Project Management

For more than 2 years I had an additional job that I devoted quite a bit of time and energy to: that of wedding planner for my own wedding which took place recently. There were a lot of unknowns when we sent out the save-the-date e-mails a year in advance: Will there be a summer lockdown or limit on number of guests? Will those guests have to wear masks and sit 2 metres apart? Will our party trigger a "superspreader cluster"? Will our guests from abroad be able to travel to Austria at all? to name just a few. The ultimate question of "Will the weather play along for a waterfront wedding and outdoor dinner or will be be drenched/have to go for Plan B?" kept us on our toes until the very last moment. It was one of those things you could not influence any way and so, ultimately, I remained chilled when some people cancelled just as I had submitted the seating plan at the (what I assumed to be) very last moment or other minor alterations like the registrar who had assured us that he NEVER gets sick, injured his back shortly before our ceremony and sent a replacement. In the end, we had a truly wonderful day that absolutely surpassed our expectations. When I look at photos of the afternoon, evening and night I only see happy and elated faces and I almost feel our party (a combination of wedding and 2x 50th birthday party) was "public service" to friends and family to bring a much-needed distraction from nothing but sombre news and almost 3 years of a global pandemic. 

I had put a lot of thought into the event and paid a lot of attention to detail while still not turning into a stressed bridezilla at any time but enjoying the planning and prepping almost as much as the actual ceremony and party. We were super happy with all the vendors we worked with, who all rendered A+ service that were worth every cent. 

I had always planned to throw a BIG party with DJ for my 50th and when Highflyer proposed back in May 2020 he immediately suggested doing a combination of wedding and 100th birthday (he's two months younger than me). In the end the combined number of guests was pretty overwhelming and I could not invite some friends and colleagues I definitely would have invited to the originally planned birthday bash. Ultimately, a total of 110 people (including ourselves) attended and it would have been a good 300 if we had extended the guest list and also allowed people to bring along their children. Finding a suitable venue that fit our criteria (by the lake and dance music being allowed past midnight) was challenging enough as it was what with so many 2020 weddings being postponed, but in the end everything worked out and all the weather and pandemic Gods cooperated. I must have kissed a total of 400 cheeks including congratulations and goodbyes and smiled so much I actually felt a tension in my cheeks for 3 days afterwards...which was definitely a first.

So, if anyone needs a wedding planner any time soon, hit me up!