Tell us about yourselves, and how did you meet?
“It still sometimes amazes us that we ever met at all. Tom’s a born-and-raised Tel Avivian, and Delaney hails from New Zealand, the literal other side of the world. When we met in Thailand in 2016, a rainbow parted the sky, angels began to sing and the grass erupted into flowers around us… Only kidding, but it sure felt that way. Only a short four-year long distance relationship and a few thousand Skype calls later, Delaney moved to Israel so that we could officially start our lives together.
We’d like to think we are affectionate, playful, and welcoming people. We love throwing big dinner parties in our (tiny) apartment, so when it came to planning our wedding we wanted to create a similarly intimate vibe, but on a large scale.”
What made you decide to get married in Greece?
“A few friends of ours have had destination weddings over the past few years, and we’ve seen how much more immersive and memorable it is when people have a few days to relax into the event. By coming to Greece, we got to experience not only a wedding, but an amazing holiday in a stunning location with all of our favourite people.”
How long did it take to plan the wedding? Tell us about the challenges you faced
“We flew to check out the venue in September 2023 and started officially planning around January – so around 8 months before the event. The biggest challenge we faced was probably getting the guest list right – we only had space for 50 people all up (which is absolutely miniscule compared to most Israeli weddings) so we did have to make some tough calls. In the end though, being selective meant that we were surrounded only by people we really know and adore – and who were genuinely excited to celebrate with us.”
Tell us about the wedding planning process with Anat and Yonathan?
“Starting from January, we had nearly weekly planning sessions to go through all the details. From the get-go we were clear that we didn’t want a “cookie cutter” wedding, so we needed a team who would roll with us and take our ideas seriously, not try and push us towards a ‘standard’ option. We loved that no matter what we suggested, Anat was willing to investigate how to make it a reality. Obviously our budget didn’t stretch to everything we dreamed up (sadly, no bouncy castle this time around) but the end result was exactly what we hoped for – super personal, fun , and a real reflection of who we are as a couple.”
Sirtaki :
It's really important as a planner to get the right balance between the couple's wishes and also their cultures. Traditions that surround weddings can be particularly tricky and I loved how these guys approached it all and made it their own.
What part of the planning did you enjoy the most?
“Planning the chuppah/ceremony itself was a lot of fun. Our celebrant was a good friend of ours, so we had a few meetings where we sat and talked about our story and brainstormed ideas for making the moment extra special. Anat didn’t bat an eye when we said we wanted order carpets, smash some plates and set off smoke flares, all of which really added to the energy (and made for some great photos).”
Sirtaki :
The guys had an incredible vision for the look and feel of the day and we loved pulling it all together! As a former chef, I also love when I get to have fun with the menus, and these two being total foodies meant every dish was a celebration in itself.
What was the most important thing for you in the process?
“We almost gave up on having a wedding at all for a time as we had a long list of “must haves” that we just weren’t finding. Delaney wanted a chic European-style wedding with a sit-down dinner. Tom wanted a wild party with no noise restrictions. We both wanted to be surrounded by nature, in a place where our guests could stay overnight. And it all needed to be within budget for 50 people. We were at the point where we felt we’d need to lower our standards if we ever wanted to get married when Anat showed us the pictures of this incredible place on Evia Island. In the end, we got everything we were after.”
What kind of ceremony did you have?
“Well, our celebrant came out wearing a toga and began by leading everyone on a mindfulness practice, our guests blew bubbles, at the moment of the kiss our brothers let off smoke flares (which caused only a minor fire) and we smashed plates instead of stepping on a glass. So you know, all quite traditional.”
Tell us about your wedding day - the decor, the food, the vibe, the feeling.
“Some of our favourite memories have been from travelling to hippy festivals in Europe, so we wanted to bring a bit of that free-spirited, bohemian vibe into the event. Anat sourced some amazing Turkish carpets and vases for the ceremony and the florist incorporated local wildflowers into the bouquets. Delaney also went a bit wild finding fonts and illustrations for the signage, ending up with a look that one guest described as “”occult chic”” (lol).
It was important for us that everyone sit and enjoy dinner together before we got down to any dancing. Anat designed an amazing menu of dishes inspired by local Greek cuisine, but with a twist, served family-style. It really felt like the best dinner party ever.”
share the details of what you wore.
“I’d describe my wedding dress as giving “”sexy cult leader”” vibes (although that wasn’t the original vision, haha). It was a long-sleeved silk gown with glass beading along a low v neckline and back from Australian designer Bo & Luca. I found the dress during a late night Pinterest session but it wasn’t stocked in any boutiques I could access. In the end I took a gamble and ordered it online – thankfully, it was perfect!
Tom’s outfit was a mix of Scotch & Soda, Zara, Happy Socks, and a couple of key pieces found on Etsy. We’d highly recommend any groom go the extra mile to get things tailored – this was was key to taking Tom’s look from “”good”” to “”wow””. I think he may have found a newfound appreciation for fashion after all the compliments he received at the wedding, haha”
Share with us an unforgettable moment from the wedding.
“It’s hard to pick just one, but the most emotional might have been on the dancefloor. Our song has always been “how to fly” by Sticky Fingers, so it was a natural pick to walk down to aisle to. Unbeknownst to us though, our DJ found a dancefloor-ready remix for later in the evening. As it started playing, the crowd formed a group hug around us and started singing along. It’s literally the song we fell in love to, so to hear it at our wedding nearly eight years later, surrounded by the community we’ve built as a couple, was like coming full circle in the most magical way.”
Sirtaki :
One of the stand out moments for us was when Delaney's father, who sadly couldn't make it in person, joined via video call to raise a toast to the couple.
You spent several days with us in Greece surrounding your wedding. Can you describe your overall experience?
“Our wedding took place over two days and nights. We were conscious that people were travelling to be with us, so we wanted to make sure that everyone was really looked after throughout the event and came away feeling they’d had a great holiday, as well as a chance to celebrate our love with us.
After dinner on the first evening we put people into teams for a game show event, in the style of “”who wants to be a millionaire”” (with a bottle of champagne for the winners). The crowd got really into it, with loads of passionate debating and even an impromptu dance at the end! It was a great way to break the ice and also tell a bit of our story in a creative way. By the next morning, we could already sense that everyone was much more comfortable and relaxed. I’m not sure the wedding party would have gone on as late, with as many people, if we hadn’t had that extra time together.”
What practical and emotional advice would you give to couples planning a destination wedding?
“Let’s face it, as a guest, weddings can be awkward, especially destination ones where there’s no easy escape! To keep the energy high, we added playful touches throughout the weekend: prank gifts in a few rooms, a game show and live music, smoke flares and plate smashing for the ceremony, personal thank you notes with memes & “suggested conversation topics” for every guest, and a fireworks show at midnight. Plus, we made sure our DJ had a playlist guaranteed to get everyone out of their chairs.
We’d recommend to any couple doing a destination wedding to think hard about the experience for the guests beyond just the ceremony, dinner and music – it’s those little ‘surprise and delight’ moments that will keep the energy high and make the event extra memorable.”
Tom and Delaney’s wedding was ‘chef’s kiss’ everything a destination wedding should be: wildly fun, sentimental when it needed to be and totally personal. They didn’t just plan a wedding; they created a whole experience. It wasn’t about following trends; from prank gifts in hotel rooms to ‘cult-leader chic’ vibes (yes, that’s a thing now), every detail was a little left-of-center and 100% unforgettable.
Their ability to mix heartfelt moments with laugh-out-loud fun made it a weekend nobody wanted to leave. Honestly, it’s weddings like these that keep us loving this crazy, beautiful, chaotic job.
Planners: Sirtaki Events – Florist: Terra Alba – Photography: Evi & Jo
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