I have been on the edge of my seat with anticipation about sharing Barbara and Peter's 50s style Autumn wedding in Vienna with you lovelies. I think perhaps this is because it's one of my favourite weddings to appear on the blog so far this year and judging by your response to our sneak peeks on Facebook and our new Instagram account, I'm inclined to think that a fair few of you agree with me!

For a start you've gone gaga for Barbara's couture Lena Hoschek blush pink frock and it doesn't take a genius to understand why. Because it is BEAUTIFUL...especially that back detailing! And then there's the dashing Peter in black tie with a matching blush bow tie - very dapper if I say so myself.

What I really love about this day, apart from the epic bouquet and of course the fact that it was an Autumn wedding, is Peter and Barbara's decision to host a 1950′s style cocktail party rather than a 'wedding' all set in the picturesque vineyards of Vienna. These two prized the warmth and energy of their family and friends over and above any pomp and circumstance and I truly admire the pair of them for that.

Shall we begin...

Barbara The Bride:For some reason I never really wanted to get married in a long, white dress and I've always wanted to have a dress by Austrian designer Lena Hoschek, so putting both together it was a pretty quick and easy decision!

What I invested more thoughts into was actually whether I was going to wear the mink stole. I would never have bought it for myself, but this is my grandmother's and it felt right to take it out of the box for the occasion, I think she would have loved seeing me wear it.

My maid of honour wanted a dress that would fit the 50s wedding theme and also my bridal dress, which we picked up together at Lena Hoschek's atelier a few weeks before the wedding. Lena's new collection had just arrived and my maid of honour fell in love with two dresses instantly! After trying on both of them we went for the floral print - the designer herself helped to come to the decision!

Our idea was have a very laid-back celebration, with live music and dancing, but not an all day affair - more in the style of a cocktail party. A 50s cocktail party! Chic but relaxed. We had the ceremony at 3pm and I got ready in a a very nice hotel (Hollmann Beletage) in the city centre beforehand. That way no one saw me and my dress before the ceremony and I didn't have to clean our place, which had been a bit chaotic due to the preperations for the wedding anyway.

For the drive to the church, Susanne Hummel, our sensational wedding planer, organised what is probably Vienna's oldest taxi - a blue Mercedes that she found with only our description of it and a spot where we'd seen it a couple of times!

For the invitation and stationery suite we forwarded lots of inspiration we had collected from old film posters as well as photographing signs and fonts that we liked to our graphic designer, who then made us a few options to choose from. Susanne Hummel yet again knew just the perfect one for us - we absolutely loved our stationery!

When it came to our venue, there were a few things that were important to us. We wanted an outdoor cocktail reception; it had to be Vienna or close by as we wanted to walk from the church to the venue. We also wanted somewhere that was intimate but with a possibility for a nice dancefloor. Those were the specifications we gave our planner, who came up with the Pfarrwirt, which is actually Vienna's oldest restaurant and is set beautifully in the wine hills of Vienna. It couldn't have been more perfect for an Autumn wedding, with the wine just changing into vibrant colors and it also had a nice indoor option for the reception, which we luckily didn't need!

I absolutely love flowers, so I already knew exactly which varieties I wanted for the bouquet. Our florist Gabriele Jochinger and I got on perfectly from the start and we had a long talk to discuss the options for the floral decoration. I think it was one of the parts of the wedding planning that I loved the most and I couldn't have been happier with the results! When it comes to colour matching I don't like compromises - I even checked whether the colour of the candles would work with the curtains of the venue. (It was a perfect match!)

We realized pretty quickly that we'd need professional help when it came to planning our wedding, we both work a lot and have never made plans for an event like this - which really should be a relaxed and beautiful day. We asked among our friends and acquaintances but no-one came up with a great tip, so we searched the web for planners and found Susanne.

Her weddings really spoke to us, when we met up with her it was instantly clear that we'd get along. She loved the ideas for our theme and we didn't regret choosing her a single second of the way. She came up with great vendors and recommendations, amongst which was Pia Clodi the photographer from Peaches & Mint. We absolutely loved her work and those who've met Pia know that with her radiate sympathy it is very easy to feel comfortable in front of her camera!

Ohhh... pretty much everything was a highlight of our day. There were so many 'magic moments' but what it really comes down to is the warmth and energy which friends and family give you on this special day. It filled the church and the reception and that feeling is something I love going back to in my memory, amongst many other things!

I couldn't imagine how I could have planned all this on my own alongside a full-time job. It becomes so much easier when you have someone who has worked with the vendors before, enquires to see who's free and gives you lots of great options to choose from, patiently coming up with vendors that will be a great fit for your ideas and visions. Susanne also was our good spirit during the day, we didn't have to worry about anything!

One practical tip - we served a very light dessert, a sorbet only and mini pralines alongside the coffee, so our guest could really enjoy the sweet treat of a slice of wedding cake without being too full.

And yes - it doesn't always have to be a summer wedding! Autumn is our favourite time of year and we didn't regret at all that we got married in October - it was simply perfect!

Photography by Pia Clodi at Peaches & Mint
Venue Pfarrwirt, Vienna | Dress Lena Hoschek | Wedding Planner Susanne Hummel - Die Hochzeitshummel | Florist Blumengestalten | Bride's Headpiece Niely Hoetsch | Wedding Cake Tortenmanufaktur | Maid Of Honour's Dress Lena Hoschek | Stationery Hochzeitsdesign.