Bohemian Wedding // Felipa & Marco
What’s the deal with weddings? Why do we all (yes, you too, Miss I-don’t-want-to-get-married) want to get a sneak peek into one of the most intimate events in someone else’s life? It’s like gazing into other people’s lives through the window when you walk by – slightly intrusive, but you just can’t help yourself. And you can tell a lot through a glance, just by observing the details. The same goes for a wedding, the ultimate celebration of love and commitment. Every detail tells the story of the bride and groom: “This is who we are and what we love.” On this one day, everything of your own taste and style comes together – food, fashion, decoration, atmosphere, music, flowers, wine…
In this very first edition of Bohemian Wedding, we visit Felipa and Marco’s wedding in Portugal. I had contact with Felipa when I gave a shoutout on our Facebookpage and today’s article is the result. I’m very proud of it, so do read on for all ins and outs of planning a wedding, the expectations and most of all: letting go, being in the moment and enjoying the big day!
Her
She’s Felipa, 29 years old, from a half-Portuguese background and cohabitating on a ship at the NDSM wharf with Marco. Felipa used to be a law student, but last year she was selected for a training as officer for the Marines. A dream come true! She’s now studying to be a military lawyer, which is quite intense: the first three months, she practically never made it home. She also had to chop off her long hair. A year ago, she had a job she could reach by bicycle, with flexible hours, great colleagues and plenty of time to have a social (and home-) life. Now she stays at the marine base during the week and free time is scarce, even at the weekends. Felipa had to get used to it, but she knows the goal she’s trying to reach, which makes every hardship worthwhile.
Him
He’s Marco, 27 years old. He’s been a maritime cook for years and, after buying their ship, he could use a new challenge. Marco loves all things maritime, so he decided to study at the Enkhuizer Zeevaartschool and get a certification as chief mate and captain. Ultimately, his dream (and Felipa’s) is to travel around the world together. Four days a week, Marco works for the marine and on Fridays he’s at school.
How did you meet the man of your dreams?
We met 7 years ago at Curaçao. I had an internship at the marine base where Marco worked (and lived). He was very adventurous, which I found attractive. After our first meeting, we kind of kept circling each other, but it took salsa lessons to finally bring us together.
How much planning did your wedding take?
Despite being together for years and having big plans for our future, the wedding was still quite a surprise. In five years’ time, we want to sail around the world (that’s why we quit paying rent and decided to live on our ship instead) and we often fantasize about having children and watching them climb all over the ship like monkeys. But getting married? We never even discussed it. But Marco is the love of my life, so when he asked me I immediately said yes! We’re married now, and our daily life isn’t that different from before, but I wouldn’t have missed our big day for anything in the world.
Did you know all along what you wanted on your big day?
We agreed from the start that our wedding would take place in the orchard adjoining my parents’ house. Until age 9, I lived in a small Portuguese village called Boliqueime (nearby Albufeira). Marco fell in love with Portugal, the Portuguese people and the food right away. Back to my roots… and perhaps our future home!
We wanted to create an intimate day for our best friends and family, with a relaxed vibe, lots of wonderful food and good music. We also wanted a friend to officiate the wedding, to make it even more personal. And we wanted to share our love for sailing and the sea with our guests. During a holiday, we spotted a classic schooner on the Portuguese coast and we immediately knew this was it! To create a mellow atmosphere, we used a lot of candles, fire pits and water pipes, and because we love live music we used a beamer to play videos of our favorite musical performances. We’re big on DIY, so we made customized stamps from potatoes, Marco and his brother made Limocello using lemons from the garden, my sister and sister-in-law created garlands, my brother-in-law and my own brother gathered branches to frame the Polaroid pictures and my sister made my flower crown!
What to expect (and not to expect) on your wedding day?
Nothing goes exactly as planned… so let it go! Okay, even I had a scare when the video wouldn’t play because it had the wrong format. But aside from that I enjoyed every moment! Live in the moment and try to take in as much as you can, because the day will fly by.
What was the most beautiful moment?
There were several special moments: the song Marco sang during the ceremony; when my mother walked me down the aisle; the ceremony itself; the dream catchers with personal wishes that all our friends had brought; the lovely food; the dancing; all our friends and family gathered at this occasion. Too many moments to count! Love in its many forms: the love we feel for each other, the love we received from our friends and family. Also being together: all our friends and family helping out, preparing the house and garden for this momentous occasion. Very special!
What couldn’t you do without on this day?
Very cheesy, but (apart from Marco, my wedding dress and the witnesses, of course): our friends and family. We consciously decided to only invite our closest friends and relatives. Without them it wouldn’t have been the same. Everyone was so relaxed and helpful, so we could enjoy every moment 100%.
Also very important: a great photographer and camera (wo)man! We hired Jordy Huijbregts en Inge Bouw (she’s a friend of mine) and they were a wonderful team. They captured every moment to perfection, which meant we could forget our fear of missing something, because we could relive each moment a 100 times over.
What’s your ultimate wedding tip?
Keep it personal and listen to yourself!
Many thanks to Felipa for the wonderful story and to Jordy Huijbregts for the photos. More info on Felipa’s parents’ house? It’s for rent! Go check out www.casa-mealha.nl for more info.
