Real Weddings Eindhoven: Lisanne and Manuel's church Wedding

“Our first date was in Amsterdam,” says Lisanne. “We saw each other for the first time in real life in the city’s Dam Square. When we got engaged, we just decided to get married. There was no proposal at all! Actually, to me, that felt really grown-up."

Finding the perfect dress

Lisanne visited WED2B stores in both Ghent, in Belgium, and Eindhoven, in the Netherlands. “I bought my dress in Eindhoven in the end,” she says. “My mum and I were the only customers at that time, so we had all the staff to ourselves. It was a great experience! We really made a big show of all the different dresses for my mum. In the end, I chose Delancey. I just loved the stunning keyhole back.”

A vintage hipster vibe

“Our church was in the centre of Ghent, so we chose an old factory close by for our reception,” says Lisanne. “It was a restored 19th century textile factory and it had the perfect vintage/hipster/industrial look that we like. It was also very affordable!”

The big day

The couple married on 7th February 2020. “Our wedding day was very sunny and it started with me on the balcony of my hotel, waiting for my fiancé to come and get me,” says Lisanne. “We married in the city hall in 15 minutes and than we went for brunch with just close family. Later, we walked around the city for a photoshoot in our wedding clothes, and even went shopping in the HEMA shopping mall. It was very funny!”

A second ceremony

“Then, in the afternoon, we had another ceremony in our own church, with all of our friends and family attending,” says Lisanne. “We decorated the church with flowers in white and rose colours. Ghent itself provided all the rest of the decoration we needed, as it really is a beautiful city.”

Let’s party!

After the church service everyone headed to the reception to celebrate. “We didn't have a big wedding cake but we had 10 different small cakes instead,” says Lisanne. “The music was provided by a super cool jazzy student band from the local university of music. We had all our lovely family and friends with us, so we didn’t need any more than that to have a great day. It was very relaxed and beautiful. The best day ever!”

My top tips…

"There’s no need to spend a lot on a wedding. Your family, friends, cake and music is enough for a beautiful day.”

Lisanne’s Dream team

Photographer: Felix Boniface (felixboniface.be)

Venue: 'T Vizitfabriekske (vizit.be/en/contact)

Cake: Les Tartes de Françoise (facebook.com/lestartesdefrancoisegent)

If you would like your big day to be one of our real weddings please click here to share your story and photos with us and we’ll be in touch.