Together with our families

Lydia & Stijn

request the pleasure of your presence
to celebrate our wedding.

Friday, 2 April 2027
Maastricht, the Netherlands

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Welcome

A Celebration of Love

Together with our families, we invite you to celebrate with us what God put together — our wedding.

How it started

Our Story

Her side

Indeed, we met at church for the first time — and that’s when I put two and two together. I had been hearing about him for the past year, because my roommate (his colleague, crazy right?) would come home and tell me about her day at work.

We connected during a games night, and a week later he invited me to watch F1. How could I deny such an experience? That’s when I knew he was definitely into me. For about three weeks I kept pushing him away — fear of love and commitment, that kind of thing.

After seeking some advice, I decided to ask him out for a coffee, which ended up being a lunch date, and that was the start of everything. I think I knew he wanted to marry me from the second date already… But I can’t complain, because it was the start of something great!

His side

When I was playing football with my church friends in a tournament, I met new people who were part of a different church in the city. I had a good connection with them and was curious about the church they went to. So, together with my friend Edwin, we visited that church.

At that moment, I met Lydia. She stepped towards me and immediately introduced herself. I was at a disadvantage because she apparently already knew my name. As it turned out, she was the roommate of my colleague at my job at the time, FysioHolland. So she had heard of me but had never seen me.

The first time I looked at her, I was already mesmerized by her beautiful eyes. When I also fell in love with the church, I decided to switch churches and go there. In the beginning, I didn’t really see Lydia, but when I joined social events outside of church, we saw each other more often.

When we got in contact through social media, we started talking pretty consistently. As coincidence would have it, we were talking when I found out I had access to free Formula 1 tickets. None of my friends could come, so I decided to invite Lydia and offered her the option to bring a friend.

For me, my interest in her was clear, but Lydia decided to ignore that interest. Still, I persevered and asked her out for coffee. She agreed, only to tell me during the coffee that she was not interested in me.

Luckily, some friends (#Sharon) talked some sense into her, and she finally let go of her fear and asked me out for coffee. And that’s how the ball started rolling…

Friday, 2 April 2027

The Day

Sint Janskerk Maastricht

  1. 12:30 – 14:00 (approx.)

    Church Ceremony

    Doors open at 12:30. The service will start at 13:00 sharp, so please make sure you are on time — the doors will be closed.

    For those who cannot be there in person, we’ll be streaming the ceremony. The stream link will follow in due time — watch this space!

  2. 14:00 – 14:45

    Champagne Toast

    We’ll raise a quick glass of champagne to celebrate, and take a moment to say hello to everyone.

  3. 14:45 – 15:45

    Time to Rest & Hotel Check-in

    A moment to check in to your room and catch your breath before the evening.

Delbrock Maastricht

  1. 16:00 – 18:00

    Reception

    Walk-in from 16:00, with the reception starting at 16:30. While we’re away for our photoshoot, you can have yours for the gram — and there’s a photobooth too. Best of all, we’ve set up an hour of games and activities to join in on. With drinks and snacks throughout, of course!

  2. 18:00 – 21:00

    Dinner

    Time to purely enjoy a three course meal together. Then we will have some time for speeches and slowly get the party started.

  3. 21:00 – 01:00

    Party

    Get your comfortable shoes, drink an espresso shot and let your party animal out because no one is sitting down!

    00s & 10s classics Afrobeats House Techno

Please note that the majority of the ceremony and the speeches will be in English, but there will be some Dutch as well. Start your Duolingo now — Dutch!

Where it all happens

Locations

Getting there & staying over

Travel & Stay

By car

Sint Janskerk

Park at Q-Park Vrijthof, a short walk from the church.

Vrijthof 100
6211 LE Maastricht

Open Q-Park Vrijthof in Google Maps

Delbrock

There is parking available at Delbrock. For those who are staying at Vaeshartelt, we would recommend parking there as there is more space available — and a nice sober 20 minute walk back to the hotel after the party.

By public transport

Sint Janskerk

Take bus 3 or 4 from Maastricht Station, then a 2 minute walk.

Delbrock

You can take the train from Maastricht Station — it’s only 1 stop, and a 3 minute walk to Delbrock.

If you’re using Google Maps, always make sure you pick the location in Maastricht.

Accommodation

Our recommendation

Vaeshartelt Hotel

Vaeshartelt Castle has been a special estate in Maastricht for centuries — a vibrant place where history and nature come together. You can enjoy the monumental castle, the English gardens, the kitchen garden and the bee pavilion, or simply take a walk through the park.

Make your stay more than just a night: turn it into a whole weekend getaway in a castle in the south of the country.

We’d highly recommend staying here using our discount — and because breakfast is included, we can all have breakfast together. <3

How to book

The hotel has already reserved a couple of rooms, so all you have to do is send an email to info@vaeshartelt.nl with the code below and the number of people to confirm your stay. Payment will be on the day, and the more people that book, the better the discount. For now, the average price is at 200 euros per room.

Code DB OVERNACHTING STIJN + LYDIA

What to wear

Attire

Formal

We’d love for our guests to dress up with us! If you have the option, we’d especially appreciate avoiding a black suit, a tuxedo or a white dress, but please don’t feel the need to buy anything new — we’re simply sharing our preference for the day.

With love

Gifts

Honestly, your presence is the greatest gift we could ask for.

But if you’d really like to contribute to our future together, we’re always grateful.

Stijn Schalkwijk & Lydia Chelaram
NL56 REVO 9582 7767 30

Make a weekend of it

A Little Guide to Maastricht

As some of you may know, this is my student city and home to when I first moved to the Netherlands. Hence why we picked this cute little city, so you can enjoy this beautiful city.

— Lydia

See & do

  • Vrijthof Square — where the church is located, one of the main squares.
  • Sint-Servaasbasiliek — pop into the treasury for medieval relics and gold.
  • Bookshop Dominicanen — browse through books inside a converted 13th-century church.
  • Stroll the Maas riverbank.

Coffee & sweet things

  • Coffee spots — PLUM Specialty Coffee, Studio Nosh, or Matcha Society for matcha lovers.
  • Pinky — for the delicious Belgian waffles.
  • Madaq Chocolatier — beautiful handmade chocolates, ice cream & coffee.
  • Vlaai Hermans — don’t leave Maastricht without trying a proper Limburgse vlaai!

Where to eat

  • Reitz — you got to try it for the best fries ever!
  • Stokstraat Quarter — dinner in cosy cobbled streets, plenty of charming bistros.
  • Le Fernand — cute French café-bistro near the caves, known for seafood and a rich shellfish bisque. Warm, unpretentious feel — people go back twice in one trip.
  • Dadawan — a classic place for affordable and really good food.
  • Bistrot-Bar ’t Wycker Cabinet — always a cosy spot.
  • Babs Burritos — if you’re craving some good burritos, all the way!

Day trips

  • Aachen (Germany) and Liège (Belgium) are both under an hour away, if you want to hop across a border.

Our tip: Maastricht is small and very walkable, so don’t over-plan it — pick a few spots and spend the day wandering, eating and drinking your way around the city!

While you’re in the Netherlands

  • It’s tulip season! Go and see the beautiful Dutch tulips in Leiden.
  • King’s Day, 27 April. If you’re interested and have a longer holiday, stay until the 27th of April. It’s the biggest party in the Netherlands, when we celebrate the King’s birthday on the streets of Amsterdam. Embrace the mess and the loud music — it’s a once-in-a-lifetime experience.
  • A boat tour in Amsterdam is an absolute must-do.
  • Museums. The Rijksmuseum and the Van Gogh Museum are two of the biggest museums in Amsterdam.
  • Recommended hotels. INK Hotel, Holiday Inn Express, DoubleTree by Hilton — and otherwise hotels in Zaandam, which is just 10 minutes away from Amsterdam and much more affordable.

Good to know

Questions

When is the RSVP deadline?

Please let us know by 2 January 2027.

What time should I arrive?

Fifteen minutes before the start time, so you don’t have to stress — that’s 12:45 for the ceremony. :)

Can I bring a date?

Only if it’s mentioned in the invitations, sorry!

What will the weather be like?

April in Maastricht is wonderfully unpredictable — anywhere from crisp and sunny to a soft spring shower. We recommend dressing in layers and bringing a light jacket or umbrella just in case, but fingers crossed for sunshine!

Are children welcome?

Children named on the invite are warmly welcome! Just a small note — the church has quite an echo, so we’d appreciate a helping hand keeping things calm and quiet during the service.

Can I take photos during the ceremony?

We kindly ask that you refrain from taking photos during the ceremony, so that everyone can be fully present in the moment. We have a professional photographer capturing all the special moments.

After the ceremony, please do take pictures — we’d love to see the moments you capture!

Making this is a fun experience: during the wedding we will share a QR code where you can take disposable-style pictures on your phone. To make it extra fun, all the photos will be unlocked after the wedding.

What if I cannot attend the wedding?

We’re really sad to hear you cannot make it. However, we’d still love for you to be part of it, so we will arrange a Zoom video call during the wedding ceremony.

Anything else to keep in mind?

Bring comfortable shoes — there will be a lot of dancing.

RSVP

Kindly Respond

Please let us know whether you can join us by 2 January 2027.

Open the RSVP form

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