Registrar Sandra Suppa

Interview with registrar Sandra Suppa

Registrar Sandra Suppa has been marrying couples in the town of Lüdinghausen for almost twenty years. In this interview, she tells us whether weddings have already become part of her everyday life, what special features there are in Lüdinghausen and whether anyone has ever said "no".

Mrs. Suppa, what opportunities are there to get married in Lüdinghausen?

We have beautiful wedding rooms in the town hall, in Lüdinghausen Castle and at the Dalhaus farm in Berenbrock. In future, it will also be possible to get married in the chapter house at Lüdinghausen Castle with up to one hundred guests. We therefore offer a wide range of options and the bridal couple can choose the location that best suits their wishes.

Which wedding room is particularly popular?

It's impossible to say exactly. In recent years, the castle has been slightly more popular than the town hall. The Dalhaus courtyard is also well booked. Each location has its own special features. At Hof Dalhaus, for example, there is only one wedding ceremony a day. The party can spend a lot of time here. At Lüdinghausen Castle, the ambience exudes a special flair.

Have you also held wedding ceremonies at other locations?

Yes. I married a couple in the Antoniushaus retirement home because they wanted to have their bedridden parents with them. The room was beautifully decorated and there was a lovely atmosphere. It was a very atmospheric ceremony. I've also performed weddings directly in the hospital room at St. Marien-Hospital.

Are there any wedding ceremonies that you have special memories of?

This is the first one I did. I think every registrar remembers it particularly well. It was my cousin's wedding and I was terribly nervous during my speech. Certainly more nervous than anyone else in the room.

Isn't it difficult to give an individual wedding speech every time?

No. The bride and groom give us some written information about themselves or we have a conversation with them. I usually come up with ideas for the wedding speech straight away. Incidentally, our honorary registrars are said to give particularly personal speeches.

So they do this in their free time and don't work at the town hall?

Exactly. We have six volunteer registrars. This is a great relief for us and gives us more flexibility when choosing dates. We are incredibly grateful for this commitment and get great feedback.

In your opinion, what has changed in the area of marriage in recent years?

We used to have an average of 120 marriages a year. Last year it was 180, which is because the castle is a magnet as a wedding venue. In addition, there are fewer church weddings these days and people place more value on their civil wedding ceremony.

What is particularly important to couples?

Most people attach great importance to a personal wedding speech. Saturday is a particularly popular date. And many brides and grooms put a lot of thought into making sure their guests are happy - too much thought, in fact.

What do you mean by that?

I advise couples to get married in a way that is important to them. Nobody should talk them into their plans. This is their big day and they decide how they want to organize it.

How many weddings have you already performed?

I stopped counting at some point. The number is probably in four figures. Nevertheless, I still get excited sometimes.

Really? So it hasn't become part of your everyday life?

A wedding ceremony is never an everyday event. Regardless of whether there are 40 guests or just two: every bride and groom want it to be the best day of their lives. This claim is very important to us.

Has anyone ever said "no" at one of your weddings?

No, never before. No one has ever dared to do that (laughs). But I did once have a couple who didn't show up for the ceremony. All the guests waited. At some point, the maid of honor announced that the couple wouldn't be coming. Two weeks later, the couple came to the town hall and had me marry them. Something had gone wrong on the actual date and they weren't in the mood to get married. But they really wanted to make up for it. Somehow I found that very impressive. The important thing is that it is a wonderful experience for the couple.

That's certainly a story you still talk about at the registry office today, isn't it?

Oh, there's another one that I find much more bizarre. It happened to a colleague of mine: A man wanted to enquire about marriage options. When it came to the registration information, she asked about his fiancée. He actually said that he didn't have a fiancée. His mother had told him to come to us. He thought we would find him a suitable woman. My colleague then gave him a bit of advice on how to meet someone. Unfortunately, I don't know whether he found his luck.

Interview: Anja Kleykamp