Jolien and Rein’s summer festival wedding

Jolien and Rein met on Tinder during the first Covid lockdown. “There was nothing else to do, of course,” laughs Jolien. “After a month of texting, we decided to meet. Nothing was open because of the pandemic, so we watched a movie the old-fashioned way, on the couch. From then on we saw each other every week. We soon fell in love.”

Rein twirling Jolien in her WED2B Wedding dress

A back garden proposal

Rein proposed exactly one year after the couple’s first Tinder message, on May 5 2021 at 11:23pm. “My husband proposed to me at exactly 11:23pm, because that was when we sent our first message,” says Jolien. “I wanted to go to bed early, so he had to get it all done earlier than planned! It was super romantic. He called me downstairs and he was waiting with lots of pictures of us in his hands and our first messages to each other.”

"The garden path was filled with candles that led to a box. Although, when I looked in, there was nothing in it. When I turned around he was on one knee, asking if I dared to marry him. I said a resounding, Yes!”

Jolien in her off the shoulder wedding dress

Shopping for the dress

“I discovered WED2B on Facebook, because my mother tagged me in one of the dresses,” says Jolien. “It seemed too good to be true, such beautiful dresses for that price! I wanted to see it with my own eyes, before dragging my entire entourage there, but I live in Groningen and the nearest store was Zaandam.”

A quick look instore…

“Later, I was staying with my best friend in Purmerend, so we stopped by, just to see if it had something,” says Jolien. “We were greeted warmly as we entered. And, as we were the only ones there, we got the full attention of the two ladies. I didn’t think I was going to buy anything but when the first four dresses were taken off the racks I knew immediately which one I liked best. It was the beautiful off-the-shoulder dress Raina. I tried it on first, then the others, but the last three didn’t compare to it. However, I didn’t want to admit that I thought Raina was very beautiful, because I was missing half of my entourage! Although, after some video calling with my parents, I was sure. She was it and she was packed up and taken to Groningen!” (For similar styles try Nataliya, Kayleigh and Sebastiane)

Glitter, flowers and drama

“Raina is a Platinum Edition style and there were only 100 made,” says Jolien. “I am still 1000% behind this choice.”

"I wanted a princess dress and I got it. It was incredibly beautiful with a huge train and also plenty of glitter, flowers and drama. "

“I had something else in mind in terms of straps, but I’ve learned that off-the-shoulder looks great on me. I also wore it with the Addilyn veil. What a beautiful veil, it’s unbelievably beautiful. The flowers, the glitter, were all perfect for me!”

Finding the venue

The couple married at The Kruimel, a venue in Drenthe. “It’s a very nice and cosy location,” says Jolien. “Everything was nicely informal and it had a very relaxed atmosphere. We got married outside in the garden, under the apple trees. This was followed by a delicious barbecue and cocktails.”

"The venue was decorated in the style of a summer festival wedding. There was a food truck, a festival tent, hay bales, Love letters, rugs and chill-out seating everywhere. "

“We got married on August 4, 2022, and it was a wonderful and summery day. The staff were fantastic, they were fun with the children and really made it a great party.”

The big day

“I had my hair and makeup done at at my parent’s house,” says Jolien. “Then I put on my dress at the wedding venue. My husband got ready in our own house and then drove to the location. Unfortunately, there was a problem, as we forgot the hoop for under my dress! My girlfriend went back for it quickly and then the ceremony started fashionably late.”

“I had made my own music mix for my entrance, a combination of songs from Bridgerton and Twilight,” says Jolien. “My father gave me away and it was beautiful. After the ceremony there were toasts and cake.”

“Then we went to do the photo shoot and the guests relaxed while the children played in the playhouse,” says Jolien. “After the photo shoot the delicious barbecue food was ready. My friends also showed a nice video with all my embarrassing childhood photos! Later, at 8pm, the evening guests arrived and we danced until midnight.”

Jolien and Rein walking through the forest

A rocking first dance

“I loved our first dance, which was to the song ‘Invincible’ by Muse,” says Jolien. “They’re my favourite band. The lyrics of this song are so apt and so beautiful. It’s a non-standard bridal number and that’s why we chose this. We love rock!”

A summer festival wedding

“The theme was summer festival wedding with a white and light pink colour scheme,” says Jolien. “The decoration was fantastic. One of my girlfriends owns a wedding planning company and she decorated the location with silk flowers."

“We also had a Polaroid camera for photos and a folding screen with flowers to hang them on. There was a candy bar for the kids and coffee, ice cream and soup from the food truck. We had a cake buffet too, which was arranged very nicely on a table with tree slices. The decoration was also largely made of jute, with tree slices and other natural products. Favours were key bottle openers and tea lights, and there was a wishing jar as a guest book.”

The most memorable bits…

“Forgetting the hoop!” says Jolien. “Also, seeing each other for the first time at the ceremony, our first dance and the kiss, of course. I also laughed my ass off at the photo shoot!”