MRS. & MRS. AT SCHLOSS SEEBURG


How to Plan a Personal Wedding That Feels Like You


Two brides, two personalities, and a wedding that felt completely like them.


There is something special about a wedding where you can recognise the people getting married in every little detail. Not because everything follows one perfectly coordinated concept, but because the choices feel personal. The fashion, the atmosphere, the setting, the little details that might not make sense to anyone else but the couple themselves.


That is what I loved about photographing Mrs. & Mrs. at Schloss Seeburg in Kreuzlingen, Switzerland.


The two brides had their own personalities and individual sense of style. Instead of trying to make everything match perfectly, they chose what they genuinely loved. And somehow, that was exactly what made everything come together. It reminded me of something I believe about weddings: the most memorable celebrations are rarely the ones that follow every trend. They are the ones where couples give themselves permission to do things their own way.


If you are currently planning your wedding, here are a few things I would keep in mind.

 

Two brides in white signing wedding registry documents at a table during civil ceremony.
Two brides in white wedding attire holding hands while ascending an elegant staircase with ornate iron railings.
Black and white photo of a bride in a flowing white gown and veil running through a garden path.
Bride holding a beaded white clutch purse and floral bouquet with pink and white flowers in a wedding dress.
Two brides in white gowns hold hands in a formal garden with manicured hedges, fountain, and historic manor backdrop.
Woman in white blouse with pearl necklace and bow tie smiling softly against dark background.
Two brides in white wedding attire pose together outside a European castle venue surrounded by lush greenery.
Black and white photo of a smiling bridesmaid helping a bride with her wedding dress during bridal preparations.
Bride wearing sparkling bow-embellished wedding flats on mosaic tile stairs beneath a white gown.
Black and white photo of a bride arranging a long elegantly set wedding reception table in a grand wood-paneled dining room.
A smiling woman in a white blouse looks at a bride wearing a veil during a wedding ceremony.
Two brides in white dancing joyfully outside a venue while guests in red applaud at a wedding celebration.
Two brides share a tender kiss on an elegant staircase, one wearing a lace wedding gown with veil.
Two brides in white wedding attire share a romantic kiss, one wearing a lace veil, in an elegantly decorated room.
Two brides in white celebrate with champagne and gold balloons outside a venue surrounded by wedding guests.
Black and white photo of two brides embracing and sharing a tender moment on their wedding day.
Bride in white gown with veil and diamond necklace sits at ceremony table, guests visible in background.
Black and white photo of a bride in a flowing white wedding gown and veil, lifting her dress while walking on wet pavement.
Two brides in white dresses embrace outdoors, smiling joyfully on their wedding day.
Close-up of two hands clasped together, one wearing a gold ring, against a black skirt and white blouse.
Two brides in white gowns share a tender moment in an elegant wood-paneled room with candles and ribbon decor.
Aerial view of a grand estate with manicured gardens and fountain, surrounded by trees beside a serene lake.
Two brides in white wedding attire smile joyfully during their ceremony, one in a suit and one in a traditional gown.
Two brides in white wedding gowns embrace warmly in an elegant wood-paneled room with candles.
Black and white photo of a woman in white suit holding a champagne glass at a formal event.
Elegant white blazer and bow blouse styled with a classic pearl necklace in a sophisticated monochromatic look.
Two brides in white attire hold hands smiling at their wedding ceremony before a painted mural backdrop.
Child in white communion outfit with bow tie and vest, hands clasped together in prayer pose.
Smiling bride in white gown with puff sleeves and diamond necklace sits at table during wedding ceremony.
Black and white photo of a bride in a white gown smiling on elegant stairs with a partner ascending ahead.
Black and white photo of a bride in a flowing gown and veil being celebrated by wedding guests outside a venue.
Two women in white outfits holding hands on elegant wooden staircase in a classic interior setting.
Two brides exchange rings in elegant white outfits during an intimate wedding ceremony indoors.
Two women in white dresses sitting by a pool, one resting her head back smiling, wearing a diamond necklace.
Groom kisses bride's hand on elegant staircase, both in white wedding attire with decorative swords in background.
Two women in white outfits, one a bride with veil, share a tender moment in an elegant decorated room.
Two brides in white attire sit elegantly by a garden fountain, sharing a tender moment outdoors.
Two brides in white gowns share a kiss on an elegant staircase with ornate iron railings.
Aerial view of a couple in white wedding attire embracing beside an ornate garden fountain with manicured hedges.
Aerial view of a historic European castle with formal gardens, fountain, and surrounding lush greenery in an urban setting.
Two brides in white wedding attire hold hands outdoors near lush greenery and a rustic brick wall.
Smiling bride in white gown and veil signing marriage certificate at wooden table during wedding ceremony.
Bride and groom stand facing each other in elegant wood-paneled room with leaded glass windows, bathed in soft natural light.
Bride in white satin wedding dress with clasped hands showing a gold wedding ring, soft natural light.
Bride in white organza blouse with pearl necklace and hair accessory being embraced during wedding preparation.
Bride in white wedding dress putting on sparkly heeled bridal shoes, close-up of elegant wedding preparation.
Black and white photo of a group of women toasting with wine glasses outside a stone building.
Two brides in elegant white wedding dresses with pearl and diamond jewelry pose together in soft natural light.
Bridal accessories flat lay with lace veil, wine glass, wedding rings, and beaded clutch on mosaic tile floor.
Black and white photo of a couple holding hands in wedding attire, seated together during a ceremony.
Bride in white gown with puff sleeves, diamond necklace, and veil smiles warmly at another woman in white.
Bride in white satin gown with lace veil and diamond necklace poses in dramatic natural light against dark wall.
Black and white photo of a bride in a white gown dancing with guests outside a elegant stone building.
Bride in white gown with veil walks toward castle fountain garden on wedding day.
Black and white photo of a bride in a white gown and veil descending an elegant staircase with an attendant below.
Two brides in white gowns share a romantic kiss outside a historic building on their wedding day.
Two brides in white attire share a tender moment at their wedding ceremony, with guests visible in the background.
Bride and wedding planner arranging candles and floral centerpieces on elegant reception table in wood-paneled venue.
Two brides in white wedding attire pose elegantly by a garden fountain surrounded by lush greenery.
Two brides in white wedding attire share a tender moment at their ceremony, one wearing a veil.
Two brides in white dresses walk together outside a historic building on their wedding day.
Two brides in white wedding attire hold hands on church steps, one wearing a pearl necklace and pantsuit.

1. Start with your personal style, not a wedding aesthetic


Pinterest can be a wonderful place to collect inspiration. It helps you discover photographers, fashion, flowers, venues and ideas you might never have considered otherwise. But it can also make wedding planning feel like an exercise in recreating something you have already seen. You save a beautiful table setting, then a particular bouquet, then a dress, then a venue. Before you know it, you have a collection of beautiful images that may not necessarily belong together — or reflect who you are. Instead of starting with a label like modern romantic, quiet luxury or editorial wedding, try starting with yourselves. What do you wear when you want to feel your best? Which places make you feel comfortable? Do you love architecture, fashion, art, long dinners, the outdoors or a little bit of extravagance? What do you naturally gravitate towards, even when nobody tells you it is currently in style? These questions can tell you much more about your wedding than a predefined aesthetic. A practical exercise: Each of you chooses five images that you genuinely love. They do not have to be wedding images. They could be a photograph from a holiday, a room in a hotel, an outfit, a painting or a restaurant you remember. Then look at them together. What do they have in common? Is it the colour palette, the atmosphere, the architecture, the sense of intimacy or something less tangible? That is a much more personal starting point for your wedding vision.


2. Your outfits do not have to match perfectly


Bridal fashion is one of the most personal parts of a wedding, and it is also an area where couples can feel a lot of pressure to create a perfectly coordinated look. But looking like a couple does not mean dressing identically. You might love a clean, architectural silhouette while your partner gravitates towards something more romantic. One of you might feel most comfortable in a classic gown, while the other wants a tailored suit, a shorter dress or something entirely unexpected. You do not need to compromise on your individual style to look beautiful together. Instead, think about how your choices relate to one another. You might share a detail, a material, a colour or simply a similar level of formality. Or you might decide that the contrast is precisely what you love. When choosing your outfits, consider three things: How you feel wearing them. Can you move, sit, walk, hug and dance comfortably? Do you recognise yourself in the mirror? How they work together. Look at the overall impression rather than trying to make every detail identical. How they fit the setting. Consider the architecture, the season and the atmosphere of your venue, without letting those things dictate every decision. Your wedding photographs should not show you playing a role. They should show you feeling like yourselves.


3. Choose a venue for its atmosphere, not just its appearance


A venue can influence the entire feeling of a wedding. But choosing one based exclusively on how it looks in photographs can mean overlooking the things that make a place special to you. At Schloss Seeburg in Kreuzlingen, the setting itself offers a distinctive atmosphere. Historic architecture brings its own character, texture and sense of place. It does not need to be transformed into something else to become part of a wedding. When you visit potential venues, try to imagine more than the ceremony backdrop. How does it feel to arrive there? Where would you love to spend time with your guests? Can you imagine a long dinner, a conversation that lasts late into the evening or a quiet moment together away from everyone else? Think about the experience you want to create, not just the images you hope to get. A few questions worth asking when viewing a venue:

Does the atmosphere feel right for us, even without decorations?

Can we imagine ourselves and our guests spending an entire day here?

Which existing features do we love, and which would we actually want to change?

Does the venue suit the kind of celebration we want to have?

A beautiful venue does not need to look like a wedding venue in the traditional sense. Sometimes, the most personal choice is a place whose character already speaks to you.


4. You do not have to make every detail match


One of my favourite things about weddings with a strong personal identity is when the choices are not all perfectly coordinated. Maybe you love sculptural flowers but prefer simple stationery. Perhaps you want a fashion-forward outfit with a relaxed dinner, or a historic venue with contemporary details. There is no rule saying that every element has to belong to the same visual category. In fact, trying to make everything match can sometimes remove the individuality from a celebration. When every choice has to fit the concept, there is less room for the unexpected things that make a wedding feel personal. Instead, think about the overall atmosphere you want to create. A few considered decisions can give your wedding a clear identity without requiring every single detail to follow the same formula. A useful rule: coordinate the feeling, not necessarily every object. You can still have a coherent wedding without choosing identical colours for every detail, repeating the same shapes everywhere or making every element look as though it came from one moodboard. Give yourself permission to choose something simply because you love it.


5. Decide what matters to you before deciding what you need


Wedding planning comes with an endless list of things you could book, buy or organise. There is always another idea to save, another supplier to consider and another detail you could add. But not every wedding needs the same things. Before building your budget or working through a checklist, talk about what matters most to both of you. Perhaps it is the food and the time you get to spend around the table with your favourite people. Perhaps fashion, music, flowers or the setting are particularly important to you. Perhaps you want the day to feel relaxed rather than highly structured. Write down your three priorities individually, then compare your lists. These priorities can help you decide where to invest more of your budget, where a simpler solution is enough and which traditions you genuinely want to include. They can also make decisions easier later on. When you are unsure whether to add another element, ask yourselves whether it contributes to the experience you want — or whether you are considering it because it feels expected. You do not have to do everything. You just have to decide what matters to you.


6. Leave room for moments you cannot plan


You can spend months planning a wedding down to the smallest detail. But some of the moments you remember most fondly may be the ones you never put on a timeline. A look between the two of you. An unexpected reaction. A conversation with a friend. The way the light falls across a room. Something that makes everyone laugh when nobody is expecting it. These moments are part of what makes a wedding yours, and they are difficult to create through planning alone. This is also why I love a documentary approach to wedding photography, combined with an editorial eye for composition, fashion and atmosphere. I want to photograph the things you have chosen with care, but I also want to leave room for everything that happens around them. The atmosphere of a place, the way you interact naturally, the small details and the moments that do not follow a script. You do not need to spend your wedding day thinking about how everything will look in photographs. Give yourselves permission to be present in it. A thoughtful timeline helps, but it should create space for the experience rather than turn the entire day into a sequence of tasks.


7. Let your wedding reflect your relationship, not other people's expectations


Perhaps the most important thing is also the simplest: you are allowed to make different choices. You do not have to follow every tradition. You do not have to choose a particular kind of ceremony, wear a certain outfit, include every wedding-day event or create a celebration that looks like the weddings you see online. And you do not need to explain every decision to everyone around you. For some couples, a large celebration with all their friends and family feels right. Others want something smaller, more intimate or less traditional. Some love a carefully considered visual concept, while others prefer a collection of things they have gathered over the years. There is no single formula for a personal wedding. With Mrs. & Mrs. at Schloss Seeburg, what stayed with me was the feeling that their choices belonged to them. Their individual personalities were part of the celebration, rather than something that needed to be edited out to make everything fit a single concept. That is what I hope every couple feels when they look back at their wedding photographs: not that they created the perfect wedding according to somebody else's standards, but that they recognise themselves in the day.


Planning your own wedding?


If there is one thing I would encourage you to take from this wedding, it is this: you do not need to create a wedding that looks like anyone else's. Collect inspiration, explore ideas and work with people whose aesthetic you love. But let those things help you discover what feels right for you, rather than giving you a standard you have to meet. Choose the venue because you love being there. Wear something that makes you feel like yourself. Keep the traditions that mean something to you, and leave the rest behind. And when things do not match perfectly? That might be the part that makes everything feel a little more personal.

Your wedding does not have to look like a wedding. It gets to look like you.


If you are looking for a wedding photographer who values real moments, individual style and the atmosphere of a place as much as the carefully chosen details, I would love to hear what you are planning.

Whether you are getting married in Switzerland, Germany, Italy or somewhere else entirely, tell me a little about the two of you and the kind of day you have in mind.