Our first wedding of 2012 and we couldn’t have asked for a more beautiful and enchanting story to tell. Rahele and Michalis come from two different lands literally, Sweden and Greece. The romance of both their cultures has been woven throughout their love story that lead up to their wedding day this February in England. Michalis proposed to Rahele in his homeland in the most romantic setting on one of the Greek islands, and of course she said yes!
Hand in hand they worked incredibly hard to arrange the most gorgeous wedding that both their families and friends would travel to, to be a part of. And of course they chose a destination that would not disappoint their guests, the magnificent Blenheim Palace in the heart of the Oxfordshire countryside. Many traditions were infused in the rituals of the day itself. Rahele and Michalis had two ceremonies on their wedding, a traditional Greek Orthodox service followed the civil ceremony in Blenheim Palace’s impressive Marlborough Room. It was really beautiful to witness these ancient rights, where two people declare and celebrate their devotion to one another. Thank you to Rahele and Michalis, we are so honoured you chose us to capture these cherished memories for you and we had such a great time with you both! We hope you enjoy a selection of favourite photos from Rahele and Michalis’ Blenheim Palace Greek wedding celebrations.
The day started at the fabulous Malmaison Hotel in Oxford, set in the city’s historic jail house and featuring many details telling of the building’s legacy. Rahele had her sister Natalie and mother Sarah with her, and they both made her feel great and look gorgeous too, doing both her hair and make-up for the day.
Rahele wore a stunning gown with lovely detailing on the straps and front, complimented by a blusher style veil, both designed by The Wedding Square in Sweden. Her gorgeous flowers, a bouquet of pretty roses in varying shades of pink and scarlet and adorned with bursts of red berries and foliage, were beautifully done by her friend Tracy. Rahele completed her look with a few elegant jewellery pieces from Crislu. Rahele made an absolutely breathtaking bride and her radiant smile really reflected the joy of the occasion.
The old prison walkways now all covered in striking sheets of clear glass made an incredible setting for some beautiful and stylish bridal portraits.
Michalis and best man Greg both looked very dapper and the groom’s Hermes cufflinks made a handsome finishing touch. We started the groom portraits using the stone exterior of the old prison before moving to the glamorous interior of the Malmaison hotel.
As the priest explained during the service, everything in the ancient Greek traditions are done three times (the crowning, the rings, the circling) as once is chance, twice is a coincidence and three times is purposeful, making the significance of the actions certain and meant.
After the Greek ceremony in the Marlborough Room everyone gathered in the grand setting of the Blenheim Palace Orangery where the wedding breakfast was to be held.
Although Rahele is from Sweden her family are in fact Persian, and to honour their Persian roots there was a table of wedding favours for all the guests bedecked with various items of symbolic importance. As is tradition the bride and groom each dip one pinky finger in the cup of honey and feed it to one another. The meaning of the honey is to sweeten life for the couple’s future together. There are amazing messages and wisdom present in these ancient symbols.
The stunning grounds of Blenheim Palace made for some breathtaking bride and groom portraits. It was also a lovely opportunity for Rahele and Michalis to savour the first moments of being newly weds! The buggy driver did an great job of taking us around the vast grounds as well as look after the canapés and drinks for the bride and groom that came with us for the ride.
These amazing evening portraits were all captured within 20 meters from the reception, meaning Rahele & Michalis were not away from their guests for too long.
The evening’s celebrations kicked off with a very romantic first dance, expertly orchestrated by the DJ from Fusion Entertainments.
A beautiful day and we loved being part of it. Congratulations again Rahele & Michalis, all the happiness to you both and may you spend many joyful moments looking back at your amazing day!