Magnificent Austria Wedding Inspired by The Sound of Music

Abby
June 13, 2018
Categories: Cultural Beauty, Real Weddings, Romantic, Traditional Elegance

From the Bride… LUCK, What is it? Where do we find it? Does it Find Us? Or Is it always present and we just help nurture it along into something magical, transformative and unforgettable? In essence were we creating LUCK ourselves? For Us it will forever be all of the ABOVE, and Our Wedding was pure spectacle of Just Pure LUCK!!!! See our short wedding film from Angelo La Torre and you will feel it too…

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From Angelo La Torre… What can I say about this amazing destination wedding in Salzburg? It’s always difficult for me to write what I feel in each wedding and tell the feelings that each couple gives me. Saebina, Aaron and their little son Phaethon are really a beautiful family. I could also say that I felt like I’d known them for a long time.

I believe in Love and I believe that there is nothing stronger than Love. The way they look at each other speaks about love; the same way they look at their little child.

Each location of this wedding was breathtaking. The ceremony took place at Mondsee St. Michael’s Church, one of the biggest church in Austria. We had a little couple session on the wonderful lake in Mondsee so close to the church where Saebina lost her veil on the lake, that was such a funny moment for everyone, but fortunately the wind gave it back to us. The magic dinner took place at The Leopoldskron with their family and friends, what a magic place. I felt so honored to be there for their wedding in Salzburg.

More from the Couple…

Our Location: SALZBURG. Many of you might know this city for the birthplace of Mozart, famous Baroque architecture, and the timeless movie ” The Sound Of Music” filmed with its famous backdrops of the east ALPS. The grandeur of the landscape, architecture, feel of its stone lined streets, history, may all seem like a wanderlust of grand sensations worthy of the best Postcards- but Salzburg maintains its unique small town feel and charm. Our goal was to set the tone of an intimate location, and Salzburg delivered a Mozart classical masterpiece. We knew that Our wedding was going to be a once in a lifetime opportunity not just for us, but for our family and friends. It was important for us to bring 2 distinct cultures from both India and the Philippines together and immerse them in the Austrian cultural splendor. Austria was a country 99% of our family and friends had never seen, and Salzburg offered a mystique that could only be appreciated in person and experienced first hand by inhaling the crisp alpine air. The Hills were Truly Alive.

Our Venues: VENUES (3 Day Wedding Event with multiple venues in Salzburg).

Gmaachl Restaurant. We chose to welcome our family and friends at the Gmachl Restaurant for a traditional Austrian gastronomic experience for our rehearsal dinner. The groom and the best men wore traditional Filipino Barongs custom-made for them in Manila

Schloss Leopoldskron. It was love at first sight. My favorite movie of all time is The Sound Of Music. When we were scouting locations, I stumbled upon the exact property where the movie was filmed. We fell in love with the Schloss and knew this was the only place we wanted to have our wedding reception. It was everything we wanted, and more. It was grand, romantic, serene, one of a kind, a historic site, and played as the location setting for my favorite film. We had to have it.

St. Peter’s Stifftskeller. To honor the Indian culture on day 3, we asked all our guests to wear traditional Indian attire. Lehengas or saris for women, and Sherwanis for men. We had a beautiful lunch at Europe’s Oldest Restaurant.

Mondsee St. Michael’s Basilica. After picking our location we enlisted the help of our amazing Wedding planner Michaela Honies | Elegant Events supported by Stephanie Koeppl | Liebes Dienst to help us find a Catholic Church to hold our nuptials. Michaela’s second recommendation was the historic . Fortunately for us, the church could accommodate our dates. After a quick “Google” we immediately discovered that the Basilica is most famous for the wedding scene in the movie ” The Sound Of Music”. Walking down the same procession as Julie Andrews replayed thoughts of me as a little child watching the spectacle that I now was recreating exactly for myself. The ceremony was more intimate and special because it was presided by Father Tony, a very dear family friend from India, who traveled from his church in Vienna to Mondsee to bless our matrimony. It is one of the most photographed churches all over the world. In 2009 it was titled ” The Austrian Monument Of The Year”. Everything about the Basilica was beautiful, serene, and God sent. The vision for our wedding was royal, elegant, and filled with surprises.

With the backdrop of Salzburg in our pockets, we designed an unforgettable experience from the time our family and friends arrived, till the time they left. There was a lot of thought put into the level of detail we wanted for each of our unique events. Although, we had a fall wedding, I wanted to compliment the ornate details in the Basilica and reception with floral arrangements in blush, ivory, and gold. Subtle details like non traditionally numbered tables were used as conversational pieces to get friends and family members more acquainted with not only us but each other . We decided to use important dates i. E. 0723 The day we met, 1111 the day Aaron asked me to be his wife, 0113 Our son’s birthday etc. Additionally, we used postcards of all the countries Aaron and I visited together for guests to write special messages on, and mail to us every quarter until our 1st Anniversary.

Austria’s unique culinary delights are something that need to be experienced entirely. We wanted to provide different aspects of the gastronomic experience over the 3 days to ensure our guests would remember, and talk about for years to come. The food, cake, and wine selection was a tedious but amazing experience. We flew back to Austria to taste test every single item, and the culinary experience we delivered did not disappoint. As favors, we chose an amazing Austrian wine for every single guest along with a tin of the famous “Manner” Hazelnut cream filled wafers. We wanted our cake to be modern yet elegant in design, and to for it to taste unlike any other wedding cake the guests had ever eaten flavor-wise. Our baker did not disappoint.

We whisked our guests away half way through the event for spectacular fireworks over the lake. We danced the night away to beats by our DJ Pradeesh from New York. It was a party from start to end. For the Indian day we transformed St. Peter’s Stiffstskeller into a colorful Indian reception. The beautiful colorful flowers mirrored the same floral decorations as those at the famed Mirabel gardens. The music accoutrements included traditional Sitar and Tabla players from Vienna to entertain us, and transform the venue into a crossroads of EAST meets WEST. After a carefully choreographed family photoshoot at Mirabel Gardens between Cinzia and Angelo, we arrived at the Stiffstskeller on a historical horse drawn carriage ride (Fiaker) to the reception of family and friends in ornate, custom garb. A classical dance performance to showcase the artistry of dance was showcased by my cousin to add Pop and Flair. As a token of gratitude, and luck, we gave each guest beautiful, handmade, Indian elephants that were flown in from India.

Due to the fact our Wedding was a Destination wedding, finding and coordinating both a Photographer and Videographer took immense courage, hope, and you guessed it Luck. Cinzia and Angelo were not only true professionals but understood the level of trust we had placed with them from thousands of miles away. It took only one SKYPE call with Cinzia and Angelo and we immediately knew that we could rest at ease. To summarize Cinzia and Angelo’s work into words would be an injustice. Their craft is art, their professionalism is transparent in their work, and most of all it was their Kindness that won us Over!

Angelo la Torre Films . Being in the predicament of finding an international videographer, we went through dozens of professionals but did not feel like we had a connection until we met Angelo. Angelo was a referral from Cinzia, although they had never worked before together. Like Cinzia, after our first SKYPE call, Angelo brought us a sense of vision that was completely aligned with ours. Additionally, his affinity for music and musical background showed consistently in his work. Angelo could tell a story simply with his choice of music. That paired with his cinematography was not only endearing but truly magical. Our goal was to create a wedding story with 3 distinct chapters for each day of the event. Capturing these moments could not only be described through video but also had to be told by music to bring all the emotions, thoughts, and feels that one can easily recall years later. Angelo’s work is inspired perfection. Angelo and Simona were an amazing team to work with. They truly exceeded our expectations with the wedding video they put together for us. There isn’t a single moment tears haven’t rolled down our faces when we go back and watch the wedding footage he put together. Austria is magical in every sense of the word as was Our Wedding.