[Countdown bride and groom] Interview with Mirko & Sophie

And once again we had the honor of speaking to a future bride and groom who are currently planning their wedding. Mirko wrote to us and confessed that as a groom he was totally infected by his fiancée's wedding vibes. We asked him and his wife Sophie about the topic of weddings. Together they gave us exciting insights into the behind-the-scenes planning process.

This year's two engaged couples plan to get married next summer. They first met over two years ago at a big pop music festival. At the beginning of the year, Mirko wanted to surprise his sweetheart with a classic proposal. But it wasn't so easy, because he couldn't carry out his secret preparations so easily: Sophie didn't go out as agreed! So Mirko - the man himself - simply asked for her hand in marriage. So emotionally moved, Sophie didn't even have eyes for the engagement ring at first, but only for her future husband! Next year, the two will celebrate their future together with their guests with a beautiful summer wedding.

Read what it's like for Mirko and Sophie to organize their dream wedding and how they approach the planning together as a future married couple.

How difficult was it for you to find a location in the summer? It's not always easy, is it?

Mirko: We looked at several locations. The second location was already on our shortlist and became our favorite. We then simply asked for a free date. Although we were relatively early, several days were already booked. But since we were never set on a specific date, the date crystallized in consultation with the location. But we wanted to get married in the summer. I think the mood is simply better then.

Sophie: We didn't really want to get married in the heat of summer, though. In a summer like this year, you're bound to sweat a lot in a long dress. That's why June was a good time for us. We're hoping the weather will be good, but it might not be over 30°C.

Your wedding location leaves open the option of having the wedding outside. Was that important to you?

Mirko: We are not getting married in a church, we have organized a non-denominational wedding. This means that we have the option of holding the ceremony outside. That was very important to us. If the weather isn't great, we can of course move inside or cover the outside area with large umbrellas. The aim is definitely for the ceremony to take place outside.

Many couples want to have an outdoor wedding. What makes this so special? Many couples dream of a ceremony in nature.

Sophie: In summer, so much of life takes place outside. I think the idea of ​​getting everything ready and decorated in the garden of the venue is quite romantic. After the ceremony, you can continue with the champagne reception there while we take a few photos. And you can also move indoors at some point for the party. That way you have a bit of variety.

How long did it take you to find your location?

Mirko: It actually went pretty quickly. We looked at around 15 places and then decided on the second one, which we reserved straight away. It took a month in total. If you take care of it early, you can take a lot of the pressure off.

Sophie: We were also relaxed, of course, because we weren't tied to a date. The location was important to us and we went by that. But we noticed that popular locations were already pretty fully booked, even so far in advance.

How did you come up with your Modern Vintage theme when it came to decoration?

Sophie: Vintage is basically my style. I like to wear clothes with lace and our apartment is decorated in a way that combines older and more modern things. We also use a lot of pastel colors. That's what defines me. Mirko has adapted a little bit.

Mirko: I'm holding back a bit. (laughs)

Sophie: And for the wedding, it was important to me that lace was definitely included. As far as I was concerned, everything would have been white and pink. So that Mirko would feel comfortable with it, we said that we would combine the two colors with gray and create a mixture of modern and vintage. That also suits the location well.

Mirko: Of course we're both getting married, but for women the decoration theme is still a little more special than for men. If she's so happy, then she should be happy with it. There are also certain limits. But people are happy to agree to a lot of things.

How should we imagine this? Did you discuss it a lot when planning?

Sophie: It was actually a smooth transition. I started planning the wedding straight after the proposal and picked out inspiring photos. I showed them to Mirko and asked him what he thought of them. He was very reserved and kept asking me how I wanted it. From that point on I just tried to choose something that I thought Mirko would like too. So far it's worked really well.

Is this the least stressful way for you?

Sophie: Yes, definitely. I plan a lot with my girls and my mother. But it doesn't really get stressful. With Mirko, there are no arguments at all.

Mirko: We were also relatively early and had already decided on the important things, such as location, photographer, DJ, wedding singer and freelance speaker.

Sophie: Let’s see what it’s like shortly before!

Mirko: It will definitely happen. But right now it's still very limited. That's really the advantage of starting early enough.

You both seem very relaxed. Are you really not worried that things will get a bit hotter as the wedding approaches?

Mirko: Not me personally, I have to say.

Sophie: I know that I have set myself a few tasks in the last week before the wedding, which some people have already said will be quite stressful. I am actually still relaxed now, but there will probably still be a lot of work towards the end. That definitely has something to do with my perfectionism. I have a hard time handing over tasks and prefer to do everything myself. If that is the case, you obviously have to organize your time well.

Sophie, does the exchange with your girls and your mom help you with your wedding planning?

Sophie: Yes, definitely. Besides Mirko, my mother is of course particularly supportive. She is totally into the wedding planning and supports us a lot, as is my maid of honour. Weddings are a big deal for us and they are very motivated to take everything off my hands. It is definitely nice to see that you get support and that they get involved like that.

Mirko: The closer the date comes, the more we need everyone’s help.

Is there anything you do together to get some relaxation from wedding planning?

Mirko: Yes, vacation is a big topic. On vacation you can relax perfectly and get away from everything.

Sophie: We also like to just go away together and have a comfortable long weekend. Even when we're on vacation, we like to talk about the wedding and plan it.

Mirko: It's just somehow already there. It's a lot of fun to talk about it.

Sophie: I live the wedding! (laughs)

Do you actually differ in how you, as future bride and groom, deal with wedding planning?

Mirko: I am definitely the rational type.

Sophie: Yes, I'm quite impulsive. I look at wedding-related ideas during the day and then present them to Mirko in the evening. It happens so often that I show him what I've bought. Mirko is then the one who asks again and says: "Do we really need this?".

Mirko: We complement each other very well.

Sophie: Otherwise I would definitely fill our entire apartment with wedding stuff. And then we'd be poor! (laughs)

You really are tempted everywhere! What are your biggest sources of inspiration?

Sophie: I look at a lot of photos on Pinterest in particular. There you are given suggestions for pictures that match what you have already looked at and that you can get inspiration from. But you also get a lot of new ideas from Mirko's Instagram account. In the evening I can go on his phone and look at it. He follows so many people there who in turn have so many great ideas.

Mirko: You always see something new that you haven't discovered before. That way you get new ideas and think about how you can adopt it or adapt it and use it for your own wedding.

Mirko, how did you come to create an Instagram account about weddings? Was it important to you to be a voice for the grooms?

Mirko: There are a lot of brides on Instagram. The idea came about on a whim while we were on vacation. We were talking about social media and the like with friends. The topic really interested me because I noticed that there aren't really many grooms who talk about their experiences with weddings from their perspective. That's how the idea for the account came about. I don't know if many grooms are actually looking for the exchange. But bringing a different perspective into play might help the brides too.

Sophie: It's also exciting for me to follow what's happening as a follower. Of course, I often see his posts in advance, but it's Mirko's own project. Reading the comments under the posts is really very interesting.

Mirko: It's just fun. The wedding community is super pleasant and friendly. Getting married is definitely a feel-good topic that is always present.

There are some people who continue to post about this topic even after their wedding. Can you imagine that, Mirko?

Mirko: Yes, I can definitely imagine that. Maybe it will be renamed “How a man starts a family” or something like that. There are lots of possibilities for what happens after the wedding and what you can report on. That's why the account definitely has the potential to be continued after the wedding.

Mirko, you wrote on Instagram that, contrary to expectations, you are enjoying the wedding preparations. Do you have the feeling that as a man you don't think about the topic that much beforehand?

Mirko: I would say that as a man you don't really think about it until the topic comes up at some point. Until then you tend to underestimate everything that goes into planning.

Sophie: I definitely started writing a to-do list straight away and Mirko was very surprised that it was four pages long. He was amazed at the little things you might not think of at first.

Do you think it's important to make a to-do list, Sophie?

Sophie: For me it definitely is. You have so much to do over a year and so many appointments that a list can help you see what you've already accomplished. It lets you tick things off and see what you still need to do next. I think it definitely takes the stress out of wedding planning.

Mirko: That way you don't lose sight of anything important. Unless you forgot to write it on the list beforehand. (laughs)

What surprised you most that made it onto the list, Mirko?

Mirko: I think we want to hire a singer for our wedding, I would never have thought of that. Or to think about how the guests will get home after the wedding. But we will organize something for our guests.

You agreed on a guest count of around 70 people. How difficult was it to make your selection?

Mirko: Setting the framework was a bit more difficult and didn't happen overnight. It is definitely a process. It's best to use a list to help you. You should ask yourself who you definitely want to have there and who might still be on the shortlist. Do I still have a lot to do with that person? After thinking about it for a while, it settled on around 70 guests.

Sophie: But it's also true that we both have a small family. So it was important to us to have only our closest family members with us on the big day and then invite more friends. They make up the majority of our guests - just over half, in fact. If you have a large circle of friends, it's natural that you can't invite everyone. Even though some people ask how the wedding preparations are going, it's worth mentioning that unfortunately you can't invite that many guests. I think people understand if you decide to get married in a small circle.

What about your wedding outfits? Did you coordinate them?

Mirko: Of course, it doesn't happen completely blindly. I've already looked around a bit and made a small selection, but I haven't set out yet. Sophie is a bit further ahead in that regard.

Sophie: It was clear to me from the start what the dress should have. To be honest, that made it a little difficult to find something that met all of the requirements. But I also think it's important that the bride and groom fit well together. That's why I always take a look at what Mirko is choosing and then give advice on what works and what doesn't. But I don't see the final outfit until the wedding day itself. Mirko's best man will also get a fabric sample so he can check that everything fits together. This is a big responsibility for him.

What role do the witnesses play in your wedding?

Sophie: In my case, my girls help me with a lot of the planning. I have a maid of honour and two bridesmaids who do everything together as a team. I put a lot of emphasis on that. So far, they have definitely taken on more tasks than the men.

Mirko: Actually, not much has happened with us so far, but there is still some time for that.

Sophie: But Mirko’s trio – his best man and two other friends – are definitely highly motivated!

Mirko: They also have a bit of experience, because two of them are already married. That's why it works very well.

How exactly does the anticipation of your wedding feel for you?

Mirko: There are definitely moments when you think about your wedding day and are really looking forward to it.

Sophie: Sometimes I get very excited and I already have certain scenes in mind. Even when I hear a song that we want to include in the wedding reception, I imagine in which situation it could be played. I am already so emotional that I don't even want to know what it will be like when the time comes.

What’s next for you after the wedding project?

Sophie: Of course, it's not really planned, but we're already moving towards starting a family.

Mirko: We want to take the next step together.

Do you feel like it is expected of you?

Mirko: For many it is perhaps 'the logical consequence' and many of our friends are married and have children, but we do not allow ourselves to be pressured and go our own way.

Sophie: Although I think most people expect us to tackle this after the wedding.

Do you have any tips for excited couples who are still at the beginning of their wedding planning?

Mirko: I would definitely recommend that couples write a list. It helps a lot. (laughs)

Sophie: And you should just talk together about everything that's coming up next. Then you can look forward to it together.

Mirko: It's best not to put anything off. For example, if you have an idea for a location, you should look at it straight away and consider whether it's even an option. That way you save valuable energy. And another very important tip for the brides: get your husbands more involved if you don't already!