A Floral Explosion for This Modern Big Fat Greek Wedding
Seeking to honor Helen’s Greek heritage and Dan’s Italian roots, the couple wanted to celebrate a wedding focused on tradition, family, and their shared Mediterranean culture.
From coworkers to friends to lovers, Helen and Dan met at work while collaborating on the same account. It took some time for a spark to appear between the two friends, but when it did, they quickly fell for one another. After countless walks hand-in-hand through The Washington Mews, it became their special place in the city, and where Dan would ultimately ask Helen to be his wife. It was an unassuming day when Helen’s friend asked her to pose for a photography class assignment. When Dan arrived out of the blue, Helen knew what was up and happily said yes when he got down on one knee. He then whisked her away to a surprise rooftop engagement party with their families and friends!
Helen wore a strapless white gown from Kyha Studios with a slit up the side and showstopping train. "I wore a dress by Kyha Studios. I had seen this dress even before I got engaged and had saved it because I loved it so much. It is an Australian brand, and so when I finally looked at dresses, I figured I wouldn't be able to try them on anywhere. It seemed like fate that they opened a boutique in NYC the weekend before I had scheduled appointments at various boutiques to try on dresses!" As a special "something old" detail, Helen attached lace from her mother's wedding dress to the bottom of her veil.
Bold and vibrant was the theme of their tented reception, with flowers in bright shades of pink, yellow, orange, blue, and purple adding pops of color throughout the space. A spectacular arrangement of hanging greenery and blooms formed a whimsical canopy over the dance floor, where guests danced the night away (Greek style!). The floral theme also carried into the smaller details, with hand-drawn flower sketches adorning programs, place cards, matchbox favors, and more — courtesy of Helen’s maid of honor!
The couple served a three-tiered wedding cake with delicately iced piped dots.
Marrying in the same church as Helen’s parents had, she borrowed a tradition from their wedding and had both walk her down the aisle. In a Greek ceremony, Helen and Dan tied the knot wearing handmade Stefana (crowns) hand-designed by their Koumaro (sponsor) with opals as a nod to their October birthdays.
"The music in our ceremony was so special! We were in a pinch when our original musician was no longer able to do the ceremony as we had envisioned it, and our amazing band stepped in to save the day. We had the Portuguese Love Theme from Love Affair as our bridal party walked in (Love Affair is one of my all-time favorite movies). I walked down to Canon D, the same song my mom did, and then the recessional was to All You Need Is Love, in memory of Dan's father."
"Our first dance was so memorable. We started with "A Song for You" (Donny Hathaway/Ray Charles), and then it moved into "Come and Get Your Love" (Redbone). We couldn't decide between the two, and they had different vibes, so our band encouraged us to do a mash-up! When Come and Get Your Love came on, they called everyone out to the dance floor, and the party felt like it officially started."
