A Romantic Santorini Destination Wedding with a Coachella-Style Reception

More than 80 family members and friends joined Sammie and Adam for their Greek island wedding and a long weekend of partying, eating, and drinking

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Hannah Watkin

6 November, 2019

Greece provided the perfect location for Sammie Searles’ and Adam Cane’s destination wedding and Coachella-style afterparty last June.

The couple chose to tie the knot at Thermes Luxury Villas, overlooking Santorini’s famous caldera. The traditional white and blue villas and the Greek island’s natural beauty provided a stunning backdrop to their wedding day. Sammie and Adam were lucky enough to have 88 of their closest friends and family join them at this once-in-a-lifetime spot.

As well as getting married abroad, the couple also got engaged while on holiday in Bruges two years before their wedding. Adam meticulously planned every detail, getting down on one knee after a horse and carriage ride around the Belgian city and proposing with an engagement ring he designed himself.

For the wedding party, Sammie wore a stunning two-in-one wedding dress by Hayley Paige. Don’t miss the pictures from the couple’s next day “Canechella” party when all of the guests slipped into more relaxed, festival-style clothing!

Photography by: Stacey Clarke

The Wedding Dress

To wow guests, Sammie chose a stunning dress with an overskirt from the Blush by Hayley Paige collection bought from the Wedding House Boutique in Derbyshire.

“I really wanted the look of two dresses so chose an overskirt which I took off before the wedding breakfast. The dress looked completely different and I think a lot of the guests were surprised when I made my entrance in the ‘second’ dress!

“Whilst I was getting ready my maid of honour gave me a card and box from Adam which she said I should open before my makeup artist arrived as it was sure to make me cry.

“Adam had designed some diamond earrings which matched my engagement ring which was a total surprise and very unexpected. Needless to say there were tears.”

Sammie knew exactly what she wanted for her big day – a Hollywood wave and a dewy, flawless makeup look. Lizzie Liros took care of her hair while Renia Bledaki was in charge of creating a flawless face.

“I did lots of research before booking these ladies as these were two very important things I did not want to get wrong and I couldn’t have been happier with the result.

“We travelled to Santorini last October so I had trials then to make sure I was happy.”

The Bridal Party

“I had 10 bridesmaids, one flower girl and one page boy. My bridesmaids included my two younger sisters, my best friends from performing arts school, and my childhood best friends from the Isle of Wight. Our niece and nephew were flower girl and page boy.

“The bridesmaids all looked absolutely gorgeous in their dresses which were all different styles from ASOS. For me, I wanted all the bridesmaids to look and feel amazing, and I don’t think I could have achieved this with the same style as they are all different body shapes. They did me so proud on the day and everyone commented on how stunning they all looked.

“One of my bridesmaids is a makeup artist so she did the makeup for them and their hair was done by another hairdresser based in Santorini named Popi Margariti.”

The Groomsmen

Adam looked dapper on the couple’s big day in a three piece suit. His outfit mirrored the beautiful Santorini sunsets as he wore a white shirt with a salmon jacket and waistcoat chosen by Sammie.

“The groomsmen all wore suits from ASOS. I chose them as Adam would have been happy to wear pretty much anything I put him in! They all had black dickie bows from ASOS and the shoes were from Dune.

“I gave Adam a box to open the morning of the wedding which had a black leather bracelet with an engraved clasp, whisky and an album of photos of our years together so far.”

The Wedding Venue

Thermes Luxury Villas and Spa provided the perfect location for a three-day-long wedding. Not only could the couple keep the party going late into the night, but guests were also able to enjoy a cave spa and an indoor cave pool during cocktail hour.

“We chose this venue after viewing a few in Santorini but loved that we had the entire complex exclusively for three days. As it was a less touristy area, we could have the music on till late unlike many of the other venues on the island.

“Guests were served canapés and champagne before walking back through the cave spa to the reception area which was set up with beautiful gold Tiffany chairs and round tables, all named after places Adam and I had been to together.

“Our colour scheme was rich, blush fabrics with gold and ivory, and a lot of greenery. Traditional Greek food was served with big salad bowls and tzatziki followed by grilled meats and vegetables, and then Greek desserts including baklava.

“We couldn’t have done any of it without our amazing planner Filia from Poema Weddings and Events.”

The Wedding Day

The couple stayed at the venue for the entire weekend with close family. All of the other guests stayed in nearby hotels.

“We decided to get legally married in Santorini as we felt it would be more special for all the guests making the journey there to see us officially tie the knot. Despite the paperwork, it was totally worth it!

“We had a harpist play Nuvole Bianche by Ludovico Einaudi for my entrance. We were married by a Greek celebrant who was lovely and made us feel at ease. We had our page boy, Luca, carry the rings and the ceremony only lasted around 20 minutes before we did a walk around the pool as husband and wife to the harpist playing The Scientist by Coldplay.

“I remember it being a completely surreal experience and only ever remember that I felt like it was only Adam and I in the room, it was really magical.”

The Flowers

To ensure the bouquet matched the wedding location, Sammie opted for Greek olive leaves, peonies, and roses.

“My bouquet exceeded all my expectations, all the flowers were provided by Betty Flowers Santorini and they looked simply gorgeous.

“The whole venue had a lot of flowers as this was high on my list of decorative items for the wedding. Each centrepiece had a beautiful arrangement as well as flowers to decorate the arch for the ceremony and the welcome boards.

“We also had hoops decorated with greenery in the pool which, although simple, looked stunning.”

The Wedding Cake and Stationery

For their wedding cake, the couple opted for red velvet and Nutella which was decorated with fresh flowers.

“The cake was to die for! I’m a huge chocolate lover so it was never going to be a fruit cake. We went cake tasting on our previous visit to Santorini and had never tasted cake like it!

“Our save the date cards were luggage tags made by Not On The High Street. Invites were passports with boarding cards made By Invitationly.

“For our favours, we decided to donate on behalf of our guests to two charities close to our hearts: Birmingham Children’s Hospital and the Alzheimer’s Society. We gave each guest a card which was placed on their tables.”

The Entertainment

To continue the romance of the wedding day, the couple chose a harpist and pianist for their ceremony. For the evening, they got the party started with a DJ.

“The day after the wedding, we decided to have a Coachella-inspired party aptly named ‘Canechella’ after my new surname. Everyone was given lanyards on their entry in.

“The venue was decorated really bohemian themed. We even had a signature cocktail made named after our dog Roo, called the Roo Roo, and guests were served Greek gyros. As entertainment, we had a DJ and saxophonist which was amazing.”

The Honeymoon

As the couple stayed in Santorini for two weeks, they decided to delay their honeymoon and will be jetting off to the Maldives in January.

“We didn’t stick to budget, however, we would not change a thing. Santorini is such a romantic and beautiful island and I think everyone could see why we had chosen to get married there.

“We are so happy that we decided to host a party for the day after. No one was ready to stop partying and I think one of the best things we did was set aside a budget for the Sunday.

“The wedding day was unforgettable and so many of our guests had said it was the best weekend they had ever had! We feel very lucky that we were able to share it with our nearest and dearest.

“I’m now trying to convince Adam to do a vow renewal in Santorini in a few years!”