About Ria

My name is Ria Kuipers-Andrea
married with Kees and mother of three grown-up children. I’m a licensed marriage officer for a mid-sized town in the province of South Holland. My husband and I, were married in the beautiful, historical City Hall of Gouda, in the most boring way. Back in the day, there was no pre-meeting with the officer and the speech was a list rattled of consisting of generalizations that can apply to each couple to be wed. In 1995 I was asked if I wanted to become a licensed wedding officer. I eagerly replied: “Yes, I do!” As of September 1995 I’m allowed to call myself a wedding officer and with a lot of joy I fulfilled over 300 marriages and partner registrations. As a wedding officer, I am, in collaboration with the municipality chosen by you, also eligible to be licensed elsewhere for the day. In addition, together with the municipality you can opt for a different venue than a city hall or town hall. Location wise there are lots of possibilities and I’d love to give recommendations and think of possibilities. I allready fullfilled many ceremonies on the most beautiful locations, in the Netherlands, but I also fullfilled much weddingceremonies in Italy. In my capacity as free lance wedding officer I have performed multiple marriages and wedding ceremonies on domestic locations as well as abroad. I was fortunate to ask for I DO in the Museum of the City of Schiedam, the beautiful City Hall of Gouda, the Glass Hall in The Hague as well as the old City Hall on the Groenmarkt. Additionally I’ve been able to perform wedding ceremonies at Alfred’s in Alphen aan den Rijn, the Reeuwijk Waters, in L’Escala in Spain, Garda Lake Italy, Florence, Puglia, Valencia, Barcelona and the Maggiore Lake. In the Belgian Castle Ter Leyen I’m a true regular.
A marital connection between two people is most importantly a unique and festive happening. In an open dialogue with the bride and groom I can perform the actual marriage or a separate ceremony on a special location and first and foremost, the wishes and special requests of bride and groom are taken into account very seriously. In cases where children are present I involve them completely, if desired. The soon to be newlyweds get a personal story and the ceremonies will be carried out the way they would like. A sense of humor and an atmosphere in which everybody feels at ease are qualities I’m valued and respected for. For the couple, their family, their friends, I strive to deliver a memorable day, whether it’s at the town hall or a special location of your choice. Would you like to get married on top of the Dom Tower, a ferry or the Eiffel Tower, nothing is too crazy or out of reach. To date I have performed multiple ceremonies completely or partially in English and French, to make sure all guests in attendance were feeling welcome and didn’t miss out on the actual ceremony. Every wedding couple will become their own unique story…the story about the love between two people. For me it’s a great honor to make your wedding day an unforgettable day. A day with space for a laugh and a tear. To tell your love story, I also collect information from family, friends and wittnesses. If a wedding couple lives too far away, we can of course talk to each other with facetime or skype.I would also like every couple the opportunity to express their promisses to each other. I ask a modest amount. The reason: I don’t collect money, I collect beautiful moments. A joyful and happy bride and groom…that’s my greatest reward! Languages: Dutch, English, French, German. Are you interested? Please feel free to contact me with any questions or requests by using the website’s contact form.