Wedding: Lugner’s sixth marriage: Groom and bride have said yes

At 91 years old, Richard Lugner is one of the best that Austria has to offer in the celebrity scene, and he is making the most of it: the building contractor invited 20 camera and photo people to a room in the registry office in Vienna so that they could capture his sixth marriage from every angle. The bride was there too, of course: Simone Reiländer (42), deputy branch manager in a hardware store. She wiped a few tears from her face as she said “I do”. Lugner and his new wife were seen in almost continuous interviews before, during and after the ceremony. News portals reported in the live ticker and called it “The Wedding of the Year”.

Parallels Lugner-Trump

Now the construction industry, in which the entrepreneur nicknamed Mörtel made his money, is not a glamorous business in itself. Lugner recognized early on how one could still become famous: with beautiful women on his arm. Perhaps he was even a role model for another construction entrepreneur. He is 14 years older and more experienced than the American ex-president Donald Trump. Lugner also preceded Trump in his bid for the presidency. But he failed in 1998.

In addition to his six wives, Lugner also likes to adorn himself with celebrities from all over the world. At the Opera Ball, he pays for one of them to sit next to him in the box. This is also highlighted in the media before, during and after the Opera Ball. This year it was Priscilla Presley (79), who was once married to Elvis Presley.

Lugner about the wedding night

Lugner has a large shopping center in Vienna that bears his name. Free advertising through permanent media presence can’t hurt. In return, he willingly participates in even the most hackneyed photo scenes: At 91, he posed with his new bride on the huge double bed in the rented bridal suite. In a suit, mind you. “I have a suite with two bedrooms,” he revealed. That was necessary because he snores. But before going into the separate bedrooms, yes, “Mörtel grinned mischievously,” as reporters noted, and hinted at other plans. At 7:16 p.m., the couple withdrew from the party to the suite, accompanied by cameras – but this time only as far as the door.

Dresden and Leipzig instead of a long honeymoon

Lugner likes to call his new wife Bienchen, in keeping with old tradition: the five previous wives included Mausi, Spatzi and Hasi. Reiländer does not like the nickname, Lugner revealed in one of dozens of interviews. He wants to respect that. She is to be given a leading position in his shopping center in the summer. But she is still working in the hardware store, and because she has to comply with the notice period, only a short visit to Dresden and Leipzig was planned instead of a honeymoon before she has to go back to work on Tuesday.

Lugner didn’t want to know anything about the rush of happiness. “Happiness is something exuberant. For me, contentment is the more normal thing. I have been content all my life,” he said into one of countless microphones. And he assured: “This will be the last marriage.”