Photos (above): Photographer: Anneleen Jegers
Elien's Proposal Full of Symbolism
Elien proposed to ‘her’ Dave on Christmas 2022. She shares: “On December 25, 2022, I gave Dave an old, heavy Indian suitcase as a Christmas gift, where he could dig deep and find a safari bottle with two glasses and five numbered gifts among the packing material. These packages contained eye portraits of our pets Huug, Marcel, Kant, and ourselves - all hand-painted by artist Inez Maes. Dave had to open them in the right order to form this sentence on the back of each portrait: ‘Will you marry ‘us’?’. The answer was, of course, a resounding ‘Yes!’_,” Elien laughs.
In a peaceful setting, Elien and Dave married legally on April 11, 2023, just the three of them (including their dog Kant) in the city park of Aarschot. They planned their wedding celebration for March 22, 2025, deliberately outside the wedding season. “Since we ourselves are wedding musicians under the name 2Romance, we chose to marry in spring, before the season's hustle. Additionally, the numbers of this date, when reversed, also reflect the date of our proposal,” smiles Elien.
A Perfect Location
Elien and Dave wanted a wedding celebration that was truly ‘theirs’: “We wanted to celebrate with our favorite people, in a very cozy and warm circle, from 5 p.m. to 11:45 p.m. At midnight, everyone had to leave the domain: a wonderfully short but powerful party, with a vibrant heartwarming flow_.”_
Elien and Dave found their dream location for their wedding festivities in Binkom. Elien: “All the pieces fell into place at Fermekoer in Binkom. We immediately fell in love with this breathtaking location. It was not far from us and we could stay overnight in the bridal suite with a beautiful view of the fields. Our dog Kant was also allowed to celebrate and stay with us, which we found fantastic!”
Handwritten Letter
Elien and Dave sent their guests a handwritten letter, sealed with a wax stamp with their initials. Elien: “It was a truly old-fashioned letter, written with a fountain pen, where all our guests found their eye portraits, as well as who was linked to whom and a short description of what characterized everyone. All guests, by our wedding day, knew something about each other. We celebrated small, with 43 people, so that was perfectly manageable!”
Styling and Meaningful Details
For styling and coordination, Elien and Dave relied on wedding planner Phaedra from Phaest Weddings. Elien: “Our friend Phaedra was our ‘sidekick, styling magic-maker and stress reliever’ for our wedding celebration. She and the Fermekoer team took care of everything, allowing us to also be guests at our own party.” As an ‘interior design-lover’, Elien was deeply moved when Dave and she got to discover the party setting before the guests arrived: “Dave and I were in awe. The styling was truly breathtaking and touched our hearts! Those moments you experience together beforehand, even before the festivities start, are surreal.”
Behind their flowers, flower arch, and flowers in the vases, there was a personal story. Elien collected and dried all the dried goods herself, from gardens, forests, their neighborhood, and so on. “I also pruned and dried the pampas plumes myself. Judith from Bouquet Boho made a beautiful ceremonial arch with this!” Elien beams.
Their vow booklets and welcome sign also had a very personal touch. “We designed the vow booklets through Creative Use of Technology, and our welcome sign was drawn by our friend and artist Sep van Loo. The drawing on the welcome sign brought everything together: our location and their dog, our pets, the eye portraits from my proposal, a wink to 2Romance, a reference to Dave's deceased mother,... The beautiful drawing couldn’t be more complete and was entirely ‘ours’,” Elien shares gratefully.
The Search for Their Outfits: A Rollercoaster
Elien and Dave wanted outfits that felt very personal and unique. Elien says: “We knew each other's dream outfit, but also knew that ‘it’ would not be for either of us because, for example, the fabric was no longer available. It was a rollercoaster for both of us. We wanted to stun each other… As wedding musicians, we have seen so many bridal outfits over the past ten years, that we especially wanted to be different for each other.”
Elien eventually chose a white jumpsuit found at Cermo Concept, combined with a beaded cape from The Lady Fitzgerald. “Kelly and Annick from Cermo Concept are heroines!” Elien shares. She made her bridal bouquet or rather ‘bridal fan’ herself the day before their wedding: “I had already started making it with lifelike crepe flowers when the weather proved uncertain. I didn't want to risk color transfer if it rained. Last minute, I still made the bridal fan; it felt completely right to me!”
Dave found his wedding suit and shoes at Yannick and the team of Herenmode De Waele. It was a suit that fit him perfectly.
Exciting First Look
Elien and Dave's wedding celebration on March 22, 2025, began with one of the most beautiful moments of their lives: the first look. Elien: “Dave and I were extremely curious about each other's final outfit and simultaneously immensely nervous to see each other. The encounter took place in the courtyard of Fermekoer, to our version of ‘I get to love you’. Seeing Dave coming down the stairs was indescribable. Tears roll down my cheeks again when I think back to the magic that touched me. We couldn’t stop looking at each other and admiring each other. Wow, wow, wow!”
Capturing the Day’s Flow
Elien and Dave's wedding party was captured by wedding photographer Anneleen Jegers. Elien: “We deliberately chose a photographer with an eye for detail, who takes slightly atypical photos. We didn’t want posed or staged photos but photos capturing the ‘flow’ from the first look and ceremony, without noticing that photos are being taken. Our wedding photographer, Anneleen Jegers, is pure magic.”
Ceremony by Candlelight
Elien and Dave's ceremony took place by candlelight, with over 250 candles (!) and a special arrangement. Elien shares: “Our guests sat as an honorary guard on both sides of the aisle, and we sat for the perfect sound_, as if it were a personal concert, opposite the live band ‘Ten Feet From Stardom’. They performed_ ‘Can’t take my eyes off you’ during my entrance. Our dog Kant decided to walk in with me at that moment, while Dave was waiting and everyone cheered. The moment was so beautiful that I shed quite a few tears.”
Elien continues: “The ceremony was led by our friend and Dave's cousin, Joost Elli, who is a blog writer and podcast speaker. A very fun moment was when my godchild Guus tossed a coin to decide who would start with our vows. We also wanted to give a place to Dave’s mother, whom we have missed for over ten years, in our ceremony. We did this with a pocket watch, which I turned into a compass as a surprise for Dave. When he opens it, he sees her; this way, he could keep her close throughout the day and beyond.”
Dining to Southern Tunes
After the ceremony, a surprising and relaxed dinner followed. Elien: “Nori Catering provided Ofyr preparations and Thai dishes. Vicky, Dax, and their team surpassed five stars! During the dinner, guitar trio Los del Trè provided us with South American and Spanish live music. The wonderful southern tones brought us completely into vacation mode. It was phenomenal; we just didn’t want it to end.”
For dessert, the bridal couple chose many small sweet treats from Sarah Renson. Elien: “For this, we bought ‘inspired plates’ from the thrift store, with golden edges and beautiful flowers, along with golden forks. With the leftover desserts, our guests could fill their plates to take them home. Delightful and fun thank-yous to purely enjoy!”
Music as the Common Thread
Live music was a must for Elien and Dave, who are themselves active in the wedding sector as 2Romance: “During our ceremony, the excellent vocal harmony ensemble Ten Feet From Stardom provided beautiful live music. We really wanted to give ourselves this gift. Although choosing the songs was a difficult search - because there is so incredibly much beautiful music - we limited ourselves to six songs to keep the ceremony manageable. Our setlist was ultimately perfect. It included: Something tells me by Bailen, God only knows by The Beach Boys, an adapted version of Can’t stop loving you by Toto, (I’ve had) the time of my life by Bill Medley and Jennifer Warnes (changed to ‘I have’), and our own song from 2Romance: We are into love_, performed by Ten Feet From Stardom. 100% us and a festive wedding song.”_
“After dinner, Dave put together an interactive music quiz with a live band, consisting of musician friends who were also guests at the party. Our opening dance was woven into this quiz; we didn’t know when it would be played, which made it quite fun! We chose the song Grow as we go by Ben Platt, with an adapted text to make it a real love song_,” Elien continues._
Even the gifts and guestbook had a musical twist. Elien: “We asked our guests, if they really wanted to give a gift, to bring a vinyl record that was meaningful to them with a handwritten letter. At our party, our guests could leave a message on vinyl records with waterproof chalk markers. Going through our gifts the day after our party made our hearts overflow with love and personality!”
Finally, the guests could enjoy a photobooth from BoothyVision and a ‘small happiness’ box: a vintage gumball machine, where Elien and Dave placed homemade gifts, from finger puppets to mini Lego boxes, temporary tattoos, and scratch cards… “Everything was personally selected and accompanied by a handwritten note. It was delightful to bring smiles to everyone's faces.”
Tips from Elien & Dave
In conclusion, Elien and Dave are happy to share their top tips with engaged couples:
“Do not plan your day based on others' expectations. Do what truly feels ‘you’!”
“Be a guest at your own party, the magic of it is unimaginable. Leave your watch at home and go with the flow_. If things run late or something goes wrong, that might be unfortunate, but in the end, it doesn’t matter. These things make your day extra memorable.”_
“Feel your day, experience your day, enjoy every moment, each other, and all your favorite people around you. That is the most important thing!”
The entire House of Weddings team wholeheartedly congratulates Elien and Dave and wishes them much love and happiness in the future! Thank you for sharing your story with us.
Would you also like assistance from reliable and quality wedding suppliers? Book them now via House of Weddings.
Wedding planning & styling: Phaest Weddings / Location: Fermekoer / Photographer: Anneleen Jegers / Jumpsuit: Cermo Concept + cape: The Lady Fitzgerald / Wedding suit + shoes: Herenmode De Waele / Jewelry: Elke Van Herck Jewellery / Flower arch: Bouquet Boho / Ceremony speaker: Joost Elli / Live music: Ten Feet From Stardom + Los del Trè + friendly musicians / Decoration & furniture: Fermekoer + Phaest Weddings + Woodfest + WonderRentals / Make-up & hair: Studio Marijke + Jojolie Beauty and More / Catering: Nori Catering / Dessert: Sarah Renson / Photobooth: BoothyVision / Welcome sign: Sep van Loo / Graphic design & printing: own design + Creative Use of Technology
