WEDDING BLOG

Giovanni and Nastasia exchanged vows on the white volcanic rock of Sarakiniko, wandered through a fishing village for portraits, stopped for sunset drinks in Plaka, and ended the night around a candlelit table set directly on the beach. Their Milos, Greece elopement moved through the island rather than staying in one place, with each stop showing a different side of the destination they had first fallen in love with while dating.

Milos entered the couple’s story long before there was a wedding to plan. They met in Philadelphia in 2021 after Giovanni’s plans to move to Berlin were derailed by the pandemic. He had spent years living and working abroad while completing his PhD, including stretches in China and Australia, before unexpectedly returning to the United States.

They eventually found each other on Hinge. Nastasia initially passed on Giovanni’s profile because he seemed “almost too good to be true,” but weeks later, as she was considering deleting the app, he reached out. Their first date was brunch, and their relationship grew from there.

Travel remained a big part of their life together. Greece became their first international trip as a couple, and Milos was the place that stuck. When they started planning their celebration, they weren’t choosing the island from a list of possible destinations. They had already been there together, loved it, and knew they wanted to return.

What We Love About This Milos Greece Elopement

• A ceremony at Sarakiniko with one of their closest friends officiating
• A baby blue suit that worked especially well against Milos’ white rock and turquoise water
• Portraits that took them from Sarakiniko to the colorful fishing village of Mandrakia and the streets of Plaka
• A candlelit Greek feast served at one long table directly beside the water
• A speedboat trip to Kleftiko and Poliegos with their guests the following morning

Planning From the United States Meant Finding People They Could Trust Locally

Planning on an island from another continent introduced some practical complications. Giovanni and Nastasia couldn’t regularly meet vendors in person, there was a significant time difference, and they wouldn’t arrive in Milos until shortly before the wedding.

Early May added another variable. Tourist season was only beginning, which meant some restaurants and businesses were still closed and couldn’t always confirm exactly when they would reopen.

Storytelling Lab became their local point of contact, communicating through emails and video calls, approaching businesses directly, and keeping backup options ready when seasonal openings were uncertain. Instead of trying to recreate Milos from afar, the couple shared the colors, places, and references they liked and relied on their planning team to work out what was actually possible on the island.

That included the budget. The couple had saved in advance and didn’t want to begin married life with unnecessary wedding debt, so Storytelling Lab maintained an itemized budget as plans developed. Locations, photography, food, and time with the people traveling to Greece remained the priorities.

Featured Vendor:
Dimitris Psillakis Photography

Keeping the Decor Simple Against Sarakiniko’s Volcanic Landscape

The couple didn’t arrive with a strict wedding theme. Soft pastels, blush and ivory flowers, natural textures, and candlelight gave the day some visual continuity, but they deliberately kept the decor restrained.

Sarakiniko was the clearest example. Storytelling Lab secured an official permit from the municipality for the ceremony at the public beach, where low floral arrangements sat against the pale volcanic formations and blue Aegean. Rather than building a large ceremony installation, they left much of the landscape open.

“We never really had a strict theme,” the couple shared. “It was more about creating a feeling that was elegant without being overly formal, romantic without being overdone, and relaxed enough that everyone could simply be themselves.”

Their clothes followed the same approach. Nastasia wore a fitted gown with delicate straps, buttons down the back, and a long train, paired with a soft updo and natural makeup. Giovanni skipped a darker traditional suit for a tailored baby blue one, worn with an open-collar white shirt and brown leather shoes.

Asking a Close Friend to Officiate Kept the Ceremony Personal

There was no large rehearsal or tightly choreographed processional. One of their closest friends officiated, someone who had actually joined them in Athens during that first trip to Greece before they traveled onward to Milos.

Rather than hand her a rigid ceremony script, Giovanni and Nastasia trusted her to write it from her own perspective on their relationship. They added vows they had written themselves and exchanged rings with a small group of friends and family nearby.

The setting remained public, so life on Sarakiniko continued around them. People passing through occasionally realized a wedding was happening and stopped to offer congratulations. That informality was part of the plan. “We had a plan, but we never wanted the plan to become more important than the experience.”

Turning the Time Between the Ceremony and Dinner Into Part of the Wedding

After the ceremony, Junebug vendor Dimitris Psillakis joined the newlyweds as they traveled rather than heading directly to the reception. Photography had been one of the areas where the couple was especially selective, and they had searched through portfolios themselves before finding Dimitris.

The route gave him very different environments to work with. Sarakiniko’s open white volcanic landscape gave way to the colorful fishermen’s houses and boats of Mandrakia, followed by traditional white churches with blue doors and the narrow streets of Plaka.

Eventually, they reached Utopia Caffe for sunset. Whether the restaurant would be open for the season had initially been uncertain, so Storytelling Lab had alternatives prepared while continuing to work on securing it.

The timing worked out. Giovanni and Nastasia sat with drinks and small plates as the sun dropped over the water, occasionally joined by some of the Greek cats roaming nearby. Instead of treating the hours between ceremony and reception as empty space on the schedule, the couple spent them revisiting an island they already knew together.

There were unscheduled encounters too. While walking through Plaka, they passed a group of elderly women sitting on a bench who immediately began smiling, congratulating them, and wishing them well. “They did not know us, and we did not know them, but for a few minutes they were completely invested in our happiness.”

Ending the Day With a Candlelit Dinner on the Beach

By nightfall, the scale of the celebration became even smaller. At Nama Milos Restaurant, a secluded table had been arranged directly on the beach, surrounded by low florals and dozens of candles with the water and boats just beyond it.

Dinner wasn’t designed around a packed reception schedule. Everyone sat together over grilled lamb chops, fried squid, fisherman’s linguini with shrimp, squid and octopus, meatballs with yogurt and paprika, Santorini-style fava, cod with garlic sauce, Greek salad, tzatziki, sourdough, anchovies, and taramosalata. Greek white, rosé, and red wines accompanied the meal.

Personalized menus carried Giovanni and Nastasia’s names and wedding date alongside small blue evil-eye charms. Even the island’s cats made another appearance, including one that settled beneath the couple while they cut their wedding cake.

Giving Guests Another Day to Actually Enjoy Milos

The wedding technically ended at Nama, but Giovanni and Nastasia weren’t finished sharing the island with their guests. The next morning, Storytelling Lab arranged a speedboat cruise from Adamas to Kleftiko and Poliegos. Instead of asking everyone to fly to Greece for a ceremony and dinner alone, the couple spent another day swimming, eating, drinking, and exploring the coastline together.

That decision reflected how they had approached the days before the wedding too. There had been no formal welcome party or traditional rehearsal dinner. Guests had time to explore, sit by the pool, and share casual meals rather than move from one scheduled wedding function to another.

Planning the Wedding Together From the Beginning

Asked what they would tell other couples, Giovanni and Nastasia came back to something more fundamental than choosing vendors or building a timeline: make the decisions together. “We do not think it should be a process where one person chooses everything while the other simply agrees, because in many ways planning a wedding is one of the first opportunities to practice what marriage will require from you: communication, compromise, honesty, understanding priorities, and making decisions as a team.”

Both attended planning meetings when possible, reviewed the budget, discussed vendor options, and decided together where their money mattered most. Even Nastasia’s engagement ring followed that philosophy. They visited the jeweler together so she could choose a ring she genuinely loved, while Giovanni kept the timing of the purchase and proposal secret. 

Their other advice is particularly apt for a Milos, Greece elopement or any wedding where travel and local logistics require handing some control to other people. “When the wedding day arrives, loosen your grip on the plan. Something may change, a seasonal location may be uncertain until the last minute, a cat may walk through the frame, or a stranger may unexpectedly become part of one of your favorite memories.”

In their case, several cats did exactly that. So did a ladybug that landed first on Nastasia and then Giovanni shortly after their first look, a local jewelry shop owner who unexpectedly gifted them an Orthodox wedding icon, and strangers around the island who stopped what they were doing long enough to congratulate two people getting married in the middle of their ordinary day.