Wedding information
We would like to make the wedding preparations and the entire wedding weekend as easy and stress-free as possible for everyone. On this page, we provide as much information as possible about the different parts of the celebration.
Location
We are getting married at Kasteel Duurstede, a small castle located in the town Wijk bij Duurstede.
Why Kasteel Duurstede?
We actually found our wedding venue thanks to Ingmar’s mom, Marion.
On July 30th, 2021, while visiting the Netherlands, Marion took me (Andrea) on a little day trip to the town of Wijk bij Duurstede. We wandered through its charming streets, and eventually, we arrived at the park surrounding Kasteel Duurstede. We decided to look inside, only to discover there was already a wedding happening there that day. Even though we couldn’t enter the castle itself, I immediately fell in love with everything about it.
Suddenly, because this is the Netherlands and the weather likes to keep things interesting, the skies opened. Within seconds, Marion and I were completely soaked, and ended up hiding under a giant tree behind the castle, waiting for the rain to calm down enough for us to sprint back to the car.
Sometime during those very cold and soggy 15 minutes we spent hiding under that tree, I told Marion that if Ingmar and I ever got married, it had to be there.
When we got home, I immediately told Ingmar that on our next trip to the Netherlands, he had to see the castle for himself. And when we finally visited it together, we both looked around and basically said, “Yep. This is the one.”, despite not even being engaged yet at that point.
Now, we can’t wait to celebrate in this magical place with all the people we love most (hopefully with slightly less rain this time).
Hotel
To make travel planning a little easier on our guests, we’ve done a little research for hotel options both near the wedding venue in Wijk bij Duurstede, as well as in Utrecht. For those who want to turn this trip into a mini-vacation, we recommend staying in Utrecht, as we will arrange a shuttle bus to and from the venue on our wedding day for guests staying in the city center.
Hotels in Wijk bij Duurstede
Hotels in and around Utrecht (not finalized)
Postillion Hotel Utrecht Bunnik (1 train stop from central Utrecht, on the way to the wedding venue)
Sightseeing
Exploring Utrecht
Utrecht is a Dutch city that somehow manages to be cozy and chaotic all at once. Think Amsterdam’s charming younger cousin, who drinks better coffee and owns more houseplants. The first thing you’ll notice is the canals, except Utrecht said, “What if canals had TWO levels?”
Of course, no Utrecht visit is complete without canal-side snacks. Order bitterballen, mysterious crunchy Dutch snack spheres filled with deliciousness and lava-temperature regret.
Towering over the city is the Dom Tower, Utrecht’s pride and joy. You can climb all 465 steps if you enjoy cardio mixed with medieval architecture and tiny staircases designed for people approximately the width of spaghetti. The view at the top is worth it, though. On a clear day you can see the entire city and approximately 14 million bicycles.
If you love cute streets, wander through the Museum Quarter and inevitably say things like “I could totally live here” while standing outside a 400-year-old house you absolutely cannot afford.
By evening, the canals glow with lights, boats drift quietly past, and locals gather outside bars wrapped in blankets pretending the weather is “actually quite nice.” That’s when Utrecht becomes dangerously lovable.
Day trip to Delft
Delft is a small city located between Rotterdam and Den Hague, where canals sparkle, bicycles outnumber humans, and every street looks suspiciously like it was designed for a postcard.
You’ll probably end up at the famous Nieuwe Kerk, where Dutch royalty is buried. Very classy. You can climb the tower if your legs are feeling optimistic. The reward is a gorgeous view over the city and the satisfying feeling of earning your next snack, preferably enjoyed in the square between the church and the city hall.
Speaking of snacks; stroopwafels are not optional. Calories consumed in Delft don’t count because you’ll dance the night away at our wedding anyway!
Art lovers should visit Vermeer Centrum Delft to dive into the world of Johannes Vermeer, master of soft light and people quietly reading letters near windows. Delft itself feels a bit like walking inside one of his paintings, except with more tourists and occasional seagull drama.
Then there’s the iconic blue pottery. At Royal Delft, you can watch artists hand-paint delicate ceramics while wondering whether your own artistic peak was drawing smiley faces in school notebooks.
Need peak Delft atmosphere? Sit in one of the many squares, eating frietjes covered in questionable amounts of mayonnaise, to the tones of cyclists aggressively ringing at pedestrians who are standing exactly where they shouldn’t.
Getting there
The easiest way to get to Delft is by train from Utrecht Central Station, which takes about 1 hour.
