At Zankyou we love to hear all about real weddings that are different, unique, and beautifully customised to each couple’s personality. That’s why we want to share Elias and Sylvi’s magical garden party wedding with you. These creative individuals took a DIY approach to their special day, and it was SO worth it. Here are all the details and gorgeous photos from their lovely greenhouse wedding.
Their Story…
Elias and Sylvi had seen each other around school but never actually met until Elias’s graduation party back in 2003! The next day, Sylvi went to see Elias play in a concert. Since Elias is quite shy he asked his friend, Moritz, who Sylvi was, and it turns out Mortiz’s girlfriend was Sylvi’s best friend – so the two played cupid and introduced them there and then. They spoke for hours backstage, which was made awkward by Elias’s bandmate coming out with his guitar and playing snippets of love songs!
After exchanging numbers, Elias and Sylvi’s first date was slightly different to the usual drink or meal out. They met at Sylvis house where her whole family was there, so Elias met everyone (and it’s not a small family) on their very first date…
Since then, Elias and Sylvi have welcomed two beautiful children into the world, they had Oskar in 2013 and Kaspar in 2015. Elias surprised Sylvi by proposing at her birthday garden party in 2016, a theme that continued with their lovely wedding.
Choosing the location…
As creatives, Elias and Sylvi really wanted an outdoor wedding, but were worried about the weather. They found the perfect solution: a small greenhouse at a market garden. This enabled them to have the outdoor feeling, with plants and flowers, but with shelter from the prospect of rain. The couple were able to seat 120 guests in the greenhouse, and had full access to the outdoor area. They were then able to invite 30 extra people for the party afterwards. As the greenhouse isn’t normally a wedding venue, it meant that the couple had the freedom to do everything themselves, and the owner was very relaxed about the whole event and even joined them for a drink at the party!
The DIY effect…
The set up of Elias and Sylvi’s wedding couldn’t have been more unique. Sylvi prioritised the seating and interior because she wanted a more casual garden party than an elegant and classy wedding. So Sylvi’s sister, Sandi, and her husband, bought original 50s and 60s style chairs and oak tables, and painted them in pastel colours, the idea inspired them to even set up Pastello as an event supplier for chairs and tables!
The extra touches…
Sylvi and Elias were lucky to have a lot of help from family and friends, as well as being able to use their own creative skills. Elias works as a graphic designer, and so did all the graphic work himself, such as the invitations, the colouring images for the kids and the place names on tables. He silk-screen printed the coloured invitations on craft paper which looked great.
Sylvi planned the decoration herself, being inspired by vintage colours and old funfairs. One of Sylvia’s colleagues, Anna, hand-painted a circus photo wall, and another friend made balloon animals for the children. Other extras included a candy bar, a circus tent for the kids, and a chalkboard. The table presents were handmade craft mustard and BBQ sauce bottles by one of Elias’ clients, which they added personalised labels to, and surprise gift packs for the children with colouring pencils and pages on clipboards. Sylvi bought glass jars for the pretty flower arrangements of on the tables, which fit the garden/vintage theme perfectly.
The Photo Booth was also sourced from a friend, and Sylvi’s colleagues made circus props for that too. Elias built and programmed a fortune-teller box for some added fun!
The food…
One of the priorities for Elias was the food. The couple absolutely love BBQs and decided that this style of food also really suited their garden theme. They managed to find Muskat Catering, who do BBQ style food with Caribbean, South American and Mediterranean influences, a-carte-style. Instead of a sit down dessert, the couple decided to go more casual by ordering a food truck that sells crêpes (Crepes LeBroc), meaning guests could help themselves!
The beautiful wedding cake was made by Andrea, one of Sylvi’s best friends. The cake was a cream cheese, lemon biscuit pie (her grandma’s recipe) with a delicious pastel pearl topping.
The big day…
As with most weddings, the couple were nervous until the ceremony, which took place in a registry. The ceremony took place with music played by Sylvi’s brother, Flo, who is a professional musician. After all that emotion, they arrived to the garden in warm weather with their kids, family and friends to create more special memories and to enjoy themselves. At 2pm they arrived to the market with a champagne reception, coffee and cake, and then they ate dinner at 6pm. More people arrived at 8pm for the DJ and party, and danced the night away until 5am!
We wish Elias and Sylvi eternal happiness as newlyweds, and thank them for sharing their beautiful wedding photos with us!
Credits: Photographer: Katja Frames Weddings / Chairs and Tables: Pastello / Catering: Muskat Catering / Invitation Design and Silkscreen Printing: Stereo.Punkt / Photobooth: Selfomat / Music: The Caper and Fabian Kersher
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