Ladies and gents, get ready to be in awe of an incredibly crafty and beautiful real wedding. Shamilla and Koen are two beautiful souls, whose wedding day really was a celebration of their lives together. The back drop of their wedding was the undeniably incredible Metaal Kathedraal , a stunning cathedral in the Netherlands, while the space itself is pretty epic its all the crafty and eclectic elements, vintage finds and personal mementos that the couple added that made their wedding day really beautiful. The day was captured by Velvetine and the photographs are swoon-worthy, to say the least...
Shamilla and Koen's love story was one built over time but worth waiting for as they explained..."We've been friends for over six years before we started dating. When we finally discovered our love for each other it felt like coming home. It didn't take long for us to know we were meant for each other"
When it came to proposing, Koen had a few crafty surprises up his sleeve for bride to be (he hoped) Shamilla, I'll let him tell the story..."I started planning a surprise trip to Iceland so I could propose to Shamilla while w watched the Northern Lights. In the weeks before the trip I started to send her letters with hints about the trip, but it wasn't until the moment we arrived at the airport on the day of the trip, she discovered we were going to Iceland...
...On the evening I proposed to her we were staying at a little cabin in the middle of nowhere. It was a bit cloudy but you could still see the Northern Lights. I told her I had a surprise for her and that she had to wait in her room. While she waited I went to the porch of the cabin to hang 1000 origami crane birds I made by hand. After I finished (it took me an hour and a half! ) I led Shamilla to the porch making sure her eyes were closed. Together we walked through the sea of crane birds, I kneeled down on one knee and asked her to share her life with me and she said yes!" Yay for true love!
So when it came to the wedding, the pair planned a stunning outdoor ceremony, and it made perfect sense to incorporate the paper cranes that Koen had used when he proposed to the lovely Shamilla, into their ceremony backdrop.
As part of their ceremony, Shamilla and Koen packed a beautiful antique box with letters they had written to each other and a bottle of wine (and 2 glasses). The box is to be open at a certain time in the future to remind the couple how they felt about each other on their wedding day, and to celebrate their years of marriage with some wine!
Can I just ask you to pause for a moment and take in these two and their unique style. Talk about setting trends! Shamilla's incredible wedding dress is the Florence Gown by Lisa Brown Designs which she had customized by Ilse Evers. The feather details and lace is stunning along with the modern asymmetrical hem ( also known as high,low). Don't you love the shoes? Shamilla picked them up in Zara! Such a fab blend of couture with high street bargains.
With such a beauty by his side, the pressure was on for groom Koen, but as you can see this dapper gent took it all in his stride, a stylish stride at that! His pale grey oversized check patterned suit is from Suit Supply and he finished his look with a soft blue bow tie and crafty feather boutonniere.
The mix of flowers in Shamilla's bouquet are really unusual and work beautifully - pinks, lavenders, purples and indigo tones combined create a feminine and sweet look with added warmth through the darker tones. The flowers for the day were all sourced from the local flower shop - simple.
So, given the unique ceremony, and gorgeous style I'm guessing you're dying to see how Shamill and Koen put their wedding reception venue - stunning as I promised... but first...
Celebrating in an old cathedral allowed the couple to sneak off for some pretty gorgeous photographs. You can also see the beautiful details in Shamilla's wedding dress...
With a couple as stylish as Shamilla and Koen I wasn't surprised that their guests would have a fashionable flair too. The couple urged their guests to dress in outfits that made them feel comfortable and pretty...Being able to sharing our lives with our loved ones and the connection we make together was really important to us. It was a beautiful day!
From the start the couple were hands on with their vision...We both like to create things. Like beautiful things you see but also experience. A lot of the things from our wedding we made ourselves. Like the invitations and the decorations. We wanted our wedding to be an experience that would really show who we are as a couple, what we like and what we stand for. We wanted it to be relaxed, laid back and happy.
The space itself is undeniable stunning and Shamilla and Koen managed to make it their own with vintage touches, crafty elements and bespoke finds.
Beside the look and vibe of the day, the food was also unbelievable, great Moluccan food made by Shamilla's Aunt and delicious BBQ meat from Koen's father ,who happens to be a butcher!
Huge congratulations to the lovely Shamilla and Koen on their amazing wedding day. A big thank you goes to Judith from Velvetine for sharing her work with us at One Fab Day. To see more of Velvetine's work pop over to www.velvetine.nl.
The Wedding Details
- Photography: Velvetine
- Venue: Metaal Kathedraal
- Videography: DARE video
- Dress: Florence Gown by Lisa Brown Designs , costumized by Ilse Evers
- Shoes: Zara
- Handpiece: Spell Designs
- Anklet: Child of Wild
- Suit: Suit Supply
- Wedding rings: Atelier 12-hoven
- Hair & make-up: Beautiful Bride Company
- Wedding Cakes: Maura Lathouwers
