without crying (happy tears) and you can tell by the wedding day we were smiling and laughing together as we danced, no tears in sight.

For my second look, I decided to change in time for my dance with my father to Marc Anthony’s Vivir La Vida. Being Cuban and Peruvian, it was important to incorporate my roots into the day, and our dance did just that. Our guests, especially those who aren’t Latin, got a kick out of a father daughter salsa dance! I’m so grateful I was able to share such a special moment with my father. My grandparents would’ve been so, so proud.