A modern Wedding with a Vintage touch

Most of you will remember this bridalshower we threw a couple of weeks ago for one of my best friends, Clarissa.
I was privileged to also be the wedding planner for her and last Saturday was the big day. The day Chris and Clarissa got married! And as promised I want to show you a few pictures and explain a couple of things when it came to planning this wedding.
When it comes to weddings or any kind of event it is very important to me that the whole concept works, that every little detail we plan in there makes sense and overall fits the concept, the colours and everything we wanted it to be. The other thing which is important to me is that the wedding/event represents the couple and their style, their personality and what they want.
So after a first meeting with the two of them I sat down and created a pinterest board for them where I continuously put in ideas for their wedding. The second thing I did was creating a inspiration board with colors so that we always had something to give to people contributing to this wedding.

The first two things to look for (after choosing a date of course!) are the venue for the reception and starting the design process for the invitations.
The concept we went with for the wedding was something very modern combined with vintage touches. This represents them both the most as Chris like things to be modern while Clarissa likes vintage playful designs.
As a reception venue they chose a building by Zaha Hadid which is here nearby. It is in a beautiful place surrounded by green, trees and an old gravel plant. The perfect mix for a modern wedding with vintage touches.
For me personally the invitations are one of the most important things in a wedding mostly because it is the first thing your guests will hold in their hands. It is the first impression of a wedding and it shows what they can expect.

The invitation design was done by the groom together with a friend who loves doing designs and he was also the one who drew the map for directions. We included little details like the letter Chris wrote to Clarissa for the engagement into the design to make it really personal.
When planning a wedding or any kind of big event the most important thing is to not get tangled up in all the little details which seem to come your way. It is important to keep an overall picture and to stick with the concept. Once you have that you exclude mostly everything else which doesn't fit with the concept. That helps you being really focused. For weddings I try to put the tasks and things to do in a time frame like 6-8 months before the wedding, 3-6 months, 1-3 months, 30 days before the wedding. That way I only complete tasks which fit into the time frame. For example flowers and decorations are something that is just fun to do and look at and be inspired from but I will not even start planning that until 3 months before the wedding because other things like finding a venue, a church and designing invitations are more important before that.  Of course while researching you find things you like and you pin them but it is just very important to stay focused and complete one thing after another.
When talking to vendors I find it very important to brief them the best you can. Show them pictures, communicate as much as possible so that you get the result you desire and your wishes fulfilled.
We are privileged to go to a church with a lot of very talented people. That is why a lot of the things were done by friends like all of the decorations, the cake, the make-up and the photography.
On top of that Clarissa's maid of honor is a very creative and talented person herself who came up with some great ideas for the night.
But now let's get into their big day and I will try to explain more details with the pictures.

Chris and Clarissa got married in a beautiful church on a hill in Haltingen. The church was probably built in 1139 and is very beautiful and warm from the inside. We kept the decorations very simple and used olive and pistachio leaves and lanterns on the benches. Instead of sitting on chairs the couple sat on a old grey bench surrounded by green plants and a big lantern at their side.
As it is tradition in our region they had a small standing reception right after the ceremony and then drove off to the reception place to take photos.

While the two of them were off taking pictures I used the time to take a few pictures of the decoration and set up before the guests arrived.

 As you can see there is a lot of concrete in the building and so we used wooden elements and very simple fresh flowers for decorations. The round gift tags were tied around the napkins and the favors were wrapped up in beautiful green and pink paper. Guests could put their gifts into a big suitcase. There were two stations for the guests: A desk to write them a card or a letter and a photo station (inspiration from here) where we took Polaroids and hung them up (similar to here).
After a while guests arrived and before they entered the venue we had another standing reception with snacks and drinks and two friends played the guitar and the cajon.

Everybody was just having a good time, taking pictures together or with the couple and hanging out outside on one of the probably last real summer days.
Then once everybody entered the venue it is always so important to me that everything is set, music playing, candles lit, atmosphere right.
And that is how it was - it was beautiful. The food was buffet style and the cake was made by a family friend who is amazing! It had three layers, one with chocolate, one with cream and one carrot cake which clearly was my favorite.

Then guest were asked to take Polaroid pictures and write to the couple, there were a few speeches and a lot of dancing later.

It was really just a great time with tons of fun and good food and friends and made the day really special for Chris and Clarissa.
I hope that this day was exactly what they had in mind for their wedding. I hope that when they think back and remember their wedding it will put a smile on their face. The cool thing is that they have all the Polaroids now to look at and marvel about that time together on a late Summer evening.

Now, if you have any questions about the wedding or how to's or anything, just leave me a comment and I will try my best to answer those questions.
Feel free to pin the pictures if you want to.

xoxo

Ramona

Simple Life and Camping

Lago Maggiore is a lake which is part in Switzerland part in Italy so Alyssa and I were set for the most gorgeous drive you could imagine.
In fact there is this one part of the road in Switzerland when all of a sudden the land opens up in front of you and the whole beauty of the Alps enfolds in front of your eyes and even though I have seen this part of the road so often already it takes my breath away every single time.
We chose to take the pretty road down the lake and tricked our little gps system which then was rerouting for about 30 minutes but oh was it worth it. The lake in the mountains was absolutely breathtaking and once you hit the Italian border it is like entering the Italian summer feeling. A feeling I get every time I go on vacation to Italy.

And it was also that moment when everything sank into rest. It was such a good feeling. All of a sudden I felt my body, soul and spirit just coming to rest. I was breathing in the summer air and breathing out and just feeling like myself. It was so needed after such a long transition time because after this vacation I would start everything new. A new season is ahead and going away on a camping trip before that was more than what I would love.
Our campground was a small, nice, really simple campground and we found a little corner where we set up the tent. 3 days without electricity, Internet, cell phone and computers. I was more than ready for it.

On that first day we set everything up and went to the beach as quickly as possible. There were almost no people which was really nice because it was so quiet and all you could hear were the sounds of the water, the birds and the wind. How much better could it be?
That night we cooked an amazing meal and took our chairs to the beach where we just set and journaled and enjoyed a warm summer night.
That first night the area was struck by a pretty strong thunder storm and we slept in the car under lightning, pouring rain and thunder. I. Loved. It. Whoever read my blog about me being a hopeless romantic knows my love for things like that!

The next morning we created the most amazing breakfast. It amazes me how much great food you can make with so little - like no cooler, no electricity. It was beautiful and Alyssa is an amazing cook and so creative when it comes to food. A lot of our conversations were about food and how to create food and how to view it and how to eat healthy and we talked about flavours. And we tasted a whole bandwidth of incredibly good food throughout that whole trip.
For the next couple of hours we just laid by the beach, read our books and took in the silence and beauty of our surroundings.
Alyssa is a great artist (I love her work!!) and so she sat by the beach painting while I was writing in my journal. How better could it get? I felt so inspired and started dreaming about the future and letting my soul rest.

That afternoon we sat out for exploring the area a little bit just to find that our car had problems starting. So bit by bit we made it down the road but I was quietly freaking out knowing that we were in Italy and what we would do if the car broke down and we had to get it fixed there with not speaking any Italian. But we made it! I just had a hard time enjoying those two hours downtown while I was constantly thinking about the car - so typically me. Anyways but we found the most amazing gelateria and a restaurant that we planned on eating at for our last night.

So the next day we only laid by the beach and relaxed reading, swimming, sleeping and resting. Nothing more. As the night approached we got ready and drove into the beautiful little town Arona and this time I could really enjoy it.

So on our last night we first strolled around town. I love little Italian towns. Ever since I was a little girl I would imagine going to Italy and walking by the waterfront with my future husband and be all romantic. I would always imagine all kinds of stories and dream about it. I still am that way. Bring me to Italy to the waterfront and I become all dreamy and romantic and imagine a hundred stories in my head.
The restaurant we went to was more than amazing! Like I said we tasted some amazing food on that trip and also in this case we were blown away by the flavour.
We talked about art and food and the future and the new seasons in our life and the dreams we have and what we believe God is calling us to do. It was one of those nights and one of those conversations which stick with you and if it were for that conversation alone the trip was worth it.

On our drive back the next day we pondered a lot and listened to music. I thought a lot about what lies ahead of me and the new adventures and responsibilities. I cannot wait and look forward to it in anticipation!

This trip was exactly what I hoped it to be...

xoxo

Ramona

A place of contemplation

During my wonderful two weeks off I've biked out here almost every day. It is my bench and my place of contemplation. I sit here and think, spend time with God, read my Bible, journal, think some more and oh what decisions have already been made here. It is a beautiful spot and I love being there.

Do you have places like this?

xoxo

Ramona

On top of trees

Yesterday my sister, brother in law and friend Melina went on a hike where at the end you can take a walk on top of tree tops. It's pretty exciting to be up 23 m above the ground and basically over the trees. We had some amazing views up there over the Black Forest. It was so much fun to just be in nature for a whole day, breathe in the air of flowers and trees and summer. And the funny thing was that the day passed by so slowly which I absolutely loved.

xoxo

Ramona

Snippets from Camping

My friend Alyssa and I went Camping last week at Lago Maggiore in Italy and before I give you any details on it these images and collages have to suffice.
Hope you enjoy. The time was fantastic!


 
xoxo

Ramona

A breakfast in the park

This morning I decided to have breakfast outside instead of in the apartment. So I packed myself a little bit of a picnic, got on my bike and biked to one of my favorite spots. It's out in the fields close to a park and so calm and quiet.
There I set by myself on a blanket, ate my breakfast bagel and drank my iced coffee. I read my bible and wrote my journal.
Time seemed to pass so slowly and I was able to just be. Listen to nature around me, listen to the trees as the wind blew through them and took in the smells of the plants around me.
It was absolutely wonderful and I am sure I am going to repeat this throughout my vacation.

xoxo

Ramona

Summer breakfast

Yesterday was one of those days when you're on vacation where you stay in your pajamas all day long and watch your favorite TV shows. It was too hot to go outside anyways.
To start my day off I made some awesome breakfast, sat on the sofa and watched One Tree Hill - my all-time favorite TV show.

Later that day when it started cooling down I took my bike out and biked to my favorite place to read and write my journal.
That's what I love about summer. You just go outside, sit somewhere and enjoy the smells, the air and the birds twittering.

xoxo

Ramona

Summer... finally

Last Friday was the last day at my old job. It was quite emotional and sad saying good-bye to a place I worked at for 7 years. First as an intern during university and then as an assistant. But it's time to move on and I am so excited about what's ahead and all the adventures yet to come.

So... I am on vacation now for 2 weeks and it's just amazing. So I thought I'd share with you a little bit every day of me living into each day of this time. So... have fun with the pictures I'm going to be posting every day (except Wednesday through Friday as I will be camping in Italy!).

Here's what happened so far:

xoxo

Ramona

Summer Playlist

I know it's been a week but it's crazy here right now and I only have one more day at my current job before I go on vacation and before I start my new job! Super excited about that right now!

Anyways usually Thursday is somewhat of a musical day and I have updated my Current Soundtrack with my summer playlist. I had put it together for my birthday party and thought it would fun to share with you!

So, turn up the volume, enjoy the sun and listen to some awesome music - that's at least what I've been doing!

xoxo

Ramona

Thursday Tunes

This week this song keeps being my go-to. I listen to it all the time. And of course it's Bon Iver. He's an amazing artist.
I am just going to share the song with you and let speak to you itself.
xoxo

Ramona

Thrive

Today I was somehow contemplating the word to thrive. I did so because I was thinking about my life and my dreams and the kind way I want to live and come forward in life.
So I looked it up in the Merriam Webster Dictionary:
to thrive:
1. to grow vigorously: to flourish
2. to gain in wealth or possession:
3. to progress toward or to realize a goal despite of or because of circumstances

Wow. Does that get you as excited as me? I love that word. Not because of the word itself but it is a verb which means we should be thriving. To thrive in life. That's how I want to live. I don't just want to go from one day to another but I want to change the world and do something, invest myself for a greater goal. I want people to look at me and say that I am growing and flourishing, that I am progressing and realizing a goal despite of the circumstances.
And in all of this I want God be glorified! That through all of that I am giving Him honor and worship and praise.

As I look ahead to this coming fall and my new responsibilities and my new job that is the kind of word to describe me. That when I start and when I work, that I grow and learn and progress and realize goals.

So here's to that. Here's to thriving and flourishing and a bright future ahead.

xoxo

Ramona

To my future Love for ever

Right now I dream of you and I and of a thunderstorm that would arise with pouring rain and lightning. And the lights in our house would go off and we would light every candle we have and make a fire. We would cuddle up under the blankets and talk for hours upon hours. We would share our dreams and hearts and thoughts and we would always remember that moment when our love grew ever deeper.

yours forever

xoxo

Ramona


PS: Photo taken on my drive home in the craziest thunderstorm the other day.

A pink vintage bridal shower

Yesterday we threw a bridal shower for one of my very best friends. I am also planning her wedding so be prepared to find picture of her wedding here soon also.
The funny thing with this shower was that I already knew exactly how it was going to be and what we were going to do in February. It was one of those moments when I feel hit by lightning and in one creative power hour plan the whole thing through from invitations to decorations to food to favors. So all the planning was basically done already months before we threw the actual party. Her maid of honor brought in some amazing ideas too to make the whole thing perfect.
When I plan parties for other people one of the most important things for me is to make it perfect for them. It is not about me or how I would do it but about them and what they would love. That approach of course does not diminish the work, the creativity or the pursuit of excellence in the planning.
My friend Clarissa loves all things vintage, cute pink or pastel pink and she loves writing letters. So we definitely had a theme here.

As you know from my last post I put a lot of effort into the invitations to set the tone for the rest of the party. For the invitations I chose a design from Wedding Chicks and turned it around a little bit for our purpose. I printed it out on creme lightly structured paper that you would use for writing letters and put it into pink envelopes. When it comes to the font I tried to do a mix between typewriter like fonts and something a little more girly, handwritten.
For the decorations I really didn't want to go too overboard and stuffing it because the apartment we did it in was already filled with so many cute decorations that we could keep it simple and nice.

I had asked a few a her friends to make the streamers which we hang all over the living room. They were done in the same colors as the invitations and looked great with the white walls and brown ceiling.
In the guest room of the apartment we had a little station where we put my mom's old typewriter that had paper in it saying "I liebe Dich..." (German for I love you). That station was part of the photo booth we created. We took Polaroid pictures which guest could paste into a book and write a personal note for Clarissa. That was Tanja, the maid of honor's idea.
For the photo booth we had used this idea from here and also used the same colors as the invitation. It looked perfect and everybody loved it!

It was a ton of fun and the photos turned out amazing.
Now for the food and the favors: We actually had the food catered by one of our very good friends. She is for me the most creative and amazing cook and delivers more than food: love, passion, creativity, hospitality. She is amazing and the food was so great. We had pink lemonade (recipe taken from here) with cute paper straws and re-used the bottles from my birthday party. Then we had savory food and after the presents some amazing dessert with cakes and what not.
For the favors we just stuck with the theme and prepared little letter writing kits. I got the idea from Terrain (a pretty awesome shop if you ask me) and turned them around for us.

It was such a beautiful celebration and we were able to really honor Clarissa not only with presents but by getting together, by putting some effort into making the shower something to remember for her. These are the last couple weeks as an unmarried woman and to be part of her life and her journey is amazing. At the end my pastor prayed over her and blessed her for her coming marriage.
Clarissa loved it a lot and we hope that she will pick up that book we made her many years from now and remember those beautiful moments with her best girlfriends and important women in her life.

And again with this event it wasn't about the decorations and the favors or making it the perfect little party. It was about creating an atmosphere, about creating moments which she will never forget. The whole planning and crafting and creating and baking and making was all part of creating that atmosphere. It was the framework in which memories happened.

I believe if that is our attempt at hosting a party and throwing a party for somebody else than it will always turn out amazing because you put your heart and soul into make it something beautiful for somebody else.

xoxo

Ramona

PS: you can always find more inspiration and event ideas in my Event section of this blog.