Just as if it was taken straight from a fairytale, we bring you the love story of John & Soli.
One can only hope that sometime in life, fate will bring an opportunity to meet a stranger that you instantly connect with. That is exactly what happened when Soli met John for the very first time. From that day on, they were inseparable. It was clear, that their chance meeting had indeed been written in the stars. After two and a half years of dating , a romantic Valentine’s Day proposal sealed their fate, and soon after they began planning the day of their dreams. They wanted their wedding day to evoke feelings of true love, romance, and lot’s of fun with their family and friends. While living in Vienna, they chose to marry in a beautiful castle courtyard of Schloss Hotel Mailberg located just an hour outside of Vienna. This was an international affair as they had guests travel from various parts of the world to be with with them as they became husband and wife. The ever so talented Claire Morgan Photography and Marcus Sanders of Soda Films Europe captured their day beautifully.
Solmaz & John – Mailberg, Austria – Soda Films Europe from Soda Films on Vimeo.
Wedding Date: April 27, 2013
How did you two meet?
John and I met at “Wine Tasting Party” hosted by his American friends at their house. I was visiting a friend at that time in Vienna and she took me with her. Once stepped into the flat, the first person I spotted was John. We started talking immediately and I reckon there was that special something between us.
John was dating someone else at that time, but that ended the next day and we have been dating ever since, I moved to Vienna to live with John after 6 months. We got engaged after 2,5 years and the rest is history 😉
How did he propose?
John proposed on Valentines day 2012. That morning when we both woke up, he told me he will make this day very special. I didn’t know what he meant but it was special. Later that day John was really busy at work so we decided we will dine in, prepare a special meal together (we love doing that) and just enjoy some time at home with our two cats. I did offer to do the grocery shopping etc. But even though he was really busy he insisted to take care of it. In the evening once he got home after shopping he was carrying a big massive heart shaped box – no it was not for me, but it was a box full of cat goodies for our babies. That really touched me I have to say. So we opened a bottle of champagne, started preparing the dinner and afterwards I sat down to open the box for the kitties. While I was doing that, J came over took my hand, made me get up, fell on one knee (the whole room was shaking lol) and asked me to marry him. I was shocked, I screamed and laughed and hugged him….after a while he asked me if that means yes…..of course I said yes.
Tell me about your dresses!
Oh the DRESS!! I started looking for dresses pretty early, but there was nothing available I liked or if I tried the dresses I thought it wouldn’t suit me. So I was basically on a hunt for 5 or 6 months. I wanted to go for a more comfortable dress rather but I guess I oam real girl as when I saw finally my dress that day in October I instantly fell in love with it. It is to me a real wedding dress, puffy, tulle and a bit of glitz but not to much. It is an ENZOANI dress from the 2012 Collection (Glenda).
Since my dress was really heavy and I wasn’t sure if I would be comfortable in it all day I decided to check out a second dress for the reception later. I found that gorgeous 50’s style tulle dress from COAST Stores UK, which I instantly fell in love with and I purchased it.
What was your favorite moment of the day?
My favorite moments were the night before the wedding. WE all stayed at the castle and the bridal party as well as the family was there. We had dinner together a few drinks a great catch up. It was magical and I felt so blessed being surround by all these wonderful people that have come all the way from the UK, UAE, USA, Canada, France, Germany etc. just to be with us. My other ULTIMATE favorite moment was once I started slowly walking down the aisle. It was magical. I took my time and enjoyed seeing John smiling at me and being in tears. It was beautiful and I wished it had never ended.
John’s favorite moment was seeing me walking down the aisle. He said, the love and excitement he felt at that moment is not describable.
What was your vision for your wedding day?
Our Vision from our wedding day was a more elegant wedding, but with a hint of playful and romantic touch. But we wanted a party so, once the official bits were over we partied like 1999. 🙂
Were there any family or cultural traditions that you did on your wedding day?
As John is English and I am Iranian grown up in Austria, it was really hard to implement cultural traditions without boring the guests and without making things complicated. Therefore we decided to celebrate the way we want to. One thing we did was: J’s mum purchased my wedding shoes and before walking down the aisle she put them on me. This means she is welcoming me into her home and accepting as her daughter in law.
What was your favorite part of the planning process?
My favorite part of the planning was really everything. I love organizing events and shopping so these two things combined make me a happy girl!
Do you have any advice to other couples planning their day?
This is what everyone advices: Take your time with organizing that one special day, it’s for you and your partner and it should be exactly the way you imagine it to be. Also set a budget, but make sure you make space for a fantastic wedding photographer and videographer, your dress (incl. veil, shoes etc)…cause you are doing it only once and you should not regret not having one of those things.
Looking back, what was the best decision you made when planning your wedding day? Is there something you wish you had done differently?
The best decision was to hire Claire our wedding photographer and Markus our videographer. They have captured our day exactly the way It was, magical and fun. Looking at the pictures or watching the video shows exactly the emotions on that day and this is priceless.
Vendor Credits:
Photography – Claire Morgan // Venue – Schloss Hotel Mailberg // Videographer- Marcus Sanders from Sodafilms Europe // Hair & Makeup – Petra Gutenbrunner // Shoes- Kate Spade New York, Bourne UK and LK Bennett UK // Grooms Attire- Moss UK // Bridesmaids Dresses- Dorothy Perkins //Florals- Local // Music – The Express Train – led by Harold Taylor
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