winter wedding at zagorohoria
wedding photographer zagorohoria
wedding photographer Zagorohoria
Wedding photography portfolio of a wedding day at Mikro Papigko, a village at Zagorohoria area in Greece. As a Greek wedding and event photographer one of the places that I photograph at is of course Zagorohoria.
Zagorohoria is considered to be as one of the top Greek destinations for winter (and not only) wedding photography, engagement photography, anniversary photography and wedding portraits photo session!
Several of the following wedding images have been awarded, published and distinct-ed.
The story
This is a small presentation of a very elegant wedding that took place at the small mountain village «mikro papiggo», area Zagorohoria in Greece.
Yiouli and Tolis decided to have their wedding at Mikro Papigko during Christmas time!
It was a two days wedding and the wedding day was held on the 26th December.
Not many people, just very close family and friends were enough to make Yiouli and Tolis happy and have one of the best holidays of their life!
Let it snow
The previous days snowed so much that it was impossible even to walk without wearing special chain adapters made for shoes.
During the two days everybody fall at some point at the villages small alleys, everybody except the me!!!! 🙂
I was mentioning that with a proud tone at my voice when…..oups, my face touched the ground!! It was my turn 🙂
On the first day there was a big party, with Greek vibes, food and drink!
Next day
On the next day, the small chapel proved to be an ideal selection to get married to, the wedding was so sentimental and although the weather was really cold, nobody felt like that. On the contrary!
When back to the hotel – Pansion, spirits were waiting for us and delicious gourmet food was served!
It was time for party, party, party….until early morning hours.
On the third day we had the “wedding portraits” photo session and especially Yiouli proved to be very brave to have the courage and be exposed at this cold weather!
Excellent, marvelouw Christmas wedding that was!!!!
Related links
Another real wedding at less known Greek destination
What people say – Testimonials
wedding portraits photo session
another wedding at Greek mainland
As seen at
Vendors
Some information about zagorohoria
Zagori (Greek: Ζαγόρι), is a region and a municipality in the Pindus mountains in Epirus, in northwestern Greece. The seat of the municipality is the village Asprangeloi.[2] It has an area of some 1,000 square kilometers and contains 46 villages known as Zagori villages (or Zagorochoria or Zagorohoria), and is in the shape of an upturned equilateral triangle. The southern corner of the triangle contains the provincial capital, Ioannina, the south-western side is formed by Mount Mitsikeli(1,810m), and the Aoos river and Mount Tymfi constitute the northern side, and the south-eastern side runs along the Varda river to Mount Mavrovouni (2,100m) near Metsovo. The municipality has an area of 989.796 km2.[3] The population of the area is about 3,700, which gives a population density of 4 inhabitants per square kilometer, compared to an average of 73.8 for Greece as a whole.
Zagori is an area of great natural beauty, with striking geology and two National Parks, one including the river Aoos and the Vikos Gorge, the other around Valia Kalda, to the east of the imposing snow-capped Mt Tymphe. The 46 or so villages of Zagori were interconnected by mountain roads and traditional arched stone bridges until modern roads were opened in the 1950s. The stone arched bridges were built by benefactions from expatriate merchants in the 18th century and replaced older wooden bridges.
wedding photographer Zagorohoria
Customs and churches
Unique customs are associated with ancient Greek, pagan or Christian festivals. The larger churches and monasteries celebrate their nominal saint feast with a festival that can last several days.
Villages are built around a central square, also called mesochori (village centre) with a large church, a plane tree and a public fountain. Cobbled streets and footpaths interconnect the rest of the village. Each individual neighbourhood has a smaller church.
Most churches in Zagori date from the 17–18th centuries onwards, although some older foundations survive. In most villages the main church consists of a sizeable basilica built of stone with a wooden roof covered by slate. They are decorated by mainly Epirotan iconographers in the Byzantine tradition. The entrance to the church may be protected by a colonnaded arcade. The campanile is usually detached from the church.
wedding photographer Zagorohoria
Houses
Houses until the 18th century were simple rectangular dwellings, often with only a ground floor and with ancillary areas in the basement used as stables. Indeed, this appears to be the style of construction of the dwellings in the excavated Molossian site near Vitsa. Houses are built of local stone and have a slate roof. The roof slates are held together without cement, only by the weight of the slates above them. The slate roof therefore requires continual upkeep, subjected as it is to heavy snowfalls during the winter months.
That older type was developed through the 18–19th centuries into more complex styles all the way to the multi-storied manors of the wealthier families of the late 18th century. Many houses are fronted by a walled courtyard or garden. The courtyard gate is an edifice in itself, covered by a slate roof and connecting the house to the rest of the village. In addition to the house, there are ancillary buildings, usually a “mageirio” (kitchen), an external toilet at the furthest corner from the kitchen, and stables. The main house is built with walls up to a meter thick that may have an internal sand compartment for insulation against the cold. The house entrance opens into the foyer called “hagiati” which leads to adjoining rooms called “ondas” or “mantzato”. The hagiati originally was and sometimes still is a partially open area in front of the house. The name is probably derived from the Persian word Hayāt, a style of Persian garden with pavilions or other edifices. The mantzato is the main room for the winter months with a fireplace, a “tavla” (table) and seating areas that can be used as beds, called “basia”. Opposite the fireplace there is a walled closet called “mesantra”. As an aid to its function, the mantzato often has a location in the south of the house.
A usually wooden staircase leads from the hagiati to the upper floor landing called “krevatta”. This is a space between the bedrooms. In rare cases, the krevatta opens into a small balcony covered by a wooden roof. “Glavané” is a small entrance to the attic. The basement of the house contains cellars and other storage areas that may be used as additional quarters for animals.
Few of the old manors survive, most having fallen victim to disrepair. In those that survive, the ondas room is the most spacious, has a large fireplace and may have floral frescoes. It was used for the reception of guests.
Bridges
More than 160 arched bridges were built in the greater area of Zagori, many of which still stand helping travelers to cross the countless rivers and streams of the region. They were mostly built during the 18th and 19th centuries by local master craftsmen who used the local stone as material. These bridges usually have one to three arches called “kamares” in Greek. The most iconic being the three arched bridge of Plakidas aka Kalogeriko just outside the village of Kipi.