While Kat and Willem were at first reluctant to get married during their favorite season (football), they incorporated their passion into their special day. They tied the knot in October on a private beach in La Jolla, CA. From the vows to the table place cards to the cake toppers, Kat and Willem’s personalities came to life at their wedding. To the two of you from all of us at Beach Bride, regardless of where life’s journey takes you, never forget how true is the love between you two. Congratulations!
When She Said Yes
After graduation, and nearly two years of long-distance dating, both Kat and Willem would eventually settle in for a new adventure in Portland. Willem thought he had the one when Kat agreed to watch 100-plus A’s games in the summer of 2014. He knew he had the one when Kat didn’t leave him after his meltdown in the hours following the A’s collapse in the playoffs.With his mind made up, Willem planned his proposal. Knowing that Kat’s only wish in life is to get a puppy, Willem put a deposit down for a Golden Doodle. He then bought a collar with the name of the couple’s future dog (Andi, short for Anderson, if you’re wondering) and placed the collar on Snowy, the Suyderhoud family dog. While walking Snowy on Baker Beach in San Francisco, Willem surprised Kat with the collar and the news of the soon-to-be arriving addition to their apartment. Moments later, Willem followed up with a proposal. Kat channeled her inner Marv Albert and said, “Yes!”
The Happily Ever After
Extra Special Details
Die-hard football fans. We decided to have a football-themed wedding. The table place cards were football- shaped, each table was named after a Pac 12 or Big 10 school (and our sweetheart table was the Rose Bowl), and our cake toppers were our college mascots.
The twist on our playlist. When we sent our invites, we asked our guests to submit song requests on the RSVP card. We obviously had final say on the playlist, but we incorporated a lot of the requests in. People got really excited when they heard the songs they requested.
The DIY project. Instead of a formal guestbook, we printed out wedding mad libs for our guests to write marriage advice. The advice we got were pretty hilarious to read!
The color palette. Our colors were mint, blush, with a splash of gold color. They were perfect for a beach wedding!
The restriction. Our venue didn’t allow dogs, but it was important to us to have our puppy there on our big day. We had a friend bring our puppy to the beach for a quick picture after the ceremony. And we had an enlarged cutout of her at the photo booth, so she was able to be in a lot of fun photos!
Tips From The Bride
♥ Your wedding will fly by, so take a moment during the wedding to look around and absorb the scene. Your favorite people are all in one place, so take it all in!
♥ Don’t worry about the small details. No one will notice if anything goes wrong. Just enjoy and dance the night away!
-Kat
Money Matters
Wedding Budget: $45,000 +
VENDORS
Photographer: Bob Hoffman Photography & Video
Cake Designer: Sweet Cheeks Baking
Floral Designer: Diane’s Flowers
Reception Venue: La Jolla Beach and Tennis Club
Cake Designer: Sweet Cheeks Baking Co.
Dress Store: The Bustle Del Mar