Symbolic farewell Simone Lugner mourns in her wedding dress at Mörtel's grave
The church wedding of Simone and Richard Lugner should have taken place on October 12. But the 91-year-old passed away in August. Instead of attending the ceremony, Simone Lugner wore the wedding dress to his grave.
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- Richard Lugner died on August 12, two months after his civil ceremony and two months before his planned church wedding.
- His widow Simone Lugner visited his grave in her wedding dress on his birthday on October 11.
- Simone left her bridal veil at the grave as a symbolic gesture.
- A memorial service for the family was organized by Lugner's daughter - but Simone was not invited.
It was an emotional day for Simone "Bienchen" Lugner: she was supposed to marry Richard "Mörtel" Lugner in church on October 12, after they had already married in a civil ceremony on July 1.
However, the 91-year-old entrepreneur passed away on August 12. Instead of wearing the dress to the planned ceremony, Simone decided to wear it to Richard's grave on his 92nd birthday, October 11 - a symbolic gesture.
Simone told Bild: "I had bought the wedding dress especially for this day at St. Stephen's Cathedral. Unfortunately, Richard never saw it. It was my heartfelt wish to go to the grave with the wedding dress on his birthday."
Balloons for Richard Lugner
After the memorial service, which was organized by Richard's daughter Jacqueline and to which Simone was not invited due to the ongoing inheritance dispute, she made her way to the cemetery.
Many of Richard Lugner's companions gathered at Grinzinger Cemetery in Vienna on Friday, including his daughter Jacqueline, his ex-wife Christina "Mausi" Lugner and other family members and friends.
The mourners decorated the grave with flowers and released red and white balloons.
Bridal veil as a sign of mourning
After the family and guests had left the cemetery, Simone Lugner went to the grave with her sister and mother in the pouring rain. There she knelt down and left her bridal veil behind as a sign of mourning.
"Even if he didn't see it alive, I'm sure his spirit did," she told Bild.
Simone had also previously been to St. Stephen's Cathedral to see cathedral priest Toni Faber, who would have conducted the church wedding. She told "Oe24 ": "We prayed for Richard."
