Fortic Hvar was on my wedding venue wish list for the longest time.
Imagine my surprise when I was casually drinking coffee, and I get a call from my future clients that were interested in Fortica on the island of Hvar.
It turned out, it’s their dream wedding venue in Croatia.
I was over the moon after our talk, and I hoped that Matija & Anne are going to choose us as their wedding planners.
I couldn’t even imagine that this wedding will not only be in my personal dream venue, but that it’s going to be much more than that.
The wedding venue – Fortica Hvar
So what’s so special about Fortica Hvar wedding venue?
For me, as a planner it’s the fact that Fortica Hvar is overlooking the whole town of Hvar. The views are insane.
Other than that, I love that it’s a historic venue.
Its stone structure is blending well with the sea view, and it looks amazing with almost all design choices.
For my clients, it was special because Matija spent his summers in Croatia.
Anne, Matija’s fiancé has fallen in love with Croatia, especially the island of Hvar as soon as he took her here.
It was no surprise that this was the place of their dream wedding.
After our first meeting, it was more than obvious that we were a match made in heaven, but we had a long road ahead of us.
The Fortica Hvar venue is booked through the city of Hvar.
The booking process is pretty simple, so we covered that part quickly.
There are two catches though, the Fortica stays open to the public until 8 PM.
The good news is, that no one actually walks through the place were the wedding takes place.
The second one is that the music is allowed until midnight.
This is something that’s actually pretty standard on the Croatian coast, with few exceptions.
We decided to not loose any time for partying, so we just started the day earlier.
After booking Fortica Hvar, we needed to book the caterer.
Fortica works with only one caterer on the island of Hvar named Zlatna Školjka.
The owner is a pretty simple guy, so we got the basic offer pretty quickly.
Since Anne and Matija live in France, they wanted to incorporate some French dishes into the menu and blend it with Croatian ones.
This part worried me, since it would mean that the caterers need to think a bit outside of the box.
Luckily for us, the owner of Zlatna Školjka was on board right away and he changed the menu a bit.
The wedding style
Anne is a stylish Parisian girl, the one you see in all the movies and tv shows.
It was no wonder that the style aspect of the wedding was pretty important.
Anne wanted a very natural look, but that it’s also elegant.
She wanted a lot of greenery on the stairs, hanging decor from the tent, beautiful simple arrangements, and nice wooden chairs.
The chairs needed to be rented from Zagreb, and we did just that. They blended in perfectly.
The stationery was clean, and simple to go with the theme.
My personally favorite part was the lounge.
The lounge area was set up, so the guests have a spot to relax, talk, fill in the guest book and enjoy some down time between partying.
One of our favorite florists in Croatia, Floristokracija did an amazing job in this wedding.
She made all of Anne’s wishes come true.
Most importantly she knew exactly where to spend her budget, and where she can save a bit.
With her sense of style, and technique she was the perfect choice for this wedding.
She managed to create a vibe Anne was describing for months.
The Photographer/Videographer
What we learned is that typical French photograph style is very bright, pastel, romantic.
In Croatia you can find fine art wedding photographers that work in different styles.
We found one that was perfect for Annes expectations, and her work was similar to the French style of photography.
It was my firts time working with Marija Laća on a wedding, and boy her work was amazing.
I love her attention to the details.
I also loved how she captured the affection that the couple have for each other.
Marija also recommended a great videographer for us, Rene Batista.
His style reminds me of old movies, and he captured the day perfectly. The day through his lens looked amazing, and he managed to capture the spirit of the wedding day perfectly.
His style is so special that I have never seen a wedding video like that before.
These were the vendors we worked with for the first time.
We needed to search a bit to fulfill the couples style vision, and I am so glad we found these guys.
They were both amazing as vendors, but also as people.
We had so much fun, and I hope we will work together again soon.
Wedding DJ + professional lights
Anne and Matija wanted a balance between the elegant style, and a fun vibe.
So Fortica Hvar needed not only to be beautiful, it also needed to be a venue that is going to host a great party.
The couple opted for a DJ option rather than a live band.
We booked the guys from Urbani Eventi.
They have an amazing party vibe, and know exactly what guests want to hear.
The specialize in destination weddings, so we knew from the start that we are in great hands.
Regarding the professional lights, Fortica Hvar does require some professional lighting.
We had the lights set up for the dance floor, and we made the atmosphere even better with string lights.
This combo created the perfect mix between a warm and cozy atmosphere, and the great set up for the party.
All this thanks to Peco events.
Religious Ceremony in the town of Hvar
At first, Matija and Anne weren’t sure what type of wedding ceremony would they like.
But after finding a French speaking priest, and a sea front church it was a no brainer.
In the church courtyard we were looking directly into the sea that gifted us with a much needed breeze.
The church itself is small, but rich in decorations.
The inner courtyard served as a perfect couples photoshoot location, and the front as a great place to serve some food and champagne for the guests.
The day off the wedding
The wedding day started as a hot summer day.
The bride and her closest friends and family were located in a beautiful hotel near the church.
The girls were having fun while getting ready, and everything was super relaxed.
At the same time, the boys were getting ready closer to the center of Hvar, in Matijas apartment.
Their dog was keeping the boys company, and will later on join us in front of the church.
And while both sides were enjoying the first part of the day, the staff was at Fortica Hvar doing the set up.
It was crazy hot, so I am really proud of them for doing an amazing job regardless of the heat and countless stairs at the fort.
Once we all got to the church, we were enjoying the breeze and waiting for the ceremony to start.
After the ceremony, as mentioned we had some food and drinks at the church courtyard, and then we proceeded to go to the fort by transportation.
We had a small cocktail hour on the rooftop of the fort, and later on we finally went to the reception area.
Everyone was impressed by the beauty of the Fortica Hvar.
After the cocktail hour, the couple did their grand entrance, and the dinner started.
The dinner was a mix of meat and fish dishes, that were both amazing.
During dinner we had speeches going on, and the atmosphere was fantastic.
The couple opened the dance floor with their first dance, and with that the party started.
The couples friends and family were ready to party, so the party kicked off right away.
The DJs played everything from the typical wedding tunes, to some metal that the groom and his friends really enjoyed.
Since it was a French holiday, the Bastille day. The DJs played the French anthem and the crowd was so emotional, we as staff loved it.
The party ended at midnight per city rules, with some Celine Dion, which was an obvious choice.
The couple and their guests stayed a bit longer to enjoy the sweets and the midnight snack that was served.
The conclusion
Matija and Anne were amazing clients from the start.
They had a lot of faith in us, even though we met later on in person.
They knew what they wanted, but they were also ready to compromise.
In this wedding we had some unexpected issues come up, and because they trusted us so much, we were able to resolve them in no time.
This relaxed attitude, and trust is the key to a successful wedding in Croatia.
We want to thank our bride and groom for being the best.
Can’t get enough?
Pin it on Pinterest: https://co.pinterest.com/tietheknot_croatia/wedding-in-croatia-hvar-island/
Vendors list:
Photography: https://www.marijalacaweddings.com/
Videography: https://renebatista.com/
Flowers, decor & stationery: https://www.instagram.com/floristokracija/?hl=hr
DJ: https://www.urbanieventi.com/dj-za-evente/
Lights: https://pecoevent.hr/en/
Chair rentals: https://showroom.hr/
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