Cyprus Wedding Venue Review – Pissouri

Coumbia Beach Resort

Ever since we shot our first wedding here, my wife has been hounding me to take her there for a mini break. I have to say, this hotel is absolutely gorgeous! The attention to detail is second to none. If you like a slower pace holiday, then Pissouri is the ideal wedding destination for you. Pissouri is a relatively small town when compared with holiday destinations such as Paphos and Ayia Napa, but this is by no means a bad thing. Pissouri itself has a spattering of tavernas and restaurants, but the Hotel and the Resort have enough entertainment to keep you occupied.
The hotel itself is carved in to the side of a cliff and is decorated by gorgeous hanging plants hanging down all around the hotel. When you walk in the hotel, you are greeted with absolute grandeur. Simply stunning!
I often judge a hotel by the amount of attention they give the bathroom facilities…and these are some the best I have experienced. Sounds strange I know…but there you have it. Pure luxury!
On my way through the hotel to the bride’s room I can’t help but notice the hotels infinity pool which looks out to the sea. This pool makes me want to not shoot the wedding and just go for a swim. They have designed in a way so it actually looks like the sea. The tiles get darker as it gets deeper and this only serves to make me want to go swimming all the more. The grounds of the hotel are immaculate and give a feel as if you are walking through a small stone Cypriot village. I found the staff to be very friendly. I was even driven straight to the brides room in a golf buggy once. How’s that for service?
I have seen the rooms in both the 4* Columbia Beach Hotel & the 5* Columbia Beach Resort. I found the 4* rooms to be above the normal standard of a hotel in this class. Not huge, but adequate for what you need it for. The 5* rooms on the other hand were outstanding! I have only seen the Executive suites, so this is all I can comment on. They had a traditional old world Greek feel to them, with a large stone arch in the middle of the room. The furnishings are in keeping with the room but are luxurious as you might expect. This all helps to provide the perfect surroundings for your wedding day photography. The sun light floods the room from the balcony doors which helps to give a soft, sumptuous feel to the photos. There is plenty of space for me to move around the room without disturbing the proceedings. I try not influence what happens unless I feel there is something I can do to improve the chances of perfect wedding photography.
The weddings at the Columbia Beach Resort take place at the small chapel in the grounds. This is a very quaint little church nestled into the side of the hill and surrounded by gorgeous plants and flowers. The inside of the Church has been painted in a very unusual, artistic way that adds character to something that was quite recently built. The service is lovely in this setting. You have the view to the sea behind and the whole area is surrounded by a steep sloped valley. This makes photography easy….during the day. However, as a photographer, the only problem I have with this location is the fact it is in a valley. It looks magnificent when the sun is up, but couples often want sunset photography and the sun goes down over the land in Pissouri. Due to the fact the hotel is in a valley, about 1 or 2 hours before the sunsets, the hotel is cast into shadow, making this very difficult to get the romantic shots you would like. Therefore, the best plan would be to have the wedding earlier in the day so there is enough time to have the romantic photographs on the beach while the sun is still up. You have to forego the golden coloured sky but you get the sparkle of the sun on your skin, which is why I believe you come to Cyprus to get married. Shooting in shadow does not yield the best results, photographically speaking. So if you bear this in mind when planning your Cyprus wedding in Pissouri, you cannot go far wrong.
Please the selection of photographs below to see what you might expect your Columbia Beach Resort wedding.