Patchwork couple Beth and Lukas married in an intimate ceremony in Germany last September. Beth is originally from Liverpool and it was there that she met her German husband Lukas during his gap year. He was volunteering at the community café where Beth worked during her first year at uni. They’ve been together almost 5 years now and have lived together in Germany since Beth moved over during the pandemic in summer 2020. The move in to their new home gave them the perfect wedding registry idea: to invite friends and family to help them furnish it from scratch. Read on to find out more about their day and why Patchwork was the perfect gift solution for this lovely couple.
How did you get engaged?
Beth: Our engagement wasn’t really what Lukas had planned, because I became seriously ill not long after moving to Germany, which completely derailed our plans. We had been living with Lukas’ parents during my illness, so Lukas decided to propose to me one evening when we had the house to ourselves and planned to have a pyjama party with pizza and movies. It was very sweet and intimate, just the two of us, because we had been through a lot and this time together was really special.
That’s a lot to deal with. But so nice that you could focus on each other and start thinking about your special day. What kind of wedding did you plan?
Our wedding has been split into two, one in Lukas’ home town in Germany, and one in mine. We had a very intimate celebration with just our immediate family when we legally married at the registry office in Germany last September. We all gathered for the small ceremony at the town hall and proceeded with petals thrown and pictures outside the beautiful old building. This was then followed by a lovely meal at our local hotel restaurant. The second part of our wedding is coming this August 2022, where we have planned a church blessing at my family church in Liverpool, followed by a big party with lots of family and friends at Leaf – the café/restaurant where we had our first date!
That’s exciting! What was your favourite part of your German wedding day?
Our two families being able to come together and spend this special day with us!
Why did you choose Patchwork for your wedding registry?
Patchwork was the perfect option for us because we have big families and friends spread over two countries who all wanted to gift us something as we were beginning our married life in a new city. I found Patchwork through an intensive google search as I was looking for a gift list that was flexible and didn’t require our family and friends to ship everything from the UK. The best bit about using Patchwork was the flexibility it provides, it was so easy to use and I could add my own images of the exact items our guests could contribute towards!
What did you invite guests to contribute towards?
We asked our guests to contribute towards our move to Berlin. Our move was really only made possible by these contributions because we moved into an empty flat and were starting from 0… no couch, no bed, no pots and pans! So we are very grateful both to our friends and family who provided us with the money to furnish and decorate our new flat.
What did your friends and family think?
Our friends and family loved it! Having this option of adding your own photos so they could see exactly what we were going to buy with the money they gifted, was really nice for them as it meant more than just simply sending money.
What have you done so far with the gift money you received?
We have furnished our entire flat! From the couch down to the spoons, the money we received covered the majority of items we needed to buy in order to start our married life in our new flat! We are really so so grateful to our family and friends and it means so much to us that they helped us to build the life we are able to have now.
And finally… What’s your top tip when it comes to planning / preparing for your wedding?
Don’t sweat the small stuff! You want it to be a day that you enjoy and make the most out of, so make sure you use your support system whether that be fiancé, parents, friends, and you can get everything done together.
That’s really really good advice thank you! We’re honoured to have played a small part in your celebrations – thank you so much for sharing these lovely words and photos with us and huge congratulations to you both.
If you’d like to set up your own – completely personal and unique – gift registry, check out some of our easy to customise templates and get started! We’ve got loads of wedding gift ideas and honeymoon fund templates so you can choose your favourite and start making it your own. Questions? Drop us a line at hello@patchworkit.com, we’re always here for a chat.