Julia and Matthias met in 2010 through mutual friends, teenagers crossing paths at a bus stop after school. Julia, fifteen at the time, remembers telling a friend, “I have never met a more beautiful person in my life.” They lost contact for two years, then ran into each other at a club. Matthias would pick her up in his dad’s car, and they’d drive around, get takeout, and talk until early morning, laughing until they couldn’t breathe. On June 20, 2012, he asked her to be his girlfriend, and they’ve been inseparable since, moving out together, finishing university, and traveling as much as their budget allowed. “We really grew up together,” Julia says, “and it felt like a never ending sleepover with your best friend in the whole world.”
Location: Berlin, Germany
Style: Timeless Elegance, 90s Vibe, Classy
Season: Fall
Time of planning: 8 months
Number of guests: 50
Setting: Villa Kogge & Politbüro
The proposal came during their first trip to New York, in October 2019, on a walk with the Brooklyn Bridge stretched out in front of them. Matthias grew visibly nervous, and a few minutes later, he asked her to marry him.
They stayed engaged for six more years. “We were just in the middle of our twenties, still finishing university,” Julia says, and a wedding felt expensive and like a lot of organizational weight to carry. “There was never a rush on getting to the next ‘big milestone’ with us,” she says. “We were always just enjoying the time in the moment and also spent all our money on traveling.” But they always knew they wanted a small, intimate celebration with the people closest to them. When it finally came together, their Berlin wedding was shot on both digital and analog by Julia & Gil, whose work carried the same warmth and unhurried feeling that had defined the two of them from the very beginning.
Fashion
Julia moved through three looks across the day, each chosen for how it felt rather than what it announced. She wore Bridalstory for the civil wedding, Dana Harel for the reception at Soho House, and Alexander Wang for the party, staying in the same Jimmy Choo shoes throughout. Her perfume, Wood Sage & Sea Salt by Jo Malone London, tied it all together, and she did her own hair and makeup, a deliberate choice to keep the morning calm. “I really tried it to keep it as low-key as possible in the areas where I was comfortable with, just to take the pressure off and to be able to enjoy the day more,” she says.
The through-line across all dresses was simple: comfortable, timeless, flattering. “I was drawn to pieces that could have been worn 30 years ago, but would still feel just as relevant 30 years from now,” Julia says, with soft, flowing fabrics and a classic silhouette running through each look. “For both of us, it was never about big labels or making a statement. It was much more important that everything fit perfectly and that we felt comfortable, while still looking elegant and true to ourselves.” Her bouquet, made by Flatmakers, rounded out the look with the same quiet ease.
Ceremony
Instead of a traditional ceremony, Julia and Matthias kept things intimate with a civil wedding at Villa Kogge, just ten of their closest family and friends in the room. During the ceremony, each of them read a short speech written for the other. “It was such an emotional moment,” Julia says, “reflecting on more than a decade of growing up together and the unconditional love we share.” There were tears on both sides, guests included. “It felt very honest and full of love, exactly what we had hoped for.”
After the ceremony, at 11 am, the celebration moved into a small champagne reception in the villa’s garden. More friends arrived to join in, and the whole thing settled into something relaxed and joyful. The October sun stayed warm, the light held that particular late-autumn softness, and everything about the afternoon felt calm and unposed. Julia and Matthias spent the time chatting, taking photos with their guests, and simply enjoying being there together.
Around 1pm, the newlyweds left the villa in their vintage car and made their way to Soho House, the drive doubling as a natural pause for their guests to get ready for the evening ahead. They checked into their room, and Julia changed into her second dress before the two spent a quiet stretch of time with their closest friends and family, just before the evening celebration began.
Inspiration & Photography
Julia and Matthias have always loved the look of film photography, and nostalgia in general shaped nearly every decision behind the wedding. Timeless elegance ran through the whole planning process, keeping things as simple as possible while putting real weight behind the details that mattered most. A big point of inspiration was the wedding of Carolyn Bessette-Kennedy and John F. Kennedy Jr., a day that felt intimate and timeless at once. Julia & Gil, shooting on both digital and film, brought that same sensibility to the photography, capturing the day with the kind of grain and warmth that made the nostalgia feel completely genuine.
The two locations ended up shaping the entire direction of the wedding. Choosing a historic villa in Berlin for the civil wedding and Soho House for the celebration set the whole vibe before any decoration came into play, both spaces already carrying the iconic, nostalgic atmosphere Julia and Matthias were after. That, Julia says, was the most important part of the whole planning process. “Finding the locations that speak for themselves without us needing to organize a lot of vendors and decorations.” The setting already looked exactly as they’d imagined it, leaving only smaller, personal touches to layer in: an old Mercedes SL 280 to drive them to the villa for the ceremony, and a photo booth rented for the party at Soho House, styled like the classic vintage kind still scattered around Berlin.
Reception Details
They skipped a wedding planner entirely, relying instead on their most talented friends. Julia and Matthias designed the menu cards themselves, Kiana hand-wrote every place card, and together with bridesmaid Sandra, the two picked white and cream carnations at Flatmakers for the floral arrangements. Jo Malone London perfumes doubled as guest favors, with matching candles from the same line creating a signature scent for the evening. “It made the atmosphere feel even more personal,” Julia says, “and now every time we smell that fragrance, it instantly brings us back to that October night.”
Reception
The reception took place at the Politbüro at Soho House Berlin. The evening opened with a cocktail reception at 5pm, guests already gathered by the time Julia and Matthias walked in together, toasting the room in what felt like the natural start to the celebration. Two signature cocktails, a Paloma Tequila and an Espresso Martini, gave the evening a personal touch and matched the classy, timeless mood running through the night. Linda Antonia performed live throughout cocktail hour, and guests wandered out to the balcony to catch the sunset, especially beautiful in the soft October light.
Dinner followed, and the four speeches given throughout the evening turned into one of its highlights. Emotional but genuinely funny, none of them dragged or felt overly formal, closer to storytelling than tradition. In the background, a projector played old camcorder footage from years of Julia and Matthias’s travels, not just clips of the two of them, but glimpses of places and moments they’d shared together, giving the room a quietly nostalgic layer throughout dinner.
Then the party started, and by both of their accounts, it was the most fun they’ve ever had. With such a small guest list, the whole night stayed relaxed and intimate, giving them time to actually be with every single person there.
"What made the day so special to us was how intimate and personal everything felt. From the small civil ceremony to the relaxed reception and the evening celebration, nothing felt rushed or overly staged. The handwritten speeches, the vintage car, the old travel videos playing in the background - all of these little details reflected our story and made the day feel truly ours."
Advice from the couple:
• Our advice would be to focus on what truly feels right for you and not get caught up in expectations. Keeping our wedding small and personal allowed us to really be present and enjoy every moment. In the end, it’s not about creating a perfect event, but about sharing a meaningful day with the people you love.
PHOTOGRAPHY Julia & Gil | VENUE & CATERING Soho House Berlin | CIVIL CEREMONY VENUE Villa Kogge | FLORALS Flatmakers | GUEST FAVORS & WEDDING SCENT Jo Malone London | PHOTO BOOTH Knips-o-Mat | VINTAGE CAR RENTAL Book a Classic | LIVE MUSIC Linda Antonia | BRIDE Julia
