The Netherlands | You May French Kiss The Bride

Jul 2014

Renate + Maurice

Cow-Themed Wedding in Red with a Wedding Picnic

The wedding of Renate and Maurice was very funny, personal, relaxed, and… cow-ish. Maurice and Renate live in a tiny village, on a farm together with their 45 cows. Maurice milks them every day, even if it means getting up at 5AM, and even if this causes them to never even have a day off. Their farm is one of the milk suppliers for the typically Dutch “Beemster” cheese. Renate is a veterinarian and animal lover, and maybe even more passionate about cows than Maurice is! Their house is stuffed with all things cowish – from bed linen to mugs and decoration for the house. Cows play such a big role in their life that they had to have a cow themed wedding; they even chose to have a cow to transport them from their house to the ceremony… Don’t miss the rest of the story of their day below! Photography by By Nadia.

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The wedding took place on August 30, 2013, in a small village called Ursem in the Netherlands. Just this once, these words come from the photographer (who obviously got very excited about the wedding)!

Instead of choosing a limo, an old timer or a bike as their wedding transportation from their house to the ceremony, Renate and Maurice hired wedding cow Leentje! Leentje was spectacular and hilarious – she even had the names of the couple written on her back. Nobody knew about this special transport, so it was a great and funny surprise for the guests.

The ceremony was made very personal by celebrant Daphne van den Boogaard. Maurice and Renate wrote their own vows; a lovely and meaningful touch to the ceremony.

Because of their work / hygiene, Maurice and Renate chose for an alternative to wedding rings: a Celtic hand fastening ritual. The vows were attached to each other ánd to the hands of Maurice and Renate with a ribbon, which stands for their connection and dedication to each other.

After the ceremony, there were cow-shaped wedding cakes and cupcakes, made by a friend of the bride. Entertainment for the afternoon was provided in the huge garden: an animal show in which a dog did some fabulous tricks, with and without the help of a dozen ducks.

One part of the garden was turned into a camping for the weekend, so all the guests could sleep over if they wanted. It gave a very relaxed festival-like atmosphere, with all the guests struggling with setting up their tents on this sunny afternoon.

A biological dinner was served in the open air; on long tables standing in the grass.

The day came to an end with a informal, fun party in a tent in the back yard of the farm. Let’s hope the cows didn’t mind the music ;-)

Name one thing you regret...

Nothing!

… And one thing you’re really happy about/ proud of.

I am really happy the day was exactly the way we wanted it to be: fun, relaxed, and surrounded by all our loved ones. It really fitted our personalities!

May 2014

Deirdre + Boris

Outdoor Dutch Wedding – A Ceremony Between Two Apple Trees and a Mint Wedding Dress

A simple day in a beautiful backyard & a ceremony between two apple trees, this is what Deirdre and Boris’ wedding looked like. No tight schedule for these two – the band stayed for so long that they left too late for their next gig and the bride even said “I do” before her turn!… In other words, no frills for this wedding, but one memorable day for both the bride and groom and their guests! And oh, YES to mint wedding dresses! Photography by Jarg Woldhuis.

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The wedding took place on 30 August 2013 at a B&B called Mollenvlied in the Dutch village Vaassen.

We wanted an outdoor wedding and Mollenvlied was perfect for it. It is a magical place in the woods only to be reached over a long sandy road. Because our wedding was outside, in the woods, we made up our own dress code, ‘forest chic’. People really struggled with that, had no idea. Of course, a lot of the ladies wore high heels against our advise. We kept checking the weather forecast every day for about a month, hoping and praying it would be sunny and lovely, and luckily, it was!! Everything worked in our favour that day, we couldn’t believe how lucky we were.

I was very, very nervous before the ceremony. Jarg had to keep telling me to breathe, I just forgot. He was really kind and thoughtful like that. We wrote our own vows and had an intimate ceremony between the apple trees. Because of my nerves I misunderstood and said I DO before my turn, oh well…

Name one thing you regret…

I really have no regrets at all about our wedding, with all its little flaws it was still such a perfectly wonderful day!
Our guests really loved our wedding as well. Some even said it was the best they had ever attended, including their own ;) Some of them sat by the fire until dawn.

… And one thing you’re really happy about/ proud of.

I’m most happy about the fact that this beautiful day reflected so perfectly who we are together and in relation to our family and friends. And of course, that it marks the beginning of a journey for me and my sweet, amazing husband.

Jan 2014

Naomi + Damian

An Intimate Dutch-Australian Wedding in France With Only 28 Guests!

Naomi and Damian had a very intimate wedding in France of only 28 guests, with family members & friends coming from The Netherlands and Australia. I love how simple they kept things (the groom made the cake on the wedding day and though it’s his “one thing I regret”, I still think it’s super awesome), and how fun they seem to have had – who said “party in a jacuzzi”? Photos by Ricardo Vieira.

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Naomi’s family lives in the Netherlands, Damian’s family is from Australia. And these guys got married in France! The exact place the wedding took place at is called Villegailhenc; it’s a little village about a 10 minute drive from Carcassonne. They booked two locations, one for the cocktail and party (La Maison), and another one with more rooms for their families to stay for the night (Le Moulin). “In the end this was such a lucky shot!” says the bride, “because the owner of Le Moulin (Hellen) offered to be our wedding celebrant.” Here’s the story of how this couple met (and got engaged).

Damian and I met during a blind date actually in Amsterdam. An old colleague of mine asked me if I wanted to have a date with someone she knew. I was up for a fun night and thought: why not!!
He texted me first to ask if I was interested in going on a date with him and also called to ask me out.
He was very old fashioned about it, which made me very curious to say the least. We had a date on Friday night in a great African restaurant, on Sunday we met up again for a beach walk (in Noordwijk where I live) and have been dating since than..
He really kept being old fashioned ever since. He asked my dad if he could have my hand in marriage, up to two times !

Name one thing you regret…

Naomi – I regret that I felt so responsible and stressed most of the time, which wasn’t necessary at all!
We had the best group of guests and each and everyone helped with decorations, flowers, food and drinks. It came together so perfect!
Damian – I regret it a bit that on our wedding day itself, I was in the kitchen making our own wedding cake with my brother. That day felt like it had a stressfull beginning, which didn’t allow me to soak in all the great things that were happening and enjoying every bit of it.

… And one thing you’re really happy about/ proud of.

Damian and I both agree that we are so happy and thankful for our family and friends. They made our day such a special and unforgettable day. We had a small group of 28 people. It felt very intimate. And because everyone in this small group helped out, it came together perfectly. Even though a lot of people didn’t know each other yet, we had such great nights of drinking, eating and dancing together. Unforgettable.

Damian – I am very proud of how Naomi was able to organize our entire wedding (from finding the venue, checking it out beforehand, arranging flight tickets, rental cars for his family, etc). Without Naomi the day wouldn’t have been this great.

Naomi – I am very proud of us two, standing in front of the people we love. Telling each other how much we love each other. And making the day how we pictured our wedding would be.