My Wedding: Josefine Ørskov

Our wedding book is on its way! Emily’s, Acie’s, Christina’s and my wedding book, which I’ve been looking forward to holding in my hand for so long. Our very own book with our names on the cover. I mean..! And as a warm-up, I’ve included a wedding category for my good guests.

Last Friday, the lovely Josefine and Søren celebrated their 5th wedding anniversary. Which also means that our friendship is around 5.5 years old.
I met Josefine during my ultra short internship with Aftenshowet, in the very last month of my Talent Team programme. It was love at first sight. As you may sense from the photos, she has the best energy, the biggest laugh and the warmest personality.
12 October 2013 was when the two beautiful people tied the knot, and I had the pleasure of being quite close to Josefine when she was looking at dresses and going over details with her, and this intimacy continued. And as a couple, the two of them are some of our biggest favourites.
So, there you go – take it away, Josefine; give us some love to start off the week!

Name: Josefine Ørskov

Age: 32 years

City: Copenhagen

Occupation: Editor at Aftenshowet on DR1

Your and your husband’s first names: Josefine and Søren

For how long have you guys been together? 

We got together in 2007 – after having been flirting via sms (this was before social media) for three years. We met on a skiing trip in 2004, when I was a high school senior and he was a drunken first year law student in Aarhus. I immediately fell for his curly hair – but wasn’t particularly impressed by his ruddy cheeks and crew-cut crown (he was a serious drinker back then and also failed all of his exams that summer). He’d eventually pull himself together, and when we met again three years later, the hair had grown long and curly (win) and the drinking had been tamed (ish). And suddenly he was the whole package – and I was sold. Bonus info: when finishing his law degree in Copenhagen a few years later, he had the highest grade average in his year (straight As).

When did you get engaged?

Søren proposed in a completely old school way – down on one knee with a giant diamond (he was working as a lawyer with Plesner at the time) by the Seine in Paris. I almost had to suppress a laugh – such a film cliché. But I obviously didn’t hesitate – Søren and I are meant to be together for ever. I have known that ever since our first (real) kiss in August 2007. We got engaged in September 2012.

When did you get married?

Our wedding was on a sunny and cloudy and warm and wind and in all ways schizophrenic Saturday in mid-October; 12 October 2013. Autumn is my favourite season – so I knew that the wedding had to be full of dusty autumn colours, lots of torches, flaming foliage, red wine and heavy food on big plates and dance and drinking and messing around until dawn. All in on autumn. And the long journey to subtropical countries after that (three days after the wedding, we went backpacking in South America for seven weeks).

The planning:

Where and at what time was the wedding?

12 October 2013. 11am in Holmens Kirke. Reception 12-2pm at my parents’ place in Gothersgade. Party at Jomfruens Egede from 5pm to 12pm the next day.

Wedding budget? And number of guests?

It probably came to DKK 200,000. It was before kids – and we decided to spend our entire savings. Because we could?. 150 people attended the ceremony and reception. After that, we were 77 people at the party.

What was your very first step towards wedding planning?

The first thing we did was booking the church – my family church, Holmens Kirke, where my siblings were christened and confirmed and where I was confirmed. Later, our two daughters were christened there as well. To me in particular, Holmens Kirke was an important location.

Where did you go for inspiration?

Searching on Pinterest for ‘Fall weddings.’ I hadn’t attended a single wedding when I was planning ours. We were the first in our group of friends to get married so I had to go elsewhere than where I usually go for inspiration (my friends). So, all of my experience was sourced from various more or less gaudy American wedding-game-shows (which is why I ended up having four bridesmaids – just because that’s what they do in America). It’s true to say that our wedding was ‘more is more’ in a very flashy but also genuine and totally young way. 95% of the guests were under 30 (we were 27 and 30 ourselves), and everyone was prepared to party till they dropped. We wanted a wild and wet and mad youth party. I think we even referred to it as ‘weddingMESSYparty.’

Sum up the ambiance/your style for the day in three words:

Rustic, autumn shades, solemn and romantic – and crazy drinking and fornication. More is more. A very young wedding in very solemn settings – only the best of the best.

What were the crucial points for you?

Most importantly, we wanted for people to be able to go all in without worrying about the next day, which is why we wanted to find a venue in the countryside where people could stay over – and where no one would suddenly book a taxi at 3am.

Which party venue did you go for?

At Jomfruens Egede. We picked the venue because of its atmosphere and genius location and extremely clever in-house wedding planner, Helle. She made us feel completely safe celebrating the day at their venue. A tip I’m happy to pass on – find an ally to be in charge of the practical part at least. Otherwise you’ll end up drowning.

How equal was the division of tasks between you?

I was definitely the key driver. Søren signed off on some budget-like things and took care of the music (he’s a serious music geek), but apart from that, it was all me. My family was in charge of the reception, however, and generously absorbed all expenses in this regard – a huge help. The reception was held at their place, according to my wishes – they live very royally on 240 square metres in downtown Copenhagen with panoramic views of the King’s Garden and Rosenborg Castle so it suited the occasion very well. Relaxed and fun and intimate – but also solemn and romantic.

What didn’t go as planned?

I had been dreaming of glorious autumn sunshine – and it ended up being a pretty messy affair weather-wise, but luckily our venue was very well-suited for just that. One of the reasons why we didn’t go with a summer wedding was that I couldn’t be bothered worrying about the whimsical Danish summer weather for an entire year leading up to the wedding – so we had to go all in on something else. And autumn weddings are wonderful regardless of whether it’s sunny, cloudy, rainy or windy. I actually think that people ought to reconsider those summer weddings – mostly because it’s a shame to neglect the beauty of the other seasons?.Well, and then our music system broke down at 5am – which meant that the after party took refuge in one of the guest rooms of the castle, where someone took a seat in one of the old dilapidated windows, which fell out. The guest stayed put – only the window (and frame) went. It caused a small bill – but today it’s just a fun story and almost not worth mentioning as something that went wrong.
 

The day itself:

Where did you sleep the night before and with whom?

I stayed at a hotel with my three bridesmaids; my two best friends and my sister. I slept pretty poorly, which I guess you’re supposed to, and was mostly just lying there contemplating whether the giant spot that was growing on my chin was planning to disappear before the light of day. It didn’t, by the way. But my makeup was done by a world class stylist from the TV industry, who went berserk with the airbrush so the spot was invisible for 24 hours.

What was the weather like? And did it make a difference?

As mentioned above, it was pretty mixed – and it didn’t matter at all. The foliage was flaming – my main desire. The wedding was held in the city (Copenhagen) and countryside (near Faxelade, an hour south of the capital) in an old castle called Jomfruens Egede (where Countess Alexandra was married to Martin Jørgensen back in the day – haha – as we later discovered. (You’re allowed to be a little royal.)

To which tune did you walk down the aisle?

Jesus, bleibet meine Freude – the world’s most gorgeous melody played on the organ accompanied by three trumpets and two violins. It was magical and very atmospheric.

What did you do immediately after the ceremony?

After the ceremony in Holmens Kirke, Saturday at 11am, we drove to Gothersgade, where my family lives and hosted the reception for all guests + colleagues and a lot of other lovely people. I think we were 150 people in total. At the wedding party itself in the evening/night and next morning, we were 77 people.

Looking back:

 

Your best moment?

Walking down the aisle on my dad’s arm, with my sister and best friends right behind us, and my amazing family and friends on all sides and my husband-to-be on the horizon. That was without a doubt the wildest feeling. And then my dad’s speech. Daddy’s girl. And my own, hehe.

Which other moments do you remember the clearest from the day?

Waking up and gazing across Copenhagen from the Marriott suite, driving through town in an old Bentley, landing in front of the church and meeting the priest and my fourth bridesmaid in a nervous but happy kiss on the cheek, standing in front of the big gate and waiting for the prelude to tone down, the doors to open wide and the organ to play Jesus, bleibet meine Freude, seeing the entire party stand up, having my strong dad by my side, seeing my man brimming with pride upon spotting me (I was really hot that day), leaving the church to the tune of the Wedding March, people clapping all the way from the church to the Citadel, where we took lots of silly, lovely photos, meeting the guests again at my parents’ place as a calm, romantic and safe anchor in a hectic, terrific schedule. Licking the cake plates when the guests had been sent off to Jomfruens Egede and I had a few minutes alone with my closest family and husband, meeting everyone dressed to the nines in the lobby at Jomfruens Egede a few hours later, walking together on the red carpet towards the barn – and once again being cheered into our seats, the 16 touching speeches, which contained so much love that I almost couldn’t bear it, the entire party running back towards the main building for the bridal waltz before midnight, and then it gets a bit hazy – but I was happy, deeply happy. And the morning after when all of my favourite people gathered for breakfast and unwrapping of gifts. And, well, hangover food in Larsbjørnsstræde a few hours later. And the day after – brunch with my mum and sister – and then packing for our seven week honeymoon the next day. Pure highlights.

What was the best piece of advice in the process?

Spend money on a good photographer. The photos will stay with you forever!

What would you do differently?

More wedding cake (we ran out) and more photos and video (we should have booked a separate videographer – I’d have loved to watch those videos today).

Wise words of the bride?

Again – hire a good photographer (we had the best!!) and make sure they’ll stay on for as long as possible. It’s money you won’t regret spending. If your finances allow for it, hire a wedding planner – I considered it an insane concept before we started planning, but now I TOTALLY understand why people delegate it to a professional. If you have several venues and relatively high ambitions – planning is a gigantic project. Primarily because you want to be able to enjoy the day – which is only possible if someone else is responsible and is as familiar with the plan for the day as you are yourself. You can also get one of your bridesmaids to help – but you want her to be a guest as well rather than a project manager. Think about it. And I HIGHLY recommend going off-season. In consideration of the guests (so it doesn’t become a routine – weddings every Saturday throughout the summer) and of the planning – you can’t count on good weather in the summer, but it’s fairly certain that the weather will be bad at all other times of the year; this way it’s easier to take precautions and make the most of it. Spend money on good food well-suited for plenty of speeches – but don’t waste too much on fine wines; after the third glass, people don’t taste it anyway. Make sure to have the bar close by the dance floor so the party stays together. In case of many speeches (more than 16-18), put a time limit on them (there were 23 speeches at my friend’s wedding, why they were all capped at 3 minutes, which turned out to be perfect, boiling it down to the crème de la crème). And make sure to go on your honeymoon right after the party – extending the magic. We both took a sabbatical from our jobs and travelled around Brazil, Chile and Argentina for seven weeks with backpacks – and the infatuation which had emerged during the wedding lasted for the entire seven weeks. And one last thing: everyone feels the planning pressure in the run-up to the big day; it’s totally normal to not feel in love right before the wedding – actually closer to the opposite. But it’s pure pressure and nerves – don’t worry!

Small details:

What did you wear?

I designed my dress myself and bought the material. It was made by a newly graduated tailor. Cost DKK 14,000. Sewn in two layers – a dance-friendly under-layer and pearl-embroidered laces on top. High neck, long sleeves, slim, with a long train. The most beautiful dress in the world, if you ask me. 8 cm golden glitter heels from Gianvito Rossi in the church. A closed Prada pump in nude for the dinner. And then my wedding band and my engagement ring. Knickers from Agent Provocateur and nothing else?

What did he wear?

In the church, he wore a woollen three-piece suit, white shirt and pale pink tie. With camel-coloured shoes. At night, tailored smoking from Savile Row, smoking shirt from Stenström and patent-leather shoes from Acne Studios.

Your hair/makeup?

Done by the world’s best Nina Larsen – and the hairstyle was still strong at 5am the following morning!

Your ‘something new, old, borrowed and blue’?

New shoes, borrowed earrings (from my friend), old knickers (hahaha) with a blue bow in front.

Wedding bands?

They are identical – made according to my great-grandparents’, very simple, in 18 carat. Made by a goldsmith in Gothersgade, Vagn Drachmann.

Bridal bouquet and boutonnière?

Bjarne Blomst – an old family friend – was in charge of flowers. It was lavish. Right after his head and ours.

DJ/band that you recommend?

We had friends and family make dj-sets of an hour each – so we ended up with a mixed musical expression. It was super fun – and gave more people a share in the party.

Photographer/videographer?

World class Sofie Amalie Klougart – the girlfriend of a friend’s little brother, why she gave us an extra special price.

Morning gifts?

I gave him a silk morning gown and got a small 100-year-old pocketbook with 15 tips to staying together. Søren read it out to me on our honeymoon. We had agreed to not spend any money on those gifts – we’d rather spend it on the party and the journey.

Honeymoon destination and time?

Seven weeks of backpacking through Brazil, Chile og Argentina. Staying in hostels with shared baths. A huge contrast to the lavish wedding. Completely, completely perfect.