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Stanich - Landgraf
German and American customs created an international wedding for Crystal’ Ann Stanich and Heiko Landgraf on Jan. 14, 2012. The couple was married in the Wasserschloss Castle in Chemnitz, Germany. Guests from all over the world joined in the fun activities.
Stanley and Dianna Stanich, the parents of the bride, left for Europe on Dec. 18, 2011, traveling throughout Europe before and after the wedding of their daughter.
Stanich’s family roots are in Yugoslavia. And since the country has been divided, he wanted to return to his mother’s and father’s homeland of Croatia, and his parents’ gravesites.
Stanich’s mother Lucy Markov Stanch grew up in Split and Vic, and the Staniches took a ferry trip on the Jadrolinija to the peaceful island of Vic, known for citrus trees. They were able to visit the Catholic church and cemetery in the Adriatic.
The Stanich name was changed in America, but in Croatia, it is still spelled Stanic. Numerous businesses in Croatia and Serbia carry the name “Stanic.” This, they said, excited and humbled them. The couple stayed in a five-star apartment in Podstrana.
As the Staniches traveled in Croatia, along with Stanich’s sister, Helen Lamping of Ontario, Canada, they found grocery stores with food which had no preservatives and fresh bread, as well as famous sausages. In Birbir, Croatia, the Staniches are looking into land that is theirs in the mountains where they plan to return and build a resort home.
Six inches of snow greeted the Stanches in Munich, but the weather was “fantastic,” while they were there.
The Hotel Rohrsdorfer Hof in Chemnitz housed all the wedding guests and was also the venue for the wedding reception. The bride’s sister Milana and Greg Mooney flew in from West Palm Beach, Fla., and her sister De’Jun Walborn came from Charlotte, N.C. Her uncle Mikel Stanich and cousin Krissy flew in from Boulder, Colo. There were other guests from Heiko’s family who came in from all across Germany and Hungary.
The wedding ceremony and reception lasted well into the next morning, with dancing until 1 a.m.
The traditional German log cutting and hot cider toasting for the bridal couple was performed by the owner of the Hotel Rohrsdorger Hof. A permanent plaque was placed at the outside of the hotel by the newly married couple as the guests watched.
Coffee/hot drinks and elaborate pastries were served at 3:30 p.m. At 7 p.m. a dinner buffet was served, and at midnight, the wedding cakes were served with pastries and a chocolate fountain.
The waltz was performed by the newlywed couple and then the wedding guests danced and participated in other fun activities.
An auction for the bride’s show reached $130 when the shoe was returned by the bride’s father. Skits were performed by the wedding guests on “how not to iron,” hammering a gift into a log and the new bride and bridegroom answering questions by raising either their shoe or new spouse’s shoe to the laughter of wedding guests
Toasts were made by the bride’s father, her sisters and Cristina Langraf.
The bride’s sister Milana said she never thought Crystal’Ann would ever move out of their mom and dad’s home and now was “our world traveler and language expert.”
