Four years ago Pouya and I celebrated our marriage in Austria. A version of this post has been slowly descending on my draft list. Too early, too pregnant, too much with twins, too Corona. Today the time has come for me to remember these truly exceptional days with some reflections. For the fun of it, I will keep some of my original writing, it makes me smile to read about all these stressful vibes that I no longer feel.

2018: A year ago Pouya and I spent a wonderful day enjoying our engagement in New York City. Now we tied the knot with many of our friends in the Wilder Kaiser valley in Austria. Believe me, more than once in the preceding months of wedding planning I have seriously questioned my sanity. This week with our families and friends, though, has just been a blessing and a reminder that  the world is our oyster.

Our wedding was about appreciating our friends – and I would not have it any other way

While we were very excited to share our vows in front of our friends it was just as wonderful to be able to gather loved ones from so many regions in Austria. Last year we visited two friends in Toronto and they have our wedding picture hanging on the walls. Over the years only have I come to realize how rare and special the connections are that we have made and maintained over the years: To know that there are some people out there I could call in the middle of the night.

Guardians of each others’ solitude – the base of our partnership

Those who know me know that I am not good at making decisions and I tend to cling to the status quo (I will tell you soon how long it took me to finally leave my corporate job), but when it comes to Pouya all decisions were easy. In my engagement ring he had the words “forever free” engraved. Very early on it became clear that we had a similar understanding of what partnership does not mean: That one is responsible for the other’s happiness.

During the last four years we have made it through a terrible pregnancy, learned to appreciate life with twins, and to work and live and be together 24/7 during months of Covid-Lockdowns. And I still think that Rilke summarized the duty of a married partner like no other:

“I hold this to be the highest task of a bond between two people. That each should stand guard over the solitude of the other.”

Brenner Alm in the Wilder Kaiser valley is an excellent location

Brenner Alm is located on a skiing hill with a great view of the Wilder Kaiser hills. The best thing about the Alm is the food, the wine selection as well as the couple running the restaurant, Trixie and Christian.

The hut itself is very spatious, we had enough room for our band Acoustic Avenue, for a dance floor and we were able to hold the ceremony outside. Since 2018 we have been back every year for a couple of days, for their Kaiserschmarrn mainly. Brenner Alm is worth a visit any day.

From four years hindsight I would also do a couple of things differently: worry less, spend a quarter on my dress and just soak it all up with much more consciousness.