Julia and Mike were married last weekend in her hometown in the wine growing region of southeastern Germany. Not far from the border with France, “Neustadt an der Weinstrasse” literally translates to “New City on the Wine Road”. The city sits at the base of a small mountain range along the Rhein River valley and is surrounded by vineyards. The area is known primarily for its white wines.
As many of you know, when I was younger I used to live in Germany. I was there as a military brat with my family and I also did my freshman year of college. And after graduate school, I went back to Germany for several years before returning to the US permanently in 2000. I still have many friends there and consider it to be just as much my home as I do Boston.
Julia moved from Neustadt to study in Boston a few years ago. Although they now live in Cambridge, Mike and Julia first met in Germany while she was back for a visit. Mike had been working for an amusement park in Germany as a professional water skiier not far from her hometown. Eventually they decided which country they wanted to settle in and headed back to Boston.
So when Julia was considering a wedding photographer for her wedding in Germany, it seemed like a pretty good match that she would find some one who had also lived in both Boston and Germany. I flew over a couple of days before the wedding to get adjusted to the time difference which also gave me the opportunity to meet her family.
I had a great time at the wedding capturing both the old world charm of the region as well as the events of the day. Along the way I also made some great new friends.
First we got started with getting hair and makeup done. The Germans aren’t at all familiar with the concept of a wedding photographer doing “getting ready” shots, so the people at the salon thought we were a little nuts…..
This vineyard and fantastic view of the countryside are just below the family house. Her father Norbert told me that they built the house over 30 years ago.
After doing the bridal session, it was off to the church. The ceremony was a protestant service, but very different from a typical American ceremony. There was no final kiss, but rather an impromptu one in the middle. Rings and vows were exchanged, but Julia and Mike were seated for most of it.
After the ceremony, we headed outside for a champagne toast with some of the local bubbly. It was quite tasty.
Right across the street was the local “palace”. It made for a great backdrop for some more fun pictures with the new bride and groom.
Now it was time for dinner. Where else but a restaurant overlooking a vineyard. Nett’s Landhaus opened just a few months ago after some serious renovation to the property. Initially we were to all sit outside, but the rain didn’t cooperate, so we moved indoors to a cozy dining room.
Yummm….wedding cake.
German weddings are very participatory events. Here one of the guests brought a blank canvas for guests to recreate a well known painting from individual postcard pieces.
As the evening wound down Julia and Mike enjoyed a little quite time to themselves…
I can’t thank Julia and Mike enough for allowing me to share in their wedding day. Best of luck to you both!