site stats

Kristin Speed » Photographer Blog

Monthly Archives: April 2015

I met Susan and Oliver last summer through Liz & Justin whose wedding I photographed in Philadelphia. As soon as I met them I knew they were awesome and that I wanted to photograph their wedding! We got together a few more times since that meeting and I always had so much fun with them, so I knew their wedding would be nothing less than amazing…and that it was.

Susan & Oliver had a wedding that truly was fit for a princess and her prince charming, especially considering the location..the amazing Schloss Schleissheim, just outside of Munich. We started out at the Kurfürt Hotel in the early afternoon with some detail shots and getting ready photos of Susan and Oliver with their bridesmaids and groomsmen. I headed over to the castle grounds with the guys for a few group photos while the girls were still getting ready. I love the fact that they had ‘groomsmen’ flasks full (or not-so-full lol) of whiskey with them…that way I didn’t have to worry about the typical ‘can we go get beer’ question that groomsmen tend to ask lol…and of course it meant they’d be loosened up and not very camera shy..and that they were not :D I had a lot of fun with them, and the topics of boybands and cheesy Top Gun photos really seemed to inspire them lol. Once we got enough shots I went back to the hotel just in time to grab some photos of Susan getting into her gorgeous dress that looked absolutely amazing on her. Topped off with beautiful floral crown, she really did look like a princess. By this point we were a bit behind schedule so we only had a few minutes for photos of Susan and her bridesmaids…but that was not a problem at all..these girls were awesome, and made my job super easy. I loooove the dresses they all chose…the colors and styles fit together perfectly. And of course once again, the floral crowns really added an extra special element along with the super pretty bouquets from the super talented Petra Müller Blumen.

The ceremony was held inside the castle in the beautiful ‘Speisesaal.’ This was definitely one of, if not THE, most beautiful ceremony location I’ve seen yet! The precessional felt like something out of a royal wedding..watching the bridesmaids come down the grand staircase, followed by Susan and her father was kind of a ‘pinch me I must be dreaming / we’re not in Kansas anymore Toto’ moment for me… I really am so lucky to have such amazing wedding locations all around me, and even though I’ve lived in Germany for over 14 years, somethings just blow me away over and over again. The look on Oliver’s face as Susan and her father walked toward him was pretty much the same…just complete and utter awe of his beautiful bride. The ceremony itself was conducted by Susan & Oliver’s good friend Bea. She did an amazing job making the ceremony personal to Susan and Oliver and really spoke right from the heart. Rings were exchanged and Susan & Oliver sealed their marriage with a kiss..and then gave me a great exit as you will see in the photos below :) We managed to sneak a few more photos inside the castle while their guests headed outside. I say ‘sneak’ because apparently we already overstepped the allowed amount of photos inside during the processional, but with a bit of American charm, a big smile and a sweet ‘Biittttteeeee?!?!’ even the strictest of security guards was able to be swayed :)

Susan & Oliver’s guests were lined up, armed with bubbles, waiting for the newly weds. This was also pretty spectacular..I guess it isn’t ever day that a girl and her guy get to have a grand exit out of a castle :)

While the guests went ahead to The Dolce Munich, where the reception was, I spent a few minutes with Susan and Oliver to do some portraits of just the two of them before making our way to the hotel as well.

The reception was kicked off with an old German tradition where the bride & the groom have to saw a log in half. I’d say the international guests found this pretty amusing :D Once they made it through the log we all headed inside to the reception room. I loved the decorations..the mix of the tall and short centerpieces fit in perfectly with the style of the room. Susan and Oliver had a sweet first dance, followed by parent dances and then the opening of the buffet. The rest of the night was spent dancing, laughing and just having an awesome time among friend and family. There was even a little surprise planned for Oliver’s dad..it was his birthday! So everyone sang happy birthday and then they brought out a birthday cake for him! I have to say, it was a pretty awesome night to finish off a great day! I had a great time catching up a bit with 2 of my previous brides and chatting with the other guests as well..it was such a fun group!

Susan & Oliver, I hope your wedding was everything you hoped it would be and more! From where I was standing, it definitely was a fairytale wedding…it was just a perfect day! And of I had a BLAST with you both and your crazy (in a good way) guests :)