Weddings

Czech-Brazilian Wedding of Katerina & Guilherme at Chateau Bon Repos

This Czech-Brazilian wedding was really something exceptional to plan. When I met them for the first time, I saw a couple sooo in love, so easy going, relaxed and with the best vibe. They only told me they wanted to enjoy their wedding as much as possible. The whole planning was in the same mood. I had created a design board, had suggested decorations, prints and style of the wedding and waited for their feedback. They loved everything so much that they decided to leave pretty much everything up to me. It was very special for me. I appreciate they had so much trust in me and I’m really happy they loved the result. That’s the best thing ever!

You can see below, if you like the design and decorations ideas I created. The theme was “boho” rustic but elegant using mostly pale colours.

The wedding of Katka and Gui was rustic / elegant boho style with pale colour palette and a touch of wine-coloured and dark pink to light everything up. We rented different pieces of furniture, carpets, used geometrical shapes and created seating out of pallet furniture.

Chateau Bon Repos, located about 50 km from Prague, offers a beautiful historical pavilion. However the bride had a dream of an outside wedding so we were the first ones who took a chance and did everything outside under a lovely tent.

We brought everything – tables, chairs, flowers, lights, decorations, Bedouin tent, decorated it with light bulbs and of course a great catering company.

In order guests could enjoy the view in the garden, we created a lounge in a shade of trees made of pallet furniture, carpets, pillows and with a little tepee to match the ceremony teepee.

Preperations of the tent, furniture and decorations took us 2 days. And then around noon on the wedding day, preparations of the bride, the groom and their close ones could also begin.

Ceremony was held in a park overlooking all the beautiful trees and also the chateau. it ws sooo magical! I truly enjoyed all the happiness and joy you could see in all the guest’s eyes, especially the Brazilian part. This is simply why I love doing weddings…

Chairs and tables were wooden, the decorations were in gray tones, light green and pale colours. I went for a bit for rustic style but with a touch of elegance. How do you like the different type of chairs I chose?

Guests received a little flowerpot of echeveria with “Thank you” tags. Wedding invitations together with all the other prints were styled to Boho style and all the colours we used.

After a lovely dinner there was time for some sweets! And of course all had to match the design concept. I wanted to achieve something interesting and unusual, that is why we chose three cakes with three different flavours. The newlyweds and guests loved the idea so I was really happy! Also I chose a rustic old wooden table for the service.

There was a second lounge made of armchair, sofa, ottoman in front of the Bedouin tent. There were tables with sweets as a part of the seating so it made it very special. To make it more comfortable, we used table lamps, candles and a bulb chain. It was such a cosy and comfortable lounge, guests loved it.

There must be a caipirinha cocktail at each Brazilian wedding. This wedding wasn’t any different. Guests could prepare their own drink with a little help of bartenders. The evening party was amazing! There was a live band, guests drank and ate whatever they wanted and the dance floor was full of Brazilian wild spirit.

I want thank to every single person who was part of this wonderful wedding. It was so worth it and I loved each minute working on it. It was such a successful wedding! I loved seeing Katka and Gui being so happy and in love. I loved that they enjoyed it together, every single detail, every minute of it. Seeing their happy faces is the biggest “thank you” I could hope for. Thank you for leaving  pretty much everything up to me. Thank  you for your huge trust! Not only me but all suppliers enjoyed the planning. Sending lots of love to you both to Brazil!

xxx

Lucie

WORDS OF THE BRIDE:

I would love to thank you a looooooooot for all your hard work to make our unique day perfect. We enjoyed it a lot and from all sides there are positive words only. We were 110% satisfied with the choice of suppliers you recommended us. We admire your willingness to fulfil our dream wedding and we are so grateful having you two. Personally, I am happy, I chose your agency and I am glad we managed the long distance planning even though it was not always easy with me. I would love to thank you again, girls. I have never felt such a big gratitude and joy! Thank you again! I hope there will be at least small opportunity to stay in touch a bit in a future. With love, Katka & Gui

I would like to thank to all suppliers who were part of this wedding. Thanks to them all dreams came true.

Venue: Chateau Bon Repos

Wedding planning & design: Lucie Hola Weddings

Photographer: Dara Rakovcik

 

 

 

Australian fairytale wedding at Czech Chateau

Jordan and Brenton are an Australian couple who contacted me in order to organize their wedding in the Czech Republic. They chose Czech Republic because they fell in love with it when they were travelling around Europe. I knew they had been looking for a romance, a history and a place for a great party. I suggested some options for a perfect wedding in Prague and also around. Then I suggested a combination of these 2 castles ideal for wedding in Czech, which are not too far from each other. They immediately fell in love with that combination and planning could begin. Not an easy planning, let me tell you! Combination of 2 popular chateaus where you have to bring everything  externally is challenging but so worth it!

It was a real destination wedding as the couple couldn’t come even once before the wedding so I did everything  for them – driving around all the possible venues, tasting the food, wine, cakes, meeting all suppliers and venues.

The wedding of Jordan and Brenton was elegant, subtle, romantic and sophisticated in details. It was a 4-day wedding, all guests were from Australia and were very pleasant. We had a lot of fun together in those 4 days. It was one of the most demanding wedding of last summer, mainly due to several locations, two wedding venues and the early time of the wedding ceremony. I had been sleeping in South Bohemia for 3 nights and accompanied the guests at all events and I must say that after that time I spent with them, it was difficult to say goodbye.

  • 1st day I planned a welcome dinner where all guests could get to know each other well and have a rest after a long journey.
  • 2nd day I planned a day trip to Český Krumlov with dinner and drinks on the terrace with a city center view.
  • The wedding itself took place on the 3rd day. And it was THE perfect wedding, even better than in Jordan’s dreams as she said :-). Check it yourselves. I  hope you will inspire you.

We chose a colour palette very subtle and elegant, as well as the rest of the decorations. For the ceremony I suggested to use golden chairs, for a reception we have chosen others. The white carpet could not be missing. The ceremony was carried out according to Australian customs, several readings, which were read by family members, mutual vows and of course the exchange of rings.

After the ceremony, guests took a walk around the Chateau, and had something to eat and drink (including a special pink drink of course :-)), gentlemen had beer, whiskey, etc. The newlyweds had time to take pictures in front of their dream Chateau.

It was raining at the end of the cocktail hour, we had to use a plan B – move all the cocktail tables and decorations to the restaurant, arrange umbrellas for guests and newlyweds, arrange a bus and cars to reach the hill (Which is forbidden but we made it happen!), while it was super heavily raining. I will never forget these moments, and that is why I love my job. Seeing everyone so happy we managed even such difficult situation.

After arrival to the main Chateau (our base where everyone was accomodated) a second cocktail hour began. Guests had a time to chat, have a glass of pink champagne, eat some canapés, use a polaroid, or go relax to their rooms. After that, the wedding official dinner, the main part the bride was the most looking forward to, began.

For a wedding reception, we chose again a decent design, all in white-cream-powder pink-gold colour palette. There were candles everywhere, and a special lighting to create an elegant, almost magical atmosphere. I chose white-cream wooden chairs, pink napkins, gold carved name tags and golden cutlery could not miss as well as other golden decorations.

We chose biscuits with white-pink watercolor pattern and golden slices as a gift for guests.

  

There were many speeches during the wedding reception, which were really worth it. There was an incredibly positive and cheerful atmosphere which I will always remember. The groom thanked to me and my colleague Jana and gave us an amazing Australian present – the UGG boots. Thank you! Not just for a gift, but for everything.

There was an open air music after the wedding reception for a while. The newlyweds had their very first dance as a married couple, a throwing of a bouquet and a cutting of a wedding cake took place outside too. It was a time of romance.

The wedding cake was inspired by the bride’s dress, the bottom part represented her skirt, pearls her shoes and belt. The golden stripe on top was a minimalist detail to connect beautifully the whole wedding.

And then the real Australian party began.

It took a year to plan this wedding, it was very hard demanding work, but on the other hand I enjoyed it, because Jordan and Brenton were great, well-organized, they knew what they wanted, but were open to new ideas and an advice too. It was a joy to plan it and organize it for them. Afterall, I feel sad that our cooperation reached the end. On the other hand, I was assured by many guests, I am their family member now, and when I go to Australia, I must stop by. It was a real gift to meet people so relaxed, pleasant, positive and cheerful. It was a dream wedding for me.

Thanks  for all your trust, kindness and love :-* it was simply magical…

If you would like to read some testimonials, here are some I received:

1) Text message from the newlyweds from the morning after wedding:

Good morning Lucie, Brenton and I just wanted to say a massive THANK YOU for everything you have done for us. The whole event was a massive success and we couldn’t have done it without you. It was perfect in every way. Every guest mentioned to me what a good job you did, and how much of a good time they were having. Xxxxxx

2) Words of the bride:

Let me start by saying, Lucie and her business is one in a million. Lucie and Jana planned our 4 day wedding in South Bohemia for us, whilst we live in Australia. We brought 50 guests (adults, teenagers and babies) with us to Prague and transported everyone to South Bohemia for our 4 day event. Nothing was ever too hard or difficult for Lucie and her team, we were treated like royalty over the 4 days she was personally with us. Over the course of planning our wedding, we were given expert advice around what needed to be done (from budgets, to locations, venues, suppliers, what to expect etc). I never felt in the dark about anything even though we were so far away. Lucie knew my vision and we clicked, everything was better than I ever imagined it could be. To this date we still get comments from guests about how spectacular our wedding was, and how helpful Lucie was over the 4 days with questions and keeping everyone informed. The events were planned to the smallest detail; many dietary requirements, beautiful welcome bags in the hotel for the guests, even sewing my wedding dress back in place when the groom decided to step on my train!). Literally couldn’t fault her, I will enjoy the process and enjoy your day fully without worrying about a thing.

3) Words of the groom:

Lucie managed our wedding whilst we live in Australia. We were recommended her after first liaising with a planner who was not up to our standards. Lucie managed a four-day wedding in a private chateau for us and it was absolutely amazing. Jana her assistant was also terrific. We have become very good friends with her over the process as well and if we could do the entire thing over again we would. If 10 stars was an option Lucie would get 10 stars. Do yourself a favour and use her, you will not regret it. AMAZING!!! Thanks Lucie!

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I would like to thank to all suppliers who were part of this wedding. Thanks to them all dreams came true.

Photographer: Matěj Třasák / Videographer: Otash /  Florist:  Frezia Fleur / Prints: Trumade / Cake and sweet bar: PunkRockCakes /  MUA&Hair: Natálie Jáchimová and many others!

 

Czech-foreign or fully foreign destination wedding in Prague

5.02.2018 LuckaH Weddings

Czech-foreign or fully foreign destination wedding in Prague

I’ve organized plenty of destination weddings in Prague in the past. Very often I organize Czech-foreign weddings usually a Czech girl marrying a foreign guy but sometimes the other way round. It is very popular to arrange a destination wedding in Prague so I also organize full foreign weddings. In my opinion these are extremely interesting weddings due to the different traditions and different views on the wedding itself. Each nationality and each person is expecting and used to something different.

It is very different to organize a Czech wedding or a German, Norwegian, British, Scottish, American, Chinese and others. I believe reading this you feel the differences yourself. Each nationality has different culture, typology and behaviour of guests, different food habits and times of eating. To me it is very important to communicate all the requirements and expectations and typology of guests with my clients to fulfill all their wishes and satisfy all the guests.

Lately wedding in Prague has become very popular for Scandinavians. I organized Norwegian wedding,  Finnish wedding and also Danish wedding, all in Prague. Still waiting for my first Swedish wedding though! 🙂

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In my past I organized weddings with sooo many different nations. From top of my head it was: France, Spain, Norway, England, Ireland, Scotland, US, Canada, South African Republic, India, Russia, Ukraine, Poland, Hungary, Germany, Austria, Italy, Korea, Japan, China, Slovenia, Australia… wooow quite many behind me!

I love organizing weddings for different nationalities in combination to Czech surroundings and venues. Someone is used to ceremony at noon, someone at 5 p.m.. Someone isn´t expecting to eat much at the beginning, someone is used to eating from 8 p.m..

If you organize a wedding in the Czech republic and you are foreign, make sure to take good care about the paper work. It is not easy to arrange all the paper work, you (or your wedding planner) needs to cooperate closely to the registry office to make sure they have all the documents needed.

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I´ve organized quite many symbolic ceremonies as well. If you aren´t able to manage all the paper work or it is just much more simple to get married officially in your country this is the best way how to make your ceremony really nice. You can hire very good actors who make the ceremony exactly according to your wishes.

If you are inviting guests from all over the world I suggest arrange a pre-wedding dinner or simple Czech style dinner with barbecue and good beer where everyone gets to know each other and so they would be very relaxed on the wedding day. These pre-wedding evenings are truly magical and release any kind of tension. I also I love arranging the after wedding brunch where newlyweds can say a proper goodbye and share all the memories from the previous day.

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There are plenty of differences between nationalities that I could talk about for ages. However it is always important to think about the guests in general and make compromises to make not only your guests happy but most importantly the two of you.

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Here you can find testimonials from some of my former destination weddings:

Jennifer & Graeme – Scottish-Canadian wedding

Katharina & Yair Czech-Norwegian-German wedding

Lucile & Pavel – Czech-French wedding

Natalie & Anthony – Czech-British wedding

Lena & Nikita – Russian wedding

Nika & Alex – Czech-British wedding

Martina & Jerome – Slovakian-French wedding

Denisa & Alp – Czech-Turkish wedding

Jitka & Guillermo – Czech-Spanish wedding

and more to see on my web pages HERE

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In case you are expecting some guests from abroad, here’s a tip for you: have a look at Prague-Stay.com, a leading Prague portal, presented by the renowned Svoboda & Williams real estate company. The portal offers the most magical fully serviced holiday apartments and a great selection of design hotels – all located in the very heart of old Prague. What is more, the Prague-Stay.com portal has dedicated time to cultivating Prague Lifestyle, a large section of their web where a variety of carefully selected services, products and companies are represented. Search through Prague-Stay.com where you can get a complete overview of events and culture in Prague, including local designers & artists, dining, nightlife & entertainment, education, sports & leisure, weddings, etc. There you can also find an article about me in their wedding planning section. 🙂

Prague wedding planner – why to hire the planner? Which one to choose?

5.02.2018 LuckaH Weddings

WHY SHOULD YOU HIRE A WEDDING PLANNER? AND IF YOU DO SO – WHICH ONE SHOULD YOU CHOOSE?

Have you ever been on a wedding where no-one was in charge of the organization part, guests weren´t sure where to go or what will be happening, you were a bit hungry and really thirsty? Were you bored and there was not enough entertainment?

Those are some of the reasons why it is good to have the wedding planner. Someone who you pass all the responsibility. The wedding planner is then in charge of everything and everybody. I know that the clients can fully rely on me and don´t have to worry about any details. If they need any advice or help, I´m always there for them. During the whole wedding planning I´m in charge of everything – finding the right venue, negotiations with the wedding venue and suppliers and overall communications with everyone. I´m the only contact person of my clients so I save them plenty of time.

I find it very difficult for the clients to find a proper wedding planner / wedding agency on the Czech market. There are so many of them! One of my client recently told me that he finds it extremely difficult to find out the differences between the wedding agencies and doesn´t know how to pick. How can you tell at the beginning that the person will really be in charge of YOUR wedding, will deal with you during the whole planning process and actually be there on the wedding day? How do you know that the person puts 150% of the energy to your wedding? How do you know that she is a true professional? You don´t. I think you cannot find this out from the internet, you have to live through it :-). Unfortunately there aren´t many good agencies on the market so make sure you pick very carefully.

I always say – just look at the web pages, look at the photos, meet the owner and connect all the impressions to make sure it is the right wedding planner for you.

Make sure you have all this in mind once you are picking the wedding planner:

  • When you meet the owner make sure you click. You will be in touch with this person for the whole time. You want her to be professional, pleasant, reliable and good person all in one.
  • Make sure the wedding planner is true professional and has plenty of experience from the past with good reviews.
  • Don´t let yourself push to anything! You are the client and you should always have the last word.

It is important so that your wedding planner plans the wedding with perfection and focus on detail. She should offer you suppliers according to your taste, ideas and budget. She shouldn´t make mistakes, she needs to give you a lot of advice and put the whole wedding together. Then she needs to coordinate the wedidng day with perfection and smile, needs to resolve problems very quickly without anyone noticing and so on. You see it is not always easy to find out all this from the first impression.

My clients often say that at the beginning they cannot even imagine what I will do as a wedding planner and then during the planning process and after the wedding they are thrilled and say that they would never ever be able to manage it themselves.

So how do you find out if the wedding planner is the one? Try meeting the owner and you will see how it goes!

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Wedding in the Czech Republic / Destination wedding in Prague

5.02.2018 LuckaH Weddings

Prague is located in the center of Europe. That is one of the reasons why couples often think of organizing their wedding in the Czech Republic, but there are plenty other reasons as well:

Outdoor wedding ceremony

Outdoor wedding in the Czech Republic, for more details contact me – Lucie Hola, the Prague Wedding Planner, www.luciehola.cz/en

REASONS TO ORGANIZE WEDDING IN PRAGUE / CZECH REPUBLIC

  • It is super easy to reach Prague by plane from all around the world
  • The Czech Republic is a country with plenty of castles and historical buildings combined with a wonderful countryside and nature
  • The Czech Republic is famous for its beer, which is one of the best in the world. It is usually cheaper than water!
  • Weddings in Czech cost much less compared to many countries around the world. The cost therefore becomes much more reasonable.
  • There are many beautiful venues for weddings. In historical palaces, gardens or simply a lovely restaurant with a view.
  • It is very popular to spend a few days before rafter the wedding in Prague or travel around Czech and make it a lovely holiday. I sometimes organize more days for all the guests where we are traveling around Czech exploring castles, breweries, local vineyards or historical cities.
  • Prague is a wonderful city for exploring, enjoying great food and drinks for reasonable prices, and has easy transportation and nice people.
  • And of course sometimes couples have a personal reason connected to Prague.
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Wedding organized by Lucie Hola, the Prague Wedding Planner, www.luciehola.cz/en

IS IT POSSIBLE TO ORGANIZE A WEDDING FROM ABROAD? HOW DOES THE COMMUNICATION WORK?

Do you think it is difficult to organize a wedding abroad? Are you worried about not visiting Prague in advance? I will try to explain how it usually works.

Most of my clients live abroad. Usually either a Czech girl marrying a foreign guy, or they are both foreign. We communicate in English. I provide all the materials in English such as budget, time schedule, all contracts, offers etc. I really like if my clients come for 1 meeting to choose the venue and do the food tasting because it’s great if they can see all the venues in person. However, I’ve had plenty of cases when they didn’t visit as they were from far abroad (e.g. Australia, USA, Canada.) I simply made them plenty of photos and videos so that they could feel like they’ve been there and are able to make the right decision. It works just as well.

Then, all the communication is done through e-mail, Skype and sometimes Whatsapp. I’m available almost 24/7 for my brides to discuss all the little details.

Additionally, I meet all vendors in Prague or outside Prague on behalf of my clients. This includes the suppliers, wedding venue coordinators, and catering, where I discuss all the details and plan the wedding.

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Wedding organized by Lucie Hola, the Prague Wedding Planner, www.luciehola.cz/en

WHAT ABOUT THE DIFFERENCE IN FOOD?

If you know anything about the Czech Republic, you know that the food is quite heavy and not for everyone. I always work on making the food on the wedding day enjoyable for the concrete nationality. Often I organize a pre-wedding dinner where I propose a barbeque or a typical spread of Czech food and beer so that the guests experience the best from Czech.

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Wedding organized by Lucie Hola, the Prague Wedding Planner, www.luciehola.cz/en

PAPER WORK

I always help my clients deal with the legal paper work as I’m in touch with the registry office and have full power for that. Right before the wedding, the couple needs to go to the registry office and sign the documents. By then we know that all the documents are taken care of.

HIRE PROFESSIONAL WEDDING PLANNER IN CZECH

I have plenty of experience organizing weddings so my clients can always rely on my professionalism and the fact that I always find the best suppliers which not only suit their style ideas and budget, but also personalities. I know most of the suppliers on the Czech market in person so I can tell if they are good or not. I give my clients all of my energy and I make an effort to make each wedding perfect and tailored for the couple.

From my experience, all the guests from abroad are always super excited about the wedding in Prague or Czech as it is something they have never thought of or experienced. Most of them have never been to Prague and they are amazed by the historical buildings, views, great food and drinks, and the great service the suppliers provide. Prague provides a wonderful location for the couple and guests alike.

If you are interested in hiring a wedding planner don’t hesitate to contact me. I will be honored. Contact me HERE

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What is the budget for wedding in Prague / in the Czech Republic

5.02.2018 LuckaH Weddings

“What is the wedding budget?” This is the most frequent question I get from my clients and I understand why. However, it is very difficult to say the exact amount at the beginning of the planning as it depends on so many factors.

Budget mostly depends on details such as

  • Do you pay rental fee for the wedding venue?
  • How much and what quality of food & beverage will there be to meet your expectations?
  • How many guests are you expecting?
  • Does the venue provide chairs & tables or they have to be rented externally?
  • What quality of suppliers are you expecting?

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I would say the average price for a very nice wedding would be around 200 EUR per person. But honestly, it is super difficult to say as it all depends on so many aspects. Each wedding is different as every couple has different expectations. Therefore, some weddings are cheaper and some weddings are more expensive.

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I always compare it to decorating your house or a flat. You can buy very nice furniture and accessories for a low amount of money, an average cost, more expensive or super expensive. It is all about your expectations, personal taste, and decision on what you want to invest in.

I’m here to propose you plenty of possibilities to choose from and tell you which is the best way for you. I always recommend what to invest in and what is not necessary. If you have a wonderful dream elegant chateau wedding in mind and you have a reasonable budget for it, that is the best of course. Then you can go for the best suppliers and really make the DREAM wedding come true.

If you are planning a wedding in the Czech Republic and you are looking for the wedding planner for your dream wedding, don’t hesitate to contact me.

Yours sincerely,

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Wedding ceremony in Prague, Czech Republic (Destination wedding)

5.02.2018 LuckaH Weddings

One of the most important moments of the wedding day is the ceremony. In Prague there are many venue options for the wedding ceremony. There are plenty of palaces, gardens, terraces, churches in Prague or even outside Prague.

There are few different ways of getting married in the Czech Republic.

  • CHURCH – there are mostly catholic churches in Prague. You can arrange the ceremony in a church / chapel or cathedral.
  • ALTERNATIVE RELIGION – there are other religions which have different rules than the catholic religion and can be organized outside a church anywhere you desire. They can make the ceremony very beautiful and they are open to your ideas of a ceremony.
  • NON-RELIGIOUS – “standard” non-religious ceremony with registry office can be happening in town hall or in other certain locations. There must be an interpreter present during the ceremony.
  • SYMBOLIC – you can hire someone to arrange the ceremony very beautifully and exactly according to your wishes. Also you don’t have to struggle with the paperwork.

No matter how you decide, make the ceremony enjoyable for both you and your guests. It will be an important beginning to the rest of the wedding day.

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As for a Jewish rabbi, from the research I’ve done in a past, it is possible to organize a wedding in a Jewish synagogue only in the case where both bride and groom are Jewish.

Protestant wedding or orthodox Christianity wedding is also possible in the Czech Republic in specific Churches.

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I often organize symbolic wedding ceremonies. A symbolic wedding ceremony is my favorite for many reasons:

  • You don’t need to worry about the paper work as it is sometimes struggle (many nationalities, etc.)
  • You know in advance who will be doing the ceremony and you can discuss and adjust every word said at the ceremony.
  • You can basically tailor the wedding ceremony as per your wishes
  • It can be done in English only (if you have the official registry office they always do it in Czech with English translation)
  • You can organize the wedding anywhere anytime.

PAPERWORK

Wedding paperwork is usually the trickiest part of wedding planning. After you get all the necessary documents, you will have to have everything translated to Czech by a legal translator and depending on your home country, you may need to get them apostilled/notarized. All the necessary documents confirm that the marriage can be lawfully recognized by the native country.

These are the documents which are mostly requested:

  • Birth certificate.
  • Passport or ID which proves the nationality and identity
  • Certificate of no impediment – you may be able to make a sworn statement at your country’s embassy. Be careful – this document may not be older than 6 months at the time of your marriage.
  • Divorce or death certificate, notarized copy, translated
  • Religious documents if needed, mostly for the church
  • Certificate from Czech Foreign Police no longer than seven days prior wedding. It states that you may legally stay in the Czech Republic.

Depending on the country the documents sometimes need to be apostilled/notarized. Overall documentation will vary by nationality especially if you have more nationalities, permanent residence in another country etc.

Whatever type of ceremony you choose I’m here to plan it for you. Feel free to contact me.

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Expats weddings in Prague

5.02.2018 LuckaH Weddings

WHY IS WEDDING IN PRAGUE / CZECH REPUBLIC SO POPULAR FOR EXPATS

Weddings in Prague and the Czech Republic in general have gotten very popular in the last few years for multiple reasons. As I’ve organized many destination and expat weddings in the past, I understand the reason why. Guests are always super excited to spend a few days in Prague and actually get to know the city where you’ve been living for some time. Additionally, the city of Prague is super romantic due to its chateaus, cathedrals, winding cobblestone streets, and plenty of wedding venues with beautiful views.

If you want to see all reasons I came up with “why to organize a wedding in Prague,” check them out here.

It is up to you as a couple to decide to plan your wedding on your own or to hire the services of an experienced wedding agency. Furthermore, you also need to think of your expectations from the agency. Do you want help with only the legal legwork and the day-of coordination or would you like to have full wedding planning services?

Don’t hesitate to contact me for assistance in wedding planning services:

Prague wedding planner Lucie Holá, www.luciehola.cz/en, contact HERE

Expats wedding organized by Lucie Hola, the Prague Wedding Planner, www.luciehola.cz/en

DIY WEDDING OR HIRING A WEDDING PLANNER?

If you are an expat living in Prague, you might be able to organize the wedding yourself. However, you have to have enough time and patience to do so. Some suppliers or venue managers don’t speak English well enough or they don’t speak at all, so it might be a bit difficult. Also, it is very stressful to coordinate a larger wedding where most of the guests are coming from abroad.

Many couples decide to forgo the self-planning journey and hire a professional wedding planner to help them with all of the paperwork, assistance with Czech translations, and other wedding planning duties such as finding the right suppliers.

I always prefer to plan every wedding individually as I feel like each couple is unique and has different expectations, taste, and budget. I like to suggest specific suppliers that I think would suite the style and type of personalities of the couple best. Additionally, I recommend multiple venues options that would best fit the couples wedding vision. Then, we also discuss options of the pre-wedding dinner or after-wedding brunch. I strive to make the whole experience for the couple and guests unique and exciting.

Additionally, I plan other details such as wedding design, wedding prints (save the dates, invitations etc.), web pages in multiple languages, and book options for accommodations for the guests. In depth, the couple and I discuss the flowers, decor, cake, sweets and decoration details. Then of course details such as food, drinks, photographer, videographer, transportation for bride & groom and guests, etc.

If you wish for your wedding to be stress-free and relaxing, I highly recommend hiring a wedding planner. This will allow you to spend as much time with your guests visiting from abroad and simply enjoy the moment.

Expats wedding organized by Lucie Hola, the Prague Wedding Planner, www.luciehola.cz/en

WHEN SHOULD YOU BOOK THE WEDDING AGENCY

It is best to book the agency/planner at least 6 months prior to wedding. The wedding venues are usually booked in advance same as the good quality suppliers.

Then of course you need enough time to manage the paperwork, especially if one or both of the couple are foreign to the Czech Republic.

WEDDING EXPO

There are a few wedding expos happening in Prague other Czech cities during the year. If you are planning to organize the wedding yourself, it might be a place to go to get some contacts.

Personally, I don’t recommend it as I know the best, original or stylish suppliers don’t go to those events. The companies attending are not the ones who will individually plan your wedding; they are “wedding-package” based companies who will not offer you anything unique. I would say the expo is only for the couples who aren’t experienced and aren’t after a stylish wedding. However, it is a good place to go if you are looking for a sale on your weddings rings.

VENUES OPTIONS

There are so many options in terms of the wedding venues in Prague and the Czech countryside. You can look at my favourite venue choices here, but of course there are more. You can choose from palaces, chateaus, restaurants, hotels or gardens. If you are looking for an industrial style venue in Prague, there are some options mostly depending on the amount of guests.

You can choose all-inclusive venue where you hold ceremony, reception and accommodation at the same location. Or you can choose two venues and transport your guests in between by historical tram, historical buses, historical cars, boat or just minibuses.

TIP: in the Czech Republic it is forbidden to play loud music outside after 10:00p.m. so I recommend choosing the location where you can either move inside or the whole is kept inside.

Expats wedding organized by Lucie Hola, the Prague Wedding Planner, www.luciehola.cz/en

GOOD TIP FOR YOU: Czechs believe that May marriages will bring them bad luck so they don’t want to get married in this month. That means that some venues and suppliers might be available compared to other months during the wedding season.

The Czech Republic and especially Prague, is one of the most amazing places to get married. The river, city center, historical buildings, views, great food and drinks, and everything else combined makes for an unforgettable experience for the guests and the couple. For expat weddings, it is the best choice because they can be enjoying all the preparations, meet the suppliers, venues and be part of the whole planning process.

If you are thinking of planning a wedding in Prague or outside Prague and you are considering hiring a wedding planner, don’t hesitate to contact me. I will be more than happy to meet you for a coffee and discuss your ideas and possibilities.

All photos are from an “expats canadian-scottish wedding” I planned in Prague.  Testimonials you can find here.


Prague wedding planner reviews

5.02.2018 LuckaH Weddings

PRAGUE WEDDING PLANNER REVIEWS | LUCIE HOLA WEDDINGS

I put together few reviews from weddings I planned in Prague or outside Prague. I always say that the reviews / testimonials are the key to getting to know how the wedding planner or agency works and if they are a good fit for what you’re looking for. I would like to thank to all my wonderful clients for the amazing time we spent together by wedding planning.

KATHARINA & YAIR, Norwegian-German-Mexican wedding

My husband and I had the dream of getting married in Prague. We both live and work in Oslo, Norway and so it was clear to us that we would need the help of a wedding professional to help us realize that plan. Lucie and I initially met on my second trip to Prague. I arrived late on a Saturday evening and Lucie met me after 21:00 even though she was already off work and leaving for a vacation the next morning at 4 o’clock. Needless to say I was already impressed that she made the extra effort just to meet with me.

From that first meeting on, Lucie’s genuine desire to make our wedding special and unforgettable became immediately obvious to me. Not only did she already have many wonderful ideas, but more importantly, she took the time to get to know my husband and I as a couple and helped me to visualize what our wedding could look like.

Throughout the entire planning phase of the wedding, it was always a pleasure to work with Lucie. She responded to all my questions in such a timely manner, always supportive and always doing her best to make us happy.

Lucie Hola is an absolute wedding professional and it really is my pleasure to write this letter of recommendation for her because I can truthfully attest to her excellence in customer service. She handled our entire wedding. The whole time Lucie kept us constantly informed, organized and updated about our budget in a very well structured and transparent way.

She was also extremely friendly and forthcoming in her communications with all wedding stakeholders (bridesmaids, guests, family) before the big day as well as on the wedding day. Our friends and family still speak very highly of her and the wonderful service she provided.

Our wedding really was a dream come true for us – it was everything we had hoped for and more. With Lucie at our side during the whole wedding (up until 2 AM!), we knew that we had absolutely nothing to worry about and could just enjoy our special day. She is truly someone who goes above and beyond to exceed her customer’s expectations and I can recommend her without hesitation. We will always remember the wonderful wedding we celebrated in the beautiful city of Prague and Lucie made it all possible.

Katharina and Yair

KATE & ZACK – US-Philippines couple

We’re an international couple residing in the US who decided to have a destination wedding in Prague. Since I come from the Philippines, my husband from the US, we have guests coming from all over the world, including China, Japan, and Europe. We wanted a planner who could work with us remotely and had experience with international weddings.

Like many brides, I hesitated hiring a wedding planner because of the expense. But my husband and I were living in the US and could not handle the logistics in an overseas country. After contacting five different planners in the Czech Republic, Lucie Hola was the best choice because of her hard work ethic, organization, kindness, and dedication. Best of all, she was professional, responded on time and could give us the personalized wedding we wanted while working within our budget. You cannot believe how many wedding planners do not respond to emails at all, especially when you’re overseas.

My husband and I worked together with Lucie via email and Skype. Because of her, we saved a LOT of money and still got the wedding of our dreams. We wanted a simple, elegant, intimate yet fun wedding that showcased our “around the world” theme. With Lucie’s help, we had our fairytale ceremony in Lobkowicz Palace at Prague Castle and a wonderful reception with lots of surprises and games at Villa Richter. Best of all, we stayed within budget. You can’t get anything better than that.

With her years of experience, Lucie knew the ins and outs of wedding planning and was able to anticipate things my husband and I had not thought of. She also knew a lot of great suppliers that worked for our type of wedding theme and budget. Planning a wedding on your own is difficult because there are many things that can happen that’s out of your control. In our case, we had a violinist who canceled a few months before the wedding and the day before our big event, we realized our elderly guests would have difficulty getting down from the hilly Villa Richter. Lucie delivered on both occasions and did damage control by finding us a string quartet (better deal) and drove her own car to take our older guests home. We were also able to relax and enjoy our wedding rather than running around taking care of logistics and paying suppliers. Lucie took care of everything!

One theme you will notice among all of Lucie’s reviews is that she and her colleague, Jana, moderated the wedding discreetly and efficiently. They operate in the background but at the same time ensure everything runs smoothly.

And yes, like many reviews here, our guests all said it was the best wedding they’ve attended.

Lucie helped us with the full destination wedding and vacation package. She and Jana assisted us in planning our pre-wedding dinner in a monastery in Prague and booked our tour bus to Cesky Krumlov and Vienna for a group of 20 people. They’re a wedding planning team extraordinaire!

I can fully attest to Lucie’s capabilities to go beyond just the wedding. She really cares for her clients. When I forgot my wedding ring in the hotel when we were en route to Cesky Krumlov, Lucie called the hotel and made sure they kept it safe until my husband and I returned a month later. That’s dedication!

Thank you Lucie for giving us the best day of our lives!

If you want more details about hiring Lucie, I would be happy to discuss any questions you have. Just contact Lucie to get in touch with me.

100% recommend Lucie Hola. She is worth her weight in gold.

JENNIFER & GRAEME – Canadian-Scottish couple

From our initial meeting to the day of our wedding, Lucie paid attention to every detail and we could not thank her enough for guaranteeing that the experience was unforgettable for us and our guests from around the world! Throughout the planning stages, Lucie listened to us and supported our ideas to make what often seemed impossible become possible. She was professional, friendly, flexible, attentive, and genuinely cared about the outcome of our wedding celebrations. She was in regular contact throughout every stage of the wedding planning. As expats in Prague, accessing services could have been challenging due to language barriers. This heightened our reliance on Lucie and she dealt with the pressures without any difficulties. Lucie is highly dedicated and a meticulous planner who utilises her wide range of contacts to design an extraordinary event. We are grateful for her role in our wedding celebrations.

Thank you Lucie, you were amazing to work with!!!!

Jen & Graeme

 

NIKA & ALEX  –  Slovakian-Brittish couple

I found website of Lucie Hola last year by chance when I was helping my friend plan her wedding. I really liked the style of her presentation and I immediately saw that the girl knows what she’s doing! I thought maybe once I was planning my own wedding, I could get in touch with her. Well, 4 months later we were sitting in on our first meeting. My husband didn’t like the idea of a wedding planner in the first place as we are both very organized ourselves. I have to say, we fought about this a lot. We planned a meeting with 3 wedding agencies on our trip to Prague and met Lucie the last. My husband said that he didn’t even want to go to meet her because he didn’t believe that we could find a wedding planner he would like, as he is very picky. Eventually, he came to the meeting and she blew us away. She spent 3 hours with us discussing everything we asked. She is always so calm, friendly, and has such a professional attitude. We knew we could trust her no matter what and knew instantly that if she would organize our wedding it would be perfect. She has plenty of experience with destination weddings and clients from abroad. My family came from Slovakia and my husband’s family from Britain, and many of our friends travelled from other countries all around the world. Lucie managed to plan and coordinate the wedding to absolute perfection. Her and her colleague spoke Czech and English to everyone, they were so organized, polite, friendly, and managed to coordinate the wedding so that everything went seamlessly. The guests enjoyed every moment of it!

Everyone had very high expectations of our wedding and we wanted it to be perfect. So when it started raining a few moments before the ceremony, which was supposed to happen outside, I couldn’t imagine how Lucie would manage it. She did.

Since our wedding, I’ve heard so many times from friends that our wedding was just PERFECT! And it truly was. I was waiting for some moment where something would go “wrong” and it just didn’t happen. I honestly say that our collaboration and the wedding day exceeded our expectations. My husband has been especially thankful for you and the fact that we hired your services. He eventually confirmed that I was right!

SO THANK YOU LUCIE to you and your lovely colleague. We will be very happy to recommend you as the best wedding planner in the Czech Republic for sure.

***

Reading all the reviews again make me so emotional… I’m truly blessed to have had such amazing clients… If you want to see more  you can find other testimonials HERE

If you are thinking of hiring a wedding planner for your wedding in Prague or Czech Republic, feel  free to contact me here. We can Skype or so and discuss your ideas and plans. I will be delighted to meet you.

Wedding venues in Prague, Czech Republic

5.02.2018 LuckaH Weddings

Wedding venues in Prague, Czech Republic

If you are planning a destination wedding in Prague you might consider Prague or some lovely chateaus outside Prague. It really depends on what you’re expecting from your wedding, what you want your guests to see and if they don’t mind traveling. There are plenty of lovely wedding venues in the Czech Republic but make sure you choose the right one.

BEFORE BOOKING THE VENUE I RECOMMEND FINDING OUT FOLLOWING QUESTIONS

  • What’s the owner of the venue like?
  • What’s the wedding manager like?
  • How is service / how do the waiters behave?
  • How is food & beverage?
  • Are they reliable?
  • Are all costs included in the calculation or will they charge any unexpected expenses later on?

That is why you should read the testimonials and ask for references. From my experience I can say it’s the best to hire an experienced wedding planner. Myself I’m always trying to help my clients decide. I tell them pros and cons and tell them the whole background. I can explain them why one venue might be better than the other. With me they don’t have to be worried about not choosing well.

Big advantage  of organizing  a wedding  in Prague is the location. It is located in the centre of Europe so it is very well reachable from other countries. There is plenty of accommodation options so it is very easy for guests to find accommodation which suites them or you can find a lovely hotel where all or part of your guests would be accommodated together. Other reasons for organizing a destination wedding in Prague you can find here.

In Prague there are different types of venues you can choose from – palaces, gardens, hotels or restaurants of many different styles. Or also the Prague castle.

Some tips for the wedding venues in Prague you can find in my list of preferred venues HERE. If you are looking for a wedding planner for your destination wedding in Prague or outside Prague in the Czech Republic, don’t hesitate to contact me and we can find your ideal wedding venue together.

Below you can see few pictures to get an idea of what wonderful options there are in Prague.

Besides these romantic elegant venues there are also few very interesting industrial wedding venues in Prague which are lately very popular. Here you can go for Scandinavian or geometric style wedding. You just have to set your style and then choose the right venue.

 

Good luck with the planning and I wish you a lovely wedding!