Our Reception

The reception was scheduled to start at 10pm. This was approximately 90 minutes after the ceremony and greetings had finished. I had warned the family in advance that it would be a late dining hour so that they didn’t end up starving waiting for us to arrive. In Greek receptions, it is customary to have a ‘BIG’ song to announce your entrance. Akis being a huge 80s rock fan had chosen Guns and Roses ‘Sweet Child ‘O Mine’. Not sure what Grandma thought of that, but hey, we made a huge entrance.





The hall itself overlooked Athens and when outside, you were able to see the Acropolis in the distance and the lights of the city. The hall inside was a nice size and felt very intimate. The hall decorations were subtle, with only centrepieces and crystals and M&Ms scattered on the table. The colour being white with blue accents. Our table setting with the traditional boubounaire:

The customized M&Ms were a hit with some folks ~ most of them were eaten off of the Canadian table, and a baggie of them apparently flew back over the pond for relatives who weren't able to come... Greek weddings have NO speeches. Imagine that? 45 minutes of a reception you get back! We did buck this trend as well when Akis and I opted to make one very short statement, mine in Greek and Akis’ in English, where we thanked everyone for being with us and acknowledged family and friends who had traveled from Canada and Hong Kong. I am told that my Greek wasn’t half bad. Akis’ dad was very happy!




The food was buffet style with enough food to feed an army. Rumour on the street was everyone enjoyed the food ~ both Akis and I were disappointed that we were unable to eat that night, perhaps all the excitement of the day, as it did look really good!

After dinner, we greeted everyone at their tables and then proceeded to cut the cake to Dido’s ‘Thank You’. The cake was fantastic, even though we only got one bite. I do know of a relative that had at least 2 pieces if not more. It was just as well as we had 14kg of cake to go around!

Our dance followed ~ ‘Still the One’ by Shania Twain.


The Greek music soon followed and the ‘Opa’ moments began. The pictures tell more than I ever could describe. I believe looking back at the photos that everyone enjoyed themselves, in particular the Canadian contingent and Aunt Tula!!



We danced and danced until about 2am, when things wound down. I got an email a few days ago from a friend who asked if it passed in the blink of an eye, and yes, for all the time you agonize over the food, the flowers, the dress, the day come and goes and it is amazing just how quickly it passes you by. We had a lot of help from both the manager of our Reception Hall ~ Mr. Thanasis, and our Wedding planner ~ Despina. Many thanks to them for their support on our day.