Doctors and fellow Europeans Marie and David first met when they were sat next to each other at one of their research lab’s meetings in Boston. They became inseparable until Marie moved back to Austria, and David headed back to the United Kingdom. Fast forward one year, and they couldn’t ignore their chemistry and (via text) officially started their romantic relationship.
After four-and-a-half years together, David proposed to Marie in Curacao. The pair ventured for a sunrise hike. “When we got to the top, it was beautiful but a little busy, and David seemed in a bit of a rush to get back down and find a quieter spot to sit and enjoy the view,” Marie recalls. Once situated on a rock with a beautiful outlook, she faced the view and leaned into a gust of wind. “When I turned around, David had just gotten blown over by the wind and so [he] wasn’t quite on one knee anymore. I still didn’t grasp what was going on until I looked down, saw the ring in his hands, and heard him ask the question.”
Once engaged, the couple decided on two ceremonies—a smaller civil wedding in London, followed by a larger celebration in Salzburg. Wanting to find a venue that would make their guests’ travel arrangements worth it, they booked the famous The Sound of Music location Schloss Leopoldskron. With the locale set, Paola Colleoni and Wouter Oudemans lensed every moment throughout the weekend, and Anna Walch of Pure Passion stepped in to help with settling the logistics.
To kick off the early autumn festivities, there was an “Austrian Chalet Chique” fête. Marie donned an Annina dirndl, while David wore traditional lederhosen and a whole look from Gottseidank.
The next day, Marie wore a Dana Harel dress she found in London with a Daphne Newman veil. She explains that she found the strapless design “very feminine, kind of light-hearted and fun, a little ’20s but also quite modern.” It reminded her of Sissi, the 19th-century Empress of Austria, with classic edelweiss in her hair. And because the look was loaded with florals, the bride kept her makeup by Tamara Kraner and jewelry quite reserved with only Sophie Bille Brahe earrings, her engagement ring, and her wedding band.
Bridesmaids wore a natural color palette of Needle & Thread dresses, and Marie’s sister and sister-in-law marked the occasion in matching Lanvin dresses. The youngest members of the bridal party by years looked adorable in Atelier La Nonna outfits.
On September 24, 2022, Marie and her father walked down the church aisle to meet David at the altar. The best man’s father, who is a deacon, officiated the ceremony, during which the mother of the bride sang a beautiful tune and other family members contributed. “We are both Catholic, and it was important for us that the ceremony represented how much getting married in church meant for us—and also that we loved merging our families,” the bride shares.
Once married, the reception—adorned with florals by Jasmyn Siebenhofer—commenced and the seated dinner by Bärenwirt was served. For their first dance, the couple added to the Austrian theme by performing a waltz to “At Last.”
Then, David gave one of Marie’s favorite speeches ever. “He is very good at making people laugh and turned his speech into a drinking game called ‘United Nations’ that was delivered in all of our guests languages and was tied into one of The Sound of Music songs, ‘Do-Re-Mi,’” the bride smiles. A family-filled destination wedding with curated fashion and European glamour? These are a few of our favorite things.
