This is the story of “The Elysian Palm,” our Prohibition-era, Tiki-meets-Art-Deco wedding, told the way we’d tell it to you over a Dirty Martini.
Some couples dream of a five-course dinner with assigned seating and a long list of speeches. We dreamt of something else entirely: a night that felt less like a wedding and more like the best bar night of our lives – one where, almost incidentally, we happened to say yes forever in the middle of it.
The Morning: Cello, cocktails and a sunny square
The day started quietly at the registry office in Zurich, where two close friends played cello and sang our favourite songs, a real goosebump moment. The second we stepped outside, two bartender friends were already waiting with freshly stirred Dirty Martinis for our first toast as a married couple. From there, we wandered over to Münsterhofplatz for a relaxed apéro in the sun with our guests. Casual, warm, and blessed with perfect weather — exactly how we wanted this day to begin.
The Vision: No seating charts, no script
From the very start, we knew we didn’t want a traditional sit-down dinner. We wanted movement, freedom, and an atmosphere where guests could roam, mingle, and lose track of time. Given that we live and breathe the bar world, it was obvious that food and drinks would be at the heart of the concept.
The Concept: From colonial tiki to 1920s elegance
Once we found our venue – a greenhouse tucked among palm trees – the concept practically wrote itself. The jungle flair and rattan chairs immediately screamed colonial Tiki bar to us. From there, we elevated that laid-back tropical feel into the glamour of the 1920s, landing on a full speakeasy theme.
Speakeasies were born during American Prohibition: hidden bars behind unmarked doors, where a whispered password opened the way into another world. We leaned into that: velvet, muted tones, feathers, pearls, sequins and hats set the dress code mood, while the groom (no stranger to organising speakeasy pop-ups around Zurich) brought real insider know-how to the table.
