I always find it interesting what former brides tell about their own weddings. How they feel about weddings in general, what was important to them in advance, and what kind of service providers they hired. What their priorities were and what they would do differently if they got married again. In hindsight, you are often wiser.

The internet is full of beautiful Pinterest photos, but I haven’t found many honest testimonials from brides themselves. That’s why I’m starting a series of interviews with women — and men too!

I’ve started with Lisi, a woman from Vorarlberg who lived in Vienna for a long time, studied nutritional sciences there (among other things) and came back to the country after some time. It was very interesting! Check out the interview below.

How did you feel about weddings in advance? A princess’s dream come true or a bit of a stomach ache?

I didn’t want a big kitschy princess wedding from the picture book, but rather in a smaller circle without a lot of hoopla. I wanted a nice atmosphere, good food, good drinks and an unconventional ambience different from typical wedding fairytales. 

Traditional or modern wedding? 

It was more of a modern wedding, if you want to put it that way, without a church but with a snug civil wedding between Au and Andelsbuch — the two places our fathers are from (so a bit kitschy after all 😉).

Where did you get married? 

Between Au and Andelsbuch in the Bregenz forest. A sustainable wedding in Vorarlberg!

Where did the wedding take place? Where was the ceremony?

The wedding ceremony was held at the registry office in Au. The cocktail reception was at Vorsäßhütte near the Bezegg Sul in Andelsbuch, then the celebration was at Alte Säge in Bezau.

What was important to you in the planning? What were your priorities? 

The locations were important to us, firstly Vorsäßhütte and secondly the old sawmill in Bezau, where old meets new wooden art and where S-Line catering was able to serve us great food in an unusual ambience. 

Our focus was also on the music (with Philipp Lingg, a great DJ), good drinks (wines from Connaisseur Papa and champagne from Götte) and good food in a cosy ambience. With 60 people, it had to be as personal as possible.

How did you start planning? 

We had started planning roughly 9 months in advance.

What would you do differently in retrospect? Any wedding tips for brides?

It was very important to me that the tables in the old sawmill were decorated according to our taste, with meadow flowers, straight napkins, etc — without any kitsch or frills. We did this in painstaking detail the day before the wedding with our groomsmen, so all the catering had to do was serve.

We also took care of the dismantling the morning after the wedding. I would definitely leave that out of my hands next time because the set-up and dismantling was a lot of stress, especially the morning after the wedding. 

Another wedding planning tip would be to hand over small things to friends — then you don’t have a thousand things on your mind and you can enjoy it more.

What was important to you when you were looking for a location? List the top 5 priorities that were important to you.

1. I didn’t want a typical kitsch wedding venue, but rather something authentic and stylish.
2. I wanted the location to be in the Bregenzerwald, preferably in the countryside and a little out of the way
3. The size of the venue also had to match our desired guest list size.
4. I wanted it informal and unconventional, but with the comfort of a toilet, water, and electricity of course 😉
5. The old saw in Bezau combined all our wishes but was a touch too small.

Who took the photos? 

Fortunately, we have a couple of graphic designers in our family who are very talented and have a very good camera.

What is important to you in a photographer?

It’s important that the photos happen on the side, convey the atmosphere in an informal way, and the photographer listens to the wishes of the bride and groom but also makes suggestions as to what would be suitable as a beautiful motif. You feel rather brainless in the situation yourself, as you’re busy with so many people. A nudge from the photographer now and then is really good 😉

What was for dinner? 

At the cocktail reception there was champagne and small homemade snacks.

Then in the Alte Säge, a super beautifully arranged buffet on the old saw log: antipasti, fresh goat cheese and salads as starters, slow cooked roast beef with bulgur, stuffed mushrooms, roasted summer vegetables as the main course, then strawberry tiramisu and pot dumplings with berry puree. Then the wedding cake!

If you were to get married again, what would you do differently? 

Involve more people in advance, don’t be so shy about asking for help, and keep the day after the wedding free for hangovers and self care.

Where would you celebrate your wedding today?

Right there again 😊

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If you’re planning a destination wedding in the mountains of Austria or anywhere else in the world, get in touch so we can create something unforgettable.