They tell us Episode 11

SECTION: THEY TELL US ABOUT IT

Hello Minna,

Thank you for agreeing to tell us about your wedding.

Who are you? Age, profession, city, etc.

I am 31 years old. I work in strategic communications at the European External Action Service (EEAS), the diplomatic service of the European Union. I'm based in Brussels, but my husband lives and works in London, so we actually live between the two cities, traveling back and forth a lot. I'm half Danish, half Iranian, and my husband is German. He's 32 years old. He has his own tech start-up in the construction industry. We met in London in 2011 when we were on Erasmus exchange during our bachelor's degrees.

When did you get married?

Our wedding took place on April 23, 2022, at the end of the Mauritian summer.

Where did you get married? Why?

Our wedding took place at the 20 Degrees South hotel in the north of Mauritius, very close to where I lived for a few years. I spent my last two years of high school in Mauritius, as my mother worked there from 2007 to 2011. This hotel is a magical place and is located on the same street where I used to live.

How much time did you have to organize everything?

We got engaged in September 2020 and got married in April 2022. With Covid, we decided not to take any risks in 2021. So we had over a year and a half to organize our wedding, which was more than enough time.

What was the easiest and hardest part of the preparations?

The easiest part was choosing the menu and drinks. The hardest part was choosing my dress. Being very indecisive and really wanting to choose THE perfect dress, I tried on dresses in several European cities, in many different boutiques. I wanted to try different styles and designers.

Did you have a theme or color scheme? Why did you choose it?

Choosing the theme/color scheme wasn't easy either. We had several options in mind and made several mood boards. In the end, we settled on classic colors: white and dark green, colors that we love and associate with weddings. The idea was also to stick with classic colors that we would still love, even when looking back at our wedding photos in 50 years.

Was choosing your dress easy? Which designer?

As mentioned above, choosing the dress was very complicated. There are so many choices! In the end, I was torn between two different dresses, but one thing was certain: I wanted to buy my dress from Rime Arodaky. I fell in love with the dresses and style of this Paris-based designer. I tried on her dresses in Paris, in her showroom, but also at the Dressing Club in Paris. I also tried on her dresses at Love, Sweet, etc. in Brussels, where I finally bought the dress in November 2021.

Did you have flower girls and page boys? • How many? • What ages? • Girls and boys?

Yes, we had five children of honor: three girls and two boys. The girls were one year old (and a few months), four years old, and six and a half years old. The boys were three and four years old. Which style(s) did you choose? I bought the girls' dresses from you, as well as the matching barrettes and bow ties for the boys. I chose the Ondine style. Did you hire a photographer for the big day? Would you recommend them? Yes. The photographer was Eric Lee. In my opinion, he is one of the best photographers in Mauritius. I would recommend him 100%, but you have to be patient for the photos. It takes him a long time to send them... (about 3-4 months). That said, I think it's worth being patient to have beautiful photos to last a lifetime!

Did you have entrance music for the dinner? If so, what was it? Why did you choose it?

No, we didn't have entrance music for the dinner. We had entrance music for our ceremony: Pachelbel's “Canon in D” (a classic...), and exit music for our ceremony (Nat King Cole's “L.O.V.E.,” also a classic, but one I never tire of...)

How would you sum up this unique day?

I would love to relive it over and over again! Everything was perfect.

Best memories?

It's hard to name just a few. Every part of it was unique!

If you had to do it again, what would you do differently?

We waited until 2022 to plan our wedding, to maximize the chances that Covid and its restrictions would be over. Unfortunately, there were still restrictions in Mauritius in April 2022, so we were limited to 50 guests. We had to rethink the wedding plans three weeks before the date (because the restrictions were extended at the last minute)! We therefore had to split the guests and the festivities over two days, into three events: a sit-down dinner; the ceremony; and a cocktail reception followed by an evening party. If we had to do it again, we would do it as originally planned, with our 140 guests, over one day, with the ceremony followed by dinner and the evening party.Oh, and I probably would have bought the other dress I was hesitating over in the end, rather than the one I bought...