Bright, fun, and inspired by nature, this eclectic lavender and red wedding from Kate Breuer Photographers is sure to put a smile on your face! Emily and Christoph’s wedding took place in Germany, but they also incorporated many American elements, and it all turned out beautifully! Emily is here sharing her insight with us today:
What (or who) helped you most in your planning process and/or on your wedding day?
While I received a lot of really helpful advice from close friends and family members, I worked with a wonderful caterer, Katharina Prior, of eVation in Rheinbach, Germany. She gave me a lot of helpful suggestions and put me in touch with the appropriate vendors, since I was planning my wedding from overseas. My husband, Christoph, and I were having a German and American wedding and it was important that we worked with vendors that spoke both English and German. Katharina understood this and helped me communicate with those vendors to get just what I wanted. Once I met with Kate, through Katharina, she gave me a lot of great advice about the little details on the wedding day. She’s seen a lot of beautiful weddings and was always available to answer any little questions, even when they weren’t related to the photos. She has become a really good friend, and I felt as though she really cared about this being the wedding of my dreams, not just producing great photos for her portfolio. Also, my matron of honor, Katie, was getting married a month before my wedding, and it was a lot of fun to compare notes with her.
What was the most important thing to you when deciding who to work with for your wedding?
It was really important that I work with people who spoke both English and German. The wedding itself was going to be spoken in three languages: English, German, and French, but I only speak English. Since my husband was finishing up his PhD, he didn’t have a lot of time to help with the planning of the wedding. So, it was important that I could properly communicate my needs and desires with the vendors personally. It was also important that everyone understood that we were having an American-style wedding and were willing to try new things with us. Surprisingly, a lot of vendors didn’t appreciate that we were breaking from German traditions and we chose not to work with those who couldn’t get on board with what we were trying to achieve. It worked out beautifully, as many of the guests found the unique (to them) ceremony and reception a fun change of pace.
What was your inspiration for your wedding details and/or design?
I never really chose a wedding theme. I found it really difficult to narrow it down to a soundbite. First, I am drawn to nature and my favorite place growing up was my grandparent’s farm in Indiana. So, I wanted a venue and location that felt rustic and close to nature. Once we found our venue, I took a lot of inspiration from the surroundings. The Burg Heimerzheim reminded me a lot of the English countryside and in Germany there are a lot of wild poppies growing in the fields, so I immediately thought of lavender and poppies as the flowers and colors for my wedding. I love pastels by Degas and Dutch still-life paintings, so I took inspiration from there for the mood, pulled a lot of images from blogs and Pinterest for the little details, and combined it all together for my own style. I really admire other brides who can pick a theme and elaborate on it to make it something amazing. It’s hard!
What was your favorite thing about your wedding?
It’s difficult to pick just one thing I loved about my wedding, but I think my favorite would have to be the vintage tractor that delivered my dad, my bridesmaids, and me to the ceremony. It reminded me a lot of my childhood and was an homage to the long line of farmers on my dad’s side of the family. I think that my father particularly liked the reminder of his parents, who have passed and were unable to be there with us. My dad was outside the hotel taking pictures with the tractor before we left and that made me really happy. Also, I heard from my husband, that the guests were particularly delighted with the unique entrance, saying that they could hear us coming from far away, making it that much more special.
What is your best advice for other brides?
I don’t know if I should be giving advice, as I was planning my wedding while planning a move to London and finishing up my master’s degree in Publishing, and therefore have since thought of a million little things that I left out or wish I had done differently. However, looking back on it, I would say the best thing I did was imagining the day and writing down exactly what I wanted to happen every step of the way. This helped me to visualize the little details that I might have been forgetting when thinking of the big picture. Also, pick the few things that are the most important to you (for me, it was my wedding outfit, the decorations, and the music) and really devote yourself to making those things perfect. You’ll never have enough time to make every moment of the day perfect, so if the few things you cared about most are exactly as you want them, you won’t even notice if something else doesn’t go exactly as you hoped. And one more thing, communicate, communicate, communicate. I realize now that I should have better prepared my photographer for exactly where the tractor would be pulling in, or where my husband and I would be after we walked back down the aisle, so she could be there to capture those moments. I’m sure I had her running around a few times trying to figure out where I was going, but she was a trooper and still managed to get great shots!
I think that’s some pretty great advice- thank you for sharing Emily!
I love how Emily’s decor was inspired by nature and memories of her family farm. And how fabulous is the bright, fun color palette of lavender and red?! I love it!
Are any of you drawing your inspiration from something close to your heart? I’d love to hear what that is!
Vendors who made it all happen…
Lauren
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Lovely and unique color combination!
Love the squirrel accents on the groom! Where are they from?
HOW CAN I REPLICATE THIS IN A CHEAP MANOR FOR A BRIDAL SHOWER?
Patricia, you could always try to create paper flowers in lieu of the real flowers.