Tell us a little about yourselves!
We met the old-fashioned way—in a bar in Washington, D.C. Thomas had just moved to D.C. from Belgium, where he grew up, and I was in my last year of college in Virginia. We kept in touch and started dating about a year later, after I graduated. We’ve been together for eight years.
We spent six years in San Francisco, where our hearts still reside, and made the move to New York about a year ago for Heather’s job.
Why did you decide to get married where you did?
We visit Belgium once or twice a year, usually spending time outside of the city of Kortrijk, where Thomas’ family lives. On one of those trips, I wanted to see Antwerp (I have a thing for the infamous Antwerp Six), and we both fell in love with the understated charm—the architecture, the food, everything. It’s such an underrated and dynamic place.
How many guests did you have?
We had 150 guests —about 90 Americans and 60 Belgians. One of our friends mentioned that when she arrived, the airport customs agent asked if she was in Antwerp for the “American wedding.” We got such a kick out of that.
Tell us about your outfits.
I’ve worked in fashion and retail my whole career, and weirdly enough I had no “vision” for my wedding dress, I just knew I wanted to be comfortable and feel like myself.
I went with a Danielle Frankel Winnie corset and Georgia skirt. I loved the idea of being able to wear the corset again with jeans (I tried it on at my fitting with the jeans I had that day). I wore Toteme mules (I got on sale!) and Sophie Bille Brahe drop pearl earrings Thomas gave me as a wedding present.
Thomas wore a custom Cafe Costume suit with this amazing floral silk print on the lining. After 10 years in the States, he has picked up many “Americanisms,” but (sartorially speaking) he still loves a slim fit.
We had a welcome party on Friday night at a restaurant called Vis Van A, right on the Scheldt River, with lots of North Sea crab and oysters. I wore a Cecilie Bahnsen wrap dress with Prada kitten heels (both from Vestiaire Collective!) and Thomas wore a linen suit from Cafe Costume.
What was the most important aspect for you, in terms of planning your wedding?
When we decided to get married in Belgium, it was really important to make sure it was easy for our guests to access everything (we really didn’t want shuttle buses). The wonderful thing about Antwerp is it’s incredibly walkable, so we were happy guests could walk to everything and explore the city with ease.
We also knew from the beginning we didn’t want wedding parties. We both had a close group of friends come for a toast in the afternoon before the ceremony instead. (Heather with champagne, Thomas with Belgian pilsners).
Oh, and late night frites.
Were there any elements that were important for you to incorporate?
Music and food! I made a playlist for dinner that was a mix of oldies, reggae, funk and hip-hop. I walked down the aisle to The Shins, we had the most amazing jazz trio setting the vibe at our cocktail hour (thank you, Cats Collective!) and a wonderful DJ (Dj Voltage) late into the night.
Thomas was also adamant about handing guests a glass of champagne before entering our ceremony, which was a festive touch that kind of contradicted the formality of the 15th century monastery. It was so fun to see our guests raise a glass to us as we walked down the aisle (we exited the ceremony, very aptly, to “American Girl” by Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers).
Any tips for couples getting married?
Don’t sweat the small stuff, your guests won’t remember what their name cards looked like a year from now.
Are there any vendors that you would like to tell us a little more about?
Our incredible photographer, Elke Van den Ende (who we planned our date around, we wanted her so bad). She is not only a master at her craft, but she is a kind human who I now consider a friend.
Our wonderful planner, Phaedra Michiels of Phaest, made planning a wedding abroad effortless.
Our amazing florist, Floral Design by Sofie Spruyt , took my chaotic vision of “Garden of Eden but make it luscious and sculptural” and executed it perfectly.
Photographer: Elke Van den Ende @elkevdende | Planning: Phaest @phaest_weddings & Botanic Sanctuary Events Team @botanicsanctuaryantwerp | Flora: Floral Design by Sofie Spruyt @floraldesign_bysophiespruyt | Ceremony & Reception Location: Botanic Sanctuary @botanicsanctuaryantwerp | Celebrant: David Huyghe (Cousin and friend of the Groom) | HMUA:
Blanche Beauty by Kato Thys @blanche_beautysalon | Cake: Mieke Bakt @mieke.bakt | Stationery: Nicety Studio @nicetystudio | Entertainment: Cats Collective & DJ Voltage @catscollectivemusic
@voltage.dj | Wedding Dress: Danielle Frankel @daniellefrankelstudio | Second Outfit: Danielle Frankel Corset @daniellefrankelstudio with Zara @zara skirt | Suit: Cafe Costume @cafecostume | Veil: Etsy @etsy | Engagement & Wedding Rings: Sophie Bille Brahe @sophiebillebrahe | Bride's Shoes: Toteme @toteme | Groom's Shoes: Gucci @gucci | Pearl Earrings: Sophie Bille Brahe @sophiebillebrahe
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