Bethel - In love, engaged, married

Pia Rudloff and Bernd Kopittke go through life together. They always look back fondly on their wedding. For both of them, one thing is certain: it was one of the most beautiful days of their lives. She wore a wedding dress, he wore a suit and tie. Pia Rudloff and Bernd Kopittke got married in the garden of the "Schrippenkirche" residential home. Their wedding took place there in the form of a blessing.

The couple also met at the "Schrippenkirche" centre in Lobetal. Bernd Kopittke has lived there for over 20 years; Pia Rudloff moved in in 2015. Both work in a workshop for people with disabilities - she at Mosaik in Berlin-Reinickendorf, he at the Berlin workshop for people with disabilities Am Westhafen.

The wedding couple put on the rings
"We then spent a lot of time together and wanted to get married."
Pia Rudloff

"Somehow they fell in love with each other," says Uwe Sowart, an employee of the Schrippenkirche. He doesn't know the exact date, of course, but he has noticed that the two of them have been going to the Lobetaler Mauercafé around the corner to have a coffee together more and more often. The two had also secretly kissed from time to time.

In October 2019, the couple surprisingly announced their engagement. And why? What a question! "Bernd is a sweetheart!" Pia Rudloff was and is absolutely sure of that. Bernd Kopittke can only say the same. "We then spent a lot of time together and wanted to get married," says Pia Rudloff. The couple bought their engagement and later wedding rings themselves at the Gesundbrunnen-Center, a large shopping centre in Berlin.

Entry of the bride
Wedding cake
The couple is blessed
Guests in the garden

Unforgettable moments

And then the big day arrived. Pastor Matthias Albrecht from Lobetal awaited the couple in the garden of the "Schrippenkirche" and performed the blessing. Pia Rudloff had chosen and bought the beautiful white dress she was wearing together with a member of staff at the centre. The staff had transformed the garden into a festive wedding garden, with balloons, colourful bunting, festively laid tables - and of course the wedding cake decorated with red roses was not missing.

The couple cut the wedding cake together.

These are unforgettable moments for Pia Rudloff and Bernd Kopittke. Fifty guests celebrated with them: family and friends, residents from the home and staff. A week later, the couple did not go on their honeymoon, but they did go on a carriage ride through Berlin, which they had both wanted so much. Pia Rudloff still goes into raptures when she thinks about it: "People were all waving and taking photos of us. That was great!" The trip came to a fitting end with an Indian meal at Zionskirchplatz, not without the newlyweds pausing to light a candle in the Zion Church beforehand.

Text: Wolfgang Kern | Photos: Raimund Müller

This story simply told

Pia Rudloff and Bernd Kopittke got married. They live in the "Schrippenkirche" facility in Berlin. They met there. The wedding took place in the centre's garden. For Pia Rudloff and Bernd Kopittke, it was one of the most beautiful days of their lives.

Would you like to find out more?

    Contact

    Berlin - Schrippenkirche residential centre

    Ackerstraße 136-137
    13355 Berlin

    Peggy Haubenthal
    Centre Manager

    030467057400
    P.Haubenthal(at)lobetal.de

    To the website of the centre

    Offers & services

    The Schrippenkirche residential centre offers assistance and support for people with mental, physical and/or multiple disabilities in a communal living environment.

    It is located in the centre of Berlin on the historic Bernauer Strasse, with shopping and leisure facilities close by. The transport links are very good.

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Bethel offers suitable forms of living and care for people with disabilities in many places. This includes not only good care, but also socialising, which makes life more enjoyable. Meaningful work is also important: the Bethel workshops offer a wide range of different activities.

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