How Your Favorite Hallmark Stars Made History While On Location In Greece

Deciding on a shooting location is a crucial part of any production, but it's sometimes harder than the average person might think, especially if you want to take it outside. With many film sets being artificial and specifically built for show business purposes, some productions go above and beyond in order to deliver spectacular results.

Hallmark is known for its holiday franchises and festive backdrops, but their other movies are just as visually stunning. And, for the final chapter of the super popular "Wedding Veil" series, the Hallmark Channel took it to Greece to deliver the story of Tracy and Nick's long-overdue honeymoon in "The Wedding Veil Journey." 

Moreover, the beloved television network made history by scoring a site no one has ever filmed at before — the Lindos Acropolis of Rhodes Island. Industry veterans Alison Sweeney, Autumn Reeser, and Lacey Chabert were just some of your favorite stars to embark on this adventure, and the experience was nothing short of incredible.

Hallmark's enchanted veil story follows three college friends — Avery, Tracy, and Emma — who get together every year in a different city to spend some quality time together. In the first movie of the franchise, the women purchase a wedding veil that is said to help one lucky lady find her true love, which then happens for each of them in the subsequent installments.

As Tracy and Nick decided on Greece for their post-nuptial vacation in "The Wedding Veil Journey," the production headed to the scenic Mediterranean country to shoot some of the key scenes. According to actor Autumn Reeser, the cast was the first to shoot at the scenic location of the Lindos Acropolis, which dates back to the 5th century BC. In a conversation on the "ITCAF" podcast, the actor shared that the experience made her so emotional that she cried.

The movie's director, Ron Oliver, posted about his own historic Greek experience on Instagram, captioning it: "Sir Ronald is the first director in history to film on the Lindos Acropolis. And he's making a wedding movie." While the site was as visually magnificent as it gets, the process of getting there wasn't quite as enjoyable. Reeser revealed that most of the filming equipment had to be carried up to the Acropolis by hand as there is no car access.

Television veteran Alison Sweeney gushed about the Greek filming experience in a conversation with TV Insider, admitting that she was completely blown away by the natural beauty on the island of Rhodes. "I loved so much of [the filming]. All the scenes walking through [Lindos], the beautiful cobblestone streets with the white walls, the very Greece sort of locations, were so spectacular," she gushed.

However, Greece wasn't the only gorgeous European location they shot in. Hallmark's crew filmed in Bulgaria too, creating the perfect atmosphere to deliver the story of the seemingly magical wedding veil, which Sweeney confirmed in an Instagram post. "Every day has been such an incredibly fun adventure. I'm so grateful to everyone on the cast & crew for making this shoot so special," the actor wrote in the caption. 

According to Viebly, the final scene of the sentimental trilogy sequel was filmed inside a church in Bulgaria's capital, Sofia, for which the crew had to get special permission. While "The Wedding Veil" saga has seemingly come to an end, the historic mark the final part left during filming lives on.