The day I said “I DO” twice

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Sometimes it feels like ages ago when I said “I Do” to my Stan. When growing as a couple and as an individual together; circumstances, losses, growing in acceptance and so much more could easily fade away the memory of the day I said I Do. But I’m pleased to say I still remember 16 August 2001!

I still remember feeling anxious to say no instead of yes accidentally, I remember my mum helping me with my dress and wearing a bespoke handmade (by a good friend) necklace. I remember feeling like a glamorous bride thanks to my friend who was/is a make-up artist, I remember the look on Stan’s face when he first laid his eyes on me that day and I remember how loved I felt by everybody.

IDo-1a*Love Made us to Love each other perfectly (text on card left), card design by Philip Habes

Almost nine months after Stan popped the question, with a temperature of 24 degrees outside, it was just the perfect day to get married. My youngest brother-in-law drove us to the beautiful historic building where our civil wedding took place. By the time we almost arrived at the venue I was a nervous wreck, still reminding myself not to forget to say yes. My soon to be husband looked calm and very handsome. Not being able to find his new socks that morning didn’t make him lose ‘his cool’ at all. Our ceremony was lovely and as you can guess I didn’t say no accidentally. I said “I Do” while feeling overjoyed and relieved at the same time.

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I have to admit the photo session wasn’t Stan’s most popular part of our wedding day. You’d think my newly-wed husband would be keen on doing this as being the spouse of a photojournalism student. On the contrary, I had to pull all kind of ‘newly-wed tricks’ out of a hat to enable the photographer to continue with the shoot! Very pleased, back in the car and heading towards the church’s small hall, we grew more and more in our role as being husband and wife. The hall, where we had our dinner, was breathtakingly beautifully decorated with handmade pieces by my bff and friends. The colour scheme was lavender and off white, colours picked by Stan! Together with our family and close friends we had a fantastic Surinamese soul food meal, prepared by my mum-in-law’s friend.

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Minutes before making my big entrance my brother picked me up from a church room. Being raised by a single mum, my 7 year older brother has (unknowingly) been my role model of how a man should be. He was totally the right person to give me away. While we were linking arms he tenderly padded my right hand with his left,  gave me a smile, whispered: “Breathe slowly” and walked me down the aisle towards my Stan. The second time I said “I Do” that day, I felt supported by heaven and earth while being surrounded by our loved ones. An amazing party with a live band and great finger food followed and was absolutely the perfect end of one of my best days everrr!

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Family and so many friends blessed us with their talents, time and gifts. I can’t imagine how we would’ve done it without their help!! I do have to give my bff and a friend kudos for helping me tremendously by being my wedding planners and masters of ceremony. They were one of the main reasons why this day went by so smoothly. In Holland it’s very common to ask a friend to fulfil this honourable task months before getting married. I absolutely recommend this to everybody who can’t afford a wedding planner. This makes life before and on the big day more fun and less stressful!

IDo-8*Pictures made by Rob Leising

Next week I’ll share about a fab personal gift you can surprise your special guests with on your wedding day.

Tips for a budget wedding:

*Accept help from family and friends

*Ask close friends to be your wedding planner/master of ceremony

*Personalise your day with DIY’s (wedding cards/favours/decoration)

*Embrace the talents of family and friends

*Ask someone you know with a nice vehicle, valid licence AND insurance to be your chauffeur

*Choose a (party) venue you regularly visit, you can ask for a reduced price

*Bless others and remember: we reap what we sow!

Enjoy Today,

xxx

8 comments

  1. HABA-HABA! Dominique you were stunning in the photos!
    You haven’t aged at all…
    Thank you for the great tips, I wish someone kindly told me when I got ‘hitched’ 10y ago 🙂
    xxx

    • Hahaha thanks Lana!! With you introducing me to healthy porridge I hope it will help me to age with grace 😉

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