Our Story
Our love story began on September 10th, 2021, in Barcelona, Spain. Melissa was there on the last night of her vacation with friends after having celebrated the wedding of a friend in northern Spain in the city of San Sebastian (foreshadow?!). Sebastian was in Barcelona with his friends on a vacation that was supposed to be an Italian road trip, but had gotten postponed and re-routed to Barcelona when Sebastian got COVID and they needed to reschedule. The two groups of friends met by chance outside of a restaurant, El Xiringo, and got to talking. Fast forward to a few hours later, the groups were having after-dinner drinks together at one of their dinner tables, and Melissa and Sebastian hit it off.
Sebastian got Melissa's number that evening and they kept in touch, mostly via WhatsApp texting, which progressed into hours-long FaceTime "dates". They then started to visit each other in their respective cities, Melissa to Vienna and Sebastian to NYC, which went on for about 10 months until Sebastian secured a job in NYC and moved to be with Melissa in July of 2022.
They shortly thereafter moved from the West Village into an apartment on the Upper West Side, which became their "first home" together. There Melissa & Sebastian enjoyed runs in Central Park, strolls around their neighborhood, hosting friends to grill on their rooftop, Ranger games, and welcoming many family and friends who came to visit from Vienna.
In May of 2025, Sebastian had a conference to attend in Madrid, Spain, so he asked Melissa to come along and suggested that they return to Barcelona, to visit the city where they had met. One evening in Barcelona, Sebastian told Melissa that he had a surprise planned for the next morning. The next day, on May 21st, they woke up at 5:30am and left their hotel in a car waiting outside. Not knowing where they were going, but under Sebastian's secret direction, the car took them to the beach near El Xiringo, to the spot where they hung out the night that they met. On the beach in front of a beautiful sunrise, Sebastian set up a blanket with breakfast and champagne, before giving a beautiful letter to Melissa, followed by proposing! It was a very special morning that they will remember forever.
In October, Melissa & Sebastian packed their bags and moved to Munich, Germany, where Sebastian has started his orthopeadic surgery residency. They look forward to welcoming visiting friends and family from the US and Austria there, and seeing what adventure the future has in store for them.
Melissa & Sebastian cannot wait to write the next chapter of their love story together, beginning with their wedding next May in Vienna, and sharing a city that means so much to them with their family and friends...
Zeitplan / Schedule
Thursday, May 29, 2025
Willkommensheuriger / Welcome Day
1:00 PM
Wir beginnen unser Hochzeitswochenende am Donnerstag, 29. Mai, mit einer Straßenbahnfahrt entlang des Rings bis nach Grinzing, wo wir in die Wiener Weinberge zum „Weinwandern“ aufbrechen. Den Tag lassen wir anschließend mit einem Abendessen beim Heurigen ausklingen.
Treffpunkt: 13:00 Uhr, Straßenbahnhaltestelle “Wien Museum Otto Wagner Pavillon Karlsplatz”
Abendessen: 18:00, Mayer am Pfarrplatz, Pfarrplatz 2, 1190 Wien
Comfortable Chic (bequemes Schuhwerk)
1:01 PM
If you will be arriving in Vienna by Thursday, join us for a ride a long Vienna’s Ringstraße and “Weinwandern” in the vineyards of Vienna
Meet us to board the tram on Thurdsday, May 29th at 1:00 PM at Wien Museum Otto Wagner Pavillon Karlsplatz. The tram ride will take us through the city to the foothills of Vienna’s vineyards and we will depart on a walk up to a winery.
Followed by dinner at 6:00 PM at Mayer am Pfarrplatz, Pfarrplatz 2, 1190 Vienna.
Comfortable chic. Make sure to wear shoes you can walk in. Bring a light jacket for when the sun goes down.
Friday, May 30, 2025
Hochzeitstag / Wedding Day
3:00 PM
Mit großer Freude und von ganzem Herzen laden wir Euch zu unserer Hochzeitsfeier ein!
Die Trauung findet am Freitag, den 30. Mai, um 15:00 Uhr in der Pfarre Sankt Ulrich (Sankt-Ulrichs-Platz 3, 1070 Wien) statt. Anschließend bringt Euch ein organisierter Shuttle-Service auf den Cobenzl, wo wir unsere Vermählung mit Euch im "Weitsicht Cobenzl" (Am Cobenzl 94, 1190 Wien) feiern wollen.
Herren: Smoking oder dunkler Anzug; Damen: langes Abend- oder Cocktailkleid
3:00 PM
We are excited to have you to join us for the celebration of our marriage at St. Ulrich’s Church (Sankt-Ulrich-Platz 3, 1070 Vienna), Friday, May 30th at 3:00 PM followed by dinner and dancing at "Weitsicht Cobenzl" (Am Cobenzl 94, 1190 Vienna).
Following the church, transportation will be provided from the ceremony to the reception venue and shuttles will run at various times later in the evening into early Saturday morning to return to the hotels in the city.
Black Tie Optional
Saturday, May 31, 2025
Abschiedsbrunch / Farewell Brunch
11:00 AM to 2:00 PM
Abschließend freuen wir uns, die Feierlichkeiten am Samstag, den 31. Mai, von 11:00 bis 14:00 Uhr bei einem Brunch im Amerlingbeisl (Stiftgasse 8, 1070 Wien) am Spittelberg ausklingen zu lassen.
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Join us to celebrate the weekend’s memories over brunch on Saturday, May 31st, from 11:00 AM to 2:00 PM at Amerlingbeisl (Stiftgasse 8, 1070 Vienna) in the Spittelberg area of Vienna’s 7th district.
Travel
Getting In
While Vienna International Airport (VIE) is the closest airport and Austrian Airlines offers direct flights from EWR/JFK to Vienna, you can find various connecting flights with other airlines, usually at lower prices, and can even consider flying into a different city. Either booking a flight into any city in Europe with a good fare, and then separately booking a round trip flight into that city (on a less expensive carrier) is often much cheaper than searching to/from Vienna with a layover. Alternatively, you can fly into other cities "nearby" and take the train to Vienna, including: Munich (4 hour train on OBB), Venice (7 hour train), Budapest (2.5 hour train)
or Prague (4 hour train) to name a few.
Travel from the VIE airport to the city center or your hotel should take no more than 40 minutes, whether by train, subway, or taxi.
[Note that Austrian Airlines flights do not have wi-fi onboard.]
Getting Downtown
To get into the city from the airport, you can easily take the train (~30-40 minutes) or a taxi/Uber (~25 minutes) door to door.
May begins the high season in Vienna, so if you're planning to join us, we'd recommend you make your arrangements as soon as possible for the best rates and availability.
Arts, History & Culture
Vienna State Opera
Philharmonic at Wiener Konzerthaus
Naschmarkt: Big open air food and flea market
Museumsquartier (MQ): Mumok (Museum of modern art museum), Leopold Museum, and more museums, shops, food, etc. - very close to the wedding events and fun to relax there
Kunsthistorisches (main art) Museum, Naturhistorisches Museum (museum of natural history, great with kids) - next to Museumsquartier (MQ)
Albertina Museum (Impressionist art museum)
Haus des Meeres: Vienna’s aquarium (great with kids)
Jewish Quarter: Jewish Museum, Holocaust Memorial, Sigmund Freud Museum
Palaces & Museums
Vienna’s Ringstrasse (“Ring Street”): home to many of Vienna’s most famous sites including city hall, parliament, state opera, national theater, museums, grand palaces and parks
Schoenbrunn Palace (Summer Palace of the Habsburg Family) palace gardens & the Schoenbrunn Zoo - world’s oldest (great with kids)
Hofburg (Winter Palace of the Habsburg Family) and Heldenplatz incl. the Austrian National Library, Spanish Riding School (great with kids), Sisi Museum, The Imperial Apartments, and much more
St. Stephens Cathedral (incl. the Catacombs downstairs and access to the roof via stairs or elevator)
Castle Belvedere & Museum (Klimt Exhibitions!)
ZOOM Kindermusem: kids museum (great with kids)
Technisches Museum: science museum (great with kids)
Schmetterlinghaus: butterfly house (great with kids)
Parks & Nature
Enjoy the beautiful parks: Volksgarten (including the gorgeous rose gardens), Burggarten (with the peonies which are Melissa’s favorite and in bloom in May!), Stadtgarten (including restaurant Meirei where Sebi & Melissa had their first “date”)
Prater: Very large park/forest with an amusement Park (pay per ride), hiking, horseback riding, restaurants (great with kids)
Stroll along the Danube (or swim!): Take the U1 to 'Donauinsel' and enjoy the nice weather and water at 'Donauinsel' (Danube Island).
Traditional Viennese/Austrian Food
Gasthaus Poschl
Lugeck
Glacis Beisl
Fiegelmueller
Plachutta's Gasthaus zur Oper
Cafe Central
Palmenhaus Cafe (Coffee, Bar & Restaurant) overlooking Burggarten and the Hofburg
Zur Herknerin
Zum schwarzen Kameel
Sausage Foodstand: Alles Wurscht or Bitzinger
Other Restaurant Recommendations
Joseph (our favorite bread) - modern take of traditional Viennese breakfast
Ulrich: Melissa’s favorite brunch
Neni: Mediterranean (at the Nashmart location or "am fluss")
Miznon: Israeli
Mochi: Japanese/sushi
Ramasuri
Motto am Fluss: Viennese contemporary
Meierei am Stadtpark
Disco Volante: Pizza
Nautulis am Naschmarkt: seafood
Do&Co Restaurant: International Cuisine, Rooftop
Bars & Other
Libelle: rooftop bar/cafe on top of the Museumsquartier
Kleinod Stadtgarten (Bar)
25 Hours Hotel Rooftop Bar
Plenty of bars along the Danube Canal e.g. Neni am Wasser (Bar & Food), Blumenwiese
Veganista: Amazing (vegan) ice cream
Other Austria To-Dos
Mountains/ towns: Schladming, Grossglockner, Dachstein, Lech, Zillertal, Kitzbuehel, Zell am See, ...
Other towns: Salzburg (Sound of Music!) and Innsbruck (cute town in the middle of the mountains, go up to the Nordkette), Hallstadt
Suedsteiermark: southern Austria wine region
Beautiful lakes: Woerthersee, Attersee, Achensee, Traunsee,... There's also hiking and (mountain) biking around all of those!
Recommended Hotels
Our wedding events will be centered around the 7th district (Neubau / Spittelberg quarter) in Vienna. Therefore, most of our hotel recommendations are here. Promo codes with hotels' direct contact info is provided below.
Alternatively, our friend's travel agency is happy to help with bookings as well and has perks at many great hotels. Check them out here: https://www.imaginetravelgroup.com/events/melandsebi
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