Estera + Luka by Tamara Vidmar

My favourite idea — and probably the most humorous one — was the pigeons.

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

I studied fashion design and have been working as a stylist for the past eight years. Since Slovenia is quite small, my work is very diverse — I work on commercials, theatre productions, short and feature films, TV series, and fashion editorials. My husband has his own brand of Montessori toys for children. When we travel, I often help him with his work, especially video editing.

We both love travelling. Two years ago, we travelled for five months, and this year we spent six months travelling, mostly around Asia. We spent the most time in Indonesia, which has become one of our favourite places. In two weeks, we’re heading back to Asia again — first to Thailand and then to Indonesia, for 3 months.

Our favourite sport is surfing. Since there are no waves in Slovenia, we sometimes have to temporarily move to Indonesia to get some proper surfing in. When we’re not surfing, we love working out, eating good food, and exploring new places together. I also love vintage fashion — I enjoy hunting for unique pieces and reselling them. I’m passionate about interiors, too, especially beautiful objects and pieces with a story, often things we bring home from our travels.

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

We met at a private dormitory. His very first words to me were, “You’re a little bit older, huh?” I was 21. So, naturally, he got on my nerves the exact moment we met. My first thought was, “Who is this guy, and why is he dressed so badly?”

We ended up spending almost a year together as friends. But there was always something there—an energy we both seemed to feel, even if we never talked about it. We explored life together in all the little ways: trying different foods, going out for coffee and ice cream, going to parties, watching movies, and simply enjoying each other’s company. Everything was just friendship. Until it wasn’t.

One night, we went together to a particularly terrible rave. At some point, a girl tried to dance with him. He looked at me and loudly asked, “What does she think? Did I come here to find a wife?” Ironically, that night, he did.

What styling and visual elements worked best for you? (could be things, the florals, particular hire products or your marquee, etc., something the stylist created or simply just the scenic beauty of your location or the existing design of your venue).

I’m a stylist, so the entire visual concept for our wedding was my vision. Of course, my husband had a lot to say too — we worked on everything together, but he trusted me with the visual side. We didn’t have a wedding planner, florist, interior designer, stationery designer, or stylist. I did all of that myself. My dad even grew and dried flowers especially for our wedding, and one of my friends helped me make the bouquets the day before.

My favourite idea — and probably the most humorous one — was the pigeons. My husband’s last name is Golob (so is mine now), which means “pigeon” in Slovenian, so I always knew I wanted the JW Anderson pigeon bag to be part of our wedding. My nephew carried the rings in it, and the pigeon ended up popping up everywhere throughout the day. Then I came up with the idea of a pigeon-shaped wedding cake, which, quite unexpectedly, went viral and got over two million views on social media. I also designed the pigeon-themed drinks and gave the cocktails different pigeon-inspired names. Funny enough, when I was a kid, I always used to say that I would become a wedding planner — but first, I had to plan my own wedding. Now that I’ve finally done it and absolutely loved the process, maybe this should be my next project.

What did you enjoy most about the planning process, and do you have any tips for couples starting their wedding planning journey?

The most important thing is to listen to yourself. Let yourself be inspired by your partner and by who you are as a couple. Think about what feels like you and what speaks to you. Of course, it’s almost impossible not to look at trends — and it can be irresistible — but in the end, just be yourselves and pay attention to the details. They are what truly make a wedding feel personal.

For example, we created our menu around the food we genuinely love: Mediterranean with a little Japanese influence. Our caterer elevated the idea while keeping it simple — we didn’t want anything too fancy, just really good food that felt like us. We served natural wines because that’s what we usually drink, and Japanese highballs because we spent two months in Japan and loved our time there.

Our tablecloths were all vintage — I had been collecting them for a year and a half, because I just love vintage, and some even came from my aunt. We also had all the guests’ names handwritten by my maid of honour. And flowers grown by my father were everything to me. These little, meaningful details are what make a wedding feel truly yours and special.

Tell us about your vendors. Were there any standout suppliers you would like to make special mention of?

All of the above. I’m also lucky to work in production, so I know a lot of people in the industry. Most of the people who worked with us on our wedding day were, in one way or another, also our friends. That made the whole day feel even more intimate, warm, and cosy — almost like being surrounded by family.

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

Luka’s suit was custom-made by my former college professor, Petja Zorec. I chose the fabric together with Luka — it had to work with the pigeon bag — and I made a sketch of what we had in mind. We wanted something Japanese-inspired, with a kimono-like silhouette, wide trousers and a slightly retro feel. I also wanted a little heart cut-out on the back. Petja then developed the final design and made the pattern, and the seamstresses brought it all together beautifully. Luka found his shoes in ten minutes while sitting on the toilet. I, on the other hand, spent two months looking for mine. I always knew I wanted Dries Van Noten, but the style I had in mind was sold out. I spent probably a whole week scrolling through Vestiaire Collective before eventually finding them (another one) on MyTheresa — just 14 days before the wedding.

My wedding dress was a completely different story. Our venue changed quite late in the process. We originally wanted to have a church ceremony outdoors, but we found out two months before the wedding that this wasn’t possible in Slovenia. So we ended up having our civil ceremony at the venue instead. The priest agreed to it, and we were actually the first couple to get married there. Originally, we wanted to get married by the sea, on an island in Croatia. Then we fell in love with the idea of getting married next to the chapel at our venue. But I still wanted to have a church ceremony, too. My husband is an atheist, so we kept it very intimate — just the two of us and seven other people — and went to church in Ljubljana the following week. Afterwards, we all went for brunch. It was perfect. You can see some photos of that day as well, only analog ones, still waiting for digital ones. Because the location kept changing, the idea of my dress changed a few times, too. I knew I wanted to look feminine and grown-up, but not as girly as people are used to seeing me. And I definitely didn’t want to look costumey. Everyone was expecting some drama from me — and the drama did happen, just with the veil.

My friend, who is also a designer, made it for me. I told her what I wanted, chose the material, and she made it perfectly. Originally, I wanted my dress to be custom-made, but when the location changed, my whole idea changed with it. I was just browsing online one day when I came across Rat & Boa. I had never heard of the brand before, and it wasn’t anything particularly fancy, but I absolutely loved the dress I saw. So I took a chance and ordered it. When it arrived, I didn’t want to take it off. I eventually had to, because my fiancé needed to come home at some point. It was the very first dress I tried, and I loved it immediately. I still do. And with temperatures reaching 36°C that day, it turned out to be absolutely perfect.

Oh, and the earrings! One was made by Urškas (a one-person brand from Slovenia) using pearls redesigned from a vintage necklace. Another pearl came from the Tati brand (a one-person brand from Slovenia), and the third was a Simone Rocha pearl that I received as a wedding gift. I loved how they all came together in a slightly unexpected way. They worked perfectly with my fun Jacquemus mini balloon dress and pink Camper Cobra shoes — a little playful, a little weird, and very me.

Tell us about your wedding and engagement rings.

My engagement ring is the same colour as the sea on the Croatian island where we originally wanted to get married. We’ve been going to the same place for six years now — around ten times altogether. And, by the way, we’ve been together for ten years, haha. It’s also where we got engaged.

Luka caught a fish and a squid there with a lure, and we made a little picnic on the beach. We were eating fish with potato salad, olive oil, and way too much red onion and garlic. And the natural wine got bad, hah. I was sitting there in just my bikini bottoms when he proposed. It was such a simple, beautiful moment — and very us.

Our wedding rings were made by Nika Klinec. We chose two diamonds, each representing one of us. One is round, and the other is square. Both are set in white gold, and we wanted them to look like they belonged together. There were only four diamonds that looked similar enough, and two were more expensive than the other two. I told Luka he should take the more expensive ones. But when we saw them in person, the more expensive ones really did sparkle more. So, in the end, we both agreed that I should get the more expensive one.

What were one or two elements that were most important to you both that you were happy to spend a little more on? (food, photography, florals, the venue, your outfits?)

The outfits, definitely — because I love having the pigeon bag with me, haha. And, of course, the pigeon cake!

The flowers were also very special to me, because all of them were grown by my dad specifically for our wedding.

The food looked beautiful, but more importantly, it tasted really good. That was very important to us — we wanted everything to feel beautiful but still relaxed and enjoyable. I also loved how relaxed the venue felt while still being beautiful. We had a pizza night the evening before the wedding, which made everything feel very casual and cosy. We also spent a lot of time by the swimming pool — we even had our last dip at 6:30 on Sunday morning. Haha.

Those little, relaxed moments were just as special to me as the wedding itself.

Was there a favourite moment (or two) that you will treasure always?

We exchanged our vows privately the day before the wedding. It was such a beautiful and intimate moment. I felt incredibly connected to Luka and, at the same time, completely calm. It was just the two of us, and it made the whole wedding feel even more meaningful.

On the wedding day, I had a first look with my family. <3 My mum, dad, brother, sister, nieces and nephews were all there, and they walked me down the aisle together to our song, Right Down the Line. It was one of those moments I’ll never forget. My sister also gave a speech that somehow made me laugh and cry at the same time.

Another unforgettable moment was when my family sang for us. There’s a Slovenian song called Teta Estera, which means “Aunt Estera,” and they rewrote the lyrics to be about Luka and me. Then all of our friends joined in and started singing along. It was spontaneous, personal, and probably one of the sweetest moments of the whole day. <3

And then, a week later, we had our church wedding in Ljubljana. My 91-year-old grandmother, who has lost both of her legs, was there too — sitting right beside me. Having her there for that moment meant more to me than I can put into words.

What does being married mean to you, and are there any special rituals you have that you would like to share?

I guess it means we’re officially true adults now. 😛 Everything feels a little more serious, but at the same time, nothing has really changed — we’re still very much us. I do, however, love saying “my husband,” and I have to admit, I really enjoy being a wifey. Haha. There aren’t any big rituals or dramatic changes for us. It’s more about knowing that we’ve chosen each other and getting to continue doing life together, just with a new title. Still travelling, still surfing, still eating local food on plastic chairs in Indonesia, still exploring the world, and, most importantly, still trying to enjoy life together.