The Bride Wore Alexander McQueen—and a Dirndl—For Her Austrian Wedding Upon Lake Fuschl
Sophia Herring and Paul Henkel met at a mutual friend’s table at the New York City bar Paul’s Casablanca in 2018. Nothing happened that night: Given both were juniors in college at different universities, the 21-year-olds weren’t looking for anything serious. But love often comes exactly when you aren’t looking. “From the second we met, we felt like old friends,“ says Sophia. “I think we both knew that at the right time, something more would come of it.”
And something did. Later that summer, Paul invited Sophia out to his family’s hotel, Dunton Hot Springs, in Colorado. “He told me it was a casual friends’ trip, and failed to mention that all of his friends would be leaving the day I got there. When I arrived, it was just him and his entire family in the middle of absolute nowhere,” she recalls, laughing. “Apparently, he had asked his mom, Katrin, for advice before my arrival. She recommended one cabin with two different bedrooms, so as not to be too presumptuous. Needless to say, it was the best decision ever. As Katrin recalls, by day three, we came out holding hands, and we’ve been inseparable ever since.”
In 2023, Paul, the founder of Palo Gallery, proposed to Sophia, a journalist, at the Cuixmala resort outside of Careyes, Mexico. She admits it wasn’t a textbook fairytale moment. For the past three years, she’d struggled with PPPD, or persistent postural-perceptual dizziness, and during the trip, her condition acted up. The day he was supposed to propose, they had to cancel their plans. “I was so upset, I told Paul I’m so sorry, that I had ruined our special day,” she says. “I will never forget, he looked at me so calmly, took both my hands, and said, ‘Then let me give it back to you.’”
Later that evening, when Sophia felt better, they took a walk on the beach during sunset. “Love isn’t about finding the perfect person, it’s about seeing an imperfect person perfectly,” Paul told her as he got down on one knee.
Two years later, they held a late June wedding at Rosewood Schloss Fuschl in Salzburg—a location they chose because Sophia’s family lives in Bavaria and Paul’s family is based in Tyrol. Johnny Roxburgh and Emily Michalakis of Johnny Roxburgh Designs served as their wedding planners.
After an intimate rehearsal dinner on Thursday, they held their welcome party on the shores of Lake Fuschl. Sophia wore a Dior dress from Maria Grazia Chiuri’s Mary Queen of Scots-inspired 2025 cruise show, while Paul opted for a cream linen double-breasted suit by his tailor Matt Woodruff at J. Mueser. Swans swam in the lake as traditional Austrian musicians performed in rowboats.
Guests were then brought inside of the hotel for dessert. Roxburgh and Michalakis had designed the space to resemble the historic Viennese coffee house Demel as waiters passed around Austrian desserts served on silver platters as well as late-night foods like pasta arrabbiata, croque monsieurs, and French fries.
On Saturday, they wed at the 17th-century chapel of Maria Plain. Sophia wore a 2011 Alexander McQueen gown paired with an antique Victorian pearl and diamond cross necklace Paul had given her for Valentine’s Day. The groom wore a double-breasted military green suit with antique silver buttons and cream piping made by Salzburg tailor Madl. Their priest, Pater Petrus, read passages by Shakespeare as a 15-person orchestra played hymns by Mozart and Schubert. “It was so moving to sit in that church,” Sophia says. “Maria Plain is one of the most beautiful Baroque churches in the area, and it is painted a striking lapis blue, which is so unusual. Churches hold a special place in our hearts. On road trips around Europe, we always go out of our way to plan a cathedral itinerary. We’re those tourists who get the audio guides and stand there for hours.”
A picnic lunch was held behind the church, complete with Wes Anderson-inspired tents from Turin, Moroccan pillows, and Bavarian picnic benches. Guests enjoyed freshly baked pretzels, open-faced sandwiches, and slices of Esterhazy torte, all while Sophia’s father—famed jazz musician Vincent Herring—played on. “It was so special to hear him play,” says Sophia.
Come evening, they threw their own nuptial version of a “Waldfest,” inspired by the famous summer festival in Tegernsee, Germany, that Sophia has attended since childhood. Guests were asked to wear their traditional Austrian-German best. “Seeing all of our friends from all over appear in their vision of dirndls and lederhosen was priceless—many from the depths of eBay and Etsy,” Sophia says, laughing. One of their friends, Joanna Masiyiwa, even designed a hand-beaded dirndl inspired by traditional Ndebele mural art. For her own custom look, the bride tapped Paul’s cousin Annina Pfuel of Annina Dirndl to create one with antique ribbons and fabric.
During a dinner of spätzle and kaiserschmarrn, singer Jewel surprised the crowd with a yodel performance, as did Sophia’s family, who sang “Irgenwo auf der Welt.” Then it was time to dance at a Moroccan themed-night club built next door—an ode to Paul’s Casablanca, the nightclub where they’d met seven years ago. Guests danced to a set by DJ Youngr, only taking a break to grab some food from the shawarma bar.
A few months later, the couple is still riding the emotional high from their wedding weekend. “We just keep reliving every little moment,” says Sophia.
Photo: Nigel John1/82The view from Friday night’s welcome dinner, complete with an Austrian brass ensemble playing traditional music from a rowboat on the lake.
Photo: Nigel John2/82Paul and I seeing everyone for the first time. Paul is wearing a custom suit by his tailor, Matthew Woodruff at J. Mueser. I’m wearing a dress from Dior’s Scotland collection with some fun Manolos.
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