The planning behind a stunning destination wedding in Croatia

(Photo credit: Mihoci Studios)

Croatia has in recent times become an increasingly popular destination choice for newlyweds from all around the world. 

More and more foreign couples are tying the knot in spectacular settings around Croatia and planning a destination wedding is not an easy feat by any means. It is especially complicated due to geographic obstacles. 

Luckily, there are wedding planners who make sure everything goes to plan on the big day. So what is involved in planning a destination wedding? We spoke to Flammeum who shared their experience in planning for Eva and Oliver, newlyweds from Austria, who chose Croatia to start their marriage. 

Their wedding was actually a multi-day event, which makes it especially interesting from a wedding planner’s standing point. The whole event will last forever thanks to their wedding photographer Mihoci. 

“It seems like yesterday when Eva and Oliver first stepped in contact with us. They live in Vienna, but in their first message to us, they expressed their wish to have their wedding in Croatia, in an authentic Istrian villa. After sending a few options to review, they picked the heavenly villa Poropati, which is located between two picturesque towns of Grožnjan and Oprtalj,” Eneja Pliško from Flammeum explains.

(Photo credit: Mihoci Studios)

During their first visit to the wedding venue, the newlyweds wholeheartedly decided that exactly this villa is their dream wedding venue. They felt that this venue will be able to match all their wedding expectations and set the right mood to start off their marriage.

“Their wedding concept was a relaxed and engaging environment. The newlyweds prioritized celebrating their love with friends and family over anything else. They wished for a chilling atmosphere accompanied by good music and mouth-watering food which would be prepared on the spot, in front of the guests. The food was intended to be served in various places throughout the venue. To complete their wedding concept and add a romantic touch to the overall mood, Eva and Oliver turned towards the villa’s garden. They simply described their intention to us as: “rhapsody of light”. The villa is surrounded by a lot of greenery, which offers perfect scenography for any wedding setup.

(Photo credit: Mihoci Studios)

The flower design was planned as a combination of white and rose flowers like David Austin roses, Vendela and spray roses, veronica, lisianthus, and astilbe, with eucalyptus and olive branches, which combined well with a lot of greenery in the garden. The light and sound engineer did a remarkable job to realize the newlyweds’ goals and elevated villa Poropati to a whole another level.”

(Photo credit: Mihoci Studios)

Although Villa Poropati is called a ‘villa’, this venue is actually comprised of two detached villas, connected by gardens and accompanied by a swimming pool. 

(Photo credit: Mihoci Studios)

Flammeum advised the newlyweds to set the wedding ceremony on the upper level of the garden, between the villas and in front of the old well.

“The celebration started with a pre-wedding party in San Servolo. San Servolo is a famous Istrian brewery and a restaurant, in a small town Buje, located in the close vicinity of the villa. The restaurant was dominated by a casual atmosphere. Except for world-famous beer brands, the restaurant’s staff served quite a few Istrian delicacies, such as Istrian prosciutto, goat cheese, steak tartare, beer snacks, and other specialties of the San Servolo restaurant. 

(Photo credit: Mihoci Studios)

(Photo credit: Mihoci Studios)

Eva and Oliver were immensely involved in their wedding planning. They chose most of the songs which were played. Their official wedding photographer Mihoci started shooting even on the pre-wedding event. Although guests enjoyed the pre-wedding event, the party has to finish early, to conserve some energy for the main event the next day,” Pliško says.

On the wedding day, wedding planners and vendors arrived at the villa in the early morning and immediately started preparing the venue. Because of the high guest count, the newlyweds decided to have dinner in a tent, which was set up by the pool. 

(Photo credit: Mihoci Studios)

“The bride wore a romantic ivory dress by Envy Room, a famous Croatian design studio. The groom wore a bright beige suit, which perfectly complemented brides attire. After the wedding ceremony, the newlyweds went for a photo session in Grožnjan. Grožnjan is a mountain-top medieval town overlooking nearby villages. It proved to be an amazing location for the wedding photo shoot, as you can check for yourselves.”

(Photo credit: Mihoci Studios)

In the meantime, their guests enjoyed the sounds of the Soul Stash jazz band, while tasting finger food by Olea wedding catering provider. The dinner was served in a transparent tent located right next to the swimming pool. The pool was neatly decorated with numerous candles. The tent was dominated by a minimalistic white decoration with dinner tables decorated using olive branches and top candles in tall glass vases. Transparent sides of the tent offered a majestic view of the surrounding vineyards. Istrian autochthonic dishes were served as the entrée. The newlyweds decided that the entrée should be comprised of Osso Bucco, risotto Milanese, polenta fried in olive oil, and salmon with celery and carrot puree. None of the guests remained indifferent by the meal and wine selection. 

(Photo credit: Mihoci Studios)

(Photo credit: Mihoci Studios)

(Photo credit: Mihoci Studios)

The dinner ended with a wedding cake called ‘Torta della nonna’, served alongside a vanilla and lemon ice cream. The party raged until the next morning. The guests were so moved and happy that at one point the groom’s best man replaced the DJ.

(Photo credit: Mihoci Studios)

About Flammeum

Flammeum was founded by good friends Eneja Pliško and Sanela Mašinović. They offer Istrian based wedding planning services to newlyweds throughout the world. Numerous newlyweds have already relied on their experience to organize their destination weddings in Croatia.