A wedding is the event of a lifetime – unique and unrepeatable. While time can’t be stopped, perhaps it can be slowed down a bit, so that you can live these moments as deeply as possible, experience them with your whole self, and on your own terms? This is the idea of a slow wedding, or an alternative wedding: unhurried, having nothing to do with conventions and based on emotions, not things! How to organize such a party? We give you a hint and invite you to the fairytale Wąsow!
Where did the idea of a slow wedding come from?
More and more often we can hear about slow food, slow fashion or slow toursim. For several years now, slow wedding has also been in the mix. These are ideas that have their origin in a unique concept – slow life.
Slow life is a philosophy that translates into a lifestyle that involves slowing down, living according to one’s needs and giving it individual value. Slow life is also more about being than having – no material possessions are as important as feelings and experiences. Time is an overriding value – but in the sense that you need to know how to have that time: not to focus on achieving, not to do everything in a hurry, not to be in a race, just to be and experience in your own way.
What is a slow wedding?
Even if we do not practice the slow life philosophy on a daily basis, we can still benefit from related ideas, such as slow food (food that is minimally processed, made traditionally), slow toursim (conscious travel with the least possible impact on the environment, being close to nature) or just slow wedding.
Slow wedding is a certain concept that everyone can define differently – just as everyone living a slow life defines their life and values differently. But there are several common traits that define such an alternative wedding precisely as a slow wedding:
- fulfilling one’s own dreams (not the dreams of the family or the well-worn ones that every young couple supposedly should have, such as a white dress or a ballroom),
- conscious choices (and not dictated by the opinion of those who “know better,” or the belief that “something is out of place” or “because someone will be offended”),
- emotions, rather than a rich wedding setting (e.g., no church wedding when the bride and groom do not wish it, a non-obvious location such as a wooden hut),
- Authenticity and freedom (all decisions made independently and in accordance with one’s own beliefs and professed values),
- Lack of haste and stress (organizing a wedding without unnecessary running around and having to look after hundreds of things with the belief that otherwise the day will turn into a big disaster!).
How to organize a slow wedding?
A slow wedding is a celebration organized quietly, but in harmony with yourself – with your beliefs and preferences. That’s why each slow wedding can go very differently, so the way it’s organized will also be different. On the other hand, this handful of tips from us, served below, is completely universal!
Slow wedding is a dream wedding – your dream wedding!
Before you set about organizing your wedding, let your imagination run wild. What does this day look like in your imagination, what do you desire in your heart? Perhaps you would like to hold them outdoors in a beautiful garden, or perhaps in a traditional castle hall where time stopped a few hundred years ago? Or in a small and modest wooden hut? Anything is possible – even if it appears to be difficult to execute, it is still always possible to find the optimal way out of the situation.
Work out a common vision, your vision, and start putting it into practice!
On the subject of individual wedding and reception ideas, we have more than 20 years of experience – hundreds of organized weddings at the Hardt Palace and in the open air have taught us to think outside the box. We will be happy to help you arrange your dream wedding, taking a lot of organizational matters off your shoulders.
Slow wedding away from the hustle and bustle of the city
The idea of a slow wedding, as well as the whole philosophy of slow life, encourages you to escape from cramped and polluted city centers in favor of proximity to nature, the tranquility of idyllic countryside, harmony of landscapes, the sound of water and birdsong. Of course, we don’t convince you to organize a wedding in total wilderness (unless that’s what you want!) – because it’s worth remembering, however, that a well-connected neighborhood will save you organizational stress, and provide guests with the comfort of getting there.
Finding the right place, that is, at the same time in a beautiful, green and peaceful area and near a major city, is not a big problem at all. For our part, we encourage you to visit Wąsow – our complex is located in an English park of 50 hectares, and only about 50 kilometers from the center of Poznan.
Slow wedding organized without stress and running around
Stress and haste are the biggest enemies of a slow wedding. Of course, there are many things to do – booking the wedding hall, choosing the menu, organizing the music and decorations, inviting guests, completing the closet. It’s easy to get lost in this and forget about what’s most important – the feeling between you!
In accordance with the idea of a slow wedding, less is more. Do not take on too much, and if possible, have some organizational matters handled. Not the setting of the wedding, but you are the most important – all the rest are just extras. If you are happy on the day, all your guests will be too!
It is a good idea to make a to-do list. Get down to its implementation a little earlier to take away unnecessary stress. It’s a good idea to prioritize the items on the list – then you’ll be sure that the most important things are already taken care of, and the rest can be skipped as a last resort.
Slow wedding different edition
Slow wedding is not so much a style of wedding, but the idea behind it. Since this is to be the wedding of your dreams, you can arrange it in the style that suits you best – such as minimalist, boho, Scandinavian, vintage, rustic or even industrial.
If you choose our picturesque Wąsowo near Poznan, we will offer you four different rooms to choose from – the historic interior of the Hardt Palace, the Park Hall and the Wąsowo Granary, where the Granary Hall and the Windmill Hall are located. And each – after proper decoration, which can be handled by our friendly decorators – will have the expected character.
Slow wedding against tradition and conventions
When organizing an alternative wedding in the spirit of a slow wedding, you can’t worry about tradition and conventions if they don’t conform to your beliefs.
“Because it’s the right thing to do” is not an argument worth taking into account. This applies to the entire ceremony and reception. If you don’t want to have a church wedding, no one should force you to do so. If you don’t see yourself during such traditional moments as the first dance or the nuptials – tell them a short “no way!”. If you don’t feel like wearing a snow-white ornate gown on a circle or a stiff suit – dress as you feel comfortable!
Of course, you must be prepared for various good advice – it’s worth listening to it, but it’s your day and you don’t have to follow it. Even if some of the guests do not react enthusiastically to your ideas at first, they will certainly appreciate the out-of-the-box ideas and freedom of a slow wedding and will enjoy it together with you.
Think carefully about the guest list – a wedding for immediate family and a circle of friends is one idea for spending the day in a different way. An intimate wedding with your closest relatives is an alternative to a lavish celebration, not everyone expects to spend the day in a large group. You can also organize a reception the next day at which you will offer a more casual atmosphere of the meeting, invite more friends and thus extend the celebration of the nuptials. On the premises Wąsowo Palace there is a barbecue gazebo with infrastructure prepared for up to 150 people. A barbecue party in the midst of several hundred year old natural monuments is a perfect place for outdoor meetings.
Slow wedding means time for yourself and guests
This point relates somewhat to the stress and busyness often associated with organizing a wedding. The main idea of slow life is to have time – not to always have to stick to the schedule, not to nervously glance at the watch every few minutes. Slow wedding is also a modern wedding that doesn’t have to include traditional games and events.
Of course, it’s worth planning interesting attractions for your guests (these can also be completely unconventional attractions, such as wine tasting or a piano concert – it’s up to you!), but it’ s not worth planning every minute of the wedding and sticking to the schedule. What you need is time for you and your guests, space to talk freely, which – even if it drags on – will not disrupt the plan!
Slow wedding is also slow food
The menu is always one of the biggest attractions of any reception. When organizing a slow wedding, it is definitely worth betting on slow food and its quality, not quantity. It is also worth ensuring that any surplus food is not wasted – you can package some of the products and distribute them to the wedding guests, so that when they return home their palates can once again taste the wedding specialties.
At our Wąsowo Palace restaurant we serve delicious dishes made from local products and prepared “homemade”. We rely exclusively on Polish organic food and work with small, family-owned suppliers from Wielkopolska, and we grow some vegetables and herbs in our own garden. We will be happy to help you arrange your wedding menu to accommodate your guests’ different preferences and provide them with a completely new taste experience!
Is a slow wedding a proposition for everyone?
And yes, and no!
On the one hand, organizing a slow wedding requires the right approach – a lot of courage and persistence in pursuing one’s own dreams and sticking to one’s convictions, very often in spite of others, including loved ones. It also requires the ability to let go if too much stress is involved, and to give up material things in favor of experiencing emotions and experiencing the moment.
On the other hand, such a modern wedding in the spirit of slow for everyone can mean something different – and in this sense it is quite a universal proposition, because each bride and groom can shape the reception according to their own ideas.
Finally, we would like to invite you not only to visit Wąsow or take advantage of our unique wedding reception offer, but also to take part in our regularly organized Wedding Gala, where interesting wedding trends are presented, such as in room decoration and menus. We look forward to seeing you!
FAQ:
What is a slow wedding?
Slow wedding has no single definition and can look very different. On the other hand, its main idea is to organize the reception without haste and stress and only in accordance with your own dreams and beliefs. What is important at a slow wedding is free time for casual conversation and fun, as well as emotions and experiences – not the wedding setting itself.
How to organize a slow wedding?
A slow wedding should be a party of dreams, which often involves turning away from tradition or established patterns. Quality, not quantity, is also important – and in every way. The key to organizing a slow wedding is the absence of stress and haste, i.e. being able to enjoy the special day to the fullest.
Where to hold an intimate wedding in slow style?
For a slow wedding one usually chooses a location away from the hustle and bustle of the city and surrounded by nature. We recommend our idyllic Wąsowo with its palace complex set in a huge English garden – where the sound of trees and water and birdsong create the most beautiful wedding setting.
