Preparations for this particular wedding, or rather for the wedding, in Greece began in the strictest secrecy a year before. The famous couple had nothing to do with our country, they got married in New York in 2019 and after the pandemic decided to celebrate it with 150 friends in a place they visited and liked. The established “business” with a budget of up to $10 million is perhaps one of the most extreme cases of an industry that is now thriving in our country: wedding tourism.

More than 200 people worked especially for this event. Some for three days, others for months. Some who specialize in a particular piece have come from afar. For example, a woman from Switzerland was responsible for 20 people who acted as “shadows” of the guests. An Asian man who disclosed all food preferences – allergies and was present at the meal to confirm that no omissions were made. The woman, known for her work with suitcases, was in charge of dozens of porters who collected them from various private or public airports to deliver them to each guest’s room. Another one from America was in charge of the food (and hired the best chefs in Greece to serve each villa). Even the florist came from New York. Her team (of four) collaborated with a Greek florist. A few weeks ago everyone was supposed to be in Greece. Interviews and then staff training took place in a “headquarters” apartment in the center of Athens. Professional tennis players ready to play with anyone, doctors, bodyguards, hairdressers and masseuses. They even hired a philologist who could talk history to any guest they wanted. The lighting was done by a team of leading Greek lighting designers.

The performance of Karagiozi was given according to the story of a couple, he is a successful investor, she is an intellectual. Their guests were the cream of America’s harvest.

The staff received four different uniforms to wear (tailored for each according to their body type) and detailed instructions on their overall appearance. They should shower twice a day, cover visible tattoos, not wear false eyelashes, and not wear makeup or paint their nails. “You must be invisible. Don’t let them feel like you’re listening, but be available when they talk to you. You tell them good morning and good night in Greek,” they told them. For a while they discussed various scenarios and how they would handle them. They all signed strict confidentiality agreements. Each guest was greeted with gifts – a marble boat, made by a sculptor in Tinos, books about Greece, a towel embroidered with the names of the boats they would use (“Christina”). The couple greeted them with handwritten notes. The festivities, they were told, would begin on Friday. They could take a boat to the Hydra or some archaeological site. The next day in Spetses – booked for lunch one of the best taverns on the island. The hotel will have a synchronized swimming show and live music performed by a popular young Greek singer. In the evening he had a “Greek” night in the hotel. Various kiosks were arranged as theatrical scenery – souvlaki, bakery, etc. – with Greek “street food”. zi about the history of the couple: he is a successful investor, she is an intellectual. Their guests were the cream of American high society. After the performance, the clarinets came out. The next night, the guests were in for a big surprise. Those employees who knew the details were given strict instructions not to divulge them. And if the spouses asked their friends not to publish anything for three days (and, it seems, they complied, since there is no information on the Internet), then that night the measures were draconian. At the entrance to the site, all guests, without exception, had to put their mobile phones in a special anti-theft case. No one objected (only one guest, who was supposed to watch his daughter’s match, so a worker sat with him until the end of the match). One of the most famous artists sang for about two hours. Near the end, some workers were ordered to distribute gardenias to the guests and teach them how to break plates in front of the organist, who came out to accompany him with his bouzouki.

The next day, the couple left for a week on the islands on the yacht Christina (all the guests from Athens arrived with her). However, the work of the organizers did not stop there. Almost all the guests continued their vacation in Greece, and their phones were constantly ringing with requests. One of the most famous guests, for example, asked incognito to eat Athenian ribs and drink retsina. The tavern worker recalls that different “comparisons” were sitting at the neighboring tables so that the guest would not feel the atmosphere … sterile.

While there is no official data on wedding tourism (mainly because most people choose to have a symbolic ceremony here rather than a sacrament), the Greek organizers who spoke to K explain that our country hosts hundreds of foreign weddings every year – some really high standards. “We organize ourselves and prepare more and more every year,” say K. In addition to islands such as Mykonos or Santorini, which are still highly sought after by foreigners, there are now other destinations in Greece that foreigners choose for their weddings. According to the data collected by the PhD student for her dissertation “Research and Analysis of Wedding Tourism in Greece” (Papadopoulou, 1018), many other destinations such as Crete, Rhodes and the mainland are now equally popular. Greece, Monemvasia, Nafplio and Halkidiki.

When 15 trucks invaded a fishing village in the Peloponnese

Giorgos Karagiorgas, who has been organizing weddings abroad for many years, is now only looking for a DJ or a band abroad, and then only if the client absolutely wants it. In all other respects, he assures that the Greek suppliers will cope with any of their requirements. “It’s just that there are fewer options so far,” he explains to “K”. For example, there are only two vendors who make amazing props. He explains that it is a new fashion to create imaginary worlds (as an example, he gave a wedding he is preparing this year in the Peloponnese, where the area around the hotel will be turned into a Japanese garden).

So far, the most “demanding” party he has been invited to organize has been at the Sporades. When he first arrived at the place with a couple (he was a foreigner and she was Greek), he was thrilled by the magical scenery, but the thousand difficulties he would face began to “run through” his mind. And that’s because this place was… an uninhabited private island with no running water, no electricity, and of course no port to ship supplies to accommodate 500 people. A month before the wedding, he realized that there was another problem: the island was infested with insects and rodents (they finally had a special system that emitted ultrasonic waves, hundreds of citronella candles, and special essential oils sprayed everywhere for mosquitoes).

Mr. Karagiorgas tracked down and rented a slipper boat from Kalymnos, which went to Lavrio and from there to a private island with all the supplies: refrigerators, furniture, floors, as well as generators, a water tank and even garbage trucks that they will receive. wastewater. At the same time, workers spent several days building a rudimentary “road network” on the island so that all these trucks could get to different points. Two weeks later, everything was ready to meet the couple and their friends who had come from all over the world. Many of the guests could not believe that this whole scene was created specifically for the party and that the next day it would simply disappear.

Wedding planner Ioanna Vamvakari married many years ago in Monemvasia and saw the limited possibilities, but at the same time saw the promise of this place. Together with the mayor at one time, they held presentations for hoteliers and restaurateurs, trying to convince them to invest in wedding tourism. “There are hundreds of Greek immigrants in America and Australia who yearn to return to their country for their joys,” he told them. They were hesitant to invest, but gradually they dared to do so, and now Monemvasia has become a popular destination (she herself holds 20 weddings a year there). “The local community benefits from such marriages,” he emphasizes. According to his estimates, only at the wedding, which he arranged last year in Laconia, 1/3 of the total budget (1.8 million euros) remained in the treasury of local residents. The groom’s parents (second-generation Greek Americans) had an unshakable desire that the three-day festivities be held in their homeland of Kyparissi, and that both the people and raw materials of the region be used in the preparations. . When the Vamwakari team first went to the tiny fishing village, everyone reacted the same way: “That doesn’t happen here. Where do you think you are?” they told her. In addition to 680 guests, 200 people will be occupied, and the available beds will not be enough for even half of them. Finally, they were given the last room in a wider area, and the municipality provided they had a party port pier.Of course, the road was too narrow, so each point was measured – length and height – and special trucks had to be rented to regulate the air in the tires to pass under balconies or trees. When the trucks finally arrived (there were more 15), the grandmothers of the village came out onto the road: “Boy, whatever you do, but don’t drive,” they shouted. And yet they saw how one by one they unloaded in a small port and left. They invited the whole village. They feasted until morning and everyone was proud that such a wedding took place with them.