This wedding and this trip will forever be engrained in my memory. Jacqueline and Tim were married in Green Bay, Wisconsin (see their wedding here), but since Jacqueline was raised in Innsbruck, Austria, the couple and their family returned to their hometown to celebrate with those who couldn’t make it to their American vows. Luckily for me, I was able to be a fly on the wall that weekend in October as these two families completely welcomed me into their homes and their culture.

After touring Germany + Austria for a few days with my parents (they tagged along to celebrate their 30th wedding anniversary!), we met the bride, groom and their families in the small mountain village of Telfs, Austria, where Jacqueline grew up. We were welcomed the night before the wedding to her childhood best friend’s home, where her grandmother made us homemade Austrian schnitzel, potato salad and sooo many amazing traditional desserts. The entire night was spent with the couple’s closest family and friends while we sipped wine from the region and tried to understand all of the German that was being spoken. I was blown away by not only the beauty of our surroundings, but also by the closeness of Jacqueline’s friends and family. I we can learn a thing or two from Europeans when it comes to celebrating!

After a night well spent in Telfs, we awoke the next morning to get ready for the big day– Jacqueline and Tim’s wedding celebration! We started the morning with a hike in the Austrian alps (photos from that adventure will be posted soon), and then headed out to a place very special to Jacqueline for family portraits. So remember when I was saying that everything in Europe is beautiful? I wasn’t lying. The photos below were taken on the campus where Jacqueline went to grade school. Yup. You read that right… she went to school in a castle. Makes our childhood seem kind of boring, right? 🙂

Once photos were done, we headed to Greenvieh Bar and Restaurant on the Mieminger Plateau near Innsbruck for a reception and celebration. There, guests were treated to a multi-course meal that consisted of homemade pumpkin soup, traditional pork and sauerkraut, and apple strudel. The couple’s friends formed the band for the evening and everyone spent the night dancing while overlooking the most spectacular mountain range. It was seriously one of those weekends we won’t ever forget!