As a Greek destination wedding planner the challenge working around the Greek holidays is real! We have and trust me when I say many holidays.
We celebrate 2 independence days, we celebrate Easter for a week, we celebrate the start of lent for 4 days at least, we celebrate the 15th of August for 15 to 20 days and these examples are just the start not to mention other holidays, Christmas, New Year's and of course name's days!
So when planning your Greek destination wedding and paper work in Greece you need to make sure that you are aware of any holidays during that month and that it doesn't affect your procedures with your legal or civil wedding documents.
One way of finding those dates is to Google for example " Greek Public Holidays 2020" where you will find the biggest and most important holidays in Greece. Word of advice always take in consideration that Greeks love to have an excuse to leave their desks and take their holidays at the first chance making these days something like a long holiday leaving only one person back in the office working. Which makes it a real pain if you are in a rush to finish any paper work needed. Greek official working hours is from 8am till 1:30pm in Athens/ big cities and from 9 am till 2pm on the islands. You always need to be at least at 7:30 or 8am at the offices to get a good position in the waiting que or to get to the number machine fast and get yourself a good number of you want to get your papers done by 1pm.
Unfortunately the filling system in Greece is ancient and not much is done online, although they are trying to. The struggle with the Greek bureaucracy is bad.
That's why when I plan a civil wedding in Greece or assist my couples with their legal documents, I make sure to have all documents as requested from the Greek government are correct and on time. My team and I thrive in offering a stress free paper work process as we possibly can, because without doubt, it is a very stressful procedure out of all the wedding planning journey.
Search, ask, find out what is needed for your paperwork and work out your timeline. Bare in mind the holidays to make sure you will have all papers ready in time for your big day. Ask the town hall that you are getting married at when is the latest they will need you and your documents to be there? If you need to be 2 weeks in advance or just 2 days (it totally depends on where you are getting married), if they accept the documents to be temporarily sent out to them via email while you get the papers to them when you arrive at the location?
Be well prepared when planning your Greek destination wedding and knowledgeable of your dates.
If you need to ask a question about this topic, please feel free to come to our page on Facebook or on Instagram where we will be happy to answer your questions and assist you.
Images from our real weddings archives of Lipsio & Rafaela.
Photography credits: Michael Kouvalis Photography