Beverly + Gregor by Sun Soul Photo - Together Journal

The wedding was a nature-filled sunbeam of a weekend, a time capsule of warmth for our future.

Tell us a little about yourselves, what you do, what you love…

We’re an unlikely duo of two worlds colliding but somehow found home in one other. Beverly moved to Berlin on a whim and, six months later, met Gregor. That was 8 years ago. Since then, we’ve built a life together in Berlin, enjoying weekend strolls, park hangs with friends, afternoon Kaffee & Kuchen (coffee & cake, a German phenomenon), and lively game nights. Beverly is from the San Francisco area and works in a nonprofit, while Gregor is from northwest Germany, working in film. Life together is sometimes intense, sometimes joyful, yet all the time feels like the right place to be.

How/where/when did you meet – and what were your first impressions?

We met on a chilly spring night in a quintessentially Berlin way: queuing for a party under moonlight. At some point, Beverly, who was there with a friend, snuck out of line to assess the queue length. That’s when Gregor spotted her. As Beverly slunk back to her spot in the line, Gregor, as luck would have it, realized he knew Beverly’s friend. He seized the moment to connect, and the rest is history. Here we are years later, two homebodies – Beverly more so than Gregor if we’re honest – thankful for the moonlight, the queue and our friend.

When did you first realise that this was someone you’d like to spend the rest of your life with?

It’s in the mosaic of experiences, stacked over years, that we knew this was it. It was the summer nights on the rooftop, with Gregor’s guitar tunes; the sun-soaked days at the lake eating peaches and reading Murakami; the weekends spent covering our walls with post-its workshopping our lives; and the spirited banter we bring to each evening of brushing teeth. Each of these mundane, everyday moments confirms our togetherness.

Was there a proposal? Tell us a little about it…

Beverly’s birthday and our anniversary share a similar date. To commemorate both, Gregor told Beverly he was taking her on a surprise trip. With ear plugs and eye covers to conceal the destination, Gregor managed to bring Beverly to Santorini, Greece. The first few days were spent in an unassuming, deserted part of the island, but one morning, Gregor turned to Beverly during breakfast and said, “This place kinda sucks, don’t you think? Let’s get out of here.” And off we drove. It felt like the clouds parted, and suddenly, we were in Oia, a majestic cliffside town known for its white stone architecture. Never one for the ordinary, we stayed in a windmill overlooking the sea, both of which – wind and water – have significance to us. After dinner, as the sun was setting, Gregor intently sat Beverly down and shared an elaborate, symbolic, and sweet proposal.

Tell us about the vision you had for the mood or style of your wedding.

The wedding took place in the German countryside during the summer solstice – the longest day of the year. Central to the wedding was our desire to honour our loved ones and ourselves. To do this, we invited our closest friends and family to a weekend in nature, where we paid homage to our favourite pastimes. Friends and family shared offerings of games – mahjong and musical chairs, yoga, music and stories. People swam in the lake nearby, went on walks through the poppy fields, and sat together chatting into the night – it felt like a sleep-away camp, and the mosquitos and lack of cell service accentuated that. The wedding was a nature-filled sunbeam of a weekend, a time capsule of warmth for our future.

What was one element you were happy to splurge on?

We designed the wedding weekend around ease and accessibility. It was important to us that everyone travelling to celebrate was able to participate. We chose and paid for a venue that allowed our 80 guests to sleep in, with hopes that our loved ones – near and far, with and without young children – would feel comfortable and able to enjoy the time together. Because accessibility was important, we also organized car shares amongst our guests and served entirely vegetarian/vegan food throughout the weekend.

Did anything happen on your wedding day that you laugh about in hindsight (even if it was stressful at the time)?

Just as the party was getting started, Beverly’s father, Henry – normally a quiet, observant person – pulled out a large bottle of whiskey and an equally large bag of chips and proceeded to spend the evening bopping around, offering both in equal measure to every willing recipient. The story of Henry’s famous whiskey and chips has since become folklore for Gregor’s extended family.

Tell us about your main outfits, what was unique, is there a story?

Both of us wanted to feel like ourselves. Gregor wore a mid-brown suit with an open silk top. He completed the look with his everyday gold necklace – an heirloom from Beverly’s grandmother – and a matching gold hoop earring. Beverly’s dress is a Georgia Young Couture gown with the most ethereal, textured organza silk fabric. Once she discovered organza, there was no looking back – she knew she wanted a dress made of organza and loved the airy and whimsical feel of the material. Beverly paired the dress with a chapel-length silk veil and custom gloves made of the same organza as the dress.