Julia and Björn’s recent elegant rustic wedding at the Gasthof Grüner Wald was everything that is perfect about marriage celebrations in the German countryside. It was an ideal marriage (pun intended) of rural charm and big-city convenience. The bucolic setting gave the couple all the colorful best of what Mother Nature has to offer. The newlyweds got ready with views of verdant hills in the background. They exchanged their vows with a stunning blue sky above them. And they posed for gorgeous couples portraits with tall, late-summer cornstalks towering behind them. As you might imagine given the backdrop, the photos of their wedding were jaw-droppingly beautiful!
At the same time, the Gasthof Grüner Wald offered Julia and Björn all the elegance of a wedding venue in a major metropolitan area. The seating and decorations for their outdoor ceremony were as lovely as they were comfortable. The air-conditioned reception room was beautifully illuminated by the late-day sun. And the food and drinks were delicious!
Bridal Preparations for a Country Inn Wedding
Because Julia grew up in the same town where their venue is located, she chose to get ready for her wedding at her parents’ house. Their gorgeous home sits on a hill overlooking Alfeld, a quaint little town about an hour south of Hannover, Germany. The views from their balcony were absolutely stunning. They were an ideal background for a lovely series of bridal portraits before Julia left for the Gasthof Grüner Wald.
When we arrived, the bride and her sister were getting their hair and makeup done. We jumped right into the photography coverage and took some fun and creative pictures of that process. Afterwards, Julia’s two maids of honor arrived, and the bride-to-be spent some time chatting with them over a shared bottle of nonalcoholic champagne. The star of that part of the day, though, was Julia and Björn’s adorable beagle. We captured great images of him hanging around the food table hopefully and looking at Julia mournfully as she prepared to leave for her country inn wedding without him.
Fun and Games While Groom Gets Ready for German Countryside Wedding
Whereas Julia’s getting-ready process was a quiet time spent with good friends, her future husband’s was one big party. Which wasn’t surprising, given that one of the first activities we documented photographically was a trip to the grocery store to buy crates of beer!
Björn got prepped for their German countryside wedding at the venue itself. But as we said above, his getting-ready process wasn’t really about getting dressed. It was about having fun! Before getting into his suit, Björn played a really fun Northern German game with his groomsmen and friends. Said game involved hurling a tennis ball at a propane canister and then chugging a beer while the other team chased down the throw. Which sort of explains why they needed to hit the store to stock up on beer! As you can see, that resulted in a lot of fun, creative and action-packed photos.
Gorgeous and Charming Country Wedding Ceremony
Julia and Björn tied the knot in a simple and touching outdoor ceremony on the lovely lawn that sprawls behind the Gasthof Grüner Wald. With their few dozen guests sitting well apart from one another due to COVID restrictions, the wedding felt both large and intimate at the same time. Though the ceremony hit many of the typical beats of a German wedding — the officiant talking about the couple’s path to the altar, for example — the bride and groom found unique ways to make it personal. For instance, the guests lit sparklers partway through the proceedings. Additionally, the best men and maids of honor placed small gifts in a lovely wooden box that was sitting next to the couple. The photographic highlight of the ceremony, though, was the shot we captured with our drone of the newlyweds exiting as their guests gave them a round of applause.
After the ceremony and a round of family pictures, we took Julia and Björn off for their couples portraits. Neither we nor they could have asked for a better setting than the aforementioned cornfields just behind the location of the ceremony. The colors — the yellows of the corn, greens of the grass and blues of the sky — were absolutely spectacular and a perfect way to tell the story of their charming country wedding. They paled in comparison, however, with the beauty of Julia and Björn’s love for one another. The pair had an easy familiarity with each other that was a result of them having been together since high school. That comfort gave an extra layer of tenderness to the portraits we created of them.
Couple’s Portraits after the Wedding Ceremony at Gasthof Grüner Wald
More Fun and Games Before Julia and Björn’s Charming Country Inn Wedding Reception
Before the marriage celebrations moved indoors for the reception, the newlyweds participated in a few more games and fun German wedding traditions. After their portraits, Julia and Björn joined the groom’s friends in another round of the aforementioned tennis ball drinking game. We decided to be a little bolder this time. So we took pictures from just behind the propane tank of the ball flying at us. (Don’t worry! We got out of the way just in time!)
From there, the couple headed back to the Gasthof Grüner Wald’s main building for their charming country inn wedding reception. Before going in, though, they participated in two little more little games. The first was the cutting of a heart-shaped whole in a bed sheet. This is a staple of every German wedding. It is meant to be the first thing a newly married couple does as a team. We love the tradition, as it gives us a chance to create some beautiful and creative pictures!
As does the next customary rite that Julia and Björn observed. The newlyweds used a tandem saw to cut off the end of a log — another metaphor for the teamwork required to make a marriage work. We absolutely loved the images of those moments. Pictures of the couple laughing as clouds of sawdust filled the air will be unforgettable reminders of the fun they had.
A Last Bit of Laughter to Conclude an Elegant Rustic Wedding at Gasthof Grüner Wald
The reception, though largely low-key and understated, had similarly fun and memorable moments. The one we enjoyed the most was another game the couple’s friends designed for the amusement of all present. Julia and Björn had to stomp on balloons to collect the coins their friends had put inside. The catch? The bride had to wear fuzzy bear-foot slippers that kept sliding off the balloons. The good news was that her new husband could help her by holding the balloons in place. The bad news, though, was that the had to don matching bear-paw gloves that made gripping the rubber nearly impossible. As the DJ played carnival music, the couple gamely attempted to get the balloons open. Naturally, the crowd roared with laughter as the latter kept slipping away from them. Of course, the cheers that greeted their eventual success were just as loud!
Thank you so much, Julia and Björn, for entrusting your wedding photography to us! We value your trust and hope our photos did justice to your special day!
Vendor love:
Venue: Gasthof Grüner Wald
Second Photographers : Fred Ferschke | Sarah Wode
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________
Contact Us for More Information!
Interested in learning more about our services? Please visit our Wedding Photography FAQ page for answers to all your questions! Ready to inquire about our availability on your wedding date? Contact us now to get the conversation started!
Recent Comments