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Sonia Michaels, head of business travel services and events at Advantage Travel Partnership, worked with Ionian Weddings to plan her perfect wedding in Santorini. She tells TTG about her big day
"I always knew that if I got married, it would be in Santorini. My husband, James, and I love the Greek islands and fell in love with the place when we first visited in 2016. The iconic whitewash buildings with blue domes, the sunsets, the people, the food… it became a special island to us with lots of good memories.
"We’ve been together 13 years, but it was still a big shock when James proposed!
"I was recommended [specialist consultancy] Ionian Weddings, who are trade-friendly, by someone in the travel industry. I had a chat with owner Jane Palikira, and her level of expertise and knowledge was obvious. I trusted her.
"We started planning the wedding together in 2019. The day was originally scheduled for 2020, but we postponed it due to the pandemic and got married last July.
"It can be very hard to plan a destination wedding, especially one like ours, which was bespoke. The benefit of working with a specialist is that they take care of everything, from the tables and chairs to the caterers."
"In 2020, Jane arranged a site visit for us to view potential wedding venues, which we got a lot out of. We chose Cavo Ventus Luxury Villa in Akrotiri, which we loved as it was totally private. We wouldn’t have known about the venue if it wasn’t for Jane. We had the whole day there, from getting ready to the ceremony and the dinner.
"Jane has lots of contacts on the island and also held our hand through the legal wedding process. We were originally meant to have 75 guests but ended up with 45 due to travel restrictions. Everyone made a holiday out of it and stayed in the same resort, Afroditi Venus Beach Hotel & Spa in Kamari, which many booked through their local agent.
"Before the wedding we met the wedding coordinator, Sofia, and went through everything, almost minute by minute.
"The highlight of the day was seeing it all come together; the excitement was like nothing else, especially as we weren’t sure whether it would even happen due to the pandemic. I think it turned out better than we’d ever wished for. The island was quieter than usual but there was still a great atmosphere.
"I was able to take the whole day in, as I knew Ionian Weddings had it all sorted. On the day of the wedding, Jane and I had a Facetime call and we both shed a tear; we’d been on a rollercoaster ride together. Not only planning a wedding abroad, but also during a pandemic, was a real feat."
My tips for agents thinking about selling weddings abroad are to attend weddings fairs, and to partner with local businesses, such as bridal shops, to promote each other.
"Weddings are complex bookings, so I’d also recommend creating a database of key contacts and building on this, to help ensure the process is seamless.
"Why not also become an expert in a certain destination or area? You can then build up a network of local suppliers.
"It’s a good idea to join weddings forums and Facebook groups too – I joined some and saw how many questions there were from brides, and opportunities for agents to pick up business.
"Make sure you say in your marketing that weddings are something you can offer, and also consider the stag and hen market.
"Finally, get testimonials from happy couples to generate further business."
Jane Palikira, founder of Ionian Weddings, offers her insights to agents:
"We mainly work with independent agents and pay them commission. Usually the agent wants to hold on to the booking and then I’ll work with them closely to arrange the day. We have a catalogue with prices, plus packages available on the site and a PDF proposal I send to agents who are interested.
"We only do weddings, so the agent is free to focus on booking accommodation and flights. In the old days, the client would book their wedding and choose the extras in-resort with a rep but it’s not like that any more; clients want to get a lot of those extras pre-booked so they can get excited in the run-up to the wedding.
"We sort out all the legal paperwork, which is included in our price. During Covid there were lots of delays with paperwork but due to our personal contacts, we were able to ensure that the documents were sent to us so that the weddings could go ahead – they wouldn’t have otherwise.
"There’s a real opportunity for agents to earn extra revenue, margin and commission when it comes to booking weddings abroad, especially in relation to booking flights and accommodation for the guests – often they’ll make more money on the guest accommodation than they do for the wedding itself.
"Booking a wedding can be very daunting, both for the client, who will their need hand holding, and for the agent, so you’re best off booking with an expert."
