Patricia & Andrew
Patricia & Andrew
Our Story
Die Geschichte
Wie alles begann ...
Andrew und ich haben uns im Juli 2012 in Portland kennengelernt. Ich habe damals Andrew's Schwester Aimee - die ich über gemeinsame Freunde in Wien kannte - erzählt, dass ich nach Portland reisen würde. Aimee kannte die Gegend besser als ich und wusste, dass ich ohne Auto wohl kaum die Gelegenheit haben würde, Portland zu erkunden. Kurzerhand gab sie mir die Nummer ihres kleinen Bruders, den ich - als ich ein Auto brauchte - auch gleich anrief.
Wie das im Jahr 2012 so üblich war unter Singles, haben wir beide vor dem ersten Treffen natürlich erst einmal auf Facebook herumgeschnüffelt. Schließlich muss man ja wissen, ob man sich Hoffnungen machen sollte, oder nicht. Nach einigem stöbern beschlossen wir beide, dass das wohl nichts werden würde. Er hielt mich für zu pummelig - hatte wohl ein wirklich schlechtes Profilbild gewählt - und ich ihn schlichtweg für unattraktiv. Umso größer war dann die Überraschung, als wir uns schließlich in Natura gegenüber standen.
Nach ein paar kurzen Wochen zusammen, musste ich auch schon wieder zurück nach Vorarlberg. Tägliche Telefonate und der süße Herzschmerz von frisch Verliebten folgte und ich beschloss mir eine Praktikumsstelle in Portland, OR zu suchen. Zur gleichen Zeit war auch Andrew auf Jobsuche. Kaum hatte ich eine Stelle in Portland gefunden, zog er in die Wildnis. Genauer gesagt, in das 5 Stunden entfernte Christmas Valley, OR. Damit wurde unsere sehr ferne Fernbeziehung zu einer etwas näheren Wochenend-Fernbeziehung befördert.
Seither sind 5 Jahre vergangen, in denen wir immer enger zusammen gewachsen sind und wir entschieden uns zu heiraten. Damit stand allerdings das nächste große Problem vor der Tür: wo sollen wir leben?
Nach vielen Gesprächen und sorgfältigem Abwiegen, entschieden wir, nach Österreich zu ziehen. Andrew, der mit Herz und Seele Geschichte-Lehrer ist, gab damit seine Leidenschaft auf, um mir nach Vorarlberg zu folgen. Und dafür muss man ihn einfach lieben!
Und hier noch Andrew's Version in Englisch:
Patricia and Andrew met in Portland in July 2012. Patricia got in contact with Andrew through his sister, Aimee, whom she had met through mutual friends in Vienna. Patricia, hoping to explore Portland and not having access to a car, called Andrew to take advantage of his wheels. After both of them snooped on each other's Facebook pages and came to the conclusion that the other was not their type, they were pleasantly surprised when they met the knockout that stood before them. After a few weeks of dating and getting to know each other, Patricia had to return home to Austria. Shortly thereafter, however, she landed a year-long internship in Beaverton, which would have been perfect, had Andrew not just secured his first teaching job, in the booming metropolis of Christmas Valley, a drive-time of about five hours. Andrew and Patricia made it work and cemented a strong relationship. Since then, Patricia has been teaching computer programs and business at a business high school near her hometown in Vorarlberg, in Western Austria, and Andrew has been teaching social studies to 7th-12th graders at North Lake School. They speak several times a day through Facetime and use every break from work to see each other other, splitting their time between Vorarlberg, Portland , and Christmas Valley.
Photo: Andrew and Patricia on their first trip together, July 2012
Austrian Weddings for US-Americans
Gifts
Whereas the custom of a registry has been around for a few years, Austrians prefer to give money to the marrying couple. In our - arguably very pragmatic way of thinking - this makes things easier for the giver and the receiver. And if you know anything about Austrians, you know they like things to be easy.
However, they also like things to be nice and artistic. So, while it is totally acceptable to just write a nice card and add some money to it, most people get creative with their money gifts and turn them into little pieces of art. Like the one above.
I personally love making them because they give me the chance to be creative and put my heart into the actual gift - not just the wrapping ;-) They are original, often funny and very personal.
When my family comes together for big birthday parties - which we do at least once a year. We tend to help our family members out with the financing. It's always great to see what people can come up with.
Here are some examples, so you see what I'm talking about. But of course, the internet has way more inspirations to offer.
Attire
We do have certain unwritten "rules" in Austria about what to wear to weddings. While the bride isn't allowed to wear pearls (because they are bad luck), the guests are expected to refrain from wearing all-white or all-red outfits to not distract from the bride.
Technically, you also shouldn't wear an all-black outfit either because black is for funerals. Since the triumph of the little black dress as a must-have fashion trend however, this "rule" seems to have gotten suspended ;-)
While these rules seems silly, I must admit I kind of internalized them: When I was invited to our friends Shaadi and Nate's wedding in 2015, I had trouble finding a dress that would fit both, me and the black-tie dress-code they asked for. After confirming with the bride, that it was an ok color to wear as a guest, I decided on a red dress. To this day I feel guilty for wearing red to their wedding.
PS: Austrians wear their wedding bands on their right hand. So, don't be surprised if the groom puts the ring on the bride's "wrong hand".
Games and other "weird" things
Andrew and I will have a mostly American wedding. But you might see some Austrian touches here and there. Let me give you a quick overview of what could happen:
Austrian wedding traditions were created to prepare the newly-weds for the rough world out there. At least it seems like that, since the couple has to overcome one little hurdle after the other, starting when they walk back down the aisle:
The Linen - is literally a linen with a big heart and the names of the couple drawn on it. The couple is then handed little scissors to cut out the heart. Once this is done, the groom has to carry the bride through the opening.
This is usually followed by The Log which has to be sawed in half by the couple. Yes! The bride has to saw in her wedding dress! I'm so glad I'm getting out of this one. Just in case you don't believe me I added a picture of my friend Berni and his wife.
And of course: The Kidnapping of the Bride. Usually the bridal party secretly kidnaps the bride at some point during the reception and takes her to a random bar. While they party in that bar, the best man has to find them, pay for all their drinks, and bring them back to the groom. I'm also not too sad to get out of this one.
Also, Austrians don't do speeches. Instead we like to make the newly-weds play games to entertain the guests and lovingly tease the couple. A typical game is to blind-fold the bride and have her feel various volunteer's lower-legs to find her groom. My family might have something like this planned - we'll see.
The traditional song choice for the first dance is - what else - a waltz. I love its elegance which is why we chose to stick with this tradition. So, brush up on your waltz-skills if you want to join us!
