Haley and Mitch’s Tinos wedding is the third story in our Real Weddings series, after Kendall and Taylor on Sifnos and Garanfil and Roman near Athens. They’re from Canada, and they married at Odera, a boutique hotel on Tinos in the Cyclades, with seven members of their immediate family as their only guests.
They had their ceremony on the beach at golden hour, and the whole day happened at the hotel, from getting ready in the morning to a private dinner for the nine of them that night.
Their photographer, Vasilis, suggested their wedding for this series, and I’m glad he did. My husband and I went the other way: we invited 120 guests to Crete and 96 came. Haley’s answers are about the choice we didn’t make, and I think they’ll help anyone who’s torn between the two.
Everything below is in Haley’s own words.
Why Greece over Italy, and why Odera
We were between Greece and Italy. We had envisioned ourselves being married overlooking the sea. When it came down to it, the final deciding factor was food. Food is so important to us. My husband is a private chef and a lot of our travel revolves around cuisine. We absolutely love fresh seafood and family-style dining, and so Greece felt like the winner. We also have to mention our venue, Odera in Tinos. Everything about this hotel and venue, the way that the rock and the sea and the sand and the sky all met the rugged yet modern architecture of the building, the design of each room, everything about this hotel, sealed the deal for us to be married in Greece.
A note from Christina: If food is what tips it for you too, say so in your first email to a venue, and ask whether dinner can be served family style, with shared dishes down the middle of the table, rather than plated courses. You’ll find out early whether the kitchen will cook the meal you have in mind.
Why a partial elopement instead of a big wedding
I come from a huge family and I have a lot of incredible friends, and it really came down to deciding: are we going to have a wedding of several hundred people, or are we going to have a partial elopement with our immediate family where we can really be present and intentional? I also have a very public-facing career, and a lot of my life is shared (which I love), but something about keeping our wedding very private felt right. Before we were engaged, we had been together for 13 years. We’ve been soulmates forever, and by the time we were ready to say I do, we had to make it as special, powerful and sacred as possible. We also love enjoyment and relaxation, and it was top priority for both of us to feel relaxed on our wedding day. As much as we adore our friends and family and love big weddings and big parties, we both felt inevitably called to a small intimate ceremony and celebration of our infinite love.
A note from Christina: Haley calls it a partial elopement. With seven family members and nobody else, it’s what I’d call an intimate elopement, and if you’re weighing it against something bigger, my guide to a small wedding in Greece compares the two side by side.
Telling the family back home
Everyone was, of course, sad to not be a part of it, but we have the most amazing friends and family, and they all understood why exactly we chose to have our wedding in Greece, and we were blessed to have multiple celebrations before our wedding and following our wedding with our close friends and family. I must also mention it can be easy to fall victim to doing what everyone else wants, but your wedding day is absolutely a day where you should do exactly what you and your husband or wife choose for you, and by eloping we were able to do that 100%. It’s also important to be super clear in your boundary of why you’re choosing to elope so that everyone you love who won’t be there will respect your choice.
Trusting the team on Tinos, from Canada
Honestly, we never worried. We knew everything was working out wonderfully. The staff and concierge that we worked with at our venue were incredible. Our photographer, Vasili, was above and beyond extraordinary to work with. We felt so much trust. We were also very type B when it came to our wedding. We had strong standards around food, venue, and the overall feeling/vibe of the day. Otherwise, we fully trusted the unfolding and the professionals who we hired to ensure we would have an extraordinary day. I also think it’s important to double down on what you actually value and prioritize and be very relaxed about the rest. In our case, we were blessed that everything was even better than we imagined.
Haley’s advice for couples torn between eloping and a big wedding
There were moments that we all experienced (me, my husband and our immediate family) that would simply not be experienced if there were even 10 more people present. The intimacy was everything. It allowed for emotion and experiences to unfold in the most sacred way that wouldn’t likely occur in a larger group.
I’ll keep it simple. No one has ever regretted their dream elopement; no one has ever regretted an intimate, sacred ceremony, but I have heard a lot of people say that their big wedding was overwhelming and stressful and they barely remember anything. It’s not to say big weddings aren’t amazing, because they are.
But if you really prioritize intimacy and presence over performance, and moments that you will actually remember, I think an elopement might be right for you.
A note from Christina: If you’re leaning her way, my guide to eloping in Greece covers the practical side, from choosing between a legal and a symbolic ceremony to which vendors you actually need.
The vendors who made it happen
These are the people behind Haley and Mitch’s day, and we’re glad to credit them all.
- Venue: Odera Tinos
- Photographer, all photos in this story: Vasilis Liappis Photography (vasilisliappisphotography.com, @2p.weddings)
Thank you, Haley, for trusting us with your story, and for answering the hardest question so plainly: what you’d tell a couple who can’t decide.
If you’re torn between a big wedding and a small one, it helps to see what each one costs. Our free Budget Calculator builds an estimate from your own guest count, so try it once with your full list and once with only your immediate family.
I built a free calculator using real vendor quotes from across Greece. Enter your guest count and preferences and it builds a full estimate, VAT included.
And if you’ve already had your wedding in Greece, we’d love to feature it in this series. Reach out and tell us your story at [email protected].
Γεια μας (cheers), and here’s to Haley and Mitch. Christina.
