Croatian Island Wedding: A Bride’s Stunning Gown & Magical Hvar Venue

Wedding invitation to get married in Croatia near turquoise sea with boat

Sometimes you find the perfect wedding venue in your hometown and sometimes you find it in...Croatia! This lovely couple chose to say "I do" on the beautiful Island of Hvar. The gorgeous setting spoke for itself and was perfectly complimented by the beautiful bride in her stunning Karen Willis Holmes peplum wedding gown. To see more of Brendan and Beckie's wedding photographs click here, splendidly captured by Raw Photographers.
Before we dive more into their wedding we wanted to let you know a little about this magical place in case you want to get married in Croatia. This Southeastern Europe country enjoys the longest coast of all of the countries in Southeastern Europe on the Adriatic Sea. Croatia is known for its crystal clear sea, so yes the water does look like the pictures. Also a fabulous place for your honeymoon! Brendan and Beckie's wedding took place on Hvar – the island which is known as the sunniest island in Croatia. So much to do here including the vast fields of lavender, ancient olive trees, and vineyards. Be sure to hire someone familiar with the island for your wedding or honeymoon plans like I Do Croatia.

Aerial view of the beautiful coastal city of Dubrovnik, Croatia

Bride getting ready for her wedding, holding dress and veil

Stylish high-heeled sandals with silver metal accents on a wooden surface

Bride and bridesmaid pose with bouquets, smiling on wedding day

Elegant strapless peplum wedding dress by Karen Willis Holmes

From the Bride:I had been advised by a few people that Karen Willis Holmes offered a huge range of dress styles and hence was a great place to try an array of styles. A good friend of mine who bought her dress from KWH told me what a wonderful experience she had from beginning to end. I tried the Prea gown on during my first shopping day. It was completely the opposite from what I had in mind, but the minute I put it on, I knew it was the right one! I loved that it was classic yet different. I hadn’t seen many peplum gowns around, and I wanted something that was obviously flattering, but also slightly unique. The dress was bridal, but with character. I wore a Cathedral veil from Karen Willis Holmes. After the ceremony, I swapped into a fine diamond droplet head piece which I received from one of my bridesmaids.

Three groomsmen in tuxedos posing for a wedding photo

Beachfront wedding venue with serene coastal views and ceremony setup

Happy bride with her father and groom laughing at wedding ceremony

Newlyweds happily pose in front of stone steps on their wedding day

Being an event manager myself, made it both easier and harder to plan the wedding. I see a lot of event inspiration daily, so I would draw from the things I loved and had seen in the past. I became obsessed with a number of amazing wedding blogs. I found mood-boards helped to pull the entire look and feel together, especially since we weren’t able to be as hands on as couples planning a local wedding.

Our location didn’t need much enhancing, so we simply added white floral arrangements and candles en masse! We liked the clean lines and simplicity of modern style weddings with a touch of the classic rustic nature that the Hvar town oozes. Since we had just over 50 guests, it was important to add personal touches to the wedding too. The guests had flown a long way to be there, and that meant a lot to us. Our table seating chart was made up of one Polaroid photo of each guest with Brendan and me. The photos were hanging for guests to see as they entered the reception. It was great to reminisce on the great memories we have had with each person. Some of which were from childhood days!

Wedding photos hanging on a stone wall for decoration