[Countdown Bride and Groom] Interview with Jill & Sarah

Today we would like to introduce you to Jill & Sarah. We asked them a variety of questions about marriage and today we want to give you an insight into the planning, wedding preparations and Jill and Sarah's wonderful celebration.

Characteristics:

Met (where) : online dating

Together since: May 2020

Engaged since: October 2020

Married in/on: May 2022

Location: Barn / Mill

Number of guests: approx. 40

Wedding in 3 words: relaxed crazy easy

As a couple, you naturally think about marriage at some point. When did you realize that it was important to you to officially seal your relationship?

Sarah: Phew, I don't know if we're even allowed to tell you that. Some would say that after only 3 months it's too early to talk about this topic. But what can we say, after our first holiday together, after 3 months of being together, we started choosing engagement rings. So the desire for a future together was discussed for the first time on holiday, while we were sitting comfortably on the beach and just knew that it was a good fit.

Now it's time to get down to business: Wedding planning is an intensive task! Is this what you imagined it would be?

Jill: Since we started planning well in advance, it went exactly as we had imagined. It was very time-consuming, especially because we wanted to do a lot of things ourselves. A certain vintage/boho style was very important to me, so I even organized my own tableware. Originally I also wanted to organize chairs in different styles myself and bring them to the location, but I completely underestimated the time it would take, so I had to abandon this idea.

What surprised you most about what ended up on your to-do list?

Sarah: At the beginning of the planning, it was very important to me that our dogs could accompany us to our wedding. In the meantime, however, I had to put my dream on hold for various reasons. So I didn't expect that one week before the wedding, the to-do list would include having to buy our little blind dog a "ring pillow" so that she could be part of the ceremony.

Jill: Although we had decided to get our wedding rings tattooed, we wanted to give each other our engagement rings again as a symbolic act. What I didn't expect was that Sarah had lost hers just before the wedding. Instead of wasting time looking for one, I decided to buy her a replacement. Although it didn't turn out to be much easier to find the same one again. But in the end, everything worked out.

Planning a wedding like this is definitely a challenge. Did you choose a motto or decoration theme that required attention to many small details?

Jill: We had bought a house shortly before, or perhaps better said, in parallel to the wedding planning. When we were decorating it, we discovered our great love for the boho style and fell in love with dried flowers and pampas grass. It was clear to us that we had to have them at our wedding, because that's who we are. It was irrelevant to us that some people see dried flowers as autumn decorations, and we also found them to be ideal wedding decorations in spring.

What was your favorite inspiration for your wedding?

Sarah: Our house and our interior design preferences were the basis for the idea. Based on that, we naturally looked for inspiration on Pinterest and the like. But we are both very creative and we had no shortage of ideas. In the end, we even had too many ideas that we couldn't implement all of them.

Speaking of beautiful things for the wedding, how did you choose your wedding outfit? Who wore what?

Sarah : It was actually very difficult for me at the beginning because I normally never wear dresses. When I was looking for a suit or jumpsuit, I was very frustrated because there was no choice or range in these areas and all the shops only focused on wedding dresses. Then, by chance, I discovered a summer dress in a shopping center and I simply fell in love with it. I never expected it to be a dress.

Was buying your wedding outfit exciting? After all, you're choosing the item of clothing for the most beautiful day of your life? Who went with you?

Jill: My mother, grandmother, maid of honour and a good friend accompanied me. It was exciting, but TV and the like make you think of things more romantically than I did. I missed the champagne and the cliché/kitsch that went with it. So I wouldn't recommend this shop. However, it was very difficult to find the long sleeves I wanted. So I had to find out in detail beforehand which shop even had a suitable selection and that's why I chose this one.

Was there really that famous moment when you just know or feel that it is the right thing?

Sarah: Yes, definitely. It was love at first sight when it was hanging on the hanger and only the sleeve was visible. I couldn't believe that I actually liked a dress.

Jill: I also knew straight away that it would be this one. But I have to admit that these prices can dampen the joy a little. At least for a frugal person. After all, you usually only wear this dress once. So I had to think about it again.

What was your wedding date like? Does the date have any significance? How did you prepare for your wedding?

Sarah: Jill is very bad at remembering dates and therefore wanted our anniversary as the wedding date.

How long did it take you to find your location?

Jill: It actually happened pretty quickly. I asked in a Facebook group about an event barn. They gave me three addresses. One of them was unavailable and of the other two only one was suitable for us. So the whole thing happened pretty quickly.

Were any of you a typical bridezilla? That can happen quickly when you're busy preparing for a wedding. ;)

Jill: As a trained photographer, I have already met a few bridezillas. For me, the most important thing was not to become one :D We just always said to each other: "No matter what goes wrong, the day will be beautiful!" and that's how it was. I was just a little worried that others would see me/us like that, as we had very clear ideas about the guests' outfits. But I think everyone understood the desire for perfect pictures.

What helped you approach wedding planning in a more relaxed manner?

Sarah & Jill: Alcohol XD

Who particularly supported you in your preparations? Do you need someone to talk to while you are planning?

Jill: Oh yes, it is really important to be able to exchange ideas during the planning and to incorporate other people's experiences. The most important person was Sarah's mom, who also gave the wedding speech during our non-denominational wedding ceremony.

What role did the witnesses play in your wedding?

Sarah: We had everything under control so well that we didn’t have to/want to involve her too

Wedding planning is often about choosing something. What was the most difficult thing for you to choose? Did you always agree? What was the biggest compromise?

Sarah: The most difficult issue was whether our dogs should accompany us or not. I was very much in favor of it, but Jill had some reservations. The compromise was that at least one of our two dogs could accompany us and would be brought home again during the course of the evening. We quickly came to an agreement on the other issues.

How did you go about choosing your guests? How did you decide who to invite and who would be able to celebrate your big day with you?

Jill: We limited the guests to people we are close to. Inviting distant relatives with whom we would never have contact just for the wedding was not what we had in mind

What was the best surprise on your wedding day?

Sarah: My former soccer coach came by with his wife as a surprise to congratulate me. I wasn't expecting that and was therefore even happier.

Jill: For me, the best surprise was the log sawing, which was lovingly prepared by my brother-in-law and father-in-law.

Were there any big discussions about what name you would take after the wedding? How was it for you?

Jill: No, it was always clear to me that I wanted to drop my name.

You have to be prepared for a lot of paperwork after the wedding. How much thought did you put into this beforehand?

Jill: As we are, we didn't really think about it. What has to be done, has to be done :D

Where did you go on your honeymoon? Or are you leaving later?

Sarah: We rented a tepee tent by a lake in Schleswig-Holstein. We just enjoyed the peace and quiet there and did nothing for 4 days. After all that planning and preparation, it was really good to relax.

What happened and what happens next for you after the wedding?

Sarah: The most fundamental change is that we can now initiate the stepchild adoption of our son, so that we will both be on his birth certificate at some point. After all, we all have the same last name now. All in all, things are going on as before, working on our house, enjoying our animals and looking forward to our future together.

What is actually different about a rainbow wedding?

Jill: Of course it's much cooler XD Jokes aside, it always depends on the people getting married, less on whether it's a rainbow wedding or not. It was important to us that everything was informal and relaxed and that we all just had fun. What's striking is that there are hardly any pre-made MRS & MRS or bride & bride decorations, it will probably be similar with MR & Mr. It's also pretty difficult to get hold of appropriate memory or photo albums. I had to declare my search for a rainbow wedding planner a failure and resort to a "normal" one.

It would probably be a bigger challenge if you wanted to have a church wedding. I imagine it would be very difficult to find a church that would agree to the wedding. We are planning a baptism soon and I don't really feel comfortable asking the appropriate churches yet.

Do you have any final tips for brides-to-be?

Sarah: Take the pressure off yourself and just relax. Everyone will still have fun and enjoy the day even if the decorations aren't 100% what you expected or it rains.

Jill: I can only agree with that.

What else would you like to tell us about your wedding (preparations)?

Sarah: We can only recommend a bouncy castle to everyone. Even though we as the bride and groom were less into it than we had hoped, it was the highlight. It meant that our wedding wasn't a boring experience for the little guests either.

Photographer: JUSTYNALEUCHERT

https://www.instagram.com/lensromance/