Amalie & Peter's wedding
Where did you meet each other?
We met when we were both studying in Aalborg, Peter was a Building Constructor and Amalie studied Business Economics. We were neighbors, Peter lived with 3 boys and Amalie with 2 girls. We had barbecue evenings and parties, and one day in town we ended up kissing in the middle of the dance floor – we have been together ever since.
We met in 2014, moved in together in 2015, engaged in 2016, married in 2018 (1.5 years engagement), in 2019 we had our son.
How did he propose to you?
Peter proposed at home in our kitchen while we were having breakfast that Peter had picked up from the bakery. Amalie had previously been on a canoe trip with her father, brother, cousins, and their fathers for a week in the forests of Sweden without a phone (annual tradition). We came home on Saturday and Sunday morning Peter proposed while Amalie was sitting and having breakfast and watching Gilmore Girls – Peter was down on one knee and said, "I love you just the way you are, will you marry me?" Amalie jumped down from the chair and said yes, yes, yes!
Which Karim Design dress did you choose and how did you know it was the right wedding dress?
The name of the wedding dress: Emerald. A-line wedding dress in silk with pockets. It had three-quarter sleeves sewn on and a little up the back – still with a deep back.
I was out with my mother trying on dresses, had looked at quite a few online (including this one from Karim), had a good idea of what I wanted, but wanted to try a lot of different models to be sure.
I tried many different styles at 2 different bridal shops – that tailored wedding dresses. I almost chose one from another store but told my mother that I had to go down to Karim and try this dress I had seen online (Which I am super glad I did!).
We hadn't booked an appointment but went down and asked if I could try it (and others), was sold immediately and the other dress was forgotten. I just knew this was my wedding dress! We decided I would go home and think about it and booked an appointment for me to come and try it again.
Next time I had my two bridesmaids with me. I tried on many dresses again but was in no doubt about which one I wanted. The dress had everything I had dreamed of and more: I wanted one without embroidery, flowers, etc., it should preferably be in silk and simple and elegant, I wanted ¾ sleeves.
We had a really good process at Karim and received help from Hesam, with whom we had good chemistry. My wishes were listened to, and I received really good help and guidance on the things I didn't know anything about – really good professional guidance. It was just nice to feel welcome and in good hands when choosing your wedding dress.
Later, my future husband also chose to go down there and have his chaquet tailored. He also thought there was really good and professional guidance
Describe your wedding day look ...
Elegant, classic, and personal.
My makeup and hair were kept tight and neutral, I also chose a French manicure for my nails. This made the dress and jewelry shine (and myself of course)
The dress was made of a kind of silk, simple but elegant, and with sleeves, it was large and had a small train
My tiara was from Trollbeads (https://www.trollbeads.com/da-dk), I had long been collecting beads for it, and all guests were represented in some way in the tiara, either because they had given me a bead as a gift (I graduated the year before and had two birthdays where I wished for troll beads for my tiara as gifts), or by a bead representing a memory, including a bead called engagement (I received it when we got engaged) and a P for Peter. The tiara also consisted of a bead I had borrowed from my mother.
As something old, I had an embroidered handkerchief from my great-grandmother
The new was the dress
The blue was my garter – also from Karimdesign
The shoes were from Christian Louboutin in Nude and patent – (received as a gift since an old wedding tradition says that you shouldn't buy your own shoes)
I wore pearl earrings that matched the pearls in the tiara, the earrings were bought in Sweden
How did you feel in your dress on your wedding day?
I felt very beautiful, elegant, and very comfortable. Even though it was a big dress, it fit just right, which made it not feel heavy or uncomfortable to wear.
Where did you get married? Tell us about where it took place - and about the style and atmosphere on your wedding day.
We got married at Gørdinglund Manor near Esbjerg. Peter is from Northern Jutland and Amalie from Zealand, and we wanted everyone to have the opportunity to stay overnight and be able to drive home if they wanted (everyone stayed on-site or nearby). We wanted a key house where we could handle all the decoration, cooking, etc., but we chose serving staff who knew the place. We rented the entire manor and B&B from Thursday to Sunday. We made a big effort so that no guests or we needed to move on the day.
We held a multi-day manor house wedding with overnight stays and brunch, where everything was personally selected and personalized.
On Thursday, we were 10 people
On Friday, we were 25 people
On Saturday for the wedding, we were 85 people, invited 94 people.
On Sunday for brunch and gift unpacking, we were 85 people.
Thursday and Friday were spent on decorating, cooking, and relaxing. We had ordered fresh bread from the little bakery every day (http://denlillebageribramming.dkOn Friday evening, we had a really cozy dinner with good food and wine.
On Saturday morning, Amalie was in the bridal chamber with her 2 bridesmaids, mother, and father. The hairdresser came and styled the hair and did makeup for the bride, the bride's mother, and the bridesmaids. The atmosphere was tense but also relaxed. I (the bride) remember my legs shaking so much when I had to put on my shoes just before it was time to walk down.
Saturday
Ceremony at 1:00 PM
The bride enters – everyone stands up
Music (Love playlist) playing on the sound system
Welcome by Charlotte (the bride's mother)
“All of me” – John Legend played by ElPrimo
Wedding ceremony
“It is so lovely to walk together” - first verse sung by Knud, verses two and three by everyone
Charlotte (the bride's mother) speech
“Your song” by Elton John played by ElPrimo
Closing by Charlotte
Out march – people throw the red rose petals
We got married on-site, a place we had decorated ourselves, with swaying lights and tulle, it was a civil ceremony. We had hired a saxophone quartet ElPrimo to play for the ceremony, in addition, Knud (Peter's stepfather) sang the first verse of "It is so lovely to walk together." Charlotte (the bride's mother) was the master of ceremonies and was responsible for the welcome, etc. She also gave a wedding speech. The ceremony was conducted by a fantastic employee from Esbjerg municipality. It was a very intimate, personal, and successful ceremony where we had chosen all the details and participants ourselves. We had Peter's father film the entire ceremony and the speeches for dinner, so fantastic to have that afterwards.
Throwing rice on the front steps
Welcome by Amalie and Peter
Wedding cake and snacks
The reception was held in the old manor where we also had homemade wedding cake, in addition to homemade sandwiches and champagne. We had the opportunity and time to talk to people and welcome them warmly.
Bride and groom out taking pictures from 3 PM
Guests changing clothes, relaxing, finding their sleeping arrangements
Afterwards, there was a break where the bride and groom went out to take pictures (on-site) and the guests could change clothes and relax.
4:30 PM Welcome
Royal picture
Portrait photography of all guests
We loved that portrait photos were taken of all the guests, as you can't remember on the day how much everyone had put into it, but you can clearly see it afterwards. Many also updated their family photos. We had pictures taken in front of the large main entrance to the manor. We had selected a great helper to ensure everyone got their photos taken according to a list.
We had a fantastic toastmaster who managed the dinner and all the contributions (16 in total) excellently. We finished eating at 11:45 PM and just managed to dance the bridal waltz before midnight.
Peter and I both gave speeches to each other, in addition we had made our own waltz to our song "I'll Follow You" by Shinedown. We had taken dance lessons for a year and created our own choreography. – Without knowing, people thought we had started our wedding dance and began to clap us in – but they quickly realized that was not the plan. We danced under all the swaying lights under which we were also married – very beautiful!
Table setting: we made light boxes as menus and wine info, there were also pictures of us from our many experiences together. We had made small leaf bowls, roses, and oak leaves as table decorations, table cards were a stone from the North Sea with names.
Around 11:00 PM - Party
Dance floor
Drinks
Coffee/tea and cake
The dance floor was well used and was under the swaying lights; in addition, we had arranged for coffee/tea/drinks and a bar in a separate room where people could talk. Many went to bed just before brunch, and some never went to bed. It was a great party, and everyone enjoyed it. For late-night snacks, we made homemade wraps.
Sunday
8:00 -13:00
Brunch
Gift unpacking
Thank you for this time
So nice to wake up and some were still celebrating. We enjoyed unpacking gifts and properly thanking all the guests. Once we had opened people's gifts, they slowly started to head home.
All in all, a fantastic and personal wedding with a great atmosphere throughout.
What was the most challenging part of the planning?
We loved the whole planning part and willingly involving the guests, which can only be recommended as it gives people even more connection to the wedding. The most challenging part was probably finding suppliers in a completely unfamiliar area, but we found some great suppliers and had a really good collaboration with everyone.
What made your day extra special?
All the people who just wanted the best for us and helped create the perfect day. All the personal touches we had put into the day and that we had chosen everything and personalized everything, which made the whole wedding truly unique, intimate, and special.
What was the funniest moment of the day?
During the ceremony, one of the four saxophones broke when the saxophonist sat down on the chair. Fortunately, they were all such professional and skilled saxophonists that they looked at each other and took turns covering for the missing saxophonist, who just pretended to keep playing. Luckily, this went unnoticed by anyone, and it still sounded great.
Where did the honeymoon go?
We skipped the honeymoon but took some days off at home.
Any last advice or wise words you can share with Karim Designs' upcoming brides?
Planning is key! If you don't have a planning gene or the desire/time for it, hire a wedding planner. It's about having peace of mind on the wedding day and being able to relax and enjoy it. With good planning and involving key people, you can relax yourself. Remember to write down your thoughts as a bride as a game plan for the day – very detailed, this is a huge help for everyone involved, including the chef, serving staff, photographer, toastmaster, and priest. Everyone does everything they can to give you the perfect day, but they are not mind readers!
Suppliers embraced by.
The bride wore a wedding dress from: Karim Design https://karimdesign.dk/
The groom wore clothes from: Karim design, chaquet
Photographer: OurBigDay https://www.voresstoredag.dk/# and Wedbox for planning pictures and for guests' pictures on the day. https://wedbox.dk
Videographer: Peter's father
Wedding location: Gørdinglund Manor https://gordinglund.dk https://www.instagram.com/explore/tags/gørdinglundherregård/
Food from: Chef Thomas from Cafe Madhouse Middelfart APS,
Flower supplier: Ourselves, we bought 100 roses, bridal bouquet, bridesmaid bouquets, 3x boutonniere flowers from Creative Flowers (https://www.kreativeblomster-esbjerg.dk/forside/)
Wedding cake: 2 of Amalie's friends made the wedding cake
Wine: was specially purchased from Germany and Spain through ET VinImport, we had also been to Spain to taste wine (https://www.etvinimport.dk/?fbclid=IwAR1QLsbBZ8_sTmiVxQZ21k0laeImknP83XOHBtfEI1kTlLX_9bcwGR8KrY0)
Hair & Makeup: Maiken - Trankjær Hairdresser (https://trankjaerfrisoer.dk https://www.instagram.com/trankjaerfrisoer/ )
Wedding planner: Amalie is a wedding planner herself and handled everything
Invitations: were made by the printer Kandrups Bogtrykkeri A/S https://www.kandrup.dk/x-htm/
Fresh bread from the little bakery every day (http://denlillebageribramming.dk
Wedding rings – Jewelry and Glasses House https://smykkeogbrillehuset.dk
Engagement ring - Apel goldsmith https://www.guldsmedapel.dk
Wedding music – Elprimo https://www.facebook.com/ElPrimoSaxofonkvartet/
