What began as a chance encounter in an online game turned into a love story spanning countries, festivals, and finally a multi-day wedding celebration in Hungary. Dora and Steffen’s journey led them from a stormy Balaton weekend and a sunset proposal at Coachella to an intimate, timeless wedding at Daalarna Garden — filled with Italian flavors, thoughtful details, and moments they will treasure forever.
How did you meet?
People often smile when we tell them this, but we actually met through a video game. One day, Steffen randomly joined the game while I was streaming, and he fit into our friend group so effortlessly that he quickly became a regular part of our gaming nights.
Our relationship stayed completely platonic until May 2021, when he decided to visit me in Budapest — he had never been to Hungary before. We spent our days sightseeing around the city, discovering restaurants that are still among our favorites today, and then, on a warm early summer evening, we drove down to Badacsony for a Balaton weekend. Due to a sudden storm, we ended up being stuck for two days in an Airbnb perched on top of a vineyard. But instead of dampening our spirits, it turned into something magical: instead of beach days and lángos, we cooked Italian dishes and spent our time wine tasting.
On our last evening, Steffen confessed his love. At first, I was completely shocked — something we still laugh about to this day — but just minutes later, pure happiness took over. We consider that Balaton weekend the true beginning of our relationship.
What was the proposal like?
Ever since I was a little girl, it had been a huge dream of mine to visit California, and during my teenage years, my bucket list expanded to include the Coachella music festival. At fifteen, I spent endless nights watching YouTube videos, completely mesmerized by the world of festivals. While I managed to experience festival life to the fullest in Hungary, Coachella always felt like an unreachable dream — something I never truly believed would happen.
Steffen knew how important this was to me, so he planned an LA–Coachella–Malibu trip for spring 2024.
From the very first day, I felt that this would be one of the most incredible experiences of my life — and at that point, I had no idea that Steffen was also planning to propose. As I later found out, he had chosen the perfect ring months in advance — even asking my best friend for her opinion — asked for my parents’ blessing, and shared his plan with almost all of our friends. Amazingly, not a single person let anything slip.
Originally, Steffen planned to propose in Malibu after the festival, but he got so excited that he popped the question on day zero of Coachella, at sunset. It truly felt like a dream.
What was your wedding concept? What kind of day did you imagine?
From the very beginning of our engagement, it was clear that we wanted a multi-day wedding. Usually, a wedding is the only time in one’s life when all loved ones — family and friends — are together in one place. We envisioned a Friday welcome party where everyone could relax and connect, followed by a laid-back Sunday brunch to share funny stories from the night before.
Planning was slightly challenging, as most venues aren’t designed for multi-day events, which is why finding the Daalarna Garden felt like such a relief. For Friday, we imagined a poolside welcome party with freshly made Neapolitan pizza, an Italian gelato cart, and an Aperol Spritz bar. For Saturday, we envisioned a classic Tuscan-style wedding with a modern twist: fabric décor elements, signature cocktails, a fireworks cake-cutting moment, and a party that lasted until dawn.
How did you choose your special Daalarna wedding dress? What was your experience during the fittings?
It was never a question for me — I had decided at eighteen that I wanted a Daalarna dress. I didn’t even visit another salon, because during my very first fitting, I found the one. I initially thought this would be the hardest part of the planning process, but the moment I tried on my dress, I instantly knew: this was it.
Anita’s presence was an enormous help — the dress ultimately became a fully custom design, created right there during the fitting process. Everyone was incredibly kind and supportive, and I could immediately tell from my friends’ faces that I had made the right choice.
What was your husband’s and your guests’ reaction to the dress?
Steffen saw me in the dress for the first time when I walked down the aisle with my father, and tears instantly filled his eyes — I think that’s the reaction every bride secretly dreams of. Everyone was completely in love with the fabric, the movement of the dress, and how perfectly it reflected who I am.
The sleeves were designed in a way that allowed them to be removed for dinner and replaced with a long tulle bow draped over my shoulders — an extra special detail that everyone adored.
Can you tell us more about your overall bridal look? (Makeup, hair, accessories)
One of my favorite accessories was a fully custom tulle glove designed by Daalarna for my party dress. Using a special technique, “Till death do us part” was printed on one glove, while the other read “Steffen and Dora.”
My short satin dress was paired with a long chiffon neck scarf and sparkling Jimmy Choo Azia heels. My Swarovski earrings were my “something borrowed,” from my best friend, while my “something blue” was a small blue crystal charm attached to the strap of my sandals.
I completely trusted Nógrádi Barbi with my makeup — she did an absolutely flawless job. My hair was created by Huszka Petra, who, even after two weeks of last-minute adjustments, managed to create a hairstyle that held perfectly for 18 hours.
If you had to describe your wedding in five words, what would they be?
Intimate, romantic, timeless, classic, magical.
What were the most memorable moments and highlights?
On Friday, during the last ten minutes of the welcome party, it started to rain. A few guests jumped into the pool while the perfect song played in the background — but what no one expected (including me) was that I would jump in too. The whole moment was so genuinely joyful and cinematic that I will never forget the sight of all our guests cheering and dancing in the rain.
As for Saturday, there were simply too many special moments to count: getting ready with the girls, seeing Steffen for the first time during the ceremony, our vows — so emotional that both we and our guests were crying and laughing together — our parents’ speeches, our first dance, and our quiet walk together in the garden. We ended the night wrapped in one big group hug with all our friends — one of my favorite moments of all.
What was the music like? How long did the party last? Did you have a first dance?
The Ecler Crew provided the music on both days, and the feedback was nothing but positive — we absolutely loved them. Our first dance was choreographed by Liza and Pistus at Hottie Pilates Studio, to Iris by The Goo Goo Dolls. In the excitement, I slightly missed one spin, but I don’t think anyone noticed.
The party lasted until 3 a.m., and the final song was Angels by Robbie Williams. We ended the most beautiful day of our lives in a big group hug with all our friends.
What were you most nervous about before the wedding?
Probably my vows. I’m very emotional by nature, and I was worried I wouldn’t be able to read them through my tears — but somehow, I managed Our wedding planner, Juhász Andi, handled everything so professionally and seamlessly that there was truly nothing to worry about. My only concern was not tripping at some point and looking good in photos and videos — but with Gerencsér Gréta as our photographer and the Closer team creating our film, that was never going to be an issue. Their work is simply extraordinary.
Was there anything that went wrong or something you would change in hindsight?
I wouldn’t change anything, because it turned into a very funny story — but in the midst of all the excitement, the box containing our rings somehow went missing. When our officiant, Plesz Márti, announced that it was time for the rings, we just looked at each other in panic.
Our master of ceremonies, Erős Dávid, saved the day by running back to the house to find them. The entire wedding party cheered and applauded as he ran back toward us with the rings. So my only advice would be: keep an eye on the rings! As trivial as it may sound, it’s surprisingly easy to forget in the heat of the moment.
Did you manage to go on a honeymoon, or is it still ahead?
We planned several smaller trips as our honeymoon. Right after the wedding, we spent a full week at the Sziget Festival, followed by a romantic weekend in London in September. This February, we’re traveling to Japan for two weeks, and we already have the final honeymoon destination planned for summer: a week in Tuscany, Italy, celebrating our wedding anniversary.
Do you feel anything has changed since becoming husband and wife?
Life after the wedding feels very special. We live in the same place, have the same routines, and fundamentally, everything stayed the same — yet somehow, everything feels stronger. Our bond and the love we feel for each other have grown immensely.
Knowing that we now belong together as one brings an indescribable sense of peace and security. We consciously chose each other as life partners, and the love and care we give one another every single day feels almost impossible to intensify — yet somehow, it does. It may sound cliché, but we truly love each other more and more with each passing day, and that makes me feel incredibly lucky.
Wedding Vendors
Wedding Planner: Juhász Andi
Catering: Waldorf
Decor: Mákvirág
Cake: LouLou
On-site Pizza: Pizza Memória
Popcorn & Gelato Cart: Vanimi
Hair: Huszka Petra
Makeup: Nógrádi Barbi
Photography: Gerencsér Gréta
Video: Closer
Master of Ceremonies: Erős Dávid
Officiant: Plesz Márti
DJ: Ecler Sanyi
