Singaporebrides | Real Weddings
December 2018
Elvina and Lucas’ Breathtakingly Chic and Intimate Destination Wedding in Santorini
Singapore-based fashion photographer Elvina and videographer Lucas tied the knot in a chic and intimate destination wedding in Santorini. See the breath-taking photos here!
When a fashion photographer and a videographer get hitched, you just know it’s going to be a beautiful wedding, and the editorial-like photos simply blew us away! Elvina Farkas, 28, Fashion Photographer and Creative Director, and Co-Founder of Anue Studios, and Lucas Milone, 35, Videographer and Studio Director, Represented by Supreme+, and Co-Founder of Anue Studios wed on 18 September 2018 during sunset in gorgeous Santorini, and celebrated with a chic, relaxed reception overlooking the Aegean Sea.
How did you meet?
Elvina: Luca was managing a photography studio in Melbourne at the time I was a freelance photographer, so he added me on Facebook to do some direct marketing for his studio. We knew of each other from mutual friends in the industry, but never officially met until I rented his studio one afternoon to shoot some work. Several weeks later, we saw each other at a Halloween event, which ended up being a bit of an impromptu date. Although we quickly became best friends, it wasn’t until a year or so later that we became a couple. At the time, I felt that I wasn’t ready for a serious relationship, but his persistence paid off, and then after a decade of dating, he finally managed to convince the woman who said she was never going to get married, to become his wife.
What do you love most about each other?
Elvina: I love his intelligence and loyalty and his desire to make things right in the world. In personality we are Yin and Yang, but we share the same core values when it comes down to the important things. He’s also my biggest supporter and number one fan, especially in terms of my career achievements.
Lucas: I was captivated by her exotic beauty at first, but her sense of humour, energy, and drive made me fall in love with her. She’s my shoulder to cry on and partner in crime. Plus, I don’t know what other bride would put Marvel references in her vows.
What was the proposal like?
Elvina: When we decided to get married, it was a mutual decision, so I was involved in the process of picking out an engagement ring. What I didn’t expect was the way it would be delivered to me, as Luca managed to acquire the ring just before we were scheduled to do a work trip to Bawah Island. It was at sunset, on the shores of a gorgeous private island, when he presented me with the ring. I had absolutely no idea of his plan, as I was told the ring wasn’t going to be ready for another several weeks, but he had coordinated with the ring designer behind my back so he could keep a little bit of proposal magic for me.
What inspired you to hold a destination wedding?
Elvina: Both Lucas and I have large extended families and friends scattered across the world, so we wanted a location that would be neutral ground for everybody. We also come from a mix of backgrounds and knew it would be hard to incorporate all the different traditions, so while we kept some elements of culture, we avoided many of the traditions altogether. So this, and the fact that we knew we wanted to have a small guestlist, contributed to picking Santorini as our wedding destination.
What was the theme of your wedding?
Elvina: Chic, relaxed, and intimate.
Being professionals yourselves, was it difficult choosing your photographer?
Elvina: Yes, the search for a wedding photographer was excruciating for us! I swear I went through hundreds of websites, all of which just didn’t fit the style I had envisioned. Luca and I used to shoot weddings ourselves back in the beginning of our careers, so I was looking for something similar in tone to what we used to create for our couples. It was a very long and painful process, but eventually we found the right fit for us and we couldn’t be happier!
What was it like to be in front of the lens instead of behind it?
Elvina: Both Luca and I found it quite difficult to relax in front of the camera at first, but we knew to trust our photographers to get the right shots. Coming from the production world and being photographers ourselves, we had initially noted down locations and areas that we thought could work well for photos, but once the day came, we knew we had to let go of all of that control. The reason we selected our photographers was because we knew they were amazing at their job, and there’s nothing more important than trusting in their ability to get the right shots!
Did being a fashion photographer influence your wedding dress choice?
Elvina: The story of my dress is actually quite a funny one. When I had first purchased my dress (perhaps a little too early on in the wedding planning process), it had this beautiful, fully beaded back which I thought was such a lovely fit for our original idea of a garden-style wedding. Upon settling on Santorini as our destination for the wedding a little later on, I soon realised that my beautiful dress no longer felt cohesive with our new style direction.
I knew I loved my dress and I didn’t want to discard it just because we changed direction, so I bravely decided to alter the dress myself. After a couple of hours of Youtube sewing education and some scissors, and fuelled on spontaneous creativity, I hacked the entire back part off my dress to create a halter-neck style with overflowing black fabric to create a bow detail at the back of the dress. It was such a risky thing to do, but thankfully it came out how I envisioned. I still can’t believe I did that to a dress that I so much money on, but at the same time, it felt much more personal and more in line with my own style, so thankfully, no regrets!
What was your wedding day like?
Elvina: Unfortunately our wedding day was a bit of a disaster as nothing went to plan, and we were battling some serious winds that kept tearing down our set-up. While you can’t help feeling a little disappointed by mother nature’s unpredictability, we were quick to remind ourselves that the reason we did all this was so we could spend time with the people we cherished the most. Even though the day wasn’t perfect, it doesn’t change the fact that I got to marry my best friend on top of one of the most beautiful islands in the world.
What was the most memorable moment of your wedding?
Elvina: For me, it was hearing Luca recite his vows. I could feel his hands shaking and I knew he was so nervous, but his hilarious and beautiful vows put mine to shame!
Lucas: We passed along celebratory Cuban cigars after dinner had wrapped, but there were a few rookies in the gang, so a couple of people failed to maintain any cool factor while doing it! We looked like a bunch of teenagers smoking for the first time!
The Size of the Wedding: 18 close family and friends
The Cost of the Wedding: Approx. SGD $65k, inclusive of honeymoon
The Venue: Villa Fabrica, Pyrgos, Greece
The Wedding Day Photographer: Jenny and Fanis from Days Made of Love
The Gown: Customised Anne Barge Versailles Dress
The Reception Dress: Unbranded Abaya from Joo Chiat Complex
The Bride’s Shoes: Charlotte Olympia
The Suit: Dinner via FarFetch, ASOS High Neck
The Groom’s Shoes: Jeff Banks
The Engagement Ring: Les Precieux
The Wedding Bands: Zoara (Lucas) // EF Collection (Elvina)
The Wedding Jewellery: Elizabeth Cole and diamond earrings and ring (as a wedding gift from the bride’s mother)
The Hairstylist and Makeup Artist: Elvina herself
The Henna: Nausheen from Heavenly Henna
The Caterer: Spicy Bites
The Wedding Cake: We replaced our cake with macarons
The Florists: Maria Zempili from Manfler
The Rentals: White Lilac
The Wedding Planner: Bobbie Karagianni from Sand & Lace Events
The Photobooth: We had an Instamax and disposal cameras spread across the table for guests to take pictures with
The Invitations and Paper Goods: Bright White Invitations
The Solemniser: John Kavallaris
Credits: Images by Days Made of Love
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