Help Booking Honeymoon Flights to Greece (NYC Area, Amex Points, Direct vs. Stopover)

Hi all! My fiance and I are planning our honeymoon to Greece this October, and we're hoping to use some of our 250k Amex points to book our flights on the way there. We're flying out of the NYC area, but we're running into a bit of a dilemma and could use some advice.

We've noticed that most flights to Greece (Athens or Santorini) from NYC aren't direct or are quite limited in options, especially if we want to use our Amex points for an upgraded experience. The direct flights we've found are mostly in economy, and considering it's a 9-10 hour flight, we're really hoping to fly in something more comfortable like business or first class. However, when we look at booking business or first class, we can only find reasonable options (points-wise) that include a stopover in Europe (adding several hours to the journey) and the arrival times are often pretty late in the day. Plus, there's the possibility of delays/issues transferring.

Here are the options we're looking at:

• Nonstop Economy: Direct flight, but cramped for 9-10 hours.
• Business/First Class with a Stopover: Longer journey, some late arrivals, but more comfortable seating. One additional concern is the possibility of transfer issues or delays at the stopover airport, which could add stress to the trip.

Has anyone had experience booking a similar trip? Should we suck it up and take the direct economy flight, or would you recommend booking the stopover option for more comfort (even with the longer travel time, late arrival, and potential transfer issues), especially on a honeymoon?

Also, if you have tips on maximizing Amex points for flights to Greece or any airline recommendations, I'd love to hear them! Thanks in advance!