Floor + Mick by Kim Captein

We did what felt natural to us, instead of focussing on maybe more typical wedding traditions.

Tell us a little about yourselves, what you do, what you love… 

We’re based in Amsterdam with our two dogs and will welcome our first baby this June. We love traveling, being in nature and spending time with our friends and family.

La Dolce Vita – Family Dinner Party

How/where/when did you meet – and what were your first impressions? 

We first met when we were 20 years old, years before we fell in love. It was at a boat party in Amsterdam on Kingsday, a huge celebration in Amsterdam where we’ve been living for the last 15 years. We both were in a relationship at the time and knew each other’s partners as well, so our first connection was not at all romantic but we did had a great time together. We had an instant connection and chatted and laughed the whole day, together with our friends. Floor: I thought he was really funny, and his laugh was – and still is – contagious. After that we would bump into each other in the city, at parties or bars for the next 8 years. 

When did you first realise that this was someone you’d like to spend the rest of your life with?

 Even before our first kiss. Over the years we saw each other more and we developed a friendship. In that period we really got to know each other and individually we realised how aligned our vision for our life was. We enjoyed being around each other and it was so easy to talk. We fell in love before we even went on a date, or had a kiss! We told ourselves that we were just friends, even though it was clear for everyone around us that was not the case. One night, after a few too many drinks we bumped into each other during a party and we confessed we had feelings for each other. A few months later we were living together and adopted our first dog. Now 5 years later, we have been married for 2 years, adopted our second dog and will be welcoming our first baby boy this June. 

Tell us about the vision you had for the mood and style of your wedding. (theme, key styling elements, florals, colour palettes etc.).

 In general, the mood for our wedding was on having a good time! We did what felt natural to us, instead of focussing on maybe more typical wedding traditions. We made a consciousness choice where to spend our budget on. We want all out on our location, great service and staff, food, drinks, and of course photography! And went for a ‘less is more’ kind of styling approach. The location itself was also so gorgeous, so in our opinion it didn’t need much to be stunning. For the first night we decorated the tables and bars with citruses from the local farmers market. For the Saturday night I envisioned this sea of candles on the tables – no flowers. We drove to the local Ikea in Florence and bought hundreds of waterglasses and floating candles that were placed on the dining tables at night. We also went to a local party shop and bought all these glittery decoration that the boys decorated ‘the club’ with. It was really fun, and a fraction from the budget if we would have outsourced it.  

What styling and visual elements worked best for you? (could be things, the florals, particular hire products or your marquee etc., something the stylist created or simply just the scenic beauty of your location or the existing design of your venue).

 I loved the candles on the Saturday night, it was such a romantic summer evening!

That’s Amore- The Big Day

What did you enjoy most about the planning process and do you have any tips for couples starting their wedding planning journey?

 It very easy to spend a lot of money on things that in the end won’t be really important or memorable to you. Figure out what you would like to look back on – this will be different for every couple, and focus on these things. Try to be creative with the less important things.

Tell us about your main outfits, what was unique, is there a story?

 Floor: I tried so many different dresses but didn’t really fell in love with one of them! I was going to go for a custom made dress by Edwin Oudshoorn, and went back for my second appointment when he walked in with a dress from another designer – Divine Atelier – that he met at a wedding fair. When he saw it, he thought this was the dress I was trying to describe to him and brought it over with him back to the Netherlands! So kind and generous!

What was one, or two elements that were most important to you both that you were happy to spend a little more on? (food, photography, florals, the venue, your outfits?).  

Definitely the location, including the service and staff. We really wanted to make sure our guests would be super well taken care of, and the team of Conti di San Bonifacio overdelivered! And of course our photographer, Kim Captein. She captured our weekend in the most gorgeous way and these photos will be forever our favorites.

Did anything happen on your wedding day that you laugh about in hindsight (even if it was stressful at the time)? 

I booked the amazing Jessica Bérullier as my MUA for the Saturday. She was supposed to fly in early morning, do the hair and make-up of my mom, mother in law, a few friends and then mine. Only her flight got cancelled that morning! I had amazing friends who all offered to do my hair and make-up, so I had a good back-up plan which made it not stressful luckily. But Jessica was such a trooper though, she booked a car and drove hours to another airport, got on the plane and arrived 30 minutes before I walked down the aisle! Even though she had less then 30 minutes, she made sure it was a great experience! She was such a pro!