Shelby & Daniel’s amazing Lefkada destination wedding, with Maxeen Kim Photography

Published by Claire Gould on April 7, 2021April 7, 2021

A beautifully shot, romantic elopement in Lefkada – beautiful bride Shelby and new hubby Daniel headed away from it all for a dream wedding, and their images by lovely Maxeen Kim are EVERYTHING. It’s been the toughest of years for so many, but I take my hat off to this gorgeous pair for eloping – for focusing on being married, and for staying strong through all the uncertainty of 2020. Shelby is stunning in a Wed2B dress; Daniel’s summer wedding look is from Next. The florals are exquisite – and planner Claire from Lefkas Weddings gets a glowing review from our happy couple!

“Due to Covid, we had our original flights cancelled and our hotel and venue closed early which meant we had to make changes to our plans. It made us a little nervous it would be cancelled or we wouldn’t be allowed to fly but we never considered cancelling it ourselves.

Throughout the summer we tried to keep focused on the wedding plans, had our stag and hen do’s (when restrictions were lifted) and just the excitement of getting married kept us positive.

If another couple is thinking to plan a wedding in Greece this summer, then we say go for it! It will be perfect in every way.”

Wedding photographer’s website

www.maxeenkimphotography.com

How did you choose your photographer?

It was pretty easy. I first found Maxeen Kim’s work on Pinterest. This led me to a blog of a wedding on Lefkada of which Maxeen was the photographer. I was instantly drawn to her style, the pastel colours, basically how perfect and dreamy the photos looked! I knew she was going to be our photographer.

Were you pleased with your wedding photographer? Do tell… we love a brilliant review!

Maxeen did not disappoint, she was incredible, she seemed to know what I wanted even without me saying anything. That’s what makes her amazing at her job! I don’t usually like photos being taken of myself and she made me feel at complete ease. We had such a wonderful experience with Maxeen and we couldn’t be happier with our beautiful photographs.

Did you hire a wedding planner?

Claire Salisbury from Lefkas Weddings. I couldn’t have planned our wedding without Claire! If anyone is considering having a wedding planner, definitely have one. Claire took the stress out of planning our wedding because she would send me tasks to complete, helped with ideas, kept us up to date with any changes etc regarding Covid-19, she had plans for every eventuality and was always at the end of a text or email. Throughout the whole 18 month process, Claire was fantastic!

Claire’s professionalism, organisation, knowledge and attention to detail is second to none. We can’t thank Claire enough for our perfect day.

Claire says: Shelby & Daniel’s romantic destination elopement took place in the autumn sunshine with a pampas and pastels aesthetic, and a tulle a-line gown by Bellami from Wed2b — a perfect choice for curvy brides with a major romantic streak. Overlooking the inspiring Lefkada landscape, the Ionian sea, mountains, and coastline views were perfect for their romantic celebration. Saying your vows in a boutique hotel is a fantastic idea, especially for couples who love comfort and luxury.

The luxury retreat where the couple stayed and married, was a serendipitous choice. With just 3 weeks to go to the wedding the impact of Covid on the summer season caused their original hotel and venue both to close early, leaving our lovely couple without a place to say I do. Luckily with our contacts we swiftly moved everything to Katouna Suites which perfectly combines sophistication, the tranquillity of an adults only stay with discreet luxury and comfort, perfect for an elopement!

Tell us about your venue – what made this place special for you?

Our wedding venue wasn’t actually our first choice due to our original venue closing early due to Covid. We got married at Katouna Suites. It is a luxury boutique adult-only hotel. It was all change a week or two before our wedding but we knew the place would be perfect and we fully trusted our brilliant wedding planner, Claire. The views were truly amazing, the staff treated us like family and they made sure our special day was perfect.

Videographer details if applicable – and any thoughts for other couples about having a wedding video?

https://www.skyisthelimitfilms.com/
A must!! We are so happy we made the decision to have a videographer. A perfect way to look back on our special day and relive it all again. Also for our family and friends who weren’t there, they are able to watch our wedding.

Did you love wearing your outfits? How was the dress / suit shopping experience?

Due to Covid, I was quite worried about the dress shopping experience and it all felt very last minute as the shops were closed due to lockdown. On the first day of the bridal shop opening at the beginning of July, I had an appointment. I went to Wed2Be in Nottingham. It was a great experience, I tried on 3 dresses and I said yes to the dress! I did however want to alter the dress by adding a corset and changing the sleeves. The alterations were all done by the lovely team at Black Butterfly also in Nottingham. They knew I didn’t have much time but made it happen! I was delighted with my dress, it was just what I imagined it to be! As for Daniel’s outfit, he knew he wanted chino shorts and a white shirt with tan accessories. All of his outfit was from Next.

Did you hire a florist? Tell us about any floral amazingness

Yes, our planner’s florist is extremely talented at what they do. I love all things pastel especially pink, my favourite flowers are peonies and I am obsessed with pampas grass! So these three things had to be included in the floristry.

Tasos and Christina turned my floral dreams into reality. Everything was perfect and we would not have changed a thing.

As cake lovers here at English Wedding we’d LOVE to know who made your cake, and how delicious it was?

We chose a naked lemon sponge cake as we love the rustic style and wanted something light. It was delicious and everyone else enjoyed it too!

Tell us about any special personal touches, or creative projects you made yourselves

Although we didn’t make anything ourselves, we chose to support small businesses by having things handmade such as personal vow books, agate name place coasters and a Perspex acrylic sign.

Did you personalise your vows or have any wedding readings? What were they?

We wrote our own vows so it was a surprise to each other on the day. We chose a lovely poem to be read out called The Giraffe & The Monkey by Daniel Thompson. We also did sand pouring which was a special experience and is now a lovely keepsake on display in our home.