Now for Stephanie and Mathieu’s wedding from Iconoclash Photography. Says the bride: When we started telling our friends that we would get married in Austria, most had the exact same reaction: “Oh my god, please say that it’ll be like in the Sound of Music? Will we get to dress up? Will you yodel?” They were so excited that it didn’t take long for my husband and me to decide we’ll do just that: give our guests a themed wedding, Sound of Music and all. So yes, that was our inspiration even though I can assure you that nowadays Austria has nothing to do with that movie.

The bride’s pearl earrings were the first earrings she ever owned, a gift from her late grandmother.

“I grew up in Austria, and not far from our town, up in the Alps, is a small village named Schwarzenberg. The entire region is postcard perfect beautiful, but Schwarzenberg is outstanding. Its beauty is heritage-protected, and the inside of its old church was painted by Angelika Kauffmann in the 18th century. It’s a tradition where I come from to get married in Schwarzenberg, and already when I was a little girl, my grandmother used to tell me how my wedding would be, one day, in Schwarzenberg. I could not imagine getting married anywhere else.”

I asked the bride about her favorite moment of the day… “There are so many. Getting ready with my girls. Surprising my husband by entering the church to his favorite song, Somewhere over the Rainbow – he was so touched, he couldn’t even turn around. Leaving the church to a sea of red heart balloons. The heartfelt, touching and funny speeches of so many people we love. The Haka our Samoan friend Va’a performed for us, to chase away the bad spirits. Our first dance. Seeing how little by little our friends all mingled, how they got to know each other and turned into friends in the course of a weekend.”

SEE THE FULL GALLERY FOR ALL THE PHOTOS OF THIS ALPINE WEDDING IN AUSTRIA.

 

Did you include any traditions in your wedding?  Everything was traditional in feel but we skipped the real traditions: in our region of Austria, the friends of the groom steal the bride at some point during the evening, and they take her to a place that is special to the couple. The groom has to find her and bring her back. Thanks to this tradition, wedding are sometimes groom- and bride-less for hours. Since my husband is French and most of our guests where literally from all over the world, we decided against this tradition for obvious reasons.

What was the best advice you received as a bride?  From friends who got married one week before us: steal a moment, just the two of you, and realize what is happening. Everything is happening so fast, you blink once and your wedding is over.

What advice do you have for other brides?  Make sure that your wedding resembles you. Don’t force yourself to do anything that doesn’t feel right. And: plan, plan, plan. Everything that can be organized beforehand will add to things going smoothly.

If you missed it earlier, see Part I of this Alpine wedding right here.

Photography: Iconoclash Photography / Hotel Restaurant Hirschen in Schwarzenberg, Austria / Dress: Rainer Trachtenmode / Shoes: Vigneron / Wedding band: Custom by Eric Bellemans / Suit: Mickey in Hoi-An, Vietnam / Bridesmaid Dresses: Traditional Austrian Dirndl / Stationery: Yesmin Sliman, Okidoki Design / Floral Designer: Elisabeth Lenz (Dornbirn, Austria), +43 5572 23229 / Music: The Three Metzler Sisters / DJ: Florian Rieder / Cake: Pastry Shop Danner / Favors: Hearts Happy Eye Glasses