Baptisms are an important milestone in the lives of both the young and old, offering a wonderful opportunity to invite your closest loved ones to gather around for a party and welcome the new baby into the family. Especially in Greece, a child’s baptism is a precious life experience, holding great importance and emotional connection for the entire family.

As with any event, several factors go into planning an intimate event such as a baptism for your little boy or little girl. From choosing the perfect location, be it a beautiful venue in Athens or a celebrated Greek island within a short ferry or flight from the city, to setting the perfect color palette and selecting a theme that reflects your style, there are many things you need to take into consideration, not to mention new social distancing and restrictions due to COVID-19. But don’t stress too much – we’re here to help make your baptism in Athens especially memorable.

To get you started, here are some unique ideas and ways to celebrate a memorable baptism in Athens!

#1 HOST A PRIVATE DINNER PARTY

Having fewer guests doesn’t have to mean a simpler celebration – it can mean a more exclusive one! A private dinner party can be very luxurious and we know exactly how to take it to the next level. Imagine a sophisticated tablescape with beautiful floral arrangements and dreamy art de la table details, custom designed invitations, and tailor-made party favors – the epitome of elegance!

#2 CELEBRATION ON THE BEACH

When hosting a baptism in Athens, a great idea is to host the after-party outdoors. A natural setting is ideal for keeping guests comfortably distanced, but also signals to elements of rebirth and renewal. And, of course, for a summer beach baptism there’s no better backdrop than the beach. Whether you envision a laid-back, relaxed celebration or a fun beach party, the endless blue of the sea, the soothing sound of the water, and the magical colors of the sunset will have a most liberating effect on you and your guests.

#3 TAILORED YACHT CELEBRATION

Your child’s special day deserves a unique celebration and a party on a private boat or yacht in Athens is an exceptional way to dazzle your guests! Imagine being on the open sea and celebrating with your loved ones against the inspiring and relaxing blue hues of the sea. A private cruise full of intense Mediterranean flavors and once-in-a-lifetime experiences will create long-lasting memories and make your Athenian baptism truly special. And for the ones not fan of the sailing, we can arrange a docked boat party at shore!

#4 PRIVATE VILLA PARTY

If sipping exotic signature cocktails by our exclusive mixologists by the pool is your definition of the ultimate after-party, you will be thrilled to know that we can help you throw a fabulous private villa party. We have an extensive portfolio of handpicked villas where you can live your dream and enjoy carefree times with your guests following your child’s baptism ceremony.

#5 A CELEBRATION OUTSIDE OF ATHENS

Itching to get outside the city? Then you may like to consider a popular Greek island as your event destination  and host an elevated Greek baptism there. Greece is full of natural gems where a straight-out-of-a-fairytale experience awaits you and your guests, and we know exactly the right elements to make it stress-free and wonderful!

Your baby deserves nothing less than a once-in-a-lifetime celebration and with your ideas and our expertise, we can create something truly unique. Get in touch with us and let’s start planning your baptism in Athens!

Growing up I was easily inspired by the world around me, my imagination would run wild, triggering so many creative ideas. I was always inclined to make things with my hands using simple materials, whether it was to make a birthday card, handmade gifts or name cards for a dinner party and for just about any kind of occasion. My eyes and mind were always easily amused and I found myself doing creative projects, sometimes re-purposing old materials to make something new. It was such a great feeling, as my own hands could make just about anything; not to mention that each piece was a one-of-a-kind creation!

Having spent so much time indoors in the spring of 2020, I rediscovered this passion for creating with my hands which in turn inspired me to launch a new service at MILI LO offering our clients an opportunity to give truly meaningful love gifts. Our handmade creations and personalized gifts celebrate individuality, imagination, and creativity. From custom designed scrapbooks with your own pictures, to tastefully designed ‘love in box’ surprises, our personalized handmade creation gifts are tailor-made to meet your needs, reflect your unique personality, and express your feelings of love and gratitude in the best possible way.

Who can you give a love gift to? Anyone near or far! Here are some ideas!

Your partner
Mom or dad
A grandparent
A son or daughter
A sibling
A teacher
A friend
A colleague

Why give a gift of love? Just because, but here are some good reasons too!

To send seasonal greetings
To say thank you
To say I love you
To wish happy birthday
To say happy anniversary
To say congratulations for a birth or baptism
To say congratulations
To simply wish someone well

At MILI LO we love feeling inspired and turning that inspiration into creative designs. What is received by the recipient is more than just another gift – it is something that carries meaning for them. If you’d like to send a love gift, we’d be honored to be part of making it absolutely special!

Get in touch with us, share a few words about the person you’re thinking of surprising, and leave the rest to us. We’ll take very special care of creating a personalized handmade gift that will be appreciated and cherished, forever.

Looking forward to hearing from you!

With love from Greece,

Easter, one of the most important Christian holidays and the biggest religious holiday in Greece; it is a time to celebrate faith, new life and family gatherings. This year, however, things are going to be a little different, as social distancing measures prevent families from gathering around the table on Easter Sunday for lunch and attending church services. Yet, this of course doesn’t mean Easter is cancelled. It just means that our holiday routine needs some refreshing! And this is why we’ve gathered some tips to help you make the most of your Greek Easter 2020 in isolation.

1. Prepare & Share Traditional Recipes

Food is often the main focus of holiday festivities, especially in Greece, a country with a rich gastronomic tradition! From tsoureki, the traditional Easter bread, to magiritsa soup, and of course, ovelias, the Greek Easter tradition where a whole lamb is roasted on a spit; find recipes for your favorite Greek Easter holiday foods and spend some quality time in the kitchen with your closest ones. To make things more interesting, you can make it a family affair and have all your family members try creating the same dishes in their own kitchens!

2. Throw A Virtual Easter Egg Hunt

The egg hunt is one of the most popular Eastertide games and, although it’s not a typical Greek tradition, it can be a reason for children to look forward to Easter and have fun even while they are stuck indoors! To host a virtual hunt, hide eggs around your house or yard in places that would be easy to see on FaceTime or Zoom and then invite the youngest members of your family to participate. When they find an egg, pick it up and award the child a point. At the end of the game, count each child’s points and have their parents give them treats, one for each point they scored!

3. Tune In To Online Church Services

Many churches are now taking their services online so you can attend from the comfort of your home. See if your church organizes any special virtual Easter events and after the service set up a call to share the message of Easter with your loved ones!

4. Create Your Own Dye for Easter Eggs

In Greece, dying red eggs is a long-standing tradition that takes place each year on Holy Thursday. This year, however, try taking it one step further by decorating and designing colorful eggs with cool patterns – all on your own! Instead of running to the grocery store to buy a fancy dye kit, try creating your own with what you already have in your pantry and the help of your family. All you need is boiling water, eggs, vinegar, and food coloring. Let the Easter egg dyeing begin!

5. Make An Easter Basket

Design a colorful basket, fill it with all kinds of goodies, from chocolate bunnies to pastel-colored eggs, and then leave it on a neighbor’s doorstep. This delicious gift will give a smile to anyone who receives it! After all, what greater way to fully embrace the Easter spirit than with random acts of kindness!

6. Get Creative With Sidewalk Chalk

Continue spreading the love by writing cheerful messages on the sidewalk to brighten your neighbors’ day! Chances are your neighbors are feeling stressed out and cooped up these days and they could use a glimmer of hope and optimism. You can also draw some colorful Easter eggs or bunnies for them to find the next time they pass by.

7. Show Your Support To Healthcare Workers

In times like these, we shouldn’t forget the doctors and nurses who are working through the holidays, risking their lives and sacrificing time with their families to care for patients. You can show your appreciation and gratitude with a small gesture such as tying a white ribbon somewhere in your front yard or sharing a thankful message on social media with the hashtag #HealthCareHeroes.

8. Have A Virtual Easter Dinner

While some families are awaiting Easter lunch with great anticipation to break up the monotony of their quarantine routine, others who are alone this year need to come up with ideas to bridge the distance. Luckily, technology makes staying connected easier. Even if you can’t gather in person you can still celebrate and have a special dinner with your loved ones over Zoom, Facetime, or other video conferencing apps. Don’t forget to include the elderly as they need to feel involved and loved more than anyone!

While no one could have imagined that Greek Easter 2020 would be celebrated indoors without traditional outdoor festivities and gatherings, with a little bit of creativity we can still find ways to fill our holiday with color and joy, honoring our favorite traditions, or even inventing new ones! A change in plans doesn’t mean the deeper meaning of Easter has to change too.

Happy Easter from our homes to your homes! #StayHome #StayPositive #StaySafe

It’s been a couple of months since we welcomed 2021 and the Pantone Color Institute, a leading source of color expertise, has taken up, once again, its annual task of forecasting the color that will best reflect the year ahead. This year and for the second time ever, the authority on color has revealed not one, but two shades for its 2021 color of the year – Ultimate Gray and Illuminating – an optimistic hue of yellow!

The institute’s decision to name two seemingly unrelated shades as the collective color of 2021 is a response to the tumultuous year that 2020 was. Illuminating and Ultimate Gray come together to create a uniquely harmonious blend of warmth and dependability, a marriage of color that, as described by the institute, “expresses a message of strength and hopefulness that is both enduring and uplifting”.

On the one hand, Illuminating is a bright and cheerful yellow sparkling with vivacity; on the other hand, Ultimate Gray is the perfect neutral, a solid shade that provides a firm foundation. Reminiscent of the glorious sunshine, yellow conveys a message of happiness, it is aspirational and gives us hope. Ultimate Gray, the color of pebbles on the beach, is quietly reassuring and supportive, encouraging feelings of composure, steadiness, and resilience. This union of strength and positivity, this message of hope supported by fortitude, is essential to the human spirit after all the challenges we have been through.

We love the strong statement this color combination makes and we’re filled with enthusiasm about incorporating it into our 2021 events. Whether you’re planning a bespoke intimate celebration such as a wedding, a baptism, or a luxury dinner party or reunion party on a yacht, you can’t go wrong with bold and invigorating splashes of yellow, bursting through a soothing gray color scheme. Of course, yellow and gray can be accentuated with other color trends such as navy blue, teal, or peachy pink; it is the perfect combination for more relaxed events – which are the next ‘big thing’ for 2021.

Emboldening the spirit, the pairing of Ultimate Gray and Illuminating highlights inspires regeneration, pressing us forward toward new ways of thinking and concepts. There are so many chic ways to incorporate it at your event in Greece! At MILI LO, we always use sleek pairings and color palettes to reflect your individual style and personality, and we always work with you one-on-one to handpick your event colors and accents.

When planning a big event, there’s undoubtedly a lot to think about – no matter where the event date falls on the calendar. Yet, if it happens to be amid the coronavirus outbreak, you might be stressing (that much more than usual) and wondering what you should do and how to prepare for the potential that your plans will be affected.

These are unprecedented times and whether you’re finalizing a wedding party, looking ahead to bespoke intimate events like your child’s baptism or organizing a corporate party you should take a step back, relax, and consider adjusting your plans. We understand that this may be a challenge for you, however, you should know that experienced event planners are very familiar with developing contingency plans. At MILI LO we are always 100% beside our guests in order to help them with their every need, including postponing and rescheduling important life events.

If you’re trying to manage your stress, here are a couple simple things to help you through the process of what to do next.

Speak With Your Vendors

Your vendors are professionals and they can provide guidance on the next steps, as well as let you know what alternative options might exist. Review all your vendor contracts thoroughly so that you are informed, and then schedule online meetings with them as soon as possible to discuss the details.

In order to have a fruitful conversation with them, remember to be flexible and approach the situation calmly. Explore all the alternatives and instead of immediately canceling your event, talk to your vendors about the potential of postponing the date. Let them know that your goal is still to keep the plans as they were and just shift the date – this will save you a lot of time and money in the long run. Of course, if you are working with a local event planner, then these details are handled by them on your behalf.

Inform Your Guests

No matter what you eventually decide, your guests need to be in the know. If you are postponing the event, the easiest and most effective way to relay your message is via your event website; other communication options include email and telephone calls. If you were planning a destination event, this means your guests have already made plans to be there, including perhaps renting hotel rooms, buying flight tickets, etc. In this case, you want to take the burden off of them, so if the hotel was part of a group rate that was priorly negotiated then we recommend reaching out to the hotel to request a full or partial refund on behalf of your guests. At the time this blog was created, all non-essential flights entering Greece have been banned by law and thus you should be entitled to a full refund.

Postpone Or Prepare For A Bare Minimum Of Guests

A destination event in Greece is not currently possible during the current Coronavirus measures enforced by law, but depending on your location you may still be able to host a very small and intimate event. Although we would encourage you to postpone your event in Greece to a later date, should you choose to host an event in your home country, remember that it is wise for people not to congregate in large groups; consider making arrangements for only the individuals absolutely necessary for the event to take place. We urge you to take matters seriously and consider postponing your event. Coming to grips with the reality of the global situation is difficult, but step back, take a deep breath and remember that life’s special moments can happen just a little bit later.

We understand that the Coronavirus outbreak is a fluid, rapidly changing situation but with some flexibility, patience, and a little compromise, your wonderfully unique event can still take place – at a later date.

Once you’re ready to begin planning your event, we’ll be here for you! Get in touch with us anytime and we will help make your event in Greece a dream come true!