February 29th – Getting married in 24 hours

What a perfect moment to propose: midnight on February 28th to February 29th. A rare moment for a rare, beautiful moment. But what's special about it is that the wedding takes place on the same day.

02/29/00:17: The newly engaged couple, Herman and Elwira, are still in each other's arms. The perfect marriage proposal was a success, Elwira could only say YES.

02/29/01:23: Hermann is still lying in bed, thinking. How is he supposed to organize the wedding within 24 hours, especially now that the next few hours are dedicated to sleep? A plan is needed! But the night before the wedding, you should also rest your eyes - perhaps the solution will come in a dream.

02/29/06:40: It's Monday. Like every working day, the alarm clock rings and Hermann and Elwira get out of bed, although neither of them is even remotely thinking about working. The early wake-up call is perfect, as there is still an incredible amount to do. At the end of the day, you want to be married!
02/29/07:02: At the breakfast table, between croissants, butter, jam and coffee, it's time to make a to-do list. In order to organize the perfect wedding within a few hours, a list is a must. Nothing is as useful as a list, at least that's what Hermann and Elwira think.

29.02. 07:43: The list is ready! In order to be able to say "I do" by the evening at the latest, the following points must be completed:

• Find a wedding location with wedding ceremony option
• Find a registrar at short notice and arrange the formalities
• Find the perfect wedding dress
• Find the perfect wedding suit
• Choosing wedding rings
• Hire a great wedding band
• Obtain floral decorations and bridal bouquet
• Organize catering
• Bringing together the most important people in your life
• Find someone good to capture the day in pictures
• Buy wedding candle
• Organize a noble sleigh to transport the bride
• Thinking up wedding vows
• Organize wedding cake
• Makeup and hairstyle
• Jewelry for the bride (Something old, something new, something blue and something borrowed)
• Find witnesses
• Practice dance steps

02/29/07:45: The first item on the list can be crossed off. The two of them can still dance, as they took a dance class just 4 months ago – probably with foresight.

29.02. 08:00: One of the most important decisions is coming up. Where should the wedding take place? Elwira has always wanted to get married in an old building. A castle, a fortress or an old palace would be perfect. Simply search for the perfect location on www.hochzeits-location.info . So what characteristics does the location have to have:

• Castle, palace or fortress
• Registry office within a radius of max. 500 meters
• Catering available
• Space for up to 20 people
• Dance floor for at least 20 people (after all, everyone should be able to dance)
• Private event possible
• in the state where Hermann and Elwira live (where, we won’t reveal)

After entering these criteria, the two of them will find exactly the right location. Now all they have to do is call the operator and the local registrar.

02/29 08:53: The location is booked and the registrar has time. The banns still have to be made, the formalities have to be sorted out, but hopes are growing that the special wedding day will end well. But now we need support! The bride's parents have to be informed, the witnesses have to be chosen, and the rest of the family and best friends should also start keeping the evening free.

02/29/09:32: After a marathon of phone calls, all the guests now know. The witnesses have been chosen and can now get fully involved. After all, almost no one is as important when it comes to the success of a wedding as the witnesses. The next service providers must also be contacted. Hermann's best man can take over the search for the wedding band. After all, Karl, Hermann's best friend, once played in a band himself.

02/29 09:50: While Hermann and Elwira get in the car to meet the registrar, Karl is having a panic attack. All the wedding bands he knows aren't playing on Monday evening, already have a gig or aren't available! After a few minutes of surfing the internet, Karl discovers www.hochzeits-band.info . The site offers a great service. In addition to the detailed search for bands, there is also an "emergency service". An email with a description of the emergency is sent to all bands playing in the region of the wedding location - on the same day. Karl is happy to use this service and waits to see what happens.

2/29/10:15: Clear instructions in a slightly commanding tone come through the phone. Meike, Elwira's maid of honor, is on the other line and is making a note of exactly what orders she is getting. Something old, something new, something blue and something borrowed - that brings good luck and can now be organized by Meike. Preferably all in the form of jewelry, that way two birds are killed with one stone. Then she should go to the store and get a wedding candle that should at least have the initials of both bride and groom on it. Finally, flowers should make the wedding even more festive. Cut flowers, colorful cut flowers. Simple in vases on each table and a bouquet with the same flowers on the table in the registry office. And the bridal bouquet. It should be daisies. Meike has not yet seen a bride throwing daisies across the hall at the end of the wedding, but the bride is the bride and her word counts.

February 29th, 11:00: The first appointment with the registrar of the day. Hermann was just able to reach an old friend who owns a 1966 Chevrolet Corvair. He has agreed to drive the bride to the registry office in the blue car. This moment is unique, everyone involved knows that, and a suitable car is a must.

02/29 11:57: Elwira and Hermann come out of the registry office enlightened, hungry, slightly stressed, but still happy. All the documents have been submitted, the procedure has been clarified, and the date is final: Elwira and Hermann will tie the knot on 02/29/2016 at 7:30 p.m. Now they're off to the little castle where the two want to say "I do." The location is just a few minutes' walk from the registry office, on a slight hill. Up until now, they only knew that there would be a wedding in the evening, nothing more.

02/29/12:21: After a short tour around the castle and inside, Hermann and Elwira treat themselves to a short "break" while they wait for the food. They immediately try the evening's menu and thus make perfect use of every free minute. It is also time for a few phone calls. Karl, who is currently on his way home from work, does not yet know whether the request from the morning was successful. In order not to have to mention this uncertainty factor, he asks Hermann for another task during the current phone call and immediately hangs up when he receives it: find a wedding photographer who will capture the evening for eternity.

02/29/13:29: A lot of time has passed when the future spouses leave the castle. But there is a reason for that. In addition to deciding on the menu for the evening, the seating arrangement was also decided, the wines selected and even the wedding cake organized. Like many locations that regularly host weddings, this one also has a partner pastry shop that delivers directly to the location.

29.02. 14:05: On the way back to the apartment, it's worth taking a look at the to-do list. Elwira is amazed when, after crossing out a few things, she only has five items left on the list:

• Find the perfect wedding dress
• Find the perfect wedding suit
• Choosing wedding rings
• Thinking up wedding vows
• Makeup and hairstyle

She immediately picks up her phone and makes an appointment with her trusted hairdresser at 6 p.m. Even though it's Monday, she manages to convince Carlos, the local hairdresser, to get her ready for the wedding that evening. All she needed was three words: "I'm getting married today!" Next important point: clothes!

02/29/2:35 p.m.: Hermann and Elwira enter the bridal shop in the next small town. There you can find everything for the bride and groom. From a light green tailcoat to a purple wedding dress. But of course also classic wedding attire. Hermann makes a quick decision and stylishly chooses an anthracite-colored suit with a cream-colored shirt and beige waistcoat. Classic Italian leather shoes and a classy tie complete the groom's look. After the phone rang on the way to the bridal shop, the bride is now standing on the catwalk with her maid of honor, sister and mother. The future husband is banished to the jeweler three streets away to make a preliminary selection for the wedding rings. Meike has already completed almost all of her tasks, but she can only pick up the flowers she ordered on the way to the wedding ceremony.

02/29 3:50 p.m.: The groom's phone rings. The best man calls with good news. After he got the positive feedback about the band, he was also able to find a photographer who, in addition to having time, also seems to have a lot of talent. How does he know that? After Karl saw on the hochzeits-band.info website that there is also a site for photographers, he took the opportunity to look for a photographer there. Using the search filter and existing reviews on www.hochzeits-fotograf.info , he was able to send an inquiry to the young artist in no time. The pictures on the platform and the comments from other bridal couples were clearly convincing. To everyone's delight, a band that plays both classical waltz music and party hits has also responded. After a quick study of the band's reviews, Karl immediately agreed. The duo from the region will provide musical accompaniment for the evening.

02/29/16:27: Elwira leaves the bridal shop with a large bag. Her sister and mother are also packed full of bags. Before the bride leaves for her future husband, she comes into Meike's car to inspect the jewelry and the candle. The jewelry is Meike's (borrowed), a gift (new) and finally Meike has asked Elwira's mother to get something old. Old and blue, that is Elwira's grandmother's brooch, which she will now inherit. The candle also has everything a wedding candle should have. Names, wedding rings and the date. Perfect. Speaking of wedding rings, it's time for those now!

02/29/17:29: It's done. After the bride and groom have inspected all the rings in detail and been informed about the advantages and disadvantages of the materials, they have come to an agreement. It will be a simple ring with notches and round edges in shiny white gold. It doesn't fit perfectly yet and doesn't have an engraving, but that can be done during the marriage. But now it's time to go to the hairdresser.

2/29/18: The traffic and perhaps the increasing nervousness meant that the car didn't get from A to B as quickly as usual. When they got to Carlos's, not a second was wasted. While the ends were being trimmed, the first layer of makeup was put on. The waterproof makeup was applied in several layers and the lips were painted a sensual red. Meanwhile, Hermann was also getting his hair styled. After 10 minutes, he was finished and could finally think about his wedding vows. Elwira also started thinking about the words she wanted to say to her future husband. But she decided not to force any words when she knew that she only had to tell him what she was feeling - every second they were together.

2/29/19:02: Elwira pays Carlos and gives him an extra big tip because he has performed real miracles in such a short time. Now it is high time to go to the registry office. The Chevrolet Corvair that will drive the bride to the wedding is already waiting in front of the small hairdresser's. Hermann drove ahead so that Elwira could jump into the wedding dress without the groom seeing it. Now she is ready to head towards her big moment. Everything has been done, everything has worked out. The marriage must be under a good star if it is starting like this.

02/29/19:33: The registry office is full. Hermann is waiting for his wife at the front next to the registrar. Everyone is there, everything is organized and everything is perfect. 19 hours and 30 minutes ago he asked Elwira if she would be his wife and now the door opens and the band starts playing. It is the perfect moment!

Addendum: Elwira divorced Hermann after 3 years without a wedding present. Hermann's excuse: It had never been February 29th before. They finally got married again, on May 1st. A day that never gets cancelled! ;)