Fun Cool & Non-Traditional Fernblick Wedding

We’re jetting off to Austria today for Greta and Friedrich’s divine and super fun Fernblick wedding. Ready? Let’s dive in.

What do I love most about their day? It has to be their approach to planning an authentic wedding which represented them as a couple. The result was a really relaxed, fun and glam day complete with a picturesque outdoor ceremony and cosy reception.

From the jewel tone flowers to the 4-tier bundt cake and the stylish outfits, you will be sure to fall head over heels for this very special celebration.

Thanks ever so much to Sandy Alonso Photography for sharing with us these tremendous images. Wow!

Fernblick Wedding

The Proposal

We’ve been together since 2010 and getting married was never of any great importance for us. We’d already known for years that we wanted to stay together forever and we didn’t feel that we needed a wedding to realize that or reassure us of that.

But there came a point where referring to each other as “boyfriend” and “girlfriend” just didn’t feel right anymore and we felt it was time to also declare our dedication to one another to the world. We very openly talked about getting married at some point. It was still quite a surprise though, when Friedrich proposed to me, as I really wasn’t expecting it at that moment.

We were on holidays in Namibia and Zimbabwe, and we were both extremely sweaty from driving through Africa all day, I hadn’t washed my hair in days. We were on the trip with Friedrich’s brother Anselm, who managed to block us from view from the other tourists and then Friedrich got down on one knee in front of the Victoria Falls and asked me if we wanted to get married.

He proposed with a self-made ring out of a piece of grass, that he somehow managed to put together on the trip without me noticing. I still have that ring – it is my “real” engagement ring after all 😊. My taste is really hard to get right, and, good man that he is, he knows that and let me choose my final engagement ring myself.

The Vision

We didn’t really have a vision, things just somehow happened along the way. What we knew was that we didn’t want a “princessy” kind of wedding following all kinds of (for us) nonsensical traditions. We both really dislike anything kitsch or overly romantic and wanted to stray away from that as far as possible.

We wanted to stay true and authentic to ourselves and do only things we both truly enjoyed, and just have a really good time and throw a great party for all of our friends and loved ones. We wanted our wedding to be fun, relaxed and cool.

Budget

That being said – when we do things, we always strive to do them the best we can. We really wanted to throw the best party that we could, a party that we ourselves would have liked to be invited to.

In our opinion, some of the most important factors for that are excellent food and drinks and great music, and that of course cost some money. Our wedding wasn’t cheap, but we really got a lot for the money we paid, and it was absolutely worth it.

The Styling & Decor

We didn’t want anything “princessy” or kitsch and things just sort of developed along the way. We didn’t want things to scream wedding, and for it all to be a bit unusual and non-traditional but also cool and glam.

Our venue is beautiful as it is, so we didn’t do anything really for décor, the only thing we got ourselves was a welcome sign and a box for our rings.
For the flowers we wanted no pink and no roses, we wanted flowers that were in season at the time and regional, nothing exotic. The only things we explicitly asked for were dahlias and hydrangeas.
We kept our wedding stationery in hues of white, black, grey and gold.
We both really don’t like wedding cakes as we heavily dislike frosting and whipped cream, so we decided against a traditional wedding cake. Instead, we had four tiers of bundt cake, decorated with gold flakes to make it look more festive 😊

The Venue

We wanted a venue that didn’t scream wedding, that wasn’t overly kitsch or romantic, that had a coolness factor, something where we could throw a great party and where we could have access to nature if the weather allowed it (but also worked just as beautifully indoors if the weather had made it necessary).

We chose to get married in Fernblick in St. Corona am Wechsel, which not only ticks all of these requirements but is also overall just an extremely well-managed wedding venue. The owners have thought of absolutely everything, the set-up of the venue is brilliant and highly professional.

They manage everything that comes with the venue (service, food, drinks, décor, you can rent all sorts of extras directly from them etc.), the staff is super professional and fun, you get to rent out the location as a whole, which means it is only you and your wedding party there… The list goes on and on. And of course: the place is an unbelievably stylish and cool mix of old meets new, glamorous, over-the-top yet super classy.

The Ceremony & Music

We had a civil wedding (no church wedding) outside in the early afternoon in late September. The weather was just right, not hot anymore, but not too cold, and the sun came out right on time for the ceremony.

We didn’t want any classical wedding music, which is why for “walking down the aisle” we chose to play “Ein Kompliment” by Sportfreunde Stiller, and while signing all our documents etc. during the ceremony it was “Tanz der Moleküle” by MIA.

Your Photographer

Our photographer was Sandy from Sandy Alonso Photography. We met her for a meet-up the year before our wedding and immediately just vibed and clicked with one another. It was very important for us that we got along well with all of our wedding suppliers, as we knew that they would either make or break the day, and we just wanted there to be a good vibe and a harmonious, friendly feeling with everyone.

Even though we didn’t know each other well, Sandy felt like a good friend accompanying our wedding, that was just as happy to be there as we were. She made us feel super relaxed and we felt really easy and comfortable around her. And we love our photos!

Your Outfits

I found my dress at a very cool and modern bridal shop in Klosterneuburg called Love Glow, that also offers some niche bridal designers. The dress I chose is from the South African brand Vagabond, the style is called “Lotus”. I – once again – didn’t really have a vision or a plan for the dress and styling. I just knew that I didn’t want a princessy gown. I wanted as few layers of tulle etc. as possible so I wouldn’t get too hot. I wanted long sleeves and I wanted the dress to be comfortable!

I found all that in my dress from Vagabond, it was absolutely perfect and I loved wearing it. I love wearing lipstick and earrings, which is why I chose to wear a bright red lip and statement earrings as my only jewellery for the wedding. I didn’t want a veil because it didn’t feel authentic for myself, so I chose to wear a custom-made gold headpiece instead.

Friedrich’s suit is from Flossmann. He chose a dark brown, three-piece suit, and to match the gold as our only real wedding colour, he wore a golden/champagne coloured bow-tie and suspenders.

The Honeymoon

We didn’t go on a honeymoon, and we really don’t understand how others do it right after their wedding! We were so tired and hungover after our wedding we pretty much only slept the following days, and then it took us another day or two just to feel like our lives were back in order again after all the excitement and all the impressions.

We’ve been together for such a long time and been on many memorable trips, and we know there will surely be many more to come, but immediately after our wedding it was the best decision to just stay home and enjoy the peace and quiet afterwards together.

Memorable Moments

The whole thing. We would do our wedding again immediately.

Advice For Other Couples

You do you! Don’t do anything that you don’t want to do, don’t let yourself be pressured in or out of anything just because it is tradition or family wants it etc.
Start booking and preparing things earlier than you think is necessary. Excel sheets are your friend.
Don’t pressure yourself into thinking it has to be the best day of your life.
And we recommend a flat rate for drinks!