We're Getting Married
ANGELIKA & VLAD
When:
Saturday, 13 September 2025
Where:
Serenity Art Villa
Elounda, Crete, Greece
A Love Story
against all odds
We are not going to bore you with a long story and all the details, you have Vlad for that. Instead we will leave you with a couple of paragraphs, Angelika's style.
You never intend to fall.... but sometimes it just happens. This is why it is called "falling in love". For us it was a kind of love that did not need more than a single glance, the first one to be specific (think sappy romantic movies, but the real life version).
A kind of love that defied expectations. A love that transcended language and geographical borders. It fuels our strength and helps us navigate all that the world throws our way.
Maybe it was just a coincidence, maybe it was a case of "the right person in the right place", or maybe fate, we still do not know and it does not really matter.
What we do know is that this event is the celebration of this love - a mirror of our first meeting - a beautiful (we hope!) "thing" from a foreign land!
''I saw you,
and in the first glance,
my soul said:
That's the one.''
Our view
For the weekend 12 - 15 September
In OUR perfect scenario we see this as a 3 nights short vacation to cool off after the summer heat:
I. 12 September (Friday): arrival through-out the day in Elounda village; who knows maybe we meet for a dinner together;
II. 13 September (Saturday): the sun kissed wedding, starting at 2:30 PM, entirely hosted at the Serenity Villa;
As per Greek law, the music will end at 23:30 - let's make the most of our time together!
III. 14 September (Sunday): sleeping in, followed by a day of relaxation at the water front;
IV. 15 September (Monday): check-out and departure.
Maybe YOUR perfect scenario also includes some additional days before and/or after so we are including below some recommendations for your extended trip.
Travel & Stay
01.
Getting There
The easiest way to get to the island is by plane. Crete is a big island and has two airports:
I. Heraklion International Airport "Nikos Kazantzakis" (HER)
Heraklion airport is more convenient option as is located approx. 66k from Elounda (1h drive).
II. Chania International Airport "Daskalogiannis" (CHQ)
Chania airport is located on the western coast approx. 215k from Elounda (3h drive).
There are multiple direct flights operated by: Wizzair and Ryanair from Warsaw PL, Krakow PL and Bucharest RO. Alternatively, there are weekly charter flights that can be booked thru travel agency TUI (from Rzeszow, Krakow, Katowice, Warsaw).
Another option might be a flight with a layover in Athens or other European city operated by Greek airline Aegean.
Recommended car rental services:
I. From Chania or Heraklion airports
Rental-center-crete.com, enter a code ”alech” for 5% discount
https://mcar.gr, enter a code ”AngelikaVlad” for 10% discount
We would like to organize a shuttle service from Heraklion airport (to Elounda) and back for those who don't want to rent a car. Please let us know if you would be interested in this option thru RSVP button.
02.
Where to Stay
Hotels to check out:
Lovely 4-star boutque hotel located in the heart of Elounda, approx. 2km from the wedding place. With the code (vlad&ang) you can book it directly through their website (here) using our preferential rates. You should enter the code in the Voucher field that appears when searching in our booking engine.
Considering that most of our guests will stay at Orama in the day of the wedding we will organize a group transport to the venue and back.
II. Domes Aulūs Elounda, Curio Collection by Hilton
5-star hotel by Hilton located on the north part of the coast, approx. 1km from our venue.
Elounda is considered as the "riviera" and "hip" place to be on Crete so the accommodation options are quite extensive - feel free to browse around further. But please keep in mind the location of the Venue!
03.
Crete, the largest Greek island, recommendations
I. Beaches:
Plaka and Spinalonga Island - this might be an idea for Spending a day around Elounda. Plaka is a fishing village full of local tavernas, nice beach and port from where you can take a short cruise to Spinalonga Island and citadel (right across Plaka).
Seitan Limania Beach - sandy cove with its impressive milky turquoise water surrounded by cliffs, be prepared for a small trekking to get there;
Balos Beach - most famous lagoon of white sand and shallow blues, you can walk tens of meters thru it, ideally you should get there on the morning to avoid crowd;
Elafonissi Beach - shallow lagoon with crystal turquoise water and the famous pink sands, according to Google the sand gets its color from foraminifera shellfish, an early arrival is a must;
Preveli Beach - and last but not least, our favorite beach with a palm forest (it was recommended to us by a local guy once upon a time, totally worth it);
II. Cities:
Chania - our favorite city in Greece with narrow alleyways, pedestrian corridors and hidden squares, lively bars and tens of cozy tavernas;
Rethymnon - lovely little Old Town is a labyrinth of Venetian wonders on Crete’s north coast. Full of picturesque tavernas, cozy wooden tables, pottery shops, churches and historic fountains;
Heraklion - the capital of the island, known for its Venetian port;
III. Historical landmarks:
Knossos - the mythological home of King Minos. This is jam-packed with history – archaeological site from around the Bronze Age which is regarded by many as the first civilization in Europe;
IV. Trekking excursion:
Kourtaliotiko Gorge & waterfall - located on the south coast close to Preveli Beach. From here there are two trails, one takes you to the top of the falls, and other leads down into the water. The trail is short. For a longer trek, there’s a 10km hiking trail that connects Kourtaliotiko Gorge to Preveli Beach;
Samaria Gorge hike - epic hike down into the Samaria Gorge, the longest gorge in Europe (18km) with beautiful mountain scenery;
V. Trip to Santorini:
A Cyclades romantic, fairy tale island full of whitewashed houses surrounded by cliffs;
The journey time by ferry from Heraklion, Crete to Santorini (Thera) is between 1h 50m and 3h 10m. With Fast Ferries, which is the fastest ferry company on this route, you can get there in 1h 50m.
VI. Don't forget to try local products:
Olive oil
Honey
Wine
Raki (a strong spirit made from grapes)
Don't forget to bring!
01. Wedding outfit
02. Swimming suits
Smart casual in the islandly spirit. All light earthy, sandy, rocky, olive and azure natural colors. Or whatever you can think of as long as you have a good story behind it :) Full suits only for swimming!
03. Protection above all
Imagine being in a chocolate factory and not trying a single piece! That's will be your stay in Crete, if you don't bring your swimming suit! In stunning September with perfectly clear blue water surrounding your every step. Alos, its nice to have water shoes.
Crispy chickens are good only in KFC. Sunscreen, hats and sunglasses will be your dear friends! Also, Vlad might be hat-hungry, we need to have some supplies :)
04. Driving license
Crete is a very chill island, like in most Mediterranean destinations I would not count on public transportation, driving yourself around Crete is one of the best ways to see the island. So if you plan to rent a car that's what you need (airports and beaches are not in a walking distance from anything!).
05. Good energy
This is must have! The plan is to have fun!
Contact
Please let us know if you want to celebrate with us until 30 April 2025.
You know how to contact us!