This Fashion Designer Bride’s Wedding Dress Took 3,500 Hours to Craft for Her Ceremony in Greece

With the help of planner La Fête, the couple crafted a wedding weekend inspired by the poem “Ithaka” by C.P. Cavafy. “It speaks to the beauty of the journey—a message that shaped every detail of our wedding,” explains Buggy. “The wedding was designed to feel like a journey through places, textures, and traditions that shaped us—a celebration not just of love, but of life’s path itself.” These themes were woven in with the food, music, décor, and fashion. “Through it all, we tried to honor Greece’s effortless, elegant simplicity. In the end, it wasn’t about creating something perfect, but about a wedding that felt full of organic joy, love, and true to us.”

As a designer, Buggy decided to take advantage of this design opportunity to “indulge in pure fantasy without restrictions,” she says. The bride would create four bridal looks for herself, as well as her mother’s dress and the table linens for the weekend. “Each piece tells a story: honoring the location, paying homage to craftsmanship, and weaving together cultural influences,” explains the designer. “My bridal looks integrated exquisite Indian hand-beaded techniques, developed closely with our Mumbai atelier and couture beading houses, yet remained infused with a distinctly Greek spirit.”

For the first event at Siparos, Buggy created an open-back halter gown in silk chiffon covered in chikankari hand-embroidery of florals and olive branches. “Though the dress felt simple, 380 hours of delicate chikankari handwork went into its making,” she shares. “I paired it with a sparkling choker discovered in India and soft, salt-swept hair from a swim just before dinner.”

Night two’s welcome party would feature a hand-beaded gown inspired by the port of Naoussa, “a whitewashed fishing village alive with electric energy that set the stage for the evening’s dinner,” the bride says. “I combined crochet pompoms and lace cutouts reminiscent of fishing nets, sequined jellyfish drifting across the silk, and hand-dyed crystals in rose, cerulean, and soft blue forming Byzantine cross motifs, a nod to the chapel just steps from where Mattias and I were seated. The lace appliqué shapes were inspired by patterns of a vintage Greek textile at the Benaki Museum in Athens—my favorite museum in the world.” To add some sexiness to the gown, the designer decided to cut out half of the lining when she did her fitting for the dress in India. “I loved how young and playful it made the dress feel,” she adds.

For her wedding day, Buggy wanted her gown to be classic, yet also feel unexpected and “undeniably Greek.” She chose to craft an Italian silk mikado gown with beading details inspired by Minoan pottery and the Cycladic stonework, as well as tiny fish motifs woven throughout. Not only would she create the gown, but she also designed a cape to wear down the aisle that could be converted into an overskirt. “More than 3,500 hours of collaboration with artisans and factories went into the beadwork, crystals, and 3D handwork that brought this vision to life,” explains Buggy. “When I first told our team in India my vision of converting the cape into an overskirt, our pattern master just shook his head and said, ‘I don't think this can be done.’ The whole team got involved with opinions, and it was a blast. We were all shocked when my design on muslin really worked perfectly. We were literally screaming and high-fiving!”

Another unique detail of the cape was its crystal fastener, which she calls her “jewelry” for the day. “When worn with the cape, it framed my neckline like a diamond choker; later, worn at the hips, it became a beautiful belt,” says Buggy. “I even created a second crystal belt so that when the cape-skirt was removed, I could still wear one with just the gown.” To accessorize further, she wore a pair of Margaux shoes custom made for her by her best friend Alexa, who brought them with her from Paris. “I was so comfortable in them all day that I forgot to change into a different pair,” she says. Her only non-Greek vendor also came from Paris—makeup artist Louise Garnier. “[She] came for the weekend and felt part of the family by the end,” says Buggy. “I wear minimal makeup and wanted to feel like myself—fresh and natural.”

Her final look was the perfect ensemble for a dance party on the island. “The amphitheater after-party look was perhaps the most fantastical—and unquestionably the most challenging—to bring to life,” says the bride. “The two-piece mikado silk set was hand-embellished with real seashells, many of which Mattias and I had collectsed during our travels together. Some were painted with gold leaf, others filled with pearls and crystals. As I danced, the shells and crystals jingled softly with each movement, creating a sound as magical as the night itself.”

For the groom’s wedding looks, he wore custom Italian suits that were all lined with Buggy’s silk starfish print. He accessorized with shoes, a pocket square, and a tie by Brunello Cucinelli. During the ceremony, Mattias and Buggy also each obtained a new piece of jewelry—their wedding bands designed by Anastasia Kessaris. “Inside, each is engraved with our wedding date and Siana Lou (a nod to my name, Siana Louisa) and Matia Mou, an affectionate Greek phrase meaning ‘my eyes,’ used much like ‘my love,’” says Buggy. “It’s also a sweet nod to my nickname for Mattias, since it sounds just like his name.”

On the wedding day, guests arrived at Agios Ioannis Detis by boat and waited for the bride to come ashore. “I arrived on the last boat, surrounded by my closest friends and family,” says Buggy. “My girlfriends serenaded me with ‘Going to the Chapel’ as we approached land. We later found out that everyone at the church could hear us singing, which explained the huge cheers echoing from the hillside. Mattias stood cheering and waving at the cliff’s edge with my bouquet in hand.”

The bride and her father headed down the aisle to cheers as she approached her groom. “Just before walking down the aisle, I was so eager to see Mattias that I nearly forgot to let my girlfriends and family go first—until my girlfriends called out to stop me,” Buggy remembers. “My dad and I paused, and as each person passed, I kissed them before they took their seats. We were all giggling—it turned into one of the sweetest, funniest memories of the day.”

The fully Greek ceremony was led by Father Christos, who made the service inclusive and full of humor. “At one point, he poured Mattias an enormous glass of wine and kept teasing him with every sip,” she says. “Our guests kept saying that Mattias and I were so incredibly relaxed throughout the entire wedding—and that’s exactly how we felt. The whole experience was organic, joyful, and full of unexpected moments.”

After a Champagne toast under olive trees, the couple and their guests made their way to Monasteri Beach Club, where the reception would be held. “We wanted the evening to feel like one of the dinner parties my mother hosted throughout my childhood—unfussy, warm, and overflowing with food,” says Buggy. The reception space featured two levels: The one above held the dinner, decorated with florals and linens designed by the bride, while the one below was an amphitheater filled with antique urns that was lit up by candlelight.

The night continued with speeches from the couple’s friends and family, a big family-style meal, and a cake cutting to the sounds of the Gypsy Kings. “Our cake was a gigantic vanilla sponge with a hint of orange, topped with fresh figs—easily one of the most delicious cakes I’ve ever had,” says the bride. “In a dramatic twist, the original cake fell just hours before the wedding and had to be remade—this time partly with dried figs, as the last of the fresh ones had already been used at the season’s start.”

Guests then moved to the amphitheater as the dance party went into full swing. “My brother and one of our closest friends, Billy—affectionately known as the ‘Panzaria Brothers’ (Greek for beet)—are best known in Greece for their wildly unexpected bathroom sets, where they exclusively perform in the restrooms of clubs and other fine establishments,” says Buggy. “At our wedding, they made their main-stage debut with an outrageous four-song set that sent the already-hyped crowd into total chaos.” Another perfect moment from the reception? When Buggy tossed her bouquet, it was caught by her friend Leanor Landeau, who hosted the birthday party where the bride and groom met years before.

Reflecting on the weekend, the couple say planning a wedding overseas felt like their “own personal Odyssey.” They add, “But the rewards were beyond worth it. Our friends and family brought the most incredible energy into the weekend and made it the best week of our lives.”