After 25 years and a second chance at life, this silver wedding anniversary in Paris is sublime

Offbeat partner: Nelda

Offbeat partner: Klaas

Date and location of wedding: (Four Seasons Hotel George V, the Eiffel tower, Alexander III bridge, and the Louvre in Paris, France — August 24, 2019

Our offbeat wedding at a glance: It was love at first sight at the supermarket in 1991 in the Netherlands. We got married on August 24, 1994. 25 years later we decided to celebrate our silver wedding anniversary in Paris for a few reasons…

Firstly, being grateful for 25 years of married life. In 2018, my husband had a brain hemorrhage and we are grateful for his second chance in life. We wanted to celebrate this important date. And we were extremely happy to invite our best friends forever who were our bridesmaids and groomsmen at our wedding 25 years ago to celebrate it with us in the most romantic city in the world — Paris.

Secondly, Paris is my favorite city in the world. It is so lovely and romantic. And my childhood BFF Jean from New Zealand dreamed to travel someday together to Paris. So we were very happy she joined our celebration with her husband Dave, as well as my other BFF Ellen from Netherlands with her husband, Robert. So it seemed an obvious choice to hold our romantic celebration in Paris.

On a previous trip to Paris I met a passionate Parisian photographer, Daria Lorman, at the Louvre Pyramid during her photo session with a bride and groom. I immediately asked her card and one year later I emailed her to be our photographer. I was following her work and dreaming about the day she will take our photos in Paris.

Tell us about the ceremony:
We didn't have a ceremony, but we had a photo session, a High Tea, a lunch at the George V Four Seasons Restaurant, and a dinner in Le Café Marly all together.

Tell us about the reception:
I wanted to surprise my husband with a vintage styled High Tea at the famous Alexander III bridge, which was perfectly executed by WOW Factory — a company recommended to us by our photographer. As my husband couldn't tackle many hours of photography after his accident, this gave him comfort and made the photo session experience more easy and enjoyable.

It also made it more spectacular and fun. And we really enjoyed spectators around the area who congratulated us and wanted to take pictures with us.

What was the most important lesson you learned from your wedding?
If you have an injury or a disability, it doesn't mean you can't celebrate love and dress up, look beautiful, and enjoy every single moment of your life. You just need to stay positive and find a trusted team of vendors, who can help you on the day and give advice and support.

Vendors

Photography: Daria Lorman Photography • Makeup and hair: WOW Factory Paris • Shoes: YSL • Bride's dress: Magbridal • Evening dress: Arzu Sonmez • Bridesmaids' dresses: Hudson Bay, Rotterdam • Venue: Four Seasons Hotel George V

Gallery

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