Sitting on a friend’s terrace sipping an iced coffee under azure blue skies overlooking the deep blue sea, I’m reminded of one of the most romantic weddings I have ever attended. It took place a few years ago at a friend’s house on Ios, an island in the Cyclades group in Greece. A slight breeze gently played with the olive trees in the olive grove below, turning the leaves into shimmery silver droplets in the sun. We each held a white umbrella to shelter from the sun and these fluttered like a swarm of fragile butterflies. Contrasting with the blues of the sky and the sea, this was such a spectacular image – a Fellini moment. It complimented the view we had of the bride coming down a few steps onto the lower terrace with her dress trailing behind her and her veil fluttering around her face. So beautiful. In the background some violinists provided live music. The actual wedding – the vows and the signing of papers – took place in front of all the guests, between two palm trees: a registrar’s office of a different kind. After the ceremony we were treated to a feast, provided by one of the local restaurants of the island.

In the evening the wedding party gathered on Manganari Beach – one of the loveliest beaches of Ios with turquoise blue water and five beaches within the bay. Here, tables were laid out on the sand right next to the water with one of the beach tavernas doing the catering . The sound of the sea lapping against the shore mingled with live music and the wedding group danced the night away under the stars on a sandy beach.

Why they chose Ios to get married

But why rely on my word alone? Listen to what my friends have to say about choosing Ios as a wedding destination. I asked a few of them what made them choose Ios for their weddings. All of them have a connection to the island – they live and work here for many months a year. However all of them insisted this was not the main reason they chose Ios. Sinead looked at me in surprise when I asked the question, “Well, Jani and I never thought of anywhere else. We are in love with this place and we always thought it would be the perfect setting for our wedding. The first time I came to Ios, I dreamed of getting married there. We used the Amphitheatre for the ceremony and then Harmony Restaurant down at Mylopotas beach for the reception and felt both places were very romantic. Our guests all enjoyed themselves immensely and loved staying on this beautiful island. There is a kind of magic about it you don’t find elsewhere. Our guests were enchanted and pleasantly surprised that despite being a tourist destination, it was still very traditional and authentic.”

Chelsea agreed with Sinead and added that in her case, ”Ios provided an in-between meeting place for both sides of the family. Joe’s family and friends could come over from the UK and mine came over from Australia – both sides really enjoyed seeing where we lived and getting to know our friends and the island itself. As Joe and I are in love with Ios and strongly feel the magic of the place, we wanted our families and friends to come and see the place and love it like we do.”

Kimberley also talked about the magic of Ios being the main reason George and her chose this island. “Not only did we have our memories of meeting and falling in love here, but we couldn’t think of a more romantic place to get married. We chose to have the ceremony and the reception at the Ios Club for personal reasons, and also because it seemed the perfect setting, overlooking the Port as it does – so romantic. Like for Joe and Chelsea, Ios was the middle ground. My family and friends could come over from the UK and George’s could come over from Athens and meet our friends on the island and get to know the beauty of the place. We chose September because the island is more relaxed then and people have more time. And the gorgeous colors of this time of day made us choose to have a sunset wedding. Truly I can’t imagine a better, more romantic place to have a wedding!”

Talking to my friends about their weddings, I got the impression that the bride, groom and the guests enjoyed themselves so much because many of the guests had to travel to the island: the event was not on home-ground and this contributed to a holiday atmosphere. The guests didn’t only come for the wedding, but stayed a few days or weeks and made their visit into a special holiday. In entertaining their guests, the bridal couples found themselves joining in activities they had always wanted to try out but had never had the time to: they went to beaches they hadn’t been before, tried scuba diving and drove around showing their guests the beauty of the island where they worked and lived. Their weddings turned out to be a wonderful holiday for all concerned adding to the magical aspect of the moment.

What is so special about Ios?

I’ve explained in a previous article why I’m in love with the place , but let me describe what meets your eye as you sail into the natural port: you can glimpse the village of Ios, perched on a rocky hill. (This is mainly hidden from view which discouraged pirates of years gone by from disembarking on the island – they tended to sail past uninhabited islands.) The little white houses glisten like gems in the midday sun and the blues of the doors and shutters compliment and contrast with the blues of the sea and sky.
Get a bus or a taxi from the port to take you to the village. Pause and look at the village from the bus stop. Behind a large cathedral are clustered a myriad of little white houses. Here and there is a bright splash of red and pink bougainvillea and geraniums. On the ridge of the slope, the village clings to the side of a hill with four churches riding the ridge of the slope up to the peak. Next to one of the churches there is a palm tree waving in the wind.

Are you not enchanted yet? Take a little walk through the village – no vehicles are allowed in the traditional center. There are two main roads inside the village – both are lined with interesting little shops and boutiques as well as pretty restaurants, bars and cafes. The bottom square and the main square are peaceful places to sit during the day, though both can get very noisy and crowded at nights. Veer off the main streets into the little alleyways, some with arches, partly covering the road, others with brightly colored bougainvillea growing up against the white walls of the houses. Such a picturesque island!

When you are tired of lounging at the pool, sipping cocktails and being pampered in the Spas, you might decide to explore the many beautiful places Ios has on offer, both within the traditional village and further afield. The Gaitis Modern Art Museum offers a spectacular view over half of the Aegean and the neighboring islands and the Amphitheatre over Mylopotas and towards Santorini – it is worth visiting these places. Take your time to wander through the back streets of the village and discover some delightful little nooks and crannies. While if it’s beaches you are after, Manganari, Aghia Theodoti, Psathi and Mylopotas never fail to impress. Some secluded coves with crystal-clear waters can be reached by water taxi. If you are more of a landlubber, a cliff-hanging walk along a footpath to the ruins of an old Venetian castle, or a visit to Homer’s Tomb might be of interest. Ramblers might like to look into wandering along the footpaths marked on a map of the island.

Unfortunately many of these are no longer well maintained, but the scents of the various wild herbs – oregano, thyme and lavender – growing along your way will surely delight you. Ios honey is sought out as a delicacy and is very aromatic because of these herbs. Look out for some weird and wonderful rock formations along the road to Manganari. Some of them are really amazing – so weathered and contorted by the elements, some are even transformed into animals or Rushmore-like heads.

There are plenty of activities to keep you and your guests occupied if you so wish. Is it your dream to fly? Why not try out parasailing or flying on the flying fish. Maybe you would prefer to roam the depths – the diving schools can help you out and take you round an old wreck. Perhaps you dream of riding the waves – wake-boarding or being dragged behind a speed boat on a banana or a tube could be the way to realise your fantasy. Are you a person who seeks an adrenaline rush? Try one of the ‘hell rides’ – you might end up with a free T shirt that proves your courage! The island has watersports facilities on Mylopotas beach, Yialo (Port beach) and Manganari. There you can indulge in the above-mentioned watersports and also rent water bicycles (pedalloes) or go on a kayak safari. Boat taxis can be hired to take you to remote coves and tours by car and mini van can be arranged. I have traveled round many Greek islands over the years and I firmly believe Ios offers some of the most beautiful beaches – and so many of them! Beaches to suit all tastes: sandy, rocky, pebbled – many easily accessible from the village or the port. Why not book a day trip on the Pirate Boat to the lovely Pikri Nero and enjoy a BBQ on the beach there? You will be loathe to leave its turquoise waters.

What do you need if you want to get married in Ios

The time has come to talk about the central event – the ceremony itself. I talked to the Mayor, Michalis Petropoulos, the other day about this very topic and he impressed upon me that couples wanting to have their wedding on Ios could choose any location that appealed to them! My above-mentioned friends had made use of that by choosing the Amphitheatre , the Ios Club and the beach. It is worth looking through the numerous online photos of the island before you make your decision. There are many very romantic spots,

Allow some months to complete the paperwork. All my friends mentioned how helpful the Ios council was in assisting them to organize the ceremony. A council member told me that, if necessary, the paperwork could be completed within a week, but normally it takes longer than this and should prove far less stressful if you give yourself more time. Greece still works on the phrases “tomorrow” or “in 10 days”. This can be a bit irritating at times, but also adds to the charm of the place. There is a different pace of life on Ios – “slowly, slowly” is a phrase that is used a lot. Outside the high season months of July and August, the island chugs along at a slower rhythm than that you would find in more urban centers. In the village, people have time to stop and chat with others as they go about their daily routines – you get to meet a lot of people this way. There is a certain feel of timelessness about the place.

The Ios Council has plans to provide a full wedding package in the future, but until it is up and running, you can obtain information about the necessary paperwork from George Drakos, Secretary of the Mayor’s office. The council is willing to help you get all the information you need to plan your wedding. You can find some useful information about accommodation, telephone numbers and some photos of the island on their website.

About the author:
Lambi is based in Athens and Ios. She paints and writer about Ios. Here you can read stories about Ios back in the 1970’s & 80’s. You can also follower her on Twitter.

Photo credits: photos of Ios and Facebook.