• Real Weddings

Their original vision of a Tuscan wedding was put on hold, but luckily, this couple happens to live in a tight-knit village in the Netherlands that all came together to throw these two the wedding of their dreams. When the world's current situation makes traveling hard, don't be afraid to look local. An intimate wedding is a great time to show your nearest and dearest your favorite parts of your hometown. Local vendors are also more likely to go above and beyond for you like this couple's go-to bakery did for them. 

When they finally had a date set, they already knew they wanted Przemek Bialek Fotografia to be there to take the photos and Jetmax was also there to get this special day on film. The bride had a definite vision for the wedding and Bij Jelle Blaricum did an amazing job bringing that vision to life through the florals. To see more photos from this beautiful micro-wedding, check out the full gallery. Keep scrolling to read more from the bride, Magdalena, about how their plans changed but everything turned out even better than they could have imagined. 

CALL ME WHEN YOU GET OVER HER 

We met in a very old fashion way...in the bar. I was single for a month and my husband was on a night out with his ex-girlfriend of 7 years celebrating a very civilized breakup. He saw me on the dance floor and our eyes locked. I thought he was a total asshole as he was flirting with me while in the bar with another girl but at the end of the night, I learned it was his ex. So, I took his phone and put my number in it and I said to him, “When you get over her...”, pointing at the ex standing at the bar, “...give me a call.". And he did...the same night! Six months later we went to New York together to spend Christmas there and I thought he would propose there, but instead, we brought home another incredible gift from NYC, our son Olivier. 

POPPING THE QUESTION 

We went on our last babymoon holiday to Tuscany when I was 7 months pregnant and we found a vineyard by just exploring. We said yes to the location before we were engaged. A bit strange, I know, but we already knew we would be getting married. Frank asked me to marry him on New Year's Eve as we celebrated welcoming a new exciting year into our lives. He was very nervous and hardly had anything to drink during the party, so I thought he was not feeling well, but he just didn’t want to spoil the moment by having too much to drink. 

A CHANGE OF PLANS 

Our story is a typical COVID-19 wedding story. We originally had very different plans for our wedding, we were supposed to get married in Tuscany this year. We were planning a big three-day wedding for 130 people in a beautiful old vineyard with a huge garden and outdoor swimming pool to chill at after the wedding. But, due to COVID, we had to postpone our Italy plans until next year, but we still decided to get married this year in our local village, Blaricum. 

We had 60 guests at our wedding with Corona rules in place. I really wanted an outdoor ceremony, and even though our wedding wasn’t a religious one, the Vitus Church allowed us to use their beautiful and very big garden to set up the ceremony and aperitif. We then moved to the farm for dinner and a very small dance party that had to shut down at midnight. So, we will party hard next year in Italy where we still have the original location booked and we will celebrate our 1st anniversary. As the styling of the wedding was done by me, I feel I have already planned three weddings with all the changes we have made. For the wedding in the Netherlands, I concentrated on boho and rustic for the styling. I also didn’t have any wedding planner helping us so all the planning was done by us and the local suppliers. It was the most beautiful and emotional day of our lives filled with love and happiness. It was perfect! 

SOME LOCAL FAVORITES 

The theme for our wedding was bohemian with rustic touches. I asked for loads of greenery, natural wood, and pampas grass. I carried a "messy” bohemian-looking bouquet with loads of eucalyptus I also used a lot of fresh Eucalyptus to decorate all the locations, tables, chairs, and welcome signs. Our wedding cake came from our favorite local bakery where we buy our daily bread but the props for decorating the cake came with us from Italy and were the representation of our family with a little boy holding a ring pillow. We had a barista coffee station in a small Italian car, a local Ice cream shop delivering gelato ice cream at midnight, and DJs. I did the stationery myself, designed every menu, name tag, welcome sign, and transcribed the speeches. We also had a ring pillow that was hand-painted from our picture, we had personalized hangers with the date and names, we had personalized fans for keeping cool during the ceremony, a photo booth with a guest book, and a cocktail bar with our signature drinks. 

SAY YES TO THE SPLURGE 

I found my dress over a year before the wedding. I went window shopping in Warsaw when visiting my parents in Poland, and I walked into this bridal salon, tried this dress, and never looked back. It was love at first sight! I know my ceremony dress is pretty daring, but this reflects my character and also my husband's dream of having a very sexy bride. The first look told me that I had achieved the dream. He couldn’t stop crying. My shoes had to be Christian Louboutin. It was always my dream to own a pair and our wedding was the perfect moment to splurge on a pair of shoes. But, they are not typical wedding (white) shoes, I can still wear them now with a nice summer dress in Italy or out on a dinner date with my husband. My husband’s tuxedo is from famous Polish menswear designer, Vistula. My bridesman's suit also came from Vistula. 

SOME MEMORABLE MOMENTS 

My three favorite moments of the day were when my father walked me down the aisle and my future husband saw me for the first time that day, our 2-year-old son being part of the ceremony, holding the pillow with the (fake) rings, and running away with it into the bushes, and our first dance. My advice to other couples is, enjoy every second of your day as preparation takes a very long time and the day itself flies by and it is over quicker than you know. Also, have fun together planning your wedding as this is where the build-up to the big day is taking place. Let the groom be involved in the planning too, it is both of your big days!

• Cakes & Catering: Brood En Banketbakkerij Wassenaar
• Cakes & Catering: Arjan Dijkman
• Couple: Magdalena de Winter
• Couple: Frank de Winter
• Flowers: Bij Jelle Blaricum
• Groom & His Men: Vistula
• Hair, Makeup & Beauty: Elegance Blaricum
• Hair, Makeup & Beauty: Marta Podlipniak Make Up
• Jewelry: Fritz Hörl
• Photographers: Przemek Bialek Fotografia
• Rentals: Art Decor Love
• Wedding Dresses: Laurelle
• Wedding Films: Jetmax