Six years ago, completely by chance, Margarita Sakelliou and Can Gokcen met in Istanbul. Margarita had flown from Athens, Greece to visit friends in Turkey and happened to meet Can – who had recently moved from Seattle, Washington – through mutual friends during a night out.
“It took a couple hours before either of us spoke to each other,” Margarita recalls. “He came up to me and we started chatting pretty much about everything. It seems we made a very good first impression on each other, as we met up the very next night.”
“IT WAS A SETTING ONE CANNOT FIND ANYWHERE ELSE IN THE WORLD.” - MARGARITA SAKELLIOU
Five years into their relationship, Margarita was on her 30th weekend trip to Istanbul to see Can. The couple was sitting at their favorite breakfast spot when, 45 minutes later, Can stepped outside for a call and disappeared.
“Shortly after, our waiter came and handed me a postcard,” Margarita says. “The postcard explained I was now a part of a game and I had to follow the clues. In short, I went on a scavenger hunt throughout Istanbul. At every establishment I entered, the shop owner would hand me a personal item that Can had prearranged along with the next clue. At the final stop, Can was waiting with a beautiful diamond. It was an absolute perfect day!”
After spending five years traveling back and forth to see each other, the newly engaged pair decided they wanted a wedding location that was meaningful to them. They agreed on a destination wedding on the Greek island of Paros, where they had spent many summer days. For the bride and groom-to-be, the island’s simplistic beauty was one of their favorite aspects.
“We knew the challenges such a destination would bring; therefore, we agreed that only Live Experiences would be able to work as our wedding planner – to help us to create a unique wedding layout to accentuate our gorgeous wedding venue and the Aegean Sea surrounding the venue,” Margarita describes. “The Cyclades were the inspiration for our wedding decorations! We both love simplicity, and Paros is the typical Cycladic island with its encompassing beauty, mesmerizing views, and crystal turquoise waters. The ceremony itself was truly magical. It took place in an amphitheater at the venue where the guests were seated across the Aegean Sea. It was a setting one cannot find anywhere else in the world.”
The floral décor perfectly complemented the wedding reception’s scenery. White and light blue hydrangeas were combined with sweet pea flowers, Greek basil, and eucalyptus leaves. In total, it was a gorgeous ambiance infused with an authentic taste of Greek and Turkish influences.
“After a year of preparation, we were not ready for the rollercoaster of emotions that awaited us on our wedding day,” says the bride. “There was nonstop love pouring in and we responded in tears, laughter, and a sense of being overwhelmed by all the love. Seeing everybody there to celebrate us was the biggest gift we could ask for! Now that the wedding is over, South America awaits our honeymoon.”
WEDDING TALENT
Wedding Dress: Antonio Riva
