Caroline & Bas’s civil ceremony in the netherlands
What is your proposal story…
It was the most romantic gesture. One of my best-friends was a photographer on the island [Aruba]. Now and then, together with a bunch of other girlfriends, we’d do some photoshoots to keep her portfolio up to date. We planned a new shoot to promote some clothes of a collab with another island brand. I did not know that the shoot was about to be about my engagement. My photographer friend lured me onto a pier 30 minutes into the photoshoot. It took me about 2 minutes before I noticed my boyfriend was the man standing at the end of the pier. We walked towards each other and immediately I knew I was about to be the most happy girl in the world.
Sadly I cannot remember a word being said during this moment. I remember my husband gave a short speech but I cannot recall any words. The only thing I can remember is being on cloud 9. After the proposal itself my husband blind folded me and kidnapped me to a secret private dining location on the beach. After dinner I was blindfolded again to be taken to one of the most beautiful hotel stays in Aruba (Aruba Ocean Villas) with our own private cabana near the water, filled with rose petals and champagne.
WHY DID YOU CHOOSE YOUR PARTICULAR GOWN/LOOK?
I was looking for some wedding dress inspo on pinterest and stumbled on a few pictures of the winona mini dress and was sold on the spot. For my civil wedding I was really looking for a short playful dress, but still one that really shouted ‘wedding dress’. The Winona mini really stood out because of her big bow detail. I purchased my gown at a small classy boutique in Nijmegen (The Netherlands). The boutique is called Wild at Heart Bridal and sells the most beautiful dresses I have ever seen. They also have the most genuine, sweetest and gentle team of girls helping you to find your ‘Say yes to the dress’ moment in the most comfortable way possible.
WHAT ADVICE DO YOU HAVE FOR BRIDES TO BE?
Don’t be scared to step on people’s toes by choosing to do something different or one your own terms. First I was scared to hurt peoples feelings by not inviting them, to the wedding. However my husband and me wanted it to be unique and as intimate as possible. We ended up celebrating our day with 30 people in total, including parents, grandparents, siblings and best friends and would definitely not have wanted it any other way. It was the most cosy and warm evening, and every one of them felt included and the same.
