Izabela and Leefell in love with Santorini long before they said “I do” at Cavo Ventus. Having first visited the island on their very first holiday together, returning to marry beneath its iconic caldera felt like bringing their love story full circle. "On 26 September 2026, surrounded by family and friends who had travelled from different corners of our lives, we celebrated with four unforgettable days of romance, fashion, candlelit dinners and Greek-inspired festivities, recorded by Phosart."
From a Berta wedding dress and pink fireworks to handwritten letters that brought their guests to tears, every detail was chosen to make the experience deeply personal. "But beyond the breathtaking setting and beautiful styling, it was the people, the promises and the memories we created together that made our Santorini wedding truly unforgettable." Izabela shares.
Before Santorini became the place where we said our vows, it was the place where we took our first holiday together.
We met in a restaurant in London in 2019, and although our story began there, Santorini soon became part of it. We fell in love with the island on that first trip, captivated by its beauty and the feeling of being there together. So, when we began dreaming about our wedding, it was the place we kept coming back to. Bringing our favourite people to somewhere that already held such a special place in our relationship felt incredibly meaningful.
On 26 September 2026, we married at Cavo Ventus Luxury Villa, overlooking the breathtaking caldera. I’m Polish, Lee is English, and our wedding brought together the people who had shaped our lives, our histories and our individual journeys to celebrate the future we were choosing to build together.
What began as a wedding day became four days of celebrations, and I couldn’t be happier that we chose to do it that way. Everyone had travelled to be with us, and we wanted more than fleeting conversations between photographs and hugs. We wanted time to truly be together, to make memories beyond the wedding itself and to savour having all our favourite people in one place.
I had a very clear vision for our wedding: romantic, glamorous and a little editorial, with beautiful flowers, candlelight and that extraordinary Santorini backdrop. I wanted everything to feel effortlessly beautiful, but also warm and intimate, with an atmosphere that encouraged everyone to slow down and enjoy the moment.
Our palette was blush pink, ivory and white, brought to life with a chandelier, abundant floral arrangements and one long dinner table illuminated by a continuous line of candles.
I loved the idea of looking down the length of the table and seeing all our favourite people gathered together, surrounded by flowers and the soft glow of candlelight.
Flowers were our biggest expense, but they were also at the heart of the atmosphere I wanted to create.
Jim Labraco and Maria’s Flowers Wedding helped bring that vision to life, and after months of collecting inspiration, refining ideas and discussing every detail, seeing it all come together was incredibly rewarding. There is something quite surreal about watching the pictures you have saved for months become the setting for one of the most important days of your life.
I cared about every little decision, which our wedding planner, Kostas from Lifetime Affair, can certainly confirm. He deserves a medal for his patience! I knew what I wanted, and I wasn’t afraid to communicate it.
Planning from another country meant countless conversations, photographs and attempts to translate the picture in my head into something everyone else could see, too.
My biggest piece of advice to other couples would be to explain why you love a particular reference image, rather than simply sharing the picture. Two people can look at the same photograph and notice completely different things, so understanding what draws you to it makes all the difference.
My dad walked me down the aisle as a violinist played 'Oceans'.
I had imagined that walk so many times, but nothing could have prepared me for how it would actually feel. My dad was beside me, Lee was waiting at the other end, and the people we loved most were gathered around us. Beyond them, the Santorini caldera stretched out beneath the sky.
For months, my mind had been filled with flowers, timings, music and a hundred tiny decisions. But as I walked towards Lee, all of that disappeared. There was only him, the promise we were about to make and the feeling of being surrounded by so much love.
We wrote our own vows, which made the ceremony feel deeply personal. One of the lines in mine was, “Every day, without hesitation, I choose you.”
I wanted to make a promise that would mean just as much on an ordinary Tuesday years from now as it did in that extraordinary moment, standing in my wedding dress and looking into Lee’s eyes. Because, to me, marriage is as much about the everyday choice to love one another as it is about the beautiful moments we celebrate.
I also told him, “Lee, you don’t give me butterflies. You give me wings.”
That line meant so much to me because it captured something I find incredibly special about our relationship: the confidence and freedom that come from feeling truly loved and supported. It’s the feeling that you can dream bigger, go further and become more of yourself because you have someone beside you who believes in you completely.
For our first kiss, we chose “Iris” by the Goo Goo Dolls. As we kissed, pink daytime fireworks burst into the sky above us. With the caldera behind us and our favourite people cheering, it was one of those moments you wish you could bottle up and keep forever. Now, whenever I hear that song, I know exactly where my mind will go: straight back to Santorini, standing beside Lee, reliving that kiss.
Dinner was everything I had imagined: one long table, blush pink, ivory and white flowers, and candlelight stretching all the way along it. Seeing our favourite people sitting together in the setting we had spent months planning was a moment in itself. It felt elegant and romantic, but more importantly, it felt like us.
There was a champagne tower, pink fireworks and plenty of reasons to raise a glass.
Our first dance was to 'Hold My Hand' by Lady Gaga, from Top Gun: Maverick, setting the tone for an evening that was every bit as joyful as it was emotional.
We also decided to do something a little different with dessert. Instead of a traditional wedding cake, we had a live baklava station, and we got involved ourselves, which made it even more fun. It was a lovely way to bring a taste of Greece into the celebration and give our guests something unexpected to enjoy together.
And then, as the evening unfolded, things became wonderfully lively.
There were ouzo shots, Zorba dancing and plate smashing. Our Polish-English wedding had officially embraced its Greek surroundings, and the result was a celebration full of laughter, dancing and unforgettable moments.
One of my favourite things was watching everyone let go and enjoy themselves. After the emotion of the ceremony and the more intimate moments around the dinner table, seeing our families and friends laughing, dancing and celebrating together was the perfect reminder of why we wanted everyone there in the first place.
It wasn't just a beautiful wedding. It was a party with all the people we loved most, in a place we already loved, and it felt incredibly special.
On Monday afternoon, we carried the celebrations on with a catamaran trip.
There was swimming, food, music and dancing, along with more opportunities to talk, laugh and spend time together. After months of anticipation and the intensity of the wedding day itself, being out on the water felt like the perfect way to unwind and enjoy one another's company.
Looking out at the island from the sea, surrounded by our family and friends, made me realise just how much those extra days meant. We hadn't simply brought everyone to Santorini for a ceremony; we had brought them somewhere special to us and created the time to experience it together.
Those quieter conversations, spontaneous swims and moments of laughter became part of the story just as much as the ceremony and reception. There was no pressure to be anywhere or rush through a schedule.
We could simply be together, enjoying the place that had played such an important role in our relationship.
I'm so glad we gave ourselves that time. A wedding day passes in a heartbeat, but four days of celebrating gave us the chance to really take it all in.
If there is one small thing I would change, it would be keeping my bouquet. After putting so much thought into the flowers, I wish I had a little piece of them to look back on now. It would be lovely to have that tangible reminder of a day that went by far too quickly.
But beyond that, when I look back, I feel overwhelmingly grateful.
Grateful that our family and friends made the journey to be with us. Grateful that my dad walked me down the aisle. Grateful that Lee and I were able to make our promises in a place already woven into our story. Grateful that we had the chance to tell our guests, one by one, how much they meant to us, and then celebrate with them until the evening became wonderfully loud.
We first visited Santorini to make memories as a couple. We returned to get married, bringing together two families, two cultures and all the people who have shaped our lives. Somewhere along the way, the island became more than the place where our story began to grow; it became the place where so many of our favourite people became part of that story, too.
And that is what makes it so special.
Whenever I think of Santorini now, I don't just see the caldera or remember the beautiful setting. I see the long dinner table glowing with candlelight. I see our guests holding their handwritten letters, laughing and wiping away tears. I remember the music, the fireworks, the dancing and the sound of everyone cheering.
Most of all, I see Lee waiting for me at the end of the aisle.
We chose Santorini because it was somewhere we already loved. We left with a thousand new reasons to love it even more.
.jpg "IZABELA X LEE / Cavo Ventus Luxury Villa Wedding Above the Caldera in Santorini / Phosart Wedding Photography & Cinemaphotography")
.jpg "IZABELA X LEE / Cavo Ventus Luxury Villa Wedding Above the Caldera in Santorini / Phosart Wedding Photography & Cinemaphotography")
.jpg "IZABELA X LEE / Cavo Ventus Luxury Villa Wedding Above the Caldera in Santorini / Phosart Wedding Photography & Cinemaphotography")
