A destination wedding in Corfu is easier to plan from abroad than most couples expect, as long as three decisions come early: the area, the type of ceremony and who will be your hands on the ground. Everything else, from vendors to guest travel, follows from those.

I am a filmmaker based in Corfu Town, and this is the advice I would give a friend planning from another country.

Choosing an area for your destination wedding in Corfu

Corfu's two coasts feel like two different islands.

The north-east coast, around Kalami and Kassiopi, has calm, clear water, cypress and olive on the hills, and the mountains of Albania across the channel. It is villa country, quiet and green. The light is beautiful in the morning; in the evening the sun drops behind the hills, so the bays turn soft and shaded while the mountains opposite glow pink.

The west coast, from Paleokastritsa down to Pelekas, Glyfada and Agios Gordios, is where the sun sets over the sea. Cliffs, wide horizons and big skies, with more wind and waves on some days.

Corfu Town sits in between, with the Old Town, plenty of hotels for guests and the shortest transfers from the airport.

Think about distances too. The island is long and its roads wind, so a villa in the far north can be an hour or more from the airport. My guide to Corfu wedding locations shows how each area looks on film.

The north-east coast: calm water and the mainland mountains across the channel.

Planner or DIY

A local wedding planner brings contacts, Greek-language paperwork, permits and someone in charge on the day. For a large wedding, or one spread over several days, that support is worth a great deal.

Doing it yourselves works best for smaller weddings at a hotel or villa that already hosts events and has its own coordinator; ask the venue exactly what they handle. A middle path is a coordinator who takes over in the last weeks and runs the day. Whichever you choose, keep one shared document with the timeline, vendor contacts and addresses, so everyone works from the same plan.

Civil, religious or symbolic: the paperwork in outline

This is the part that needs the most time, and the rules depend on your nationality and change over time. What follows is only the general idea. Confirm everything with the municipality or registry office in Corfu and with your embassy.

Civil wedding. Legally binding and carried out by the municipality. Couples usually need documents such as passports, birth certificates and proof that they are free to marry, often with an apostille and an official Greek translation. The marriage is then registered locally, and you may need to register it in your home country too.
Religious wedding. Each church has its own requirements, such as baptism certificates, and mixed-faith couples may need extra permissions. Speak to the church early, before you fix the date.
Symbolic ceremony. No legal effect: you marry legally at home and celebrate here. It gives you complete freedom over place, time and words, which makes it a popular choice for sunset ceremonies on a cliff or a beach.

Getting your guests to Corfu

Corfu International Airport (CFU) sits right next to Corfu Town. In summer there are seasonal direct flights from many European cities; in spring and autumn there are fewer, and you can connect through Athens all year. Ferries cross from Igoumenitsa on the Greek mainland, and in season there are routes from Italy too.

Share travel information early, ideally with your save-the-dates: where to stay, how long transfers take and whether guests will need a car. For a wedding outside Corfu Town, organised transfers on the day save a lot of stress, and nobody has to drive home after the party. In July and August, tell guests to book flights and rooms as early as they can.

Meeting vendors on video calls

Most of your planning will happen on a screen, and that works well if you prepare. Before each call, watch full films or galleries, not just teasers, and write your questions down. During the call, notice whether the person asks about you and your day or only talks about packages.

With me, the first call is about your day: the place, the people and the feel you want. I reply to every enquiry, back up every project twice, on a 100 TB NAS and in the cloud, and everything we agree goes into a written contract. Ask every vendor for the same: a contract, a delivery date and a clear payment schedule.

Time zones matter, so agree a regular time for calls and keep every decision in writing. And if you can visit once before the wedding, go at the same time of day as your ceremony. You will learn more about the venue in that hour than in any video call.

Most destination weddings are planned on a screen, one call at a time.

A weather plan B

Summer in Corfu is usually dry and settled, but the west coast can be windy in the afternoon, and storms are possible in spring and from October. Ask your venue what the back-up is: a covered terrace, an indoor room or space for a marquee. In July and August a heat plan matters just as much, with shade, water and a ceremony late in the day. If you are still choosing dates, my post on the best time to get married in Corfu goes month by month.

Your next step

Once you have an area, a type of ceremony and a planning approach, the rest is a list. My Corfu wedding checklist takes you through it step by step, and the Corfu wedding day timeline shows how the day itself can flow. You can see my films and how I work on the Corfu wedding videographer page.

Updated: 8 November 2026

Planning a destination wedding in Corfu from abroad