The first wedding in the Catskills was a marvel

“Although they had countless options to organize the ceremony and wedding reception in any center of the Tri-City region, even in the fragrant island of Chios, the newlyweds chose Agia Markella because they wanted to remind the people of Chios and by extension the Greek diaspora that our Agia Markella in the Catskills can and should be a destination even for the sacraments of marriage,” pointed out Mr. Apostolos Leonardos, speaking to Anamniseis diaspora website expressing gratitude for the president and executives of the said Association, who rolled up their sleeves and worked countless hours to transform the space into an ideal and idyllic space for a spectacular wedding and, most importantly, for a three-course feast.

His only daughter Maria and her beloved Mathios Koutsoupakis, as Mr. Leonardos pointed out, chose the shrine on their own, not only for the sacrament, but also for the wedding feast. And the response of relatives and friends was unprecedented.

The project was anything but easy, because they had to roll out the red carpet, decorate the temple, illuminate the lake and transform the shed, where the festivals of Agia Markella have been organized for more than four decades, into a luxurious space, which even Hollywood would envy.

On the sunny afternoon of Saturday, October 18, 2025, relatives and friends began to flock to the shrine early in the morning. They gathered in the church courtyard and together with the groom, Mathios Koutsoupakis, his joyful parents Konstantinos and Eleni and his siblings Cleo and Manolis Kapnisakis, they patiently awaited the arrival of the bride – Maria Leonardou – accompanied by her parents Apostolos and Kalliopi, siblings Nikolaos and Vasiliki Leonardou, Georgios and Triantafyllo Leonardou, the bridesmaids and the party in general.

The passage of vehicles was briefly interrupted to allow the orchestra with the virtuoso clarinetist Giorgos Floradis, the singer Pantelis Gatanas and the other members of the Chian company to pass, as well as the party with the bride. These are unprecedented experiences for both the younger generation of expatriates and the American friends of the two families.

The sacrament of marriage was performed by the priestly superior of the Assumption of the Virgin Mary community in Brooklyn, Fr. Damaskinos Ganas, who had also performed the sacrament of the bride's baptism, and the priestly superior of the Zoodochos Pigi community in the Bronx and at the same time the spiritual leader of the said Association, Fr. Vasilios Louros, accompanied by the beautiful chanters Dimitrios Kechagias and Efstratios Gatanas.

Both Mr. Damaskinos Ganas and Fr. Vasilios Louros, during the conversation with “Anamnesis” expressed their admiration for the choice of the newlyweds and their families.

“It was the most moving mystery and the whole setting referred to fairy-tale places and spaces. The joy and emotion of the approximately three hundred guests had a multiplying character and we all consider ourselves lucky because we participated in the wedding of the year”, pointed out Fr. Vasilios Louros, recalling that Saint Markella in the Catskills performed her miracle.

Meanwhile, the place was fragrant from the spits that the executives and members of the Association had set up. These are three lambs and three piglets, which in combination with the other Greek delicacies caused the Americans to be pleased

Best man Elias Tsiklis and his family experienced unique moments when the crowd shouted "Axios". After the mystery, the wedding dinner was served, while the feast lasted until the early hours of the morning.

Maria is a hairdresser and runs her own business, while Mathios is a businessman and deals with real estate management.