from Minnesota USA to Vienna Austria for a palatial destination wedding – Britta & Graydon
As seen on
Weddings Abroad Guide | The Coordinated Bride
Graydon had proposed to Britta right at the Gloriette, on top of the hill in the gardens of the Schönbrunn Palace – by far one of the most famous touristic attractions of the Austrian capital city. So, tying the knot right here, amidst this exquisite scenery in beautiful Vienna was an easy decision. They decided to celebrate an intimate destination wedding with their closest family and friends, flying in from Minnesota, USA.
The couple’s focus was on the elegant ornate venues, with their old-world charm, baroque architecture and grandeur, as well as enjoying a relaxed and fun wedding day with their dearest, and a totally different culinary experience.
I started planning Britta & Graydon’s wedding in April – quite a short time, considering the wedding was in June, but everything worked out so wonderfully, that I was even called “the coolest person alive” by one of the guests It was an amazing day, filled with smiles, laughter, love and.. of course High Emotions.
There was just the right amount of raindrops giving a sign of a blessed, wealthy marriage in the morning, and then exactly the perfect sunny-cloudy kind of day, providing the perfect conditions for wonderful wedding photos.
Hotel Palais Hansen Kempinski Vienna – THE GETTING READY VENUE
The palace hotel was built between 1869-1873, to host visitors of the World Exhibition in 1873. After having several functions throughout the years, it was reopened as part of the Kempinski luxury hotel group in 2013, and is now one of the most beautiful architectural gems in Vienna’s historical city center.
Schloss Schönbrunn – The ceremony venue
One of the most important historic monuments of Austria, the Schönbrunn Palace served as the main summer residence of the Habsburg family. The Rococo castle offers so many options – not only for special events – but also for an entire day of sightseeing, with its 1441 rooms, huge gardens, the zoo park, a labyrinth, a strudel show and several cafes. Besides, you can take a tour of the gardens by horse carriage, or book a classical concert. You also may want to plan your trip around the annual Summer Night’s Concert, held by the Vienna Philharmonic in the palace gardens – free of charge!
Together with their 18 guests, they celebrated with a 10-course-dinner in the 2 Michelin stars’ Gourmet Restaurant Silvio Nickol im Palais Coburg – indescribably, amazingly good!
Palais Coburg Residenz – The dinner venue
Built in the Neoclassical style in 1840-1845, the historical palace is now a five star superior luxury hotel, with 33 suites and 2 in-house restaurants – one of them is run by Silvio Nickol, who was awarded 2 Michelin stars.
Silvio came to greet Britta and Graydon at the end of their gourmet wedding dinner and was so kindly gifted a bag full of American goodies by the couple.
It’s my absolute pleasure to recommend Irene Gutan for wedding planning.
Britta
Irene took the time to understand our needs wishes and requirements and translated these into the best vendors for us to select from. We thoroughly enjoyed working with her. Irene is organized, honest, dependable, and incredibly hard-working.
We live in the U.S. and could not have planned our destination wedding without her help. Every minute of our wedding day was perfect thanks to Irene. Any bride would be lucky to have her on the wedding team. Irene is simply the best.
An evening filled with emotional speeches, lots of lots of fun and pure happiness. My satisfaction was complete when I heard Britta & Graydon thanking me from the bottom of their hearts and saying that everything actually exceeded their expectations. What more can a wedding planner wish?
Many many thanks to all partners that made this day come true!
Special thanks to Horia for the gorgeous photos!!
Vendor Dream Team
Photography: Horia Calaceanu Photography | Ceremony venue: Schönbrunn Palace, Vienna | Dinner venue: Gourmet Restaurant Silvio Nickol at Palais Coburg | Accommodation: Hotel Palais Hansen Kempinski | Bridal Make-up & Hair: Birgit Weichselbaumer, Hair Face Hat | Bridesmaids’ Make-up & Hair: Martina Hirsch