Kathryn and Yanni's Wedding

Kathryn and Yanni were married yesterday, June 14th. They had a traditional Greek wedding here in Karpathos. Nate and I had never experienced a traditional Greek wedding like this before, so we had a lot of fun! We learned a lot about Greek wedding customs and traditions. I hope the photos and comments below will give you an idea of what Kathryn and Yanni's special day was like. It really was a great day. Congratulations Kathryn and Yanni!

Karpathian brides typically get ready at their home. Kathryn had a hair and make-up lady come to the house to get us girls ready for the wedding.

Around 6:00 PM, friends and family started coming over to the house to bring gifts for the couple. Traditionally, the bride's home is decorated for the family to see. The people come to the house to escort the bride and her family to the church. We has almost 30 people come to the house before the service. We all walked down the street together to take Kathryn to the church where Yanni and the guests were waiting.

One of the many pictures taken at the house before the ceremony.

Walking from the house to the church- the bridal parade.

The wedding guests outside of the church, waiting for the bride to arrive.

The ceremony was a traditional Greek Orthodox service. The service began at 7:30PM and lasted about one hour. The relatively small church was packed with about 200 people. The bride's family stands up in front with the bride and groom throughout the entire service. Since I was the matron of honor (koumbara), I stood right next to Kathryn. She did not have any bridesmaids and/or groomsmen like a typical American wedding.

In the picture above, I am performing my koumbara duties and changing the stephana (wedding crowns) for the bride and goom.

After the ceremony, we all went to Amoopi Restaurant which is owned by one of my cousins. The restaurant was right on the beach and had all outdoor seating. It was the perfect setting for an evening reception. The reception dinner was the traditional wedding food: tomato/cucumber salad, rice, lamb, and potatoes. The food was excellent. The Greek dancing started right after the meal and lasted until about 2:00AM!