Our 97th week in Austria brought Ursula and Herbert together as they became husband and wife, or “Ehemann und Ehefrau”, in front of friends and family at the Eggerhaus in Altmünster, on Saturday, September 3, 2022.

This was my 2nd Austrian wedding where I was the photographer/videographer!

Altmünster is nestled between the charming Traunkirchen and the famous Seeschloss Ort in Gmunden. The mountainous scenery surrounding the Traunsee is what makes this region of Upper Austria one of the most well-known and beloved wedding destinations in the country.

The sounds of horse hooves smacking the pavement signaled it was almost time to start! After a quick sip of champagne and the bride’s veil getting stuck under a horse’s hoof, we were on our way to the venue a few minutes down the road.

While being a wedding photographer is full of high-stress situations where you are constantly “on” for hours on end, it is also an opportunity I am thrilled and honored to have experienced more than once.

I got to be the one who rode with the bride in the horse-drawn carriage to the wedding and after the wedding. The one who witnessed her nerves as the horses trotted closer to the venue and the one who saw her nerves wash away as she walked closer to her groom at the end of the aisle. I am the one who got to capture all of their most precious wedding day moments.

I walked into the wedding only knowing 8 people and left understanding the dynamic of the 75 guests who were in attendance. I am also very thankful everyone knew some English 😉

Overall, Austrian and American weddings are quite similar, but here are just a few differences I have started to take note of:

1. The bride may be kidnapped. The night before the wedding the groom has to track her down to prove he deserves to marry her.

   • If any of you reading this watch “The Office”, this tradition should sound familiar like in the finale, where Angela is kidnapped by Mose, as part of Dwight Schrute's wedding traditions.

2. The Austrian bride’s flowers may be stolen. This happened to Ursula during the reception and she had to sing a song in order to get them back. After this happened she did not let the flowers out of her sight the rest of the night.

3. The first bridesmaid and the best man. Not sure if this is every Austrian wedding, but the two I have attended have only had one man and one woman sitting next to the bride and groom.

4. The marriage certificate is a major part of the ceremony. In America, this signature is something that happens on the side after the big kiss and after walking back down the aisle.

5. The Waltz. Originating in 13th century Austria, the Waltz is the oldest of the current ballroom dances and was very much present in the way the guests danced around the room all night long.

6. The final send-off. This is the final dance where the bride dances with the father and the groom dances with his mother one last time. In America, the mother and father dances typically happen right after the first dance of the newlyweds.

7. The average cost of a wedding in Austria is €15,000. The average cost of a wedding in America is $28,000.

8. The wedding ring goes on the right-hand. Austrians as well as many other EU countries believe the right hand is symbolic of honor and trust and is also the side you shake hands with, so people will be able to tell whether you are married.

9. The traditional lederhosen and dirndls. While not mandatory, many men and women choose to wear the traditional “Lederhosen” and “Dirndls” for weddings and festivals.

This is the wedding film!