Destination Wedding in Crete: A Planner's Cost Guide with Real Examples

Nadia Volaki
Nov 4
4 min read

Planning a destination wedding in Crete? You’ve made an incredible choice. You're not just selecting an island; you're embracing an entire world of possibilities. From the romantic Venetian harbours of Chania and Rethymno to the exclusive luxury resorts of Elounda and the wild, bohemian beaches of the southern coast, Crete offers a backdrop of unparalleled diversity.

It’s a truly magical place to say "I do." But as Greek destination wedding planners, we know that turning that incredible vision into a flawless reality involves practical planning—especially when it comes to your budget.

Why Choose Crete for Your Destination Wedding?

We’ve planned countless celebrations across Greece, and as we mentioned in our complete guide to wedding costs in Greece, Crete remains one of our top "hidden gem" recommendations.

Why? A wedding in Crete often combines the breathtaking beauty of the more famous Cyclades islands with significantly more flexibility, a wider variety of venues, and incredible overall value.

At Nymfee.com, we have a special love for this island. We’re here to demystify the process and show you exactly what’s possible for your celebration, including real costs from our previous weddings

Understanding Your Crete Wedding Budget: Key Factors

While the main factors (guest count, season) always apply, planning a Crete wedding has unique considerations that can greatly impact your budget:

The Island's Vastness & Logistics: Crete is Greece's largest island, and its regions are distinct. A Chania wedding in the heart of the Old Town has different logistical needs (and costs) than a private villa celebration near Rethymno or an exclusive resort buy-out in Elounda.
Venue Diversity: This is where your Crete wedding truly becomes unique. The Crete wedding venues range from historic Venetian estates and rustic olive groves to modern beachfront resorts and five-star private villas with infinity pools. This range allows for stunning celebrations at many different price points.
The Power of Local Vendors: As experienced Crete wedding planners, this is our top tip. Relying on a strong, vetted network of local Cretan vendors (florists, caterers, musicians) is the secret to managing costs effectively and ensuring authentic quality, all while avoiding the high fees of flying in suppliers from Athens.

Real Crete Weddings: Budgets & Inspiration

The best way to understand what your Crete wedding cost might look like is to see it in practice. To give you a real, transparent look at what your budget can achieve, we are pulling back the curtain on two distinct destination weddings we’ve had the honor of planning on the island:

one rustic Cretan wedding at an olive grove
and one wedding at a beachfront Coconut tree villa.

Just like in our main Greece cost guide, these case studies show you the final result and—most importantly—exactly how the budget was allocated. They are the perfect starting point for imagining your own wedding celebration in Crete.

A Rustic Olive Grove Wedding in Crete - Cost Breakdown:

While costs vary greatly, here's a real olive grove wedding in Crete, with costs and pictures of the final result, to help you create your budget.

Specifications:

Location: Crete

Number of guests: 30

Date: end of May, on a Saturday

Venue Rental: 1000€
Catering (per person): 190€, and included welcome drinks, cocktail hour and fingerfood, family style dinner, wine and beer for dinner, unlimited party open bar. A higher number of guests would bring the cost significantly down
Photography : 2,000€
Videography: 1,500€
Flowers: 1,306€
DJ, Production, Projector & Ceremony Equipment: 796€
Wedding Planner: 3,700€ (See our previous blog post for a detailed breakdown, or visit nymfee.com)
MUA & Hair: 530€
Guest shuttles: 450€, from/to hotels
Vendor accommodation/transport: 375€, incl. hotel for 3 days, flights and car rental
WC kit: 86€ (sanitary products, mosquito repellents, hairspray etc)
Misc: unknown (the couple printed menus and photos as table numbers at home, and ordered fans online as favors)

Total Olive Grove in Crete Wedding Cost: 17,443€

A Beachfront Wedding in Crete - Cost Breakdown:

While costs vary greatly, here's a real beach villa wedding in Crete, with costs and pictures of the final result, to help you create your own budget.

Specifications:

Location: Crete

Number of guests: 25

Date: end of September, date of week irrelevant since we had the villa for the whole week

Villa Rental: 19,000€, and included one week rental for 10 guests, and the event fee.
Catering (per person): 144€, and included welcome drinks, wine and beer for cocktail hour and fingerfood, family style dinner, a pavlova to create and cut, and wine and beer and a non alcoholic mocktail for dinner and party. No hard liquor open bar was selected on this occasion.
Photography : 3,200€
Videography: not selected
Flowers: 2,325€
DJ & Ceremony Equipment: 1,202€
Wedding Planner: 4,368€ (See our previous blog post for a detailed breakdown, or visit nymfee.com)
MUA & Hair: 460€ (bridesmaids paid for their own services)
Guest shuttles: 1,100€, from/to hotels (for 3 days of events)
Vendor accommodation/transport: 495€, incl. hotel for 3 days, flights and car rental
Steamer: 40€
Candles: 50€
Favors: 72€
They also bought foam party lights from amazon and wrote hand written notes for each guest as name tags. The catering brought printed menus

Additional Events:
Prewedding - Catamaran half day trip: 2,800€
After wedding - Beach gathering with food and drinks: 750€