Wedding | Tiffany & Ryan

Tell us a little about yourselves!

Ryan is a musician at heart, but has spent the last decade in product management. Tiff is a stylist at heart, but has spent the last decade in advertising. So we have a penchant for letting our imaginations go wild – with an emphasis on user experience.

For the better half of the last decade, we shared a social circle without ever actually meeting - a feat that shocks mutual friends to this day. Having spent years simply knowing “of” each other, our worlds finally collided in 2021 when Tiff (at the time living in Minnesota) came out to visit said mutual friends in California. Friends who hadn’t mentioned they had moved out to California with a roommate: Ryan.

From the moment we met, it was clear we had an instinctually collaborative chemistry. Within hours of introducing ourselves, we turned a spontaneous thrift store trip into a day-to-night photoshoot - the result of which was an iconically outrageous dating profile for Ryan by the name of Cyber Pete.

Over the course of the next year, Cyber Pete unexpectedly went viral and we unexpectedly discovered our chemistry extended beyond a well crafted bit. After a mere three meetings, one late night phone call launched us into a long-distance relationship with few reference points beyond a hug and…the inexplicable feeling that this was it.

Turns out, as successful as Cyber Pete was on the market, his greatest success was becoming an amusing dinner party story about the origins of our silly little love. 

A year and a half into long-distance, we got engaged on a “birthday trip” to Europe that we all knew wasn’t just a birthday trip. Ryan had spent months preparing an elaborate, heartfelt scavenger hunt to propose at a gorgeous chateau in the French countryside midway through the trip. 

However, on the first night of our trip in Amsterdam, fresh off a dreamy evening canal cruise we found ourselves cozied up at a local coffeeshop. Crying through laughter at some new silly bit, Tiff asked a question she jokingly tossed out whenever we were having the time of lives: “Oh my god, will you marry me?” Unfortunately, this time, that question felt like more than just a playful expression of love. 

With vibes high and the matrimonial door blown wide open, Ryan tossed months of planning to formally propose on a quiet, beautiful bridge over the canals on our walk home. To this day, our favorite part our engagement is that it truly surprised the both of us.

Why did you decide to get married where you did?

When we first got engaged, we didn’t dive into wedding planning right away. We tossed around a lot of ideas but only wanted to pursue options that felt true to our personalities and our relationship. We wanted an intimate wedding with all the elegance and quirk that made our love feel rich and playful. 

We discussed venues, threw out locations, but as soon as we threw out Amsterdam – there was nothing else that felt right. It’s such a deeply romantic place that maintains an air of playful spontaneity - a dynamic that felt best encapsulated our relationship. We wanted to bring friends and family to the place that was so inspiring we got engaged off-script.

How many guests did you have?

50.

What was your budget? 

We knew if friends and family were going to fly out, we wanted to provide multiple opportunities to spend time together while also giving them time to explore throughout the weekend. So we wanted our budget to deliver three nights of good food, good company, and a little bit madness.

We anchored the majority of our budget on our wedding day and dinner, then filled in our welcome party canal cruise (the day before) and party night (the day after) as budget allowed.

Beyond food and venue, photography and fashion became high ticket focus areas. These were both areas that felt like when you found the one – it was ‘the one.’ We knew prioritizing the right fit (literally for our outfits and figuratively for our photographer) would leave us with once in a lifetime memories.

Tell us about your outfits.

Tiffany - Ceremony & Dinner (July 11th): Unfortunately, I love an outfit. The bridal style journey was one of the wedding planning activities I was most excited about. While I left each appointment finding something I could see myself in, it took me a moment to find something I was obsessed with. I was chasing something both soft and structured, sweet and dramatic. As soon as I saw the look book for an upcoming trunk show for Varca Studio my gut just knew I’d been holding out for the one.

My wedding day look layered Varca Studio’s Esme pleated chiffon skirt on top of a tulle underskirt paired with the lace Basque waist Casper Corset. The silhouette and mix of textures gave the dress a dreamy, painterly quality and its airy elegance felt like a dream to glide in. As soon as I tried it on, I was locked in.

To round out the soft drama of the look I opted for a train length scarf and incorporated oversized pearl accents with a pearl cluster earring and oversized pearl white satin pumps. 

Evgenia crafted a soft, natural wedding day look finished with a bold lip to complement the soft drama. She pinned back a meticulous bevy of curls she had layered into my bob while pulling forward my bangs to frame my face in what felt like a sweet, modern take on old Hollywood hair.

We shared The Gardener by HUNQ as our wedding day fragrance as we had picked it up on our engagement trip the year prior. We had stumbled upon it on one of our many days exploring the city without an agenda and were delightfully surprised to find a fragrance we were both attuned to. The boutique was actually just a couple of blocks from The Dylan.

Party Night (July 12th): My look for our party night came straight from the Varca Studio trunk show at The White Room. While I had come in for the combination of pieces that made up my wedding look - the first thing that caught my eye was the lace hip cage in the SS25 collection. Pulling on the fully styled look with the coordinated chantilly lace body suit, flared pant, and hip cage - I knew immediately I was never going to find anything this iconic or feel this iconic ever again.

For the second night I left my tousled wedding day hair and enjoyed casually getting ready with my group of girls as we all did our makeup together - sharing lip colors and getting our eyes done by our friend who is a magician with an eye palette.

Ryan: Ceremony & Dinner (July 11th): I originally went to Bode looking for something funky and adventurous, but their in-house stylist, Henry, guided me toward a black tux instead. A student of Art History, he noted that men of the Dutch Golden Age traditionally wore black for formal occasions. To balance the traditional silhouette, we paired it with something more unconventional: a ribbon tie.

The blue ribbon tie was inspired by Willem van Aelst’s “Flower Still Life With a Watch,” which features a vibrant blue ribbon attached to a watch set against a floral arrangement. The watch detail felt fitting — a nod to how we keep time through the major milestones in our lives. For me, the blue ribbon came to symbolize the wedding and beginning of our married life together. 

Party Night (July 12th): For party night, we decided to go for something more nocturnal and adventurous. I turned to Phix for a 70’s-rock-star look. I wore a semi see-through black top with a flowing neck tie, accompanied by kick flare pants and heeled boots. I had never wore something quite that revealing, but figured a party night inspired by Heironymous Bosch would be the time to, if ever.

What was the most important aspect for you, in terms of planning your wedding?

We wanted an intimate wedding with all the elegance and quirk that made our love feel rich and playful. Our dream was to deliver the perfect dinner party followed by a quality house party. We wanted quality time with our guests, the food to be phenomenal, the ceremony to be meaningful, and the party to always keep people guessing.

Were there any elements that were important for you to incorporate?

At the core of our relationship are a million silly little bits, some of which have very robust backstories. A common reprisal across our officiant’s remarks and friends and family’s speeches was about how we supported each other in committing to “the bit.” We were honored that this had become a shorthand for friends and family to highlight our unique way of executing extravagantly dumb ideas, pursuing our passion projects, and committing to what creates genuine joy as a couple. This silly sense of imagination is what connected us immediately and is what keeps our combined sense of exploration thriving.

To celebrate this side of our relationship in full, we surprised our guests on our final party night in Amsterdam. While they thought they were showing up for an open bar and an uninhibited dance floor, we drew them into a main room after their first cocktail and kicked off a 30min initiation into our fake frat: the Beta Betas. The open bar and uninhibited dance floor followed soon after with an indoctrinated freshman class ready to make the most of their initiation.

Any tips for couples getting married?

Be specific about your vision and flexible with the execution:  Whether it’s budget, time, or your imagination straying a little too far from reality, there will be things that you won’t be able to make work. Starting with a clear vision will help you to identify the “nice to haves” from the “must haves” during planning. It also gives partners flexibility to execute your vision within the context of their expertise and get creative within your constraints.

Don’t pick ‘vendors’ - pick partners: There are so many talented wedding vendors in this business, but we found the best path to success (on the day of and for our planning sanity) was to work with people who shared our aesthetic language, had an innate understanding of our vision, and worked well with our other partners (venue, florals, cake, etc). We were unbelievably lucky to have the venue planners that we did and through the trust we felt with their coordinators, crafted an unbelievable menu and found a florist, cake, and boat company that we absolutely fell in love with. Being abroad, their existing experience working together kept us calm walking into a virtually planned wedding.

Keep your connection the North Star of your planning: We wanted to create an experience that felt representative of our passions, priorities, and the core of our connection - elegant, intimate, and just kind of goofy. Every wedding decision was evaluated based on what part of that equation it served and helped us craft an experience that felt incredibly special to our love. Opinions will fly at you from every direction when you plan a wedding. Make sure you find the time to ask yourself what you want to celebrate and how you want to share your day with others.

Supportive “Runners”: It feels weird to ask for people to go off on a wild goose chase for you. But if there’s any day to do it, it would be your wedding day. You can plan as much as you want but things are bound to get chaotic and you will definitely have forgotten something. It is important to remember in the moment that people are excited to celebrate you and often eager to lend a hand. Having people you can lean on to help print your vows or fetch a sewing kit at a moment's notice will be invaluable on your day.

Are there any vendors that you would like to tell us a little more about?

Each and every one of our vendors felt like a true partner in this process, but there were two in particular that were central to this unbelievable experience.

Our wedding venue The Dylan was far more than a venue – something we felt deeply during planning and downright spiritually on our wedding day. Our venue coordinator Elise was the lynchpin of our entire operation, shepherding us toward a network of partners that were not only masters of their craft, but partners in our vision. Their communication, expertise, and access to trusted partners not only made international wedding planning possible, but brought together an experience beyond our imagination.

Once we were finally on the ground in Amsterdam, The Dylan’s service and accommodation could have fooled us into believing we were the only guests left in the world. No ask was too big, no task was a hassle. They were incredibly gracious to each and every one of our guests regardless of them being a hotel guest or a wedding guest.

The space itself was immaculate – somehow nailing the perfect balance of elegance and intimacy. A quiet reprieve along the canals, their Secluded Garden truly transforms into an magical cove tucked into one of the most beautiful places in the world. We’d say it’s Amsterdam’s best kept secret, but it really feels like it shouldn’t be a secret.

While the ceremony and toast had already blown past our wildest dreams, our wedding dinner remains one of the most talked about features of our wedding weekend. No dietary restriction was out of range for The Dylan. They customized every menu to each individual’s preferences to ensure all 50 of our guests had a seamless, bespoke service.

Getting married at The Dylan felt like a dream-state. We still ask each other all the time, “Hey remember The Dylan?” Partially because just recounting the day feels like a blessing, but at times we still can’t believe it even happened.

Our photographer Marta Ilardo – wow, just wow. One look at her work and it was clear she has the rare ability to not just capture what happened, but how it felt. She somehow brings movement to stills and finds stillness woven into the action. 

Beyond her portfolio, she was the exact partner we didn’t even know we needed. Warm, prompt, communicative, and immediately connected to our vision. Throughout the weekend she brought a quiet calm while delivering excitement that matched our energy. Inexplicably everywhere and nowhere at the same time, she moved with the day as it played out. The result of which allowed us to fully experience the day and feel the authenticity of the moments found in our gallery.

Marta Ilardo captured us (and our guests) as our full selves - finding us in the sweet moments, the cinematic moments, and the incredibly goofy moments. We are still finding treasures in our gallery weeks later and know we will still feel the same years later. For the greatest weekend of our life, we couldn’t imagine anyone else not just documenting but crafting some of our most treasured memories.

Photographer: Marta Ilardo @martailardo_photos | Planning: Tiffany Luong @teafaknee | Styling & Flora: The House of Artz @the_house_of_artz | Ceremony Location: The Dylan @hotelthedylan | Reception Location: Mayer Manor @mayer_manor_amsterdam | Celebrant: Katie O’Halloran @katie.ohalloran. director | HMUA: Evgenia Bazhenova @bazhenovastylist | Cake: Remya’s Cake Studio @remya_bottema | Entertainment: Jordan Alamat @tornadojally | Dress: Varca Studio @varca.studio from The White Room

@thewhiteroommpls | Suit & Groom Shoes: (Ceremony) Bode @bode & (Party Night) Phix @phixclothing | Bridal Nails: Mirai Nails @mirai.nails | Engagement Rings: (Tiffany) Shahla Karimi @shahlakarimi_jewelry & (Ryan) Vintage Jewellery @vintagejewellerycom | Wedding Rings: Mociun @mociun | Shoes: Retrofete @retrofete | Wedding Day Fragrance: HUNQ @hunq_amsterdam