Model Caroline Brasch Nielsen Took a Canal Boat to Her Wedding in Copenhagen

Model Caroline Brasch Nielsen Took a Canal Boat to Her Wedding in Copenhagen

Caroline Brasch Nielsen and Frederik Bille Brahe met for the first time over coffee. It wasn’t a date, but instead one of those random chance encounters that eventually leads to a lifetime together. “I went to Frederik’s restaurant Atelier September for a quick coffee and ended up sitting and asking him for cake,” Caroline says of their initial meeting about three years ago. “We started chatting and joking around and I remember I started to get very embarrassed and red in the face. I guess that’s when we fell in love.” The couple started dating casually in the beginning, mainly because Caroline, a vintage store owner and runway model who has worked for the likes of Marc Jacobs, Fendi, and Valentino, was traveling the world for work. She also kept an apartment in New York and lived there most months during the year.

Frederik was also busy back in their hometown of Copenhagen, overseeing his two well-reviewed, well-appointed restaurants, the aforementioned Atelier September and one called Apollo Bar. “It took some time for us to find our rhythm,” Caroline explains. “Slowly, though, we realized that life was sweeter together.”

In February of this year, Frederik went to visit Caroline in New York after they hadn’t seen each other for quite some time because of their busy work schedules. “When he walked in the door, he proposed to me,” she explains. “It was simple and casual and, of course, I said yes. I knew we belonged together.” The couple chose to marry in Copenhagen on August 11, and they went straight to work planning the wedding. They did everything themselves with the help of 10 of their nearest and dearest friends. “Everything was done DIY by the people closest to us, some of whom are artists, florists, and architects,” Caroline says. “We really wanted to do something that reflected our love, our community, and our friends. The whole idea was to keep it fun and down-to-earth, unconventional, and happy.” They decided to wed in an intimate concrete space beneath a bridge on the city’s main canal where Frederik’s friend has a wine shop and where the famed restaurant Noma held a temporary residency last year. As Caroline describes it, “It’s very cozy and very Copenhagen.” So was the reception, which was held inside Apollo Bar with long dinner tables and a family-style menu of seafood and biodynamic vegetables, conceptualized by chef Frederik and executed by his amazing staff.

The decor was kept minimal, with paper lanterns and flower arrangements made by Caroline’s “bridesman,” Christian, which included fresh-from-the-farm dahlias, sunflowers, and amaranth, as highlights in the room. While the overall vibe of the evening was laid-back (despite the 300-person guest list), Caroline and Frederik did pull out the stops when it came to the fashion and the transportation, namely the tourist boats that carried both wedding parties to the reception with loud music and Champagne. A small canal boat also took the bride and her bridesmaids to the ceremony. They all wore custom pieces designed by Caroline’s friend Cecilie Bahnsen, who was a finalist for the LVMH Prize last year. The bride worked closely with the designer on the concept for the dreamy white wedding gown. As Cecilie explains, it was “a mix of key elements from my previous seasons, focusing on Caroline’s favorite detailing and materials from each collection.” She adds, “The pastel dyed Swiss lace is made to match the color references that Caroline gave me. The shifty shape, with puffy sleeves and the beautiful open back just fit her and her personality.” The goal, she says, “was to create a feminine, effortless and timeless look that she would love forever.”

Caroline also chose the palette for her bridesmaids’ dresses, which were white, yellow, and light blue. “We thought it would be nice to mix the dresses from different seasons and let the girls choose the look that would fit their style best,” Cecilie explains. The bridesmaids included Saks Potts cofounder and designer Barbara Potts, supermodel Helena Christensen, artist Ana Kras, models Nadja Bender and Eniko Mihalik, and jewelry designer and Caroline’s now-sister-in-law, Sophie Bille Brahe. The ladies were a solid support system for the bride on her big day, helping her when her dress came undone just before the big moment, and holding her hand as she emerged from the boat and prepared to walk down the aisle.

Friendship was really the underlying theme of Caroline and Frederik’s nuptials, and after they were wed by their officiant friend, they celebrated late into the night with their nearest and dearest, but not before taking their first spin around the dance floor as husband and wife. Their song was “Seabird” by Alessi Brothers. As Caroline explains, “Early on in our relationship, Fred and I slept out on our roof and there was a big party going on below us. All of a sudden, a DJ started singing “Seabird,” which is about a seabird flying away but knowing it has to go back and is bound to go back. This was how our relationship was for a long time: I had to travel away often, but I always had such a strong feeling that I had to come back to him.”