- Ceremony Venue – Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Church
- Reception Venue – Sherwood Event Center
- Officiant/Priests – Fr. Yanni Verginis & Fr. Stelyios Muksuris
- Ceremony Pianist – Bob Neumeyer
- Wedding Planner – Melissa from Devoted to You Events
- Photographer – Kristi Telnov
- Videographer – Iulianna Photography
- Makeup Artist – Demi Diamandis
- Hair – Melissa from Swank Hair Studio
- Dress Designer – Custom made Demetrios from Sorelle Bridal
- Veil Designer – Sugar Rose Gardens
- Bride’s Shoes – Badgley Mischka
- Bridesmaids Gowns – Azazie
- Groom’s Suit – Studio Suits
- Groomsmen Suits – Men’s Warehouse
- Invitations – Minted.com
- Florist – Pisarcik Flower Farm
- Seating Chart – Scarlet Day Calligraphy
- DJ – George Yamalis
- Caterer – Beyond Parsley Catering
- Rentals – Eventioneers
- Lighting – EF Lighting
- Linens – Party Mosaic
Markella and Jerry met on Plenty of Fish (an online dating site) on July 10, 2013. The wedding took place exactly 8 years later. On that day in 2013, there was an intense storm, with gusts of wind reaching 50 mph. Trashcans blew across the highway, a tree fell onto Jerry’s friend’s house, and his parents’ car was struck by lightning. We were hoping for better weather this year.
On their first date, Markella and Jerry were walking around, killing time before their movie, when they found themselves at the same time spontaneously clapping their hands in rhythm with their step. That was when Jerry fell in love with her. One movie led to another, which led to hours spent on a hill looking at the stars. The stars would become a major theme for their relationship.
When Jerry and Markella met, Markella was about to move to New York to attend the New York Film Academy. They resolved to stay together during this time and had many adventures in the Big Apple, before Markella finally graduated and returned home. Since then, their love for one another continued to grow deeper and stronger as time passed.
Markella and Jerry have adventured together around the world, and they are very excited to see where this next adventure will take them.
The elaborate plot began with the creation of “dioramas” of various scenes from Markella and Jerry’s relationship, presented in the form of a real-life “video game,” which the bride and groom enjoy playing together. With the help of some very special people, the scene was assembled in the church hall, culminating in an epic Domino’s meal shared between the groom and the sister of the bride. Through a web of lies, Markella was led successfully to the church hall without arousing suspicion. As she approached the doors, which had trash bags covering the windows, she thought, “Wow, we’re really taking Covid seriously!” Even when she walked in and saw the first cutout, she at first thought she had walked in on someone else’s event. But when the music started playing, which was the song Jerry had written for her, she knew what was happening. Though the groom was extremely anxious, by the grace of God, and with a little duct tape, everything went according to plan.
For weeks prior to the wedding, the forecast called for thunderstorms on the day of their big, fat, Greek wedding. After months of prayers, they were blessed with the best possible weather on their special day. They knew from the beginning that they wanted their wedding to have a celestial theme, since it had been a big part of their relationship. They also knew shortly after getting engaged that they wanted to do something fun with Jerry’s suit, so they began searching for the perfect purple suit, since it is one of Jerry’s favorite colors and fit the color scheme. As a surprise for the groom, Markella had two constellations placed on the train of her dress. One was Lyra, their favorite constellation, and the other was Aquila. Markella chose Aquila because these two constellations each have a star in them that has a love story with the other. Markella also had some of their other favorite constellations added to the bottom of her veil more subtly. Jerry was very surprised and loved the personal touches on her dress.
Their wedding day was a beautiful whirlwind. Notes written to each other to be read the morning of the wedding, which included a Wedding Day Troubleshooting Guide written by the groom, helped them both to find their center. Though the day was a blur, the moment they saw each other on opposite ends of the aisle remains absolutely clear in their memory. “We remember seeing our whole lives in each other.” It was meaningful to both of them to finally be able to hold each other’s hands in front of the altar, and especially to circle the altar during the Dance of Isaiah with Markella’s Aunt Rena (their koumbara), Markella’s sister, and her sister’s girlfriend Anna–three of the people closest to them. “It was a very profound and emotional ceremony, and it was such a special thing for it to have been presided over by two priests that are very important to us,” they recount.
The beautiful weather helped to create the perfect atmosphere for the outdoor reception, which was filled with great company, Greek food, and Greek dancing–in which the bridal party gladly participated, despite some of them not knowing any of the steps. The night ended with Markella and Jerry being called to the center of the dance floor to dance one last time to their song, which Jerry wrote for Markella and which they both performed. As they began to dance, their family and friends spontaneously formed a circle around them, holding hands and swaying to the music. In that moment–and truly during the entire day–Markella and Jerry were overwhelmed by the love and support shown by so many people who care about them.
It was a momentous occasion that went absolutely perfectly, and Markella and Jerry are both extremely grateful to have so many special people to have shared it with.
