Summary
A Greek wedding feast is all about love, tradition, and plenty of incredible food! From flavorful Greek wedding Meze to rich Greek wedding desserts, every bite celebrates Greek wedding food culture. Pair it with fine Greek wine for the perfect Greek wedding toast. You’ve got an unforgettable Greek wedding dining experience.
A Greek wedding feast is the ultimate expression of love.
Discover Greek wedding food customs that honor tradition and showcase the best of Greek gastronomy.
Greek wedding cuisine reflects the same cultural richness found in Greek wedding traditions and the hospitality your koumbaro and koumbara will experience. Food costs typically represent 25-30% of your total Greek wedding budget.
The Freshest Ingredients for Greek Wedding Dishes.
Greece follows the Mediterranean diet, one of the healthiest in the world. The Greek island of Ikaria has a healthy lifestyle. In fact, it has been listed as one of the five ‘Blue Zones’. These are places in the world with the lowest rates of disease and longest-living people.
If you’re planning a wedding in Greece, you can be assured of sensational flavours. They come from the finest, freshest, locally sourced ingredients. And, with delectable wines from Greece’s lush ancient vineyards, your guests are in for a truly unique Greek gastronomic adventure!
Organic produce and local specialties.
The sunny climate and rich, fertile soil offer an abundance of organic fruit and vegetables. These are perfect for an array of traditional Greek wedding food.
Cheeses are locally made. They include familiar names like Feta. They also offer unique cheeses like Mizithra, a fluffy Greek cheese similar to ricotta.
Freshly caught seafood is readily available in Greece. In Crete, where we married, the variety of seafood was immense. There were Sea Bream, Sea Bass, Swordfish, and Tuna. Additionally, we enjoyed Octopus, squid, and prawns!
For meat eaters, grass-fed Lamb, Goat, and Pork are first-rate. Beef is less prevalent in Greece. If this is your preference, it would be wise to check for availability beforehand.
The location of your Greek wedding venue significantly impacts menu options, with island locations offering fresh seafood while mainland venues may specialize in traditional mountain cuisine.
Shower your guests with love…and food.
Philoxenia (‘friend to a stranger’) is at the heart of Greek wedding food culture. Greeks love to look after their guests. They make them feel welcome. This is evident in the plethora of traditional and modern dishes and drinks at any Greek wedding feast.
We decided against a served menu for our wedding reception. We felt it contradicted the Greek hospitality ethos of More is More. More food shows more love to your guests.
Instead, we chose an elegant Greek Meze-style buffet. It offered a wide range of tempting dishes for our guests to enjoy. Along with an open bar, ensuring Philoxenia flowed through the occasion with unlimited drinks available.
Abundant Greek-Style Hospitality.
Meze means ‘small bites’. Tables are laden with a variety of modern and traditional Greek wedding dishes. These dishes are for guests to share. It embodies the cultural significance of food at a Greek wedding.
We combined our smaller meze dishes with larger cooked Greek dishes designed for guests to help themselves. This slow, leisurely eating style encourages a sense of community. It promotes social interaction. Guests are encouraged to try a taste of everything.
Our guests loved our Greek Meze-style wedding menu. There was music and dancing until the early hours. It was the perfect way to immerse our guests in the leisurely, abundant Greek wedding culture.
Greek wedding cuisine suits all tastes.
Greek wedding cuisine satisfies all tastes and dietary requirements by default. The multitude of dishes of a Greek Meze is a great way to ensure everyone is catered for.
Opt for discussing menu choices with your caterer to ensure ample variety, and, importantly, try their food before the wedding. Before our wedding, we tasted the food of two Greek caterers in Crete. Each treated us to a feast fit for royalty, with 10-12 dishes each to try!
Our caterer was surprised. We said only two vegans would be at our wedding. Our original selection included so many non-meat dishes. But he agreed we should pick foods we enjoy, and everyone would have plenty of choice. He was right; our guests all loved the Greek wedding food!
If you’re catering for special dietary requirements or allergies, request that your caterers label foods. This ensures your guests have clear options.
Traditional Greek wedding dishes for your menu.
There is an abundance of authentic Greek wedding dishes to choose from. To showcase the best of Greek wedding food culture, here are a few of the most popular traditional dishes:
Greek Wedding Starters
Traditional Greek dips and freshly baked bread.
Fool-proof grazing food, typical Greek dips include:
- Tzatziki (Greek yoghurt and cucumber dip)
- Taramasalata (fish roe dip)
- Skordalia (garlic dip with olive oil and potatoes).
Greek Salads and Vegetables.
Showcasing locally sourced produce:
- Peppers, aubergines, artichokes, courgettes and cauliflower are used in salads, grilled, oven-baked, or stuffed with rice.
- Dolmades (stuffed vine leaves)
- Greek Salad (Horiatiki Salata) with Feta, olives, cucumber, onion and tomatoes.
- Maroulosalata ( Greek lettuce salad with spring onions, fresh herbs, and an olive oil dressing)
Greek Cheeses.
- Spanakopita (Filo pastry pie with Feta and spinach)
- Tiropita (Cheese pie with Feta)
- Saganaki (Fried cheese)
Other popular options:
- Seafood such as calamari and grilled octopus.
- Keftedes (Greek meatballs)
Greek Mains
For a unique and memorable Greek wedding dining experience, we treated our guests to Antikristo. It is a traditional Cretan way of grilling meat over a wood fire.
Imagine large cuts of lamb are marinated with olive oil, lemon, and herbs. They are then slow-cooked for several hours on long metal skewers.
The result is smoky, tender, and juicy meat that is beautifully crisp and caramelized on the outside. I highly recommend it!
Other traditional Greek wedding dishes include:
- Seafood: Platters of delicious locally sourced Greek seafood.
- Pansetta: A traditional Greek grilled pork belly marinated with local herbs and spices. (Different from the Italian Pancetta). Pansetta is very popular across Greece, but is very prominent in Crete.
- Souvlaki: Greek Pork, chicken or lamb pieces grilled on skewers and served with pita bread and sauces.
- Kleftiko: Traditional slow-cooked Greek lamb dish.
- Baked Dishes:
- Moussaka (layers of aubergine and meat sauce)
- Pastitsio (Greek version of lasagne)
- Gamopilafo: This symbolic dish, called ‘Wedding Rice’, is a traditional Cretan dish of creamy rice, meat and herbs.
We didn’t serve this at our wedding because it wasn’t to our taste. However, it is a celebratory dish that is popular at Cretan weddings.
Greek Wedding Cake and Desserts
Greek wedding desserts are sweet, indulgent, and symbolic. They represent celebration and abundance, which are at the heart of traditional Greek wedding feasts.
- Baklava: A divine sweet treat with layers of filo pastry and nuts soaked in honey.
- Kataifi: Similar to baklava but made with shredded filo pastry
- Karithopita: A walnut cake popular at Greek weddings.
- Other traditional dessert options: Loukoumades (warm honey doughnuts**)** and Galaktoboureko (citrussy custard pie).
A Greek wedding toast!
No Greek wedding reception celebration is complete without a glass of something special to toast the happy couple.
Greece produces an abundance of high-quality indigenous grapes, and each area has its own uniquely flavoured wines. Cretan wines are delicious. Our favourite, Moscato Spinas, a fruity white wine with a charming floral aroma, featured heavily in our Greek wedding celebrations.
Greek wine is generally served throughout the meal and leisurely festivities. Have fun tasting at the many local Greek wineries to see which wines suit your tastes.
Popular traditional Greek spirits, perfect for celebratory wedding toasts, include:
- Ouzo: A classic Greek spirit with a strong aniseed taste, symbolising joyous Greek hospitality.
- Raki: Also known as Tsikoudia, is a traditional Cretan spirit made from grapes.
- Mastiha: A traditional Greek liqueur typically served after a meal and used by the Ancient Greeks to cure stomach aches.
We offered our guests Mastiha, which, at 20% ABV, is a more forgiving alternative to the usual ‘hard alcohol’ shots. They loved the unique flavour and kept coming back for more.
Hereditary Greek Wedding Food Culture.
We’ve covered just a few authentic Greek wedding dishes and gastronomic delights ideal for a Greek destination wedding.
It’s important to talk to your caterers. Taste all the options. Handpick a thoughtfully curated celebratory feast for your loved ones.
Recipes for traditional Greek wedding dishes are lovingly passed down through the generations. Each region in Greece has its own traditional dishes. Every island offers unique wedding specialties to choose from.
The gastronomic traditions of Greek weddings are a rich blend of cultural heritage and Greek hospitality. This combination adds unparalleled warmth and generosity, elevating your Greek wedding reception to another level.
To the Greeks, food is love. What better way is there to show love to your family and friends? Select the finest Greek wedding food for them to enjoy.
The festive dining experience pairs perfectly with a touch of traditional Greek wedding music and dancing, creating an authentic celebration that guests will never forget. Be sure to find the right planner that knows all the local caterers for all tastes.
Greek Wedding Food & Menu Planning FAQ
Menu Planning & Budget
Greek weddings emphasize abundance following the Philoxenia tradition. Plan for 1.5-2 times normal portions compared to typical weddings. For meze-style service, allocate 8-12 small dishes per person. Include 3-4 appetizers (like Tzatziki, Spanakopita, Dolmades), 2-3 main proteins (lamb, seafood, chicken), 2-3 sides, and multiple desserts. Greeks believe “more food shows more love,” so generous portions ensure guests feel properly honored. This abundance also accommodates the extended celebration with dancing and festivities lasting into early morning hours.
Absolutely! Greek wedding food traditions celebrate family heritage and regional specialties. Many couples include grandmother’s recipes for dishes like Gamopilafo (traditional Cretan wedding rice), family-style Kleftiko (slow-cooked lamb), or regional specialties from specific Greek islands. Work with your caterer to test family recipes beforehand, ensuring they can be prepared in large quantities while maintaining authentic flavors. Including family dishes honors your heritage and creates emotional connections for Greek relatives who recognize traditional flavors from their own celebrations.
Greek wedding catering typically costs €40-€150 per person (yes, big gap!) depending on location, menu style, and service level. Meze-style buffets generally cost €40-€70 per person, while plated traditional Greek wedding dinners range from €80-€150 per person. Costs include appetizers like Tzatziki and Tiropita, main courses such as lamb or seafood, traditional Greek wedding desserts, and Greek wine service. Island locations like Crete or Santorini may have premium pricing due to ingredient sourcing and venue exclusivity.
Service Styles
Buffet or family-style service better reflects authentic Greek wedding culture and Philoxenia hospitality. This style encourages mingling, allows guests to sample multiple dishes, and accommodates various dietary needs naturally. Greek wedding traditions emphasize community sharing rather than formal individual plating. However, plated service works well for more formal venues or mixed cultural celebrations. Consider a hybrid approach: meze-style appetizers for mingling, followed by plated main courses. The key is ensuring abundant variety and generous portions that honor Greek hospitality traditions regardless of service style.
Meze-style Greek wedding service features multiple small dishes (8-15 items) served buffet-style or on shared platters, encouraging social interaction and allowing guests to sample various traditional flavors. This style embodies Greek hospitality with abundant choices including dips, grilled meats, seafood, and vegetables. Traditional plated service offers 3-4 courses with larger portions of signature dishes like roasted lamb, Moussaka, or Pastitsio. Meze-style tends to be more casual and interactive, while plated service feels more formal. Both options ensure authentic Greek wedding food culture.
Traditional Elements & Culture
While not mandatory, Greek wines and spirits enhance the authentic experience. Greece produces excellent indigenous wines – Assyrtiko from Santorini, Moscato Spinas (our favorite!) from Crete, and Agiorgitiko reds pair beautifully with Greek wedding food. Traditional spirits include Ouzo (anise-flavored), Raki/Tsikoudia (Cretan grape spirit), and Mastiha (aforementioned herbal liqueur). These drinks are integral to Greek wedding toasts and cultural traditions. Many couples offer Greek wines during dinner and traditional spirits for toasting, alongside international options for diverse guest preferences. Check my article on how to serve Greek wines and spirits and prevent the hangovers!
Koufeta are sugar-coated almonds that hold deep significance in Greek Orthodox wedding traditions. The hard almond represents life’s challenges while the sweet coating symbolizes the sweetness marriage brings to overcome difficulties. These blessed favors are given in odd numbers (usually 5 or 7) because odd numbers cannot be divided, symbolizing the couple’s unbreakable bond. According to tradition, single guests who place Koufeta under their pillow for three nights will dream of their future spouse. Every Greek wedding includes these meaningful treats as take-home gifts for guests. For a more in-depth review on Greek wedding symbolism check this article.
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