WHO: Jennifer Winkler, 28, and Tom Williamson, 32, of Berwick, Maine
WHERE: Greek islands of Santorini, Rhodes, and Mykonos
WHEN: Two and a half weeks in June and July
WHY: "We wanted to combine our love of travel and our wedding," Winkler said.
PLANNING AHEAD: "We looked at Fiji, Bali, Hawaii. But we love Europe," she said. After deciding on the Greek islands, the couple picked Santorini because it "has the beautiful sunset, the buildings are gorgeous, it's tourist-friendly, and it's known to be the classic Greek island." Through the website www.weddingsinsantorini.com, they were able to make all arrangements via e-mail, and got the necessary documents from the Greek consulate in Boston.
LEFT BEHIND: "From Boston, we were changing planes at Heathrow [London] to Athens," Winkler said. "Because of the customs line, we missed the plane. We were running to get to the gate, with my wedding dress in a garment bag, but they had just shut the door."
DRESSED FOR BED: Stranded for the night, "I spread out my garment bag and we slept on the floor," Winkler said. After "totally playing the wedding card," they finally got a flight to Athens.
SOMETHING'S MISSING: "We got to Athens and discovered our luggage wasn't there. Plus all the flights to Santorini were full," Williamson said. They finally got on standby, arriving a day late, but still two days before the ceremony.
ON ISLAND: "We felt so relieved when we got there," Winkler said. "The hotel [Oia Mare Villas] was beautiful and overlooked the sea. They had chilled wine and fruit waiting. We were so happy we didn't think about the luggage."
CASE SOLVED: "Tom, against my advice, wore shorts on the plane. I was wearing black pants and a cardigan. Luckily, I had flip-flops. So Tom was able to swim," Winkler said. With help from Weddings in Santorini, the luggage arrived -- on their wedding day.
THEY DO: The ceremony took place at sunset in Fira. "We had a photographer who took us to all these spots for photographs," Winkler said, while passersby congratulated the two. The civil ceremony was performed by the mayor, who read vows in Greek and English.
CENTER AISLE: Two days later, they took a ferry to Mykonos, which they chose at a travel kiosk in Santorini. They stayed at Psarou Beach Hotel, "outside of town, at a low-key beach," Winkler said. "We loved it."
LAST AISLE: "We'd already planned the end on Rhodes because we could stay at the Hilton for free with our miles," Winkler said. "We stayed right outside the old section in Rhodes, which has a lot of influence from Turkey." For two days, they toured the island in their tiny Smart car rental.
OLYMPIAN ENDING: Their last night was spent at the Hilton in Athens. "We had a super-tricked-out suite with a view of the Acropolis," Williamson said. "There was Olympic mania already."
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