A Breathtaking Oceanside Wedding in Santorini

Angie Sehonanda and Prayogo Welson of Surabaya, Indonesia, met long before they would ultimately tie the knot: The pair actually first crossed paths in elementary school and began dating in high school. They've been together ten years since they first coupled up, but took a four-year hiatus somewhere in between. When the finally found each other again, "everything fell into place," says the bride—this time, they'd stay together for good.

On February 25, 2018, the couple became engaged. Their proposal story, however, was more ritualized, which is how couples typically approach marriage in their home country. "In Surabaya, proposals aren't common. The engagement is more of a family affair—the man's parents come to the woman's house to ask her parents for her hand in marriage. They also bring a necklace which symbolizes 'tying' the couple together,"Angie explains.

Just seven months later, she and Prayogo wed in Santorini on September 22, 2018. Around 55 of the couple's closest family and friends journeyed to the scenic island for their spectacular destination wedding, which Angie describes as equal parts "memorable and magical." The event's dress code color palette of "white, gray, silver, and light blue" highlighted the bright, earthy colors of their oceanside venue, Erosantorini, which offered unobstructed views of the Aegean Sea during the breathtaking party. In fact, Santorini as a whole inspired many parts of the celebration, notes the bride: "I fell in love with Santorini for its sleek and luxuriously simple style. This informed the direction of the whole wedding's design: modern with a touch of glam."

Delicate Stationery

At the couple's request, Blooming Day Studio created a stationery suite with a modern look; details included a leather envelope and delicate fonts. A special guidebook to the Santorini area—faced with a 3D lasercut panel of the island's architecture—listed the wedding weekend's itinerary, local restaurants, basic Greek phrases for conversation, and more.

Heavenly Venue

"I fell in love with Santorini even before I went there. It looked so amazing in the pictures and I immediately knew I wanted to get married there," Angie says of selecting her dream location.

"When we did a site visit, I knew that was it. It is such a magical and romantic place," she adds, noting that site visits are an important part of the destination wedding planning process.

"P & A" Welcome Bags

Upon arrival, wedding guests were greeted with welcome bags. "Inside, we prepared something local for the guests, so they could bring a real taste of Santorini home with them," Angie says. The bags included extra virgin olive oil (freshly harvested from local olive groves), jars of local honey, a personalized welcome note, and a rundown of the itinerary to remind everyone of the events' timing and shuttle schedules.

Mediterranean Mood

"Inspired by the famous white architecture of Santorini and the sparkling Blue Aegean sea, the wedding's main color palette was white with hints of dusty blue," explains the bride, who worked with planner Eric Sugiono of Poetyque and event designer Nastassya Saputra of Flying Bride to incorporate several refelective elements, like mirrors, crystals, and acrylics, to represent the ocean's shimmering effect.

The venue itself contributed gray to the event's color scheme: "Erosantorini has many gray stones and gray flooring that naturally added the tone to the wedding," she continues. "The wedding came together harmoniously with the venue as its canvas."

A Bespoke Wedding Dress

Angie's lace wedding dress was a custom design created by Yefta Gunawan. "He is truly the best and I Iove everything about the dress," she says of the designer, who also made her veil and white floral hairpiece.

Big-Day Shoes

The bride also wore classic pumps by Manolo Blahnik.

Lush Ivory Bouquet

"My bouquet was made up of the most beautiful garden roses and ranunculus (they smelled heavenly!) and tied with white silk ribbon," says the bride. Other flowers used throughout the big day included hydrangeas, hyacinth, and phalaenopsis orchids. The event's flowers were tag-teamed by DePlanV and Rose and Willow Wedding.

The bride completed her look for the big day with hair and makeup by Virginia Mogi.

Dapper Menswear

Prayogo looked sharp in a classic black tuxedo by Tom Ford. Because the event was so intimate, the couple decided against a traditional wedding party. Instead, they asked their guests to stick to the color palette dress code. The result? "Everyone was very color coordinated, like a big group of bridesmaids and groomsmen," says the bride.

The Ceremony Arch

To highlight the unbelievable backdrop of the Aegean Sea, Flying Bride created a unique, heart-shaped wedding arch with hydrangeas, garden roses, hyacinth, and phalaenopsis orchids.

Beautiful in White

Angie and Prayogo's nuptials actually marked their second ceremony. Prior to their destination wedding, the Catholic couple held a religious church service in Surabaya, during which the bride's father walked her down the aisle. For her second ceremony, Angie decided to walk solo to "Beautiful in White" by Westlife. Music for the big day was coordinated by Poema Weddings & Events.

Beyond the Sea

This ceremony was also officiated by a priest, who traveled from Rome to marry the couple. They exchanged traditional vows before singing along to several Christian songs like "How Great Is Our God."

Husband and Wife

Officially husband and wife (again!), the newlyweds cite "togetherness and the intimate ambience" as a favorite part of their ceremony, which concluded with a fun recessional tradition—a petal toss.

A Seaside Reception

The swanky reception commenced just next to the ceremony area. Guests mingled and lounged on comfortable couches while soaking in breathtaking views of the magical Santorini sunset.

Cocktail Hour

The cocktail hour menu featured canapes, cocktails, wines, and Champagne. As they wined and dined, guests paused to snap photos in front of a cut-out photo booth inspired by Santorini's architecture.

Trendy Acrylic Tags

"We didn't have escort cards since wedding was small, but we did have place card with guests' name lasercut onto acrylic tags that could be reused as a luggage tag," Angie says of the dual-purpose favors. "During the reception, we used them as napkin rings, too. It was very subtle, but added sparkle."

Sparkling Tablescapes

Like much of the event's décor, the glittering tablescapes were inspired by the Aegean Sea's bright reflection. Mirrored tabletops, lined with gray linens, crystal vases full of all-white flowers, tall candelabras, and lit candles, contributed to the romantic ambiance.

As for the place settings themselves, clear, gold-rimmed crystal chargers were paired with matching wine glasses.

The Menu

Guests feasted on a seafood-inspired menu, which commenced with pumpkin soup and fresh sea bass and salmon fillet marinated in lemon and olive oil salad. The first course was spaghetti aglio olio with squid, followed by a turf-centric main: slow-cooked beef in agiorgitiko wine sauce with eggplant and potato purée.

100 Floating Candles

Over 100 round, floating candles were placed in the pool post-ceremony to cast an ethereal glow on the venue.

A Blossom-Covered Cake

The couple's confection came together just days before the event, thanks to a "dummy cake" they flew in from Surabaya. "The team had to put together the three-tier cake in Greece. Rose and Willow Wedding styled the dessert with the loose paper flowers provided by Angie's Cake Surabaya." The all-white treat was decorated with translucent paper flowers complete hand-drawn blue detailing for edge and flair.

Happily Ever After

Angie and Prayogo made a grand entrance into dinner as guests held sparklers, which made for a dramatic (and sweet) photo moment. The couple later hit the dance floor to "Can't Help Falling in Love" by Kina Granis (from the hit 2018 flick Crazy Rich Asians) for their first dance.

Sources

Photography, Nadia Hung Photography

Location and catering, Erosantorini

Event planning, Eric Sugiono of Poetyque

Wedding design and styling, Flying Bride

Flowers and décor, DePlanV

Flower styling, Rose and Willow Wedding

Videography, Prime Cinema

Officiant, Romo Rosayanto

Stationery, Blooming Day Studio

Cake, Angie's Cakes Surabaya

Music, Poema Weddings & Events

Bride's gown and headpiece, Yefta Gunawan

Bride's shoes, Manolo Blahnik

Hair and makeup, Virginia Mogi

Groom's tuxedo, Tom Ford

Lighting, Perfect Event Support

Transportation, Bianglala Tour and Travel