This is the story of Nikos and Elina's wedding. I almost forgot to mention that Amilia, their beautiful daughter, had her own ceremony too. We first conducted their wedding and then held a naming ceremony. This was not the first time I had performed a double ceremony. I remember having one even during my first year working as a celebrant in Greece.
Elina reached out and we had a WhatsApp video call. During the call, Amilia, who was a newborn at the time, and her godmother to be interviewed me. Usually, I am the one trying to figure out how I can help the people who reach out to me, so a little interview is usually necessary. In this case, they interviewed me instead! A couple of months later we scheduled a new meeting, and this time they called me from their home in London. I remember Nikos trying to feed Amilia while we were chatting. Somehow we started sharing parenthood struggles, as I had a one year old baby boy at the time. To be honest, I cannot even remember exactly when we decided to work together, but it felt right.Three months later, we met at the flat of Amilia’s godparents. It felt like we had all known each other for years. Our rehearsal turned into a rehearsal dinner with wine and pizzas, and their koumbara joined us too. The next day, I got dressed up, applied my signature makeup, and started my adventure.Confession time. I almost always use my GPS. Many couples choose to get married in breathtaking but hard to reach locations, and that was the case for this wedding. The venue was an estate near the ruins of a Byzantine tower in East Attica. My GPS found a shortcut, and I knew it was a mistake I would regret. I was right. I spent 20 minutes driving on a dirt road. Stray dogs barked to defend their territory, I drove through a stream, and workers from nearby greenhouses stared at me. I think they hadn't seen a stranger’s vehicle in a long time. At one point, I genuinely thought I was lost and felt a bit scared.Finally, I saw the ruins of the tower on the horizon. A bit later, I reached the crossroad where the guests were arriving from the main road, which is the way I should have taken. I eventually got there and the venue was amazing. The symbolic wedding ceremony was full of tears and laughter. Marilena, the lovely koumbara, could not stop sobbing and laughing at the same time, she was so happy for her friends.
The party was the best part. There were cocktails and street food, and it was truly epic. Interestingly, on my way back home, the GPS did not even offer the dirt road as an option. I still wonder what was wrong with it! All in all, it was one of my best adventures as a Greek celebrant.
Stay tuned because there are many more failed GPS stories coming soon.
