Saturday, September 5th | 2:30 PM
Basilica of St. Kunibert
Kunibertsklostergasse 2, 50668 Köln
We'll be married in one of Cologne's twelve Romanesque churches, a basilica dating to the 13th century. Following the ceremony, join us for refreshments in the church forecourt from 3:30 to 4:30 PM. Buses depart from St. Kunibert at 4:30 PM for the reception.
RECEPTION & DINNER
Saturday, September 5th | Evening
Schloss Ehreshoven, 51766 Engelskirchen
Buses will bring everyone to Schloss Ehreshoven for drinks, dinner, and dancing until late.
Return buses to central Cologne will run multiple times during the night.
BALTIMORE CELEBRATION
Saturday, December 19th, 2026 | Evening
Baltimore Country Club Five Farms
11500 Mays Chapel Rd, Timonium, MD 21093
We'll be celebrating again in Baltimore on December 19th for those who want to join us closer to home.
Every February, Cologne shuts down for five days leading up to the start of Lent. The entire city, a million people, dresses up in costume. Not fashionable costume, not ironic costume. Joyful, ridiculous, fully committed costume. Your CEO is dressed as a ladybird. A judge is wearing a chicken suit. A retired couple are both pirates. For five days, all formality dissolves. Strangers share drinks, everyone uses first names, and nobody acknowledges how absurd any of it is. On Ash Wednesday, the city goes back to work as if nothing happened. We want to bring that spirit to Thursday night.
Here's what Karneval costume looks like. Pick a character, an animal, a profession, an era, an idea, and commit to it completely. A matador. A bee in full yellow and black stripes with antennae that won't stay straight. Marie Antoinette with a three-foot wig. Anton Chigurh from No Country For Old Men. The Pope. A mad scientist in a singed lab coat. A deep-sea diver. Cleopatra dripping in costume jewellery. A lumberjack with a cardboard axe. Two people in one horse.
What this is not: it is not Halloween. No horror, no gore, no fake blood, no masks that obscure your face. It's not "themed cocktail" -- you're not adding a fun hat to a nice outfit. And it's not ironic. Karneval works because everyone participates sincerely.
The quality doesn't matter. Store-bought, homemade, assembled from a suitcase at the last minute, nobody cares. What matters is that you picked something and went all the way. A half-hearted costume is worse than an absurd one. If you feel slightly embarrassed putting it on, you're doing it right.
If you can't pack a full costume, we'll have wigs, hats, face paint, props, and accessories at the door. Nobody sits this one out. You will enter the party in costumed Karneval spirit!
WHEN SHOULD I ARRIVE AND DEPART?
Arrive by Thursday, September 3rd for the welcome party that evening. You could leave as early as Sunday the 6th, but we'd encourage staying a day or two longer to explore.
WHAT'S THE BEST WAY TO COMMUNICATE WHILE IN GERMANY?
Download WhatsApp before your trip if you don't already have it. Calling and texting are free over Wi-Fi or data, and it's the standard messaging app in Europe. We have created a WhatsApp group for real-time updates and coordination throughout the weekend.
You can join the group via the QR code or the button below.
US citizens do not need a visa for stays in Germany of up to 90 days. However, please check the expiration date on your passport. It must be valid for at least three months beyond your travel dates. If your passport is expiring soon, renew it now rather than later. Guests from other countries should check visa requirements for Germany via the German Federal Foreign Office website.
Buses will take guests from the church courtyard at St. Kunibert to Schloss Ehreshoven at 4:30 PM. The drive is approximately 30 minutes. Bus service back to central Cologne will be provided after the reception with multiple departure times.
WHAT ABOUT GIFTS?
Your presence is the biggest gift to us. If you'd like to give something, we're putting the finishing touches on our registry and will include details here soon.
DO I NEED TO SPEAK GERMAN?
Not at all. English is widely spoken in Cologne, especially in hotels, restaurants, and tourist areas. You'll get by just fine.
WHO CAN I TALK TO IF I'D LIKE TO ORGANIZE A SURPRISE OR HAVE SPECIAL NEEDS?
You can reach out to our star wedding planner, Marie Mika, at info@mikado-hochzeitsplanung.de or via WhatsApp at +49 162 3665527.
WHAT'S THE WEATHER LIKE IN SEPTEMBER?
Early September in Cologne is typically mild. Daytime highs around 18-24°C (64-75°F) with cooler evenings. Rain is possible, so a light jacket or wrap is a good idea.
WHEN IS THE RSVP DEADLINE?
Please reply by June 5, 2026.
TRAVEL DETAILS AND TIPS
WHEN SHOULD I ARRIVE AND DEPART?
Arrive by Thursday, September 3rd for the welcome party that evening. You could leave as early as Sunday the 6th, but we'd encourage staying a day or two longer to explore.
GETTING TO COLOGNE
From the US and beyond: Fly into Frankfurt Airport (FRA), which has the most direct routes from the US and other continents. From Frankfurt Airport, take the high-speed ICE train directly to Köln Hauptbahnhof (Cologne Central Station) - it's about one hour and runs frequently throughout the day. You can book train tickets in advance via trainline.com.
From within Europe: Cologne/Bonn Airport (CGN) has good connections to many European cities and is just 15 minutes by train from the city center. You can also fly into Düsseldorf (DUS), which is about one hour by train.
Booking tip: Train tickets from Frankfurt Airport to Cologne are cheaper when booked in advance. Look for the flexible ("flexpreis") fares on trainline.com, which provide you the flexibility to take any ICE/IC train on your route on the chosen day, so you're not tied to a specific departure time.
We'd suggest staying near St. Kunibert and Köln Hauptbahnhof train station - the area shown on the map below. You'll be walking distance from the ceremony church and the main train station, and it's where the buses will drop off after the reception. There are hotels in every price range. We've linked some options below.
Cologne is a compact, walkable city. We've arranged bus transportation to and from the reception venue.
For getting around the city day-to-day, you have several options: Uber and Bolt both operate in Cologne, taxis are easy to find (especially near the Hauptbahnhof), and the city has excellent public transit (trams and buses). If you'd prefer more independence, rental cars are available at the airports and in the city center.
PRACTICAL TIPS
● WhatsApp: Download WhatsApp before your trip if you don't already have it. Calling and texting are free over Wi-Fi or data, and it's the standard messaging app in Europe. We will invite wedding attendees to a WhatsApp group for real-time updates and coordination throughout the weekend.
● Language: English is widely spoken in Cologne, especially in hotels, restaurants, and shops. You'll have no trouble getting by, but locals always appreciate a "Danke" or "Bitte."
● Currency: Germany uses the Euro. Credit cards are accepted at most hotels and larger restaurants, but many smaller shops, cafes, and Brauhauser are cash-only or cash-preferred. We recommend having some cash on hand. ATMs are easy to find throughout the city.
● Power: Germany uses Type C and Type F plugs (the round two-pin European standard). If you're coming from the US, you'll need a plug adapter. Voltage is 230V, so check that your devices are dual-voltage before plugging in (most phone and laptop chargers are, but hair dryers and curling irons often are not).
● Tipping: Tipping in Germany is appreciated but more modest than in the US. Rounding up or adding 5-10% at restaurants is standard.
● Weather: Early September in Cologne is typically mild and pleasant. Expect daytime temperatures around 18-24C (64-75F) with cooler evenings around 12-15C (54-59F). Rain is possible, so bring a light jacket or layer.
● Pharmacies: German pharmacies (Apotheke) are marked by a green cross. They carry both prescription and over-the-counter medications. If you need something after hours, there's always a rotating emergency pharmacy (Notdienst-Apotheke) open. Your hotel can direct you.
● Sundays: Most shops are closed on Sundays. Plan any shopping for Saturday or earlier. Restaurants, cafés, and attractions stay open.
● Train app: You can download the DB Navigator app before you arrive. It's the best tool for checking train schedules, buying tickets, and navigating public transit in Cologne and throughout Germany.
EXPLORING COLOGNE
The people of Cologne live by an unofficial constitution called the Kölsche Grundgesetz. Max's family is from this part of Germany and he has always felt at home here. Once you know these rules, you know the city.
1. Jeder Jeck es anders = Every fool is different.
Be whoever you are, we're fine with it. Cologne has been absorbing outsiders since it was a Roman trading post called Colonia Agrippina: two thousand years of people arriving on the Rhine from somewhere else. All that mixing produced a city that long ago stopped caring who you are, where you came from, or how important you think you are. The Kölner put it another way: Levve un levve loße. Live and let live.
You can feel it when you walk into a Brauhaus, the traditional beer halls that are the center of social life in Cologne. Long shared tables, no reservations, no dress code. A waiter called a Köbes who treats every person in the room with the same cheerful gruffness, whether they're wearing a suit or paint-stained jeans. He doesn't smile, doesn't write anything down. Everyone gets the same treatment, and if you're looking for exclusivity, you are in the wrong city.
If your idea of Germany is stiff, formal, and rules-obsessed, Cologne will confuse you. This part of the country has always gone in the opposite direction: easygoing, loud, warm, deeply suspicious of anyone who takes themselves too seriously. Even the local Catholicism went a different direction, leaning into community and celebration rather than doctrine. Karneval started as a religious tradition before Lent. Cologne turned it into the biggest street party in Europe, five days every February where all hierarchy dissolves. Your boss and your intern wear the same ridiculous costume. The formal "Sie" (the way you address strangers in German) becomes "du" (the way you talk to friends). Strangers kiss. A million people flood the streets, and on Ash Wednesday everyone goes back to work as if none of it happened.
2. Et hätt noch immer jot jejange = it's always worked out somehow.
Nearly everything in Cologne was destroyed in the war, aside from the cathedral. What the Kölner rebuilt won't make any lists of Europe's prettiest cities, and they know it. They're not especially bothered. What they care about is what they call Veedelskultur, neighborhood culture. Each Veedel (neighborhood) is its own small world with its own bakery, its own corner pub, its own Karneval traditions. A city of a million that feels like a handful of villages. People know their neighbors. The bakery knows your order. Your neighbor will be honest with you to the point of discomfort and then help you move apartments on a Saturday. Grumpy but warm, blunt but generous. On warm evenings, half the city gathers along the Rhine with a beer, watching the barges pass.
3. Drink doch ene met = pull up a chair and drink with us.
The local beer and the local dialect are both called Kölsch, both unique to the city, and the Kölner are protective of both. In a Brauhaus, a Köbes (waiter) puts a glass in front of you without asking. When it's empty, another appears. This continues until you place your coaster over the glass.
4. Do laachs de disch kapott = laugh until you fall apart.
The Kölner have decided that life is too short to spend it being serious. Relaxed, unpretentious, and big-hearted. That's Cologne. We love this city and we can't wait for you to be here. Here are some of our favorite ways to spend time.
THINGS TO DO
The Dom
Start here. Standing inside it is a physical experience no photo can convey. It took six hundred years to build. When the rest of the city was flattened in the war, this survived. Go inside, look up, and give it a minute. If you climb the tower (533 steps, no elevator) you get the best view of the city and you earn your first Kölsch.
A Brauhaus
This is the thing you have to do. Not a restaurant, not a bar. A Brauhaus is its own category. Sit at a long table with strangers. A waiter called a Köbes will put a small glass of Kölsch in front of you. When it's empty, another one appears. This continues until you place your coaster over the glass. Don't try to order a different beer. Don't ask for a menu right away. Just let it happen. Where to go: Lommerzheim in Deutz is a neighbourhood institution. It doesn't look like much, which is how you know it's right. Schreckenskammer near St.Kunibert is one of the oldest in the city and feels like it.
On a warm evening, do what everyone in Cologne does: buy a beer from a Büdchen (a kiosk, they're everywhere), walk to the river, and sit down. The Poller Wiesen on the east bank is where much of the city ends up on a good night, watching the barges pass and the cathedral light up across the water. Early September should be perfect for this.
The Südstadt
If you only explore one neighbourhood, make it this one. The streets south of the centre around Chlodwigplatz have the density of cafés, bakeries, and small bars that make Cologne feel like a village that happens to have a million people. Sit outside at Café Schmitz, walk through the Volksgarten, and wander until you find something.
Ehrenfeld
If the Südstadt is Cologne's living room, Ehrenfeld is its garage. Rougher, louder, more interesting. This is where the street art is, where the weird bars are, where the city's creative energy concentrates. Go to Helios, a former industrial site turned into open space with beer gardens and studios, or just walk down Venloer Straße and see what pulls you in.
The Belgisches Viertel
The streets around Brüsseler Platz are full of independent shops, bookstores, and bars. On a warm evening the whole square fills with people sitting on the ground drinking wine and talking. Unorganized and perfect.
Eat
Cologne and German food is not delicate. Reibekuchen are fried potato pancakes served with apple sauce. Currywurst. Bei Oma Kleinmann for enormous schnitzels. The Schokoladenmuseum café for cake overlooking the Rhine. Very good Italian restaurants.
Get a Döner Kebab. This is German food, invented in Berlin in the 1970s by Turkish immigrants, and Germany eats more of it than any country on earth. It is as German as Bratwurst at this point, and it bears limited resemblance to what passes for kebab in most other countries.
If it's your first time in Germany: eat a pretzel. Warm, from a bakery.
Melaten Cemetery
This sounds strange as a recommendation but it becomes a highlight. A 200-year-old cemetery in Lindenthal that functions more like a sculpture garden and park. Grand monuments, old trees, 55,000 graves including the Farina family who created Eau de Cologne. Locals use it as a kind of park.
The former Gestapo headquarters, now a museum. The basement prison cells still have inscriptions carved into the walls by prisoners, left almost entirely intact. There's a small memorial garden behind the building where executions took place. It's heavy, but it's one of the most important museum experiences in Germany. There's an English-language audio guide.
The original house of Eau de Cologne, not the 4711 tourist shop. Giovanni Maria Farina created the fragrance category in 1709, and the museum takes you through the history of perfume-making in a way that's more interesting than you'd expect.
The art museum of the Cologne Archdiocese, designed by Peter Zumthor. The building is the reason to go, built directly over the ruins of a bombed medieval church, the modern structure rising around and above the old walls.
A thermal spa in the Rheinpark, fed by a natural mineral spring, open 9am to midnight every day. Panoramic sauna with a view of the Dom across the river. You can reach it by cable car over the Rhine, which is a nice pairing. It has textile-required areas (pools) and textile-free areas (saunas). If you haven't been to a German spa before, this means no swimwear in the saunas. Entry starts around €20 for two hours.
Autobahn: If you're renting a car, you should know that sections of the Autobahn have no speed limit. This isn't a myth. The experience of being in the right lane doing 90 mph and having a BMW pass you at 160 is something you won't forget.
Nürburgring: This famous former F1 track sits 1hr 20 min drive from Cologne and is open to the general public's vehicles from 17:30 - 19:30 on Friday, September 4th. More info on their website.
A working chocolate factory on a peninsula in the Rhine. The Lindt chocolate fountain at the end, where they hand you a warm wafer, is a good time. For a lighter day, especially with children, it's a good option.
Cologne is flat and the bike infrastructure is good. Rent a city bike, ride south along the west bank, cross at one of the southern bridges, come back up the east bank. About 90 minutes. The path is paved and easy.
Nightlife
Open Ground in Wuppertal has one of the best sound systems globally. 1 hr from Cologne by train / 45 min drive.
Your presence is the biggest gift to us. If you'd like to give something, we're putting the finishing touches on our registry and will include details here soon.