A Cozy Winter Wedding In Amsterdam

Location: Amsterdam, The Netherlands
Wedding season: Winter
Amount of guests: Up to 40
Wedding theme/style: Rustic
How long did the couple plan the event: 3-6 months

Wedding playlist:
Ceremony: Ed Sheeran – Thinking out Loud
First Dance: John Mayer – XO

Berit and Kai are both professional actors and spend a lot of time on set. That’s where they met 4 years ago while filming in a small town in the South of Belgium. Before this, Kai never really paid any attention to either the actresses or anyone else on the film crew. But then something went wrong.

“I noticed a beautiful girl with a very pleasing appearance. I couldn’t resist. I liked her. At the end of the first work day, we had a lovely exchange of a few words, I invited her to meet and discuss the work process over a glass of wine.

After that, we began to see each other more often. Either for coffee or just for a walk. We rode bicycles around the city and went to museums and the theater – all the things people do in new relationships.
And after 3 years of unforgettable moments together, I finally proposed to my beloved at home, on the couch, while watching a movie together. It all happened on the anniversary, of the day we first met.”

Preparing for the wedding was very easy. This was facilitated by carefully selected vendors, who had great advice on what to keep in mind while wedding planning and what to pay the most attention to. Thanks to that the style direction of the day was decided very quickly.

Even though Winter in the Netherlands is more like autumn or spring in other countries the couple still settled on winter decor since their wedding was scheduled for December 27 and they wanted a winter wonderland to feel it.

From Berit: “We were delighted with everything! I also really liked the understated makeup. I Didn’t do the trial but because we discussed everything in much detail, Everything worked out perfectly on the wedding day.”

The bride had a dress that was specifically designed and made to order from couture. The dressmaker has exquisite taste and she personally developed a design based on Berit’s wishes who opted for a “dusty pink” shade dress accompanied by a white cardigan that was also made to order. And the groom chose a dark green suit with a white shirt. The suit from a local brand was bought in Amsterdam.

The location was nice because it was so spacious. And everything was divided into zones: the ceremony, dinner, and reception. All the beautiful nature nearby made for great couples photos of the bride and groom.

“It was touching to read each other’s vows. We even wept. And so did Kai’s mom, of course.”

“I really liked the idea of a saber, which we used to open the champagne. We had never seen anything like it at a wedding, so we decided to try it. It turned out great!”

“It took a lot of research to find a delicious cake. We tried so many options. Most pastry chefs in the Netherlands still make fondant cakes. It seemed to us that this was way too old school. I wanted something modern and simple. We settled on a delicious option – a snickers-flavored cake.”

For making a winter touch the basis included conifers, dried flowers, and cotton. The colors were calm. All stationery: invitations, menus, and vows were made to order.

“Since the wedding was very intimate, there was not much entertainment involved. We staged our own first dance and designed the timeline in a way that didn’t feel rushed but still exciting and not boring.

Hiring a wedding coordinator was a great choice that allowed us to have a great day with our family and close friends.

We were also fortunate with the team of photographers. They were people with a truly unique vision. They saw us for exactly who we were. They conveyed the mood of the day and emotions so well.”

“After dinner and toasts, our photographer invited everyone outside to do a classic wedding send-off with sparklers. We never planned that and had no idea it was going to happen. It was so incredibly nice of our photographer to have surprised us in such a beautiful and unexpected way. It was a great way to add a sense of whimsy to a formal celebration.”

Tips from a couple

• Comfort in everything. Starting from personal communication with vendors and ending with comfortable shoes and clothes.

• See portfolios of photographers and videographers always. Ideally, also do an engagement session, if possible to get a better “feel” for the photographer.