Booking Greek Wedding Vendors Without a Planner

Booking Greek Wedding Vendors Without a Planner: What to Ask, What to Sign

Plenty of couples plan a wedding in Greece without a planner. It's legal, it saves a fee, and with a short list of vendors it is very doable from abroad. The risk sits in the paperwork between you and each vendor: a quote that leaves out VAT, a deposit with no written terms, a DJ who assumes the music stops at midnight.

This guide covers the questions to ask each vendor and the lines a contract should carry before you pay anything. We don't name vendors here, and the checklist works with any of them.

TL;DR:

• You don't need a planner to marry in Greece. The civil paperwork is filed by the couple at the town hall.
• Greek planners charge about €1,500 to €5,000 for full planning (easywedding.gr). Skipping one means you do the coordination, and someone still needs to run the day.
• Get every quote in writing, with VAT and any service charge shown separately.
• The EU's 14-day cooling-off right doesn't cover catering and similar services booked for a specific date, so the contract's cancellation terms are what protect you.
• Check a Greek vendor's VAT number on the EU's free VIES tool before you send a deposit.

Is a wedding planner really necessary in Greece?

Not legally. A civil wedding needs the couple's own documents, filed in person at the town hall, and a religious wedding needs the parish's paperwork. No law requires a planner for either. Our Greece wedding timeline from abroad shows what the couple files and when.

A planner earns their fee when you have many vendors, an island with ferry logistics, or no Greek speaker among your family. Without one, three jobs land on you:

1. Finding and comparing vendors, often by email in a second language.
2. Keeping every quote, deposit and deadline in one place.
3. Running the day itself, from the florist's arrival to the last transfer.

The first two are fine from a laptop. The third needs a person on site. Ask the venue whether its event manager will run the timeline on the day, or book a day coordinator only. Our post on whether to hire a Greece wedding planner helps you decide.

How much do wedding planners cost in Greece?

easywedding.gr, a Greek wedding directory, puts full planning at about €1,500 to €5,000 (March 2025), depending on experience, the size of the wedding and the region. Partial planning and day coordination cost less. Ask exactly what a quote covers before you compare two planners.

Book in this order

Each booking constrains the next, so the order matters:

1. Venue (and its catering policy), because it fixes the date, the guest limit and who may cook.
2. Photographer, because the ones you like often book up first in high season.
3. Music, then flowers and decor, which depend on the venue's look and rules.
4. Transport, once you know where guests sleep and how many need a ride.

Keep each vendor's quote, deposit date and balance date in a shared planning hub, so neither of you has to remember which payment is due next.

What to ask a Greek venue

• Is the price per person, or venue hire plus catering? What is included in the per-head price: drinks, cake, service staff, tables, chairs?
• Does the quote include VAT? Greek VAT is 24% as standard, 13% on food served by restaurants and 24% on drinks (PwC Worldwide Tax Summaries, Greece).
• Is there a minimum guest count or a minimum spend?
• What time must music stop, and is there an extra charge to run later?
• What is the plan if it rains or the wind picks up on an outdoor terrace?
• Can we bring outside vendors, such as our own florist or band, and is there a fee for that?
• When do you need the final guest count, dietary requirements and the seating plan?

For that last one, our guide on when to send the seating chart to your venue has a realistic timeline.

What to ask a photographer

• How many hours are included, and what does an extra hour cost?
• How many edited photos, in what format, and by when?
• Is an album included? On easywedding.gr, albums are usually charged separately at €150 to €600.
• Do you charge travel and accommodation for an island wedding? easywedding.gr suggests €300 to €800 on top of the base price for islands and destination weddings.
• Who shoots if you are ill on the day?

Our guide to what to look for in a Greece wedding photographer goes deeper on style and portfolios.

What to ask a DJ or band

easywedding.gr prices a wedding DJ at about €500 to €2,000 or more, depending on experience, equipment, hours and venue. Ask:

• What equipment is included: speakers, a microphone for speeches, lighting?
• How many hours, and the overtime rate?
• Will they play a list you send, and a do-not-play list?
• Who handles the venue's sound limits on the night?

What a contract should say before you pay

Whatever the vendor, these lines belong in writing:

• Both names, the date, the place and the hours. "Saturday in June" is not a booking.
• The full price, with VAT and any service charge shown separately.
• The deposit, the payment schedule and the method. Pay by bank transfer or card to a business account, and keep the receipts.
• Cancellation and postponement terms, in both directions: what you lose if you cancel, and what they owe you if they do.
• Deadlines: final numbers, menu choice, music list.
• The language that counts. If the contract is in Greek, ask for an English copy and agree which version applies if they differ.

One legal point surprises couples. The EU's 14-day right to cancel a distance purchase doesn't apply to everything. The EU's Your Europe guide lists "catering services for specific dates" among the exceptions, alongside hotel bookings and tickets. So if you book a caterer by email, you can't count on a cooling-off period. The cancellation clause is your protection.

Before the first deposit, check the business. Greek companies have a VAT number with the prefix EL, and the European Commission's free VIES tool shows whether it is valid. A vendor who won't give one, or won't put terms in writing, is a reason to keep looking.

Running the day without a planner

Write a one-page timeline with every vendor's arrival time and a phone number, and send it to all of them a week before. Name one person on the day, a venue manager, a day coordinator or a calm friend, who answers vendors' questions so you don't.

For guests, a wedding website with the schedule, transport times and the venue map means vendors aren't fielding questions from your aunt. Wedding RSVP gives you final numbers and dietary needs to hand straight to the caterer.

Ask us before you sign

We're not wedding planners. Email us at [email protected] and we'll suggest Greek vendors that fit your date, place and budget, and look over the questions you're asking them. Neutral advice, free, and we pass your details to a vendor only once you say so. You can also browse Greek wedding vendors by city yourself.

Frequently asked questions

Do I need a wedding planner to get married in Greece? No. The couple files the civil documents in person, and no law requires a planner. Someone still has to coordinate vendors and run the day, which can be the venue's event manager or a day coordinator.

How much does a wedding planner cost in Greece? About €1,500 to €5,000 for full planning, according to easywedding.gr. Partial planning and day coordination cost less.

Can I cancel a Greek wedding vendor within 14 days? Not automatically. The EU cooling-off right excludes catering services and similar bookings for a specific date. Your contract's cancellation terms decide what happens.

How do I check that a Greek vendor is a real business? Ask for their VAT number, which starts with EL, and check it on the European Commission's VIES tool. Pay to a business account and keep every receipt.

Should Greek wedding quotes include VAT? Ask for it to be shown. The standard rate is 24%, with 13% on restaurant food and 24% on drinks.

Recommended

• Should I Hire a Greece Wedding Planner?
• Greece Wedding Cost Per Person, Outside Santorini
• Your Greece Wedding Timeline From Abroad
• Questions to Ask a Wedding Planner