Classic Zurich Wedding from XOANDREA
A classic wedding with candelabras, bowties, and a plethora of neutral colors makes us weak in the knees every time, but this Zurich wedding might just take the cake. A gorgeous bride and handsome groom, so much love, captured magnificently by XOANDREA, high fashion, gold and white details, and a ballroom to die for are just SOME of the details that have my head spinning. Why don't you visit the full image gallery and pick out your favorite deets!
Our story began in 1999 at the American International school of Zürich…. Patrik was the cute new guy who joined our freshman class, and he seemed like such a kind and genuine guy I immediately had my eye on him! After eight months of flirting in the cafeteria, gym class, by the lockers, etc… we finally started 'going out' officially. We were totally inseparable during our junior and senior years until we left for college when Patrik went to the US, and I went back to the UK. What followed was four tough years of trans-Atlantic long-distance and lots of tearful airport goodbyes, but we made it through to graduation! After some great years working and living together in London, we moved back to Zürich where it all began. One rainy December evening, Patrik took me for a surprise date to see the Christmas lights and proposed in a square overlooking the whole city twinkling with lights… we then went for dinner at the restaurant where we had one of our first dates 11 years earlier.
We knew from the beginning that we wanted the wedding to be traditional, elegant and warm. We decided on celebrating locally so we could share the beauty of Switzerland with our friends and family who would be travelling here for the occasion. For the ceremony we were able to use a beautiful church in the heart of the city where I had done my first communion and performed in school choir recitals many years ago… We wanted to incorporate both Patrik’s German/Swiss heritage and my English – so we combined both languages into the ceremony and also included English and German readings from family members. For the reception, we fell in love with the rustic charm of the converted stables and wine cellar at Bocken, and felt it would be the perfect location for a romantic Autumn wedding. It had so much natural beauty and also allowed our out of town guests to stay on-site and relax at the hotel there. On the wedding day itself, we were blessed with a perfect sunny, crisp Autumn day – almost better than we had dared hoped for… I barely needed the vintage mink wrap I had bought!
I have always loved the combination of white with touches of gold – finding it very elegant and perfect against the autumn colours… I also felt this would be a colour which would suit all my bridesmaids beautifully. I found my wedding dress very easily in a little bridal boutique in Nice, France with my mum, sisters and niece around me – I fell in love with a strapless dress from the Spanish label Pronovias, made in a sumptuous ivory satin - and I didn’t want to leave the shop without it!
For the wedding favours we chose assorted Lindt chocolates which we put inside white embossed boxes with a gold bow… It was an easy choice for us as I went to primary school next door to the Lindt chocolate factory and felt it would be a very appropriate favour for a Swiss wedding! For the cake topper we had the idea of using a sculpture that we always liked – the ‘Love’ sculpture by Robert Indiana. I found a gold replica from the Whitney Museum of American Art gift shop to top our chocolate cake, which we now have as a souvenir on our bookcase. The support of our parents and siblings really made such a difference to the wedding planning and made for some great memories too! Everybody pitched in where they could - my dad carved our initials out of wood which we then painted gold to use on our gift table, my mum hand-painted gorgeous white and gold ‘Mr’ and ‘Mrs’ signs for our chairs, and my mother-in-law made dozens of beautiful white bows as decorations for the church pews. All those little details, made with love, came together to make it very special.
We haven’t been able to stop talking and reminiscing about the day since – it was so full of incredible memories! For me, walking down the aisle with my dad and seeing the expression on Patrik’s face was totally unforgettable and a favourite moment, as well as the heartfelt speeches made during the reception. Patrik’s speech in particular was very emotional as it brought back the memories of our incredible 12 year journey to becoming husband and wife. At the end of the evening, seeing everybody out on the dance floor having fun together, regardless of language barriers or age was wonderful to see.
What really made the day was the huge effort made by family and friends who flew in from around the world to celebrate with us – it is so rare to have all the people we love in the same room! On the day itself everything just fell into place, all the staff at the venue were totally fantastic and reliable and our photographers Andrea and Marcus were an absolute dream to work with – they felt like part of the wedding party and just captured the joy and magic of the day with their incredible talent. We truly felt so much love radiating from the family and friends around us – and we now carry all the wonderful memories with us into married life!
Photography: XOANDREA / Flowers: Style Decor / Event Planning: DIY by Bride / Ceremony Location: St. Anton's Church, Zurich / Reception Location: Bocken / Bride's Gown: Pronovias / Favors: Lindt Chocolates / Cake Topper: Whitney Museum of American Art Gift Shop
We knew from the beginning that we wanted the wedding to be traditional, elegant and warm. We decided on celebrating locally so we could share the beauty of Switzerland with our friends and family who would be travelling here for the occasion. For the ceremony we were able to use a beautiful church in the heart of the city where I had done my first communion and performed in school choir recitals many years ago… We wanted to incorporate both Patrik’s German/Swiss heritage and my English – so we combined both languages into the ceremony and also included English and German readings from family members. For the reception, we fell in love with the rustic charm of the converted stables and wine cellar at Bocken, and felt it would be the perfect location for a romantic Autumn wedding. It had so much natural beauty and also allowed our out of town guests to stay on-site and relax at the hotel there. On the wedding day itself, we were blessed with a perfect sunny, crisp Autumn day – almost better than we had dared hoped for… I barely needed the vintage mink wrap I had bought!
I have always loved the combination of white with touches of gold – finding it very elegant and perfect against the autumn colours… I also felt this would be a colour which would suit all my bridesmaids beautifully. I found my wedding dress very easily in a little bridal boutique in Nice, France with my mum, sisters and niece around me – I fell in love with a strapless dress from the Spanish label Pronovias, made in a sumptuous ivory satin - and I didn’t want to leave the shop without it!
For the wedding favours we chose assorted Lindt chocolates which we put inside white embossed boxes with a gold bow… It was an easy choice for us as I went to primary school next door to the Lindt chocolate factory and felt it would be a very appropriate favour for a Swiss wedding! For the cake topper we had the idea of using a sculpture that we always liked – the ‘Love’ sculpture by Robert Indiana. I found a gold replica from the Whitney Museum of American Art gift shop to top our chocolate cake, which we now have as a souvenir on our bookcase. The support of our parents and siblings really made such a difference to the wedding planning and made for some great memories too! Everybody pitched in where they could - my dad carved our initials out of wood which we then painted gold to use on our gift table, my mum hand-painted gorgeous white and gold ‘Mr’ and ‘Mrs’ signs for our chairs, and my mother-in-law made dozens of beautiful white bows as decorations for the church pews. All those little details, made with love, came together to make it very special.
We haven’t been able to stop talking and reminiscing about the day since – it was so full of incredible memories! For me, walking down the aisle with my dad and seeing the expression on Patrik’s face was totally unforgettable and a favourite moment, as well as the heartfelt speeches made during the reception. Patrik’s speech in particular was very emotional as it brought back the memories of our incredible 12 year journey to becoming husband and wife. At the end of the evening, seeing everybody out on the dance floor having fun together, regardless of language barriers or age was wonderful to see.
What really made the day was the huge effort made by family and friends who flew in from around the world to celebrate with us – it is so rare to have all the people we love in the same room! On the day itself everything just fell into place, all the staff at the venue were totally fantastic and reliable and our photographers Andrea and Marcus were an absolute dream to work with – they felt like part of the wedding party and just captured the joy and magic of the day with their incredible talent. We truly felt so much love radiating from the family and friends around us – and we now carry all the wonderful memories with us into married life!
Photography: XOANDREA / Flowers: Style Decor / Event Planning: DIY by Bride / Ceremony Location: St. Anton's Church, Zurich / Reception Location: Bocken / Bride's Gown: Pronovias / Favors: Lindt Chocolates / Cake Topper: Whitney Museum of American Art Gift Shop