Tell us a little about yourselves, what you do, what you love, what is unique about you and your relationship…
We met online in 2014…more or less by accident as I (Maria) didn’t really look for a relationship and never really activated my account which I had created out of a mood.
But Ingo kept coming back to my account again and again and I go notifications about it. I just could.not.see.his.details! as I didn’t pay for my account…So I rang up the dating website, explained that I am a poor student and I would like to test their services before paying for it… They gave me a 2 day trial. I messaged Ingo back (his message was so sweet!) and told him, that I was only on there for 2 days, that I don’t believe in online dating and that he should email me if he wants to get in touch. Well…he did, we met a week later and things were pretty clear right from the start…even though it has taken me about 2 months till I admitted we’re actually a couple…
We’re creative people (Photographer and car designer) who desperately love their dogs (Binowas with me before meeting Ingo and we got Lana, the bulldog, together…). We love being outdoors and exploring new places in our 4WD while camping.
We love being together and our shared trips are fuelling our relationship though we also love to spend time apart… Every year Maria spends about 3-4 months in Australia at least and we never feel like this is hard on our relationship. We trust each other deeply and value each other’s freedom and peace…
Tell us about your special day, was there a specific theme or style? Tell us a little about the setting, the styling and some of your favourite details…
The ceremony in Tassy was something very important for the two of us and in most ways it is our proper, true wedding day. We wanted to have this moment just for the two of us because we believe a wedding is something that happens between two lovers and therefore we wanted to give our vows to each other in a private ceremony.
We chose Tassie as Maria is very connected to Australia and on our first trip to Australia together we had an amazing time on Tassie and we always wanted to return to the Pumphouse. BUT despite wanting to give our vows in private we definitely wanted to throw a party for our friends, which is why we had a party in Tuscany, too! To make it feel a bit more like a wedding we created a ceremony for this one, too. We didn’t exchange vows, though… The Tuscany ceremony included parts of Merren’s amazing ceremony from Tassie and she even recorded the reading she did at Lake St Caire for us and sent it across, so we could play it at the Tuscan ceremony.
After the ceremony we basically had not schedule, apart from dinner…we just spent a lovely afternoon with our friends, had amazing food (all organic and locally sourced) and danced the night away….
Tell us about your main outfits:
Maria: My dress is made by elfenkleid, a little label operating in Austria and Germany. They produce fair and sustainable and I love their designs. I have worked for the girls a lot before and it kind of came natural to me to try their dresses for myself… And I fell in love with the dress which I had my first production for elfenkleid with 3 years ago… I combined it with boots as I am not a heel-girl anyway…I wanted to be able to move like I usually do and to not worry about being comfy. So Dr. Martens it was! Grey for Tassie and pink for Tuscany…
I was going to wear a second dress, made by Georgia Young in Melbourne but unfortunately Ingo had a pretty nasty accident before our wedding and I decided to be grown up and reasonable and to only wear one dress as the money was needed elsewhere 😉
Ingo: My outfit is completely by Herr von Eden, a fantastic and mad tailor from Hamburg, with a second branch in Berlin. They manage to have a very particular style that is reminiscent of the flamboyant 60s and 70s, but still manage to make you look fashionable and not dressed for the carnival.
What were some of the most memorable/unique moments from the day?
Ingo: For me it was seeing Maria coming down the aisle in Tuscany with our two dogs. Realising that this is my family and the most important beings in my life. I felt such deep love in that moment…
Maria: I guess the whole lot! The freedom and happiness we felt in Tassie, which made me really happy… And the happiness the party with all our friends in Tuscany made me feel. There are sooo many moments which I think back to and so many things I don’t want to forget and thankfully Oli was there to capture it all… How happy I was when Ingo saw me walking down the stairs in Tassie at our first look, the rain during our ceremony, how we had dinner at our room after the ceremony and photos had been taken and we warmed up with a long shower…
How amazing I bonded with my bridesmaids, the fun I had with Marion during the make-up session in Tuscany, seeing Ingo within all our friends when I walked down the isle, dancing in happiness at night, and having a whole 3 days with my love and our closest friends…the whole package we got was simply amazing and I am so grateful for the amazing human that’s sharing life with me and the dogs, Ingo you’re amazing!
Any advice for other couples planning to spend the rest of their lives together?
Do what you both really love, don’t listen to customary or tradition and get your dogs on it, too! Honestly: Do.Not.Listen.To.Traditions!! And invite only who matters to you and make the party last as long as possible.
Photography: Briars Atlas | Ceremony location: AUS, Tasmania, Lake St. Clair | Reception location: Pumphouse Point | Celebrant: Merren Wilkinson | Bride’s outfit: Elfenkleid |Groom’s outfit: Herr von Eden | Rings: Michaela Romer | Shoes: Bride- Dr Martens, Groom- Red Wing Shoes | Jewellery: Ingo designed and created a necklace with the dogs portraits on it for Maria, as well as Concrete Jungle | Make-up: Bride | Hair: Maria, Headpiece: the amazing Eliza from Primula Floral Styling | Flora: Eliza from Primula Floral Styling | Food/beverages/catering: Pumphouse Point
