Donna Palimeri Wedding Planning — Wedding Planner (Argostoli)

Donna Palimeri Wedding Planning — trading as Kefalonia Weddings & Special Events — is the original wedding planning company on the Ionian island of Kefalonia, running weddings, elopements and vow renewals across the island and neighbouring Ithaca since 2005.

Local, bilingual, hands-on

Donna has lived on Kefalonia since 1985 and is married into a Greek family, so she handles everything in both English and Greek — vendor briefings, town hall paperwork, priest meetings, transport, accommodation and timelines. For couples living abroad with Greek roots, that local presence is the difference between a stressful long-distance plan and a wedding day where everything is already in place.

A small family team

Donna works alongside her daughter Gabriella, who studied Business Administration & Tourism. Together they have coordinated 400+ ceremonies at over 26 venues and locations across Kefalonia and Ithaca — from clifftop chapels and beachfront tavernas to private villas and rustic olive groves.

Certified planner and celebrant

Donna is a Certified Wedding Planner with the Institute of Professional Wedding Planners, a Certified Destination Wedding Planner with the UK Alliance of Wedding Planners, and a qualified UKSOC celebrant, which means she can also write and lead bespoke symbolic ceremonies when a civil or religious format does not fit the couple.

• Full wedding planning — venue search, vendor coordination, design, budget and on-the-day management
• Partial planning — step in once you have started the work yourself and need a local lead on the ground
• Civil weddings — paperwork, town hall booking and ceremony coordination on Kefalonia and Ithaca
• Orthodox church weddings — liturgical paperwork, priest coordination and traditional Greek wedding logistics
• Catholic weddings — bilingual Catholic ceremonies with the local parish
• Symbolic and celebrant-led ceremonies — bespoke vows written by Donna (UKSOC celebrant)
• Same-sex commitment ceremonies — inclusive celebrant-led ceremonies on the beach, in villas or in olive groves
• Elopements and micro weddings — small, intimate days for couples and a handful of guests
• Renewal of vows — refreshed promises and a celebration with the people you love
• Marriage proposals — surprise set-ups at scenic Kefalonian spots
• Special events — christenings, milestone parties and private celebrations on the island

Kefalonia is the largest of the Ionian islands, with white-sand beaches, mountain villages and the famous turquoise water of Myrtos and Antisamos. Couples reach the island directly via Kefalonia International Airport (EFL) with seasonal flights from across Europe, then keep all wedding-week activity within a 30-minute drive of Argostoli.

Donna covers 26+ destinations on the island, including:

• Beach ceremonies at Lourdas, Antisamos, Skala and Lassi
• Clifftop and seaview chapels with Ionian backdrops
• Private villas for intimate weekend-long weddings
• Olive groves and vineyards for rustic, boho-style receptions
• Hilltop tavernas for traditional Greek long-table dinners

For couples who want an island-hopping element, the team also coordinates ceremonies on neighbouring Ithaca — Odysseus' island — including the boat crossing and guest logistics.

Every couple starts with a free planning call to talk through dates, style, guest numbers and budget. Donna then proposes a shortlist of venues that fit the brief, books site visits when you arrive, and quotes a clear, all-in package so there are no surprises later.

Because Donna lives on Kefalonia year-round, she personally manages vendor relationships with the photographers, florists, musicians, hairdressers, caterers and transport companies on the island. Quality and price stay in her favour, and any change of plan — a date shift, a venue swap, a weather backup — is handled locally instead of by email from a continent away.

For couples planning from the UK, Ireland, USA, Australia, Cyprus and Greece, Donna also takes on the legal paperwork: gathering apostilled documents, translating where needed, booking the town hall and making sure the marriage is properly registered after the day.