All the Love + All the Joy …
One of our Wedding Highlights for 2018 was our daughter, Kelli’s Destination Wedding. I thought I’d share our experience of her wedding to Charbel in Paphos, Cyprus.
My first thought … this is the easiest Wedding ever to attend as the Mother of the Bride. Kelli and Charbel shared their wedding vision with us then the onsite Wedding Planner as they moved throughout their wedding planning. Kelli is naturally a planner & so she started early looking for a venue. Charbel suggested the island of Cyprus since it’s close to Lebanon, his home country. Bonuses were it’s the birthplace of the Goddess of Love, Aphrodite and it’s beautiful!
Sunset Wedding Pictures: Kelli + Charbel
The Invitation
Venue: Vasilias Nikoklas Inn, Paphos, Cyprus
Wedding Party + Guest Accommodations
I love Airbnb’s!!! And so does Kelli. It was a no-brainer to look for an Airbnb that could accommodate all the guests near Paphos, Cyprus. She did the research and showed me the top couple of choices. After a quick review, we decided on picturesque Drouseia.
We choose a beautiful villa with 5 apartments all surrounding a pool and bar area. A perfect checklist of must-haves: close to the wedding venue, off-street parking, a pool, separate apartments for guest with many options for gatherings. Since we were merging cultures- Lebanese and American families.
Everyone arrived 2 days before the wedding, allowing for time to adjust to jet lag and relax a bit. Our hosts were so accommodating for the different arrival times of our guests, and they prepared us a lovely breakfast each morning full of Mediterranean cuisine.
Getting Ready
Getting ready for the wedding was sooooo … easy. Hair & Makeup artists came to the Villa from the Wedding Venue for Kelli, myself and the wedding party. Dimitra G. Beauty Studio and staff were amazing, fun and lovely to work with. We were transformed into naturally gorgeous diva’s. The photographer came to the Villa for the before wedding pictures. I’ll have to say this was one of the favorite parts of the day. The Villa captured the aesthetic that Kelli + Charbel had selected for their wedding and for the pre-wedding photo site to coordinate with the ceremony site photos was perfect! And this wasn’t even planned.
The Wedding Vows Ceremony
THE RECEPTION
Reception planning was headed by Charbel who is a fantastic cook. He selected the menu, which included two main entrees (lamb and fish), hors d’oeuvres, cocktails, wine selections, along with two dessert options: carrot cake and cheesecake. A Wedding Feast to remember always!
Venue Decor
Another win-win area! Our venue at Vasilias Nikoklas Inn offered the rustic, romantic old stone farmhouse inn aesthetic that Kelli & Charbel dreamed of for their reception. Grapevines, flowering trees, and stone containers of billowing greens. Truly most of the decor was the venue itself! We added unique pieces like a bronze jaguar and elaborate candlesticks from Target, a Moroccan rug from my Shop, Marti & Co. that Kelli loved (we had purchased it together on a recent trip to Fez, Morocco).
Music
Kelli designed three playlists from Spotify (we have a Premium Family Membership) for the whole event to fit the different parts of their wedding: the ceremony, dinner and then dance party. The sound system at the venue was fabulous and worked through the whole event.
We hope you enjoyed reading Kelli & Charbel’s Wedding Day in Paphos, Cyprus. Look for more wedding stories on our Blog, Instagram & Pinterest. Check out the Wedding vendor list below to see the vendors we used for Kelli’s wedding. We’d love to have you comment & share this post with friends & brides-to-be. Use this link: https://martiandcompany.com/blog
Happy, Happy 2019!!!
Wedding Vendor List:
Ceremony Venue: | Photographer:Gabriel Rafiei | Planner: Stéphanie Gay | Bridal Gown: A & BE Bridal Shop, Mpls. – designer: Rue de Seine, http://aandbebridalshop.com|Grooms Outfit: Private Tailer in Lebanon | Brides Accessories: Daphene Wreath Gold, Ellen Hunter http://www.ellenhunternyc.com/product/daphne-wreath?ref=category-wreaths ; earrings – diamond studs a gift from the groom, ruby studs borrowed from Marti, Kelli’s Mom, shoes: Jeffrey Campbell from Anthropologie |MOB Accessories : Kendra Scott earrings and necklace: http://www.kendrascott.com/jewelry/categories/necklaces/842177162804.html necklace http://www.kendrascott.com/earrings/lacy-drop-earrings-in-silver/842177147184.html earrings, shoes- Van Eli from Marti’s closet; shoe clips made by Marti| Hair & Makeup: Dimitra G. Beauty Studio |Florist: Venue Florist | Decoration: Venue Site + Moroccan rug from Marti’s home + jaguar & candle holders from Target| Stationery: Sonja-Emily @ WildHopeCoaching| Cakes: from venue | Celebrant: from venue | Music: Spotify Playlist created by Kelli | Entertainment: Impromptu Photo Booth by Kelli – photo props from Target| Accommodation: AirBnB Exclusive Traditional 5 Apt. Village Complex, Drouseia, Paphos, Cyprus