A Perth Wedding With a Greek Party Vibe

Location: Perth, Western Australia
Setting: The ceremony: Caversham house in Swan Valley, a wine region in Perth area. The reception: the ballroom at five star hotel, The Westin
Wedding season: Summer
The number of guests: 124
How long did the couple plan the event: 18 months
Wedding theme/style: White and gold with black and green accents. Sophisticated and elegant with a European party vibe.

Elana Lewer and George Lewer met 11 years ago in Perth, Australia, at a mutual friend’s house when they were 18 and 19. Elana was born and raised in Melbourne, Australia, and George was born in England, UK. Elana moved to Perth with her Mum and Dad when she was 14, and George moved to Perth when he was also 14 with his two younger brothers and parents.

They grew up and went to high school near each other but never met until one day at their friend’s house after high school. They were both freshly single and excited to enjoy the Summer single and partying. However, when they met, sparks flew.

Although, Elana didn’t give George much attention until he asked her what her ethnic background was. She told him her family was from Cyprus (a country not many Australians have heard of, let alone been to), and it turned out George had lived in Cyprus for two years before moving to Australia. Safe to say, the rest is history.

Their relationship has been full of adventure, travel, and house moves (due to renovating and building). They have started, operated, and sold a business together, have two cats, and have had drastic career changes. George was a plumber who turned his hand to finance and investing. At the same time, Elana holds a Masters’s degree in Environmental Science and works within the Human resources/recruitment sector, with a passion for health and wellness.

The initial wedding wishes began with a dream holiday in Santorini. Their love for Greek culture through Elana’s Cypriot heritage and George’s experience living in Cyprus made Santorini an easy pick for them. Unfortunately, wedding plans went on hold due to lockdowns and covid in early 2020. When they realised flexible international travel was quickly becoming a distant memory, they had to pivot and plan a local Perth wedding to bring the Greek vibe to Australia.

Imagine a scorching summer day with a couple in love, 124 joyous friends and family, 300 candles, 200 peonies, 700 white roses, and orchids. The ambiance is bathed in white, gold, green, and black hues. Greek dances, traditions, musicians, and fun fills the air. This beautiful day is brought to life by the artistry of the extraordinary Daniel Murcha, who has adeptly documented every moment of this celebration of love. You absolutely have to watch Daniel‘s film first to fully appreciate his work, this couple, and their energy! And then go straight to details and gorgeous pictures from Katie Grant.

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Initially, Elana wanted her hair similar to Kim Kardashian’s wedding with Kanye, but a last-minute decision on the wedding day saw Elana complete two separate hair looks. For the ceremony, she had a wavy, sophisticated bridal pony. Makeup was soft glam.

The wedding dress was by Galia Lahav. Elana had seen Galia Lahav’s dresses on Pinterest 10 years ago and said she would wear Galia Lahav on her wedding day. When she started looking at wedding dresses, she didn’t think she could find Galia in Perth. However, the bride randomly stumbled across a Galia Lahav trunk show visiting Perth! She knew as soon as she put the dress on that it was perfect. “Sexy yet sophisticated” is how Elana describes it. The bride opted for a short veil to avoid the detailed back. Her hairstyle showed off the details of the dress and back.

The groom was in a three-piece tuxedo with black pants, bow tie, and waistcoat, finished with a crisp white jacket.

The ceremony was located in the Swan Valley, a wine region in the Perth area, Western Australia, with beautiful vineyards and picturesque backdrops, at Caversham House.

The setting was a European backdrop because of the initial Santorini plans, with tiered limestone steps with flowers and candles ascending to the altar. The altar was impressively decorated with two columns of all-white blooms and candles. In addition, the aisle was lined with candles and a white carpet with ghost chairs to add to the elegant and glamorous style.

The setting at the venue is known as the “hidden gardens.” It is tucked away at the venue’s rear, right next to the swan river, and there is a beautiful manufactured waterfall/feature just off the side of the seating area. The hidden gardens had manicured all-white blooms and a water feature to add to the setting.

A few moments throughout the day gave the wedding its unique European feel. Upon entry into the ceremony’s hidden gardens, guests were greeted by a live acoustic guitarist, Febreys Lewis. It stirred emotion and brought an intimate feel to the ceremony.

The celebrant named Tahnee, had a contemporary flair and made the ceremony warm, inviting, and relaxed with lots of laughs and non-traditional moments. For example, making all guests pronounce Elana and George, Husband, and Wife, and asking Elana and George to play “Paper scissors rock” to see who voiced their vowels first.

The bride wanted to change the look to a “glam” vibe for the reception. So she had big, voluminous, relaxed waves for the reception and took off the detachable sleeves for the dress.

With the initial Santorini plans having to change, the entire planning process for Perth spanned over a reasonable 18-month period. Then, with a last-minute change of the wedding planner, just to throw a spanner in the works, it was a mad rush to get all of the finer details secured. However, thanks to the amazing wedding planner Chrissy Carvalho Events, the day was nothing short of magical in the end.

The reception was located in the ballroom at the five-star hotel, The Westin. Grand ballroom style was decorated from the bottom up with layering of candles, white flowers, and green foliage. There was a mix of round and long tables. Long tables lined the dancefloor, a runway that opened up to a large white gloss dancefloor.

The concept was created via Pinterest. Elana always loved the classic all-white theme. She wanted the wow factor with candles and grand floral arrangements.

The combination of 300+ candles, 200 peonies, 700 white roses, orchids, and green foliage created by Wallflower completed the ambiance of the whole day.

Before entering the room, guests could view a 1.8m seating plan designed by Paige Tuzee Designs on a custom-made acrylic board decorated with more candles.

Upon arrival at the reception, guests walked through a grand hallway lined with beautiful white glass candles, a Santorini-inspired concept made into a reality by Loved By Lucy.

The candle theme continued into the welcome drinks area with a live saxophone player and singer to greet guests and add to the elegant and sophisticated feel for the night.

Once inside the reception area, guests had an overwhelming display of layered flower arrangements, an arbor to enter the dancefloor, and candles lining the tables and the bridal table.

To bring a slice of Greece to Perth, Greek musicians kicked off the dance floor with traditional Greek dancing known as the Kalamatiano, Zorba, and the Zembekiko.

Every guest was on their feet clapping and dancing as shot glasses of the traditional Greek spirit, Ouzo, were poured (and drunk from the ground).

At 9:00 pm, after the formalities were concluded the guests were surprised by the arrival of three Lebanese drummers, bursting through the door to take the energy to the next level and kick off the partying and DJ music by DJ Aslan.

Advice from the couple

• Ensure you have a couple of moments to step back, talk to one another and be present at the moment. For example, we had a memorable moment in the car after the ceremony on our way to the photo destinations (instead of being in the bridal party car). It was the best decision for us as we could talk about how we felt and enjoy the “just married” feeling moments after the ceremony (and before the craziness of the photos and reception).

• We would also recommend reducing socialising before the lead-up to the wedding to reduce stress, get enough rest/sleep and enjoy some time together before the proceedings.

• Let go of the control on the day of the wedding. Some brides will be so stressed to ensure everything goes smoothly on the day, and the best thing I did was trust my wedding planner (who I had a fantastic relationship with) and not think about the finer details and enjoy the day for what it was – marrying her soul mate. The rest doesn’t matter at the end of the day.