When your love story includes an amazing backpacking trip through Europe, ending with a surprise proposal in Munich at Oktoberfest, those details kiiinda have to come into play at the wedding, right?! For Linda + Jeremy, who both love Oktoberfest (and beer!), including more than a couple of nods to the festival was top priority. In fact, Oktoberfest became their wedding theme + they did such a great job of filling their celebration with personality + charm. We all know themed weddings can be hard to pull off, but these two executed their day like a couple of pros! Let’s hear more from Linda about how they did it:
My now husband Jeremy and I had been dating for nearly 11 years by the time we got married, so we had a lot of shared experiences but for us there’s a special time of year that hold a special place in our hearts and that is Oktoberfest. Attending Oktoberfest at one of NYC’s most authentic Biergartens has been a tradition of ours for the past 8 years. We love the music, the people, the dress, and the feeling of general merriment and togetherness associated with it so much that we wanted to bring it to our wedding guests. And we did that with authentic details from hiring an oompah band to serving german beer in liter steins, to cookie necklaces and giant Bavarian pretzels. And then we just made everything personal – DIY crafts to bring in our personalities and the things in our life that we love the most from our cat margarita (who sat atop our cake) to a beer pong table guest sign in that is now a keepsake, to the home-brewed beer wedding favors. No one was going to tell us that we couldn’t have a beer pong table because it wasn’t classy or traditional. There are no rules when planning a wedding. Just make it about you and your partner.
Thanks so much to With Love & Embers for these super fun photos + congrats to Linda + Jeremy on a beautiful day, done their way!
Beer, of course, had to be a part of the ceremony!
Processional: Bridal Party: Sky Full of Stars – Coldplay ; Bride: A Thousand Years – Christina Perri
Recessional: Pride (In the Name of Love) – U2
First Dance: I Wanna Be There – Blessid Union of Souls
The back of Linda’s dress is such a dream, right? If you’re eyeing that beauty for yourself, it’s the Provence dress by Claire Pettibone.
The tables were filled to the brim with fun, vintage finds and pretty, garden-style floral arrangements.
And we love that L + J incorporated their beloved cat, Margarita, into their day by way of that cute cat cake adornment!
Dancing traditional german polka with my husband and our wedding party after our first dance under the fantastic lights and streamers that lit up our dance floor. At that moment it really hit me that all of our visions for our wedding had come to fruition and it was perfect.
Give yourself plenty of time and plan as far as ahead as you can. It's the best way to guarantee that you get what you want - the venue, the design, the food. It will also give you the time to ponder over the details that will make your event personal. Most of the inspiration came from our real life experiences and it didn't come all at once. For our wedding it was months before it dawned on me that we should have cookie necklaces at the event, a traditional part of Oktoberfest. And then it took more time to figure out who could make the necklaces and where we would hang them. In the end they were gorgeous and I was thrilled with the result. But if I hadn't left enough time for that it would have been one of those unnecessary pieces that gets forgotten and yet it was a piece that was so personal and special.
photography: With Love & Embers // venue name: Friedman Farms, Dallas, Pennsylvania // planning: Brava Weddings // florals: Wedding Flowers Etc. // wedding dress: Provence by Claire Pettibone // hairpiece: LoBoheme // bride's shoes: Nocona boots // bridesmaid dresses: J.Crew // hair stylist: Hair by Michele Parise & makeup by Victoria Roggio // makeup artist: Hair by Michele Parise & makeup by Victoria Roggio // groom attire: J. Crew Ludlow suits // groom's shoes: Allen Edmonds // videography: Birdhouse Productions // paper goods: ReadyMakerDesigns // catering: Grico's Restaurant // cake: Infinite Sweets // music: The Ja Ja Ja's // event design: Brava Weddings, Forget Me Not Vintage Rentals, the Bride & mother of the bride // vintage rentals: Forget Me Not Vintage Rentals // men's bow ties: Tangled Ties Bowties // beer favors: made by Bride and Groom. labels by Angela Cantello // cookie necklaces: Marketa Fazekas // celebrant: Alisa Tongg
What an absolutely amazing looking wedding. As a fellow lover of beer I have to say I love your style! Stunning images.
Oh my goodness this wedding has so many charming details especially the head table. That dresser filled with vintage dishes is just perfection.
Nice location! Great photography!
Nice idea!
Hi that dress is Devine. I’m interested in purchasing it second hand. Is it for sale?
I am from Munich and I love Oktoberfest and your cookie necklaces are beautiful. What a wonderful a idea for a wedding! Sending much love and ein Prosit der Gemütlichkeit!
Where did you get the cookie necklaces?! Need! Thank you!