Ása Steinars' Wedding Diaries, part 4: The wedding week

When your soon-to-be husband is a pro at event planning and used to hosting week-long adventures worldwide, we had to host 'The Wedding Week'. A week with all of our friends and family, gathered on a paradise island with endless possibilities for adventures.

The island of Vis is a paradise island, with clear blue water and cosy towns full of restaurants and authentic vibes. Now that our 120 guests have arrived on the island, it really feels like we have taken over, since there’s a limited amount of accommodation. When we walk the streets we meet our wedding guests on every corner and this is one of the reasons we were so excited about the island of Vis. It feels like we are this big family all gathered together.

For us, Vis is like a second home. We know many locals on the island and we have our favourite restaurants and cafes that we return to over and over again. And this time, we got to bring our guests along. It only takes about 15 minutes to drive from Vis town to the other main hub of Komiža, another beautiful coastal town. Most car traffic is forbidden inside of the townships, meaning you can enjoy the narrow, picturesque streets to yourself.

The forecast has blessed us with perfect temperatures, sunny days and not a cloud in the sky for the whole wedding week and over our wedding day. We’re feeling fortunate as both rain (and heat waves) can truly ruin a celebration. Vis’ ocean breeze and moderate temperature, however, are perfect for what we have planned.

If we had not picked Croatia to get married, we definitely would have chosen Iceland. It is home, after all, and we adore the wonderful nature. But as it was, I couldn’t resist looking at the weather forecast for Iceland, and I’m relieved we chose to have a destination wedding. It would have been much more complicated to bring our vision to life on the rainy and cold island we call home.

Our first big activity for the week was to host a boat day for our guests. So, equipped with speedboats, 40 guests and speakers blasting Mamma Mia, we turned up the throttle and sent it full speed out of the bay. The first stop was a surprise for our guests: a beautiful little hidden beach bar tucked inside a little bay. The bartenders were blasting music at 10am in the morning, and a good dance party proceeded to kick off.

Our next stop was the beautiful and famous beach Stiniva. A secluded turquoise cove with pebbly shores surrounded by verdant cliffs, it is one of the most beautiful beaches in Croatia. Next up, we sailed to Komiža, a fishing port, for a late lunch of delicious seafood and refreshing drinks post ocean sprays and thrilling speed runs. After lunch, we decided to take our guests to a secret spot hat not many people know about where Mamma Mia 2 was shot – almost exclusively accessible by boat.

Vis is all about the beautiful ocean side, but we wanted to give our guests a different experience. That's why we planned a traditional Croatian family-style dinner up in the island's highlands, where the landscape is entirely different. We picked up all of our guests with minibuses as the sun was setting and brought them up to a Restaurant called Rokis.

Before arriving at the restaurant, we invited our guests to some pre-drinks and traditional outdoor games like Kubb and Mölki on a beautiful field under a single tree. One hundred of our guests showed up and seeing the whole group together was truly magical.

For dinner, we organized a three-course dinner and traditional Croatian Pekka: a slow-cooked dish with fish and meat and side dishes of cheese, olives, and tuna. Located in a garden surrounded by a vineyard, the restaurant produces its own wine. We made the place our own by hanging fairy lights all around the garden for an added touch of romance. As the dinner ended, a party kicked off that lasted until midnight, and even the friendly restaurant staff joined our dancing while blasting ABBA.

The final activity of the week before the big day was a party with a white and gold theme. Hosted in our villa, we invited 120 guests to enjoy pizza and an open bar. Many of our friends told us we were a little crazy to host a party the evening before our wedding day. After all, it is more commonplace for couples to relax and prepare with skincare routines and last-minute planning the evening before. However, in our case, it was a little bit different. We were running around the villa putting up lights and decorations to give our guests the ultimate theme party experience.

It was incredible to see all of our guests show up dressed in white and gold. Personally, I decided to kick off our wedding early by wearing a bridal two-piece from Catherine Deane. While very different from my actual wedding dress, it made me feel magical and excited for the wedding day.

We spent the whole evening in our villa, mingling with our guests, family and friends. Wine and beer was served in the main garden, while a bar for gin and tonic was set up in the side garden, perfect for watching the sunset.

The whole week of build-up to our wedding day has been so lovely as we’ve had plenty of time to talk to all of our guests. The wedding day is always hectic, but with the wedding week, we feel we’ve spent quality time with everyone. And now, I’m so ready to get married!

The wedding week has been hectic for us, but overall running very smoothly. But now it’s coming to an end, and our plan is to finish it with a bang: Our wedding, of course. It feels unreal that the day that we have been spending months and months planning, and two years of visualising, is finally here. So stay tuned for our big day, and cross your fingers for us that we get good weather and overall happy spirits.