You are invited to the celebration of

George & Manos

Monday 6 September 2027

Lentas · Crete · Greece

Tell us if you're coming RSVP
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One small question

Are you likely to come?

It's not the formal RSVP and it takes under a minute. Rooms in Lentas are limited, so please tell us by 31 October 2026 and we can plan around you.

Will you be there?

Trouble with the form? Email us at hello@georgeandmanos.com.

Thank you — that helps more than you know. We have your answer.

Καλώς ήρθατε

Welcome

Save the date! We're finally making it official, and we want all our loved ones in one place to celebrate. We're going to have a fabulous party in Lentas, on the south coast of Crete, on Monday 6 September 2027.

Formal invitations and the RSVP will follow in January, but you don't need to wait for anything. Everything you need to start planning is on this page. If you already know you're coming, we strongly encourage you to let us know here and start planning.

We know that joining us means a real journey — flights, ferries, time off work — and we're so grateful you're considering it. This page holds everything you need to plan the trip: the week's schedule, how to get to Crete, where to stay, and what we've taken care of for you.

If anything is unclear, write to us any time at hello@georgeandmanos.com. We'd much rather answer a hundred questions than have anyone stressing.

Legend says an African queen who loved this shore turned her animals to stone to guard it forever. The lion became the headland that gives Lentas its name — and we'll be celebrating under his gaze.

Lentas itself is a small, picturesque, unspoilt village with a laid-back, bohemian feel — think sandals and linen.

Three days of celebration — and we're there all week

The week

Sunday · 5 September

Welcome evening

  • Dinner in the village — venue to be confirmed
  • Early night — you'll want it

Casual. Come as you are, meet everyone before the big day. The drinks are on us; dinner is your own — it's a taverna, so order whatever you fancy.

Monday · 6 September

The big day

  • Free time — a swim off the village beach, a walk up to the lion headland, a long lunch, a siesta. Stay close and save some energy for the night.
  • Guests arrive — Levinthos, Lentas
  • Ceremony
  • Sunset over the Libyan Sea — drinks & photographs
  • Dinner & speeches
  • Live music
  • Dancing until we drop

Timed for the light: the ceremony ends as the sun goes down over the Libyan Sea, and the photographs happen in the glow. Please be seated by 6:20 — the sun won't wait. The venue is a short walk from the village — stroll down, stroll home.

Tuesday · 7 September

Recovery brunch

  • Long lazy brunch at Levinthos
  • Swim, siesta, safe travels

Optional and unhurried — drop in whenever you surface. Brunch is on us for everyone who stays on.

We'll be in Lentas the whole week, Saturday 4 to Saturday 11 September. Arrive Saturday or Sunday if you can, and if you'd like to make a holiday of it, stay on — we'd love the company. Accommodation options are below.

Getting there

Travel to Crete

Getting to Crete Heraklion (HER)

Heraklion is your gateway, by air or by sea — Lentas sits about 75 km south, roughly an hour and twenty minutes' drive through the Asterousia mountains. Chania (CHQ) is technically an option but adds three hours of driving; don't.

  • Lots of airlines fly direct to Heraklion through the summer, from all over the UK and Europe. From further afield, you can connect via Athens or another European hub.
  • From Edinburgh, easyJet and Jet2 both fly direct, and September 2027 is on sale now with both. easyJet is probably the more convenient, with a Saturday flight to Heraklion; Jet2 has the more generous hand-baggage allowance. Checked luggage is an extra on both, so compare the total rather than the headline fare.
  • By sea: overnight ferries run from Athens (Piraeus) to Heraklion with Minoan Lines and ANEK, and you can bring a car. In summer, SeaJets runs fast boats to and from Santorini and several other Aegean islands. Ferryhopper is the easiest way to compare timetables and book.

Once you land

Hiring a car is the way — Lentas is a beautifully remote fishing village, and it's a nice drive down via Agioi Deka. Book ahead; UK licences are accepted.

Prefer not to drive? Once you're in Lentas, everything is on foot. Taxis to and from Lentas can be arranged, but it's remote enough that they're more faff than they're usually worth; if you're not hiring a car, try to team up with someone who is — and if you can't find anyone, tell us and we'll do our best to help.

Landing on the Saturday? If enough of you land around the same time, whether on the easyJet flight from Edinburgh or from somewhere else, we plan to hire a minibus — on us — to take you straight to your accommodation in Lentas. Tell us your flight times and we'll see who can share. We may also be able to help arrange the trip back to the airport if people are leaving together — just let us know.

Practicalities

Passport
UK visitors don't need a visa, and there's nothing to worry about at the border. By 2027 you may need an ETIAS — a cheap online travel permit, much like the US ESTA — so check before you fly.
Currency
Euro — cards are accepted in most places, but Lentas venues generally favour cash. It's a laid-back sort of place.
Language
Greek; English widely spoken. "Yamas!" (cheers) will get you far
Weather
Early September: 26–29 °C, sunny, warm evenings — and the sea at its warmest all year
Plugs
Type C/F (European two-pin) — bring an adapter

Make a holiday of it 4–11 September

We'll be in Lentas the full week, and it's a wonderful base for doing very little: swimming, long lunches, and the odd drive out to Matala, Agiofarago or one of the wilder beaches. And when the sun goes down there's plenty on for the night owls too — late drinks, live music and dancing.

Stay as long as suits you — we'll seed a few loose day trips and leave the rest gloriously unplanned.

So there's no awkwardness

Who covers what

Our treat

  • The drinks at the welcome evening
  • The big day — everything, obviously
  • Tuesday's recovery brunch — a late breakfast for everyone who stays on
  • Holding and booking the Philoxenia rooms — the arranging, not the room bill
  • Help finding a lift, if you can't sort one yourself
  • The Saturday minibus from Heraklion, if enough of you land together

Yours to book

  • Flights to Crete
  • Accommodation — options at every budget below
  • Meals outside the big day and Tuesday brunch — including Sunday dinner
  • Car hire, if you'd like one

Please don't let cost quietly keep you away. If travelling is a stretch, talk to us — we mean it.

Where to stay

Accommodation

Lentas is laid-back and a little bohemian — the kind of village where nobody hurries and the day is measured in swims. Don't come expecting five-star hotels: this is rooms-to-let country, simple and family-run, with a charmingly old-school, slightly frozen-in-time feel. Think sea breeze and simple comforts rather than spa robes and room service.

Philoxenia Book through us

€50–60 / room / night

A short but steep walk from the venue — under five minutes — and the simplest option: we're holding all the rooms here. In the spirit of honesty, it's simple rather than fancy — clean and friendly, but basic rather than plush. Tell us you'd like a room and we'll hold it — we'll sort out exact nights when the invitations go out, and you settle up with us.

Levinthos Venue · from Tue 7th

Ask us

The venue's own rooms are taken by family and the wedding party over the wedding itself. Some free up on Tuesday 7 September and more on Wednesday — they're limited, but worth a stay if you fancy a few nights right on the water. Ask us.

Lentas village Book direct

From €40 / night

The village has plenty of family-run studios and rooms, most within a short walk of the venue. We haven't stayed in any of them ourselves, and they're all rustic — don't expect five-star hotels anywhere around here:

  • Mythos Studios — studios with sea views and a taverna below — in Diskos, the next village along, about 1 km from Lentas
  • Villa Nostalgia — sea-view rooms, minutes from the beach
  • Anna Studios — studios with kitchenettes, in the village centre
  • Athina Residence — simple, well-placed rooms in a quiet alley
  • Studios Gaitani, Panorama Lentas — small, friendly, good value

Lentas is a small village and early September is still busy — please book by 1 April 2027. Tell us where you land on the RSVP and we'll help anyone who gets stuck.

Our island

Explore Crete

Illustrated map of south-central Crete: the drive from Heraklion down to Lentas, and the beaches, ruins and walks nearby

The queen's stone menagerie

Find all three petrified guardians: the lion headland above the village, the elephant rock on the coastal path east, and the crocodile of Cape Trachoulas beyond. Below the lion lie the ruins of ancient Lebena and its healing sanctuary of Asclepius.

Matala

The famous bay where the hippies lived in the caves in the sixties — under an hour away.

The beaches

Agiofarago, Trachoulas, Komos and Diskos (Ditikos) — most of them remote, and several of them naturist-friendly ;)

Heraklion & Knossos

The archaeological museum and the palace of the Minotaur's labyrinth — a good day out, or a stop on the way home.

On foot

Crete is criss-crossed with walking paths, from easy coastal strolls to proper mountain and gorge hikes. The path east towards Tripiti starts right from the village.

Further afield

We've stuck to what's within easy reach of Lentas. The rest of the island — Chania, Rethymno, the Samaria Gorge, the far east — is well worth it, but more than a day trip.

Read it all? If you haven't told us yet whether you're likely to come, it takes less than a minute.

Tell us if you're coming

Kindly reply by 1 March 2027

RSVP

Will you be joining us in Crete?
Which events will you attend?

Trouble with the form? Email us at hello@georgeandmanos.com.

Truly

Your presence is the present

You are crossing seas and taking time off to be with us — that is the gift, and we don't expect anything more. Please, no boxes on the plane.

If you'd nonetheless like to mark the day, a small contribution towards our honeymoon would be very kindly received — but we mean it when we say it's entirely optional.

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If a transfer isn't possible, there's PayPal — though it takes a percentage, so a transfer gets more of your gift to us.

Good questions

FAQ

What should I wear?

Summer fabulous. Linen, colour, a good hat, the shirt you've been saving — dress like the photographs will be looked at for fifty years, but stay cool enough to dance at midnight. The ceremony is outdoors on stone above the Libyan Sea, so choose footwear accordingly. Kilts enthusiastically welcomed; you will probably not be the only one.

Why a Monday?

Because the venue is ours for the whole week, and a Monday wedding lets you fly in on the Saturday, settle for a day, and still have the rest of the week ahead of you rather than behind you. Take the Monday and Tuesday off; you'll thank us.

How hot will it be, really?

Early September days reach 26–29 °C with strong sun; evenings settle to a lovely 21–23 °C. The ceremony runs in the evening for exactly this reason. The sea is at its warmest all year — bring swimmers (or don't ;) ).

Do I need to come to all three days?

Not at all. The Monday is the heart of it; Sunday and Tuesday are there so that a long journey buys more than one evening together.

Can I bring a plus one?

Your invitation names everyone in your party. If your circumstances have changed, just write to us — we'll do our best.

Are children welcome?

It's an adults' evening at heart — a late ceremony, a long dinner and a very late party. Children aren't banned: if yours truly can't be left, they're welcome and we'll make sure they're fed and looked after. But if you can arrange for them to stay home, we'd gently encourage it — and you'll enjoy the raki more.

I don't speak Greek — will I manage?

Completely. English is spoken everywhere tourists go in Crete, menus are bilingual, and half the wedding party will happily translate the other half's speeches.

What if flights or plans fall through?

Things happen, especially with international travel. Tell us as soon as you know and we'll adjust — no guilt, ever. Travel insurance is strongly recommended when you book.

A note on gifts

A few of you have kindly asked whether we have a wedding list. We don't, and we mean it when we say that having you there is the point of the whole thing. Getting to Crete for many of you will be no small undertaking, and the flights and the time away are already far more than we would ask of anyone.

If you would still like to give something, we'll suggest a way when the invitations go out and RSVPs open next year. There is no need to think about it before then, and no expectation either way.

If you would rather sort something sooner, or have an idea you'd like to talk through, just email us at hello@georgeandmanos.com. We're always glad to hear from you.

Who do I contact on the day?

We'll have someone coordinating on the day, and their name and number will be here with the invitations. Please don't call the grooms — they'll be busy panicking about cufflinks.