Stunning photos of a practically royal destination wedding in Vienna

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Photo by Sandra Aberg via Bridal Musings

Can you blame us for still having royal wedding fever? Ever since Harry & Meghan we’re obsessed with all things opulence & grace – luckily, we think all of our Bridal Musings brides are total royalty. Take today’s Vienna destination wedding, for example, just try and tell us Sophie isn’t anything less than an Austrian royal?

Both of Sophie & Luis’ venues are likely the very same any Austrian nobility would marry in – Stift Klosterneuburg served as the absolutely grand (nearly 1000 year old!) historic ceremony space, then City Palais Liechtenstein hosted a lavish, elegant reception fit for Austrian royalty.

The details were styled with equal opulent care. Planning from far away, Sophie & Luis trusted their grand affair with master destination wedding planners A Very Beloved Wedding who somehow managed to dress the already rich spaces with even more palatial detailing. Lavish floral arrangements of Peony & Hydrangea filled the space alongside a regal six-tiered cake, a string quartet (what else could you listen to in Austria?!) and plenty of gilded crockery.

And finally, as if this wasn’t all royal enough, can we just talk for a second about Sophie’s incredible long-sleeved lace wedding dress? Channeling our beloved Kate, Sophie is absolutely stunning alongside her dapper groom.

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Our Love Story

Sophie (from Austria) and Luis (from Ecuador) met each other at University and it was love at first sight. They have a sweet, honest and lively relationship. Their wedding was sweet as their love, classic as their style and traditional as their backgrounds. A union of two different cultures but the same vision of life and love.

Sophie and Luis’ wedding took place in Stift Klosterneuburg and City Palais Liechtenstein. Two icons of imperial Vienna and Austria.

The Styling

The colors were blush, shades of white, crème, pastel and imperial gold. It was all about softness. The flower queen was the Peony. Roses like David Austin, Hybrid Tea, Floribunda, Bourbon, Alba and Noisette completed the style together with Hydrangeas. Greens were part of the floral design in the outdoors. They had “classic Viennese” in the imperial environment and “Spanish natural lightness” in the outdoors and dance area.

We planned it with A Very Beloved Wedding, a destination wedding design and planning company. We don’t live in Vienna and all our guests were international so we needed to hire a wedding planner – plus I love their design work!

The Ceremony Venue

According to the legend, Margrave Leopold III founded Klosterneuburg Monastery at the place where he found the veil of his wife Agnes, which had been seized by a gust of wind on the day of their wedding. The foundation stone was laid on 12 June 1114. In 1133 the Order of the Augustinian Canons settled there upon Leopold’s initiative. Since that time, the canons have lived and worked there.

“Our wedding was elegant, classic, traditional, but still young and fresh. Definitely a one-of-a-kind experience. A lot of guests mentioned that it was the most beautiful destination wedding they had ever been to. We loved each and every moment. It’s impossible to choose just one.”

– Bride Sophie, favorite moments

The Photography & Videography

We loved the style of both, our destination wedding planners highly recommended them. Sandra Aberg has a very soft and fine art style and Simon Casetti captured the essence of our special day in the best way possible. We love the results!

The Reception Venue

The palace of the princely family of Liechtenstein is deeply rooted in Vienna’s history. It is situated in Vienna’s inner city and is held to be the first major building of the High Baroque age in Vienna.

The magnificent ensemble of Baroque stucco ceilings, opulent neo-Rococo interiors and original furnishings complemented by Michael Thonet’s fine parquet flooring form a harmonious whole. A selection of masterpieces of the private art collection of the Prince von und zu Liechtenstein can also be seen in the palace.

The Cake

The Royal Bakery Demel prepared an off-white, six-tiered-cake. In the middle, the code of arms was displayed in gold, as well as the emblem from our invitations on each layer in gold. Real peonies matching the color palette and floral design were exhibited in a beautiful cascade and the cake was presented on an antique pedestal by A Very Beloved Bloom. The flavors of the cake were strawberry cheesecake with strawberry pieces, and Anna Cake. The cake was placed on an antique table of the 18th century in the classic frame of the salon, mirroring the string quartet on the opposite side of the room, then cut and served in the Maria Antoinette room. After this the First Dance took place.

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The Reception

After arriving from Stift Klosterneuburg the guests enjoyed drinks and finger food while waiting for the couple at the entrance hall. The entrance hall was decorated with big flower arrangements under each arch and light white transparent curtains, in order to keep that area closed.

After receiving and congratulating the couple, the cocktail reception took place in the Maria Antoinette room. The overall atmosphere was historic, artful, and classic Viennese. A string quartet was playing Mozart, Haydn, Schubert, Strauß, Beethoven. The furniture was curated pieces from the 18th century, in order to live and experience history and art in its fullest dimension.

After the cocktail reception, the seated dinner was served in the main salon of the Palace. Guests were seated by the team of AVBW – languages spoken: German, English, Spanish, French, Italian. The string quartet accompanied the dinner with classical music.

After the dinner, the contrasting part of the wedding took place featuring Spanish lightness, air, good weather, and outside atmosphere in the inner patio of the Palace. White Lounges, white light fabrics, diverse wind lights on windows, tables and floor, flowers and a lot of greens amongst the furniture, on pedestals and tables, built the atmosphere. The entrance to the patio was opened by big palm trees, giving a hint of what is coming next. The dance room is the classic modernized part of the Palace. Still majestic but also modern and of wooden simplicity. It had a white bar and even Disco lighting.

Advice to Other Couples

Hire a destination wedding planner, not just any wedding planner and definitely one that knows how to design an event like A Very Beloved Wedding.

The Honeymoon

We had an adventurous and very romantic and long honeymoon in Africa. Our honeymoon was unforgettable! Just the two of us on the other side of the planet enjoying nature.