For Lilla, the world of weddings has always been part of everyday life. As a wedding planner, she has stood alongside countless brides throughout the exciting, and sometimes challenging, process of planning their big day. But when her own wedding day finally arrived, everything she had known from experience took on a whole new meaning. The details she had once carefully considered for others became personal memories, while the responsibilities of organising an event gave way to the joy of simply experiencing it. This time, we were invited behind the scenes of Lilla and Bálint’s special day, as Lilla shared what it was like to experience everything she had known so well as a wedding planner from the other side.
How did you meet, and how did your relationship develop? When did you realise that you wanted to build a future together?
Bálint and I met in 2019 at a nightclub in Budapest. He was there with his friends, I was out with mine, and somehow we ended up next to each other on the dance floor. We started talking, and before we knew it, hours had passed. From the very first moment, everything felt incredibly easy and natural with him. I didn’t experience any of the awkwardness that can sometimes come with meeting someone for the first time.
He asked me out the next day, and from then on, everything seemed to fall into place naturally. We started spending more and more time together, and as I got to know him better, I completely fell for his personality, his kindness, his sense of humour, and his positive outlook on life. I also loved how closely our ideas about the future aligned. Even back then, I felt that leaving Bálint out of my life would be a huge mistake. Once our relationship became more serious, I was absolutely certain that he was the person I wanted to build a future with. There was never really any question about it for me.
A year later, we moved in together, and in 2021 our family grew with the arrival of our dog, Pacho. It’s hard to imagine our home without him now. 🙂
There is also something rather serendipitous about how we met: Bálint hadn’t even planned to go out that night. In the end, a childhood friend invited him, and he decided to join. We have that friend to thank for being in the same place that evening. It’s strange to think that if either of us had made a different decision, we might never have met, and the life we share today might never have happened.
What was the proposal like? Was there a personal detail or moment that made it particularly memorable for you?
I had always been a little nervous about the proposal moment, but not because I wasn’t looking forward to it. I just thought I would probably sense that something was coming, and that I might find it difficult to handle such an emotional moment. Bálint, however, was so good at keeping it a secret that I didn’t suspect a thing – so I didn’t even have a chance to get nervous about it.
He proposed in January 2025, during a last-minute ski trip we had booked. I thought it might happen sometime that year, but since we had only decided to go away about a week before departure, it never crossed my mind that this would be the moment.
The funniest part was that the day before, while we were driving to our destination, we happened to be talking about proposals. Completely unaware of what was coming, I mentioned how important the gesture itself was to me. Bálint jokingly replied: “Why don’t we just talk about getting married?” My answer was quite clear: I had something a little more romantic in mind. Meanwhile, the ring was already tucked away in his suitcase. 😀
The next day, on our first day of skiing, we were sitting on a two-person chairlift when Bálint suddenly took out the ring. He told me that he had meant what he said in the car the day before, that he wanted me to be his wife, and asked if I would marry him. It was simply perfect and incredibly moving – a moment that belonged entirely to us. Afterwards, we spent the whole day enjoying the mountain huts and talking. It became one of my favourite days of my life.
As a wedding planner, you work on other couples’ big days. What was it like when planning your own wedding became the focus?
It was such a special feeling. As a wedding planner, I deal with the details of other couples’ weddings every day, but this time every decision was personally about us. Perhaps that’s why it felt both incredibly exciting and a little surreal: I was no longer planning a client’s wedding, but our own.
Because of my work, I know exactly how many little details go into creating a wedding. So I consciously tried not to get lost in them and to keep reminding myself what it was all about: we were getting married, and we would be celebrating with the people who mattered most to us.
At the same time, it was wonderful to finally bring our own ideas to life and plan a wedding that genuinely reflected who we are.
Perhaps the best feeling was realising that, behind all my experience as a wedding planner, I was still simply myself – a bride who was excited, enthusiastic, emotional, and just so happy to be on the way to becoming a wife.
Having seen so many weddings and different concepts through your work, what was your vision for your own wedding? How much did your professional experience influence it?
I had a fairly clear idea of the kind of wedding I wanted from the very beginning. An Italian-inspired, old-money aesthetic was the starting point, and I really wanted to bring back some of the iconic elements of weddings from the past, but in a more contemporary way. For me, it was also a kind of tribute to wedding traditions, as this world has always been particularly close to my heart because of my work. We wanted to carry this atmosphere through all the different elements of the wedding, so it was reflected in both the décor and my dress: a classic, timeless aesthetic, reimagined with a more modern touch.
When it came to the schedule and the programme, the most important thing was to create a natural rhythm for the day, one that would allow everyone to feel comfortable and enjoy themselves. We wanted our guests to eat well, dance, talk, laugh, and simply spend time together without any formality or awkwardness. Having a well-structured timeline was important, but we also wanted to leave plenty of room for freedom and spontaneity.
Ultimately, what mattered most was that it wouldn’t feel like “a wedding planner’s wedding”, but simply ours: a beautiful yet relaxed and welcoming day when both we and our guests could genuinely enjoy ourselves.
Which details were non-negotiable for you? Was there anything you were particularly keen to include because of your experience as a wedding planner?
Anyone who knows me knows that once I get an idea into my head, I’ll find a way to make it happen – and our wedding was no exception. 😀 We had a few ideas that might have sounded a little crazy at first, but I was convinced they would work beautifully. One example was the ice swans. Not everyone could immediately picture how they could become an elegant, contemporary detail, but thankfully the wonderful team at Natural Wedding Decor loved the idea too, and they eventually became one of the most memorable visual features of the wedding.
It was also important to us that the details should not only look beautiful, but somehow tell our story. The cakes and desserts, for example, were especially meaningful because Bálint’s mother is a pastry chef, and she made them all for our wedding. We also included a few unconventional moments in the schedule. After the ceremony, we had a champagne and cake moment, while the evening cake-cutting involved a seven-tier cake that we literally had to cut while standing on a chair. 😀 And of course, we had Pacho-themed signs and drink stirrers at the party, which were a huge hit.
There were also things that mattered to me for reasons beyond how they looked. We wanted to make sure we truly experienced the day rather than simply rushing through it. For example, we began the ceremony with a short meditation, so that we wouldn’t just arrive in a whirlwind of activity, but would have a few minutes to slow down, focus on each other, and take in what was about to happen. After the ceremony, we also took a few minutes away together for the same reason. We knew in advance that the day would fly by, so we made a conscious effort to prepare ourselves not just to go through it, but to be truly present for every moment.
One of the most emotional decisions for us was asking Kati Landesz to lead our ceremony. I worked for her before setting up my own business, and she was the person who taught me the profession. Over the years, we also became very close friends, so it meant the world to us that she was the one who married us.
Was it difficult to let go of the planning and hand over control to others, or were you able to enjoy the experience of being a bride? What did you learn from this dual role?
I was asked this question many times both during the planning process and after the wedding, and honestly, I can say that
I was able to let go of control completely and truly enjoy both the preparations and the wedding day itself.
I think the most important reason was that we had an incredibly professional team of suppliers around us, people who had our complete trust. I knew that if any issue came up, they would handle it exactly as I would and resolve it in no time. That gave me an enormous sense of security, and because of it, I never once felt that I needed to manage anything on our wedding day.
It was a very special experience to be the person being looked after by the suppliers for a change, rather than the one taking care of everything. I genuinely didn’t have to worry about a thing.
It was only then that I truly understood how much it matters to surround yourself with people you completely trust – people who allow you to let go and simply enjoy the experience.
As a wedding planner, that is exactly what I want to create for every couple: a team they can rely on, so they can experience the same sense of security and peace of mind.
When did you decide that you wanted to wear a Daalarna dress on your wedding day? Did you already have a specific idea in mind, or did you discover your style during the fittings?
Daalarna had been close to my heart long before I became a bride myself. Ever since I started working in the wedding industry, I have followed the brand and its collections. Over the years, many of my brides have chosen Daalarna dresses for their weddings, so I had often seen from the outside, through a professional lens, what a special experience it was to wear one. Perhaps that is why it was particularly moving when the moment finally came for me to look for my own dress and discover what it felt like to be a Daalarna bride.
I had always imagined wearing something clean and minimalist. But after the proposal, as the overall style of our wedding began to take shape, I increasingly felt that a completely minimalist dress wouldn’t feel special enough on its own, nor would it fully complement the concept we had in mind.
I started looking through previous Daalarna collections for inspiration and completely fell in love with the beautiful lace used in the designs. That’s when the idea came to me: I wanted a dress with a clean silhouette, but entirely covered in lace. It would preserve the simplicity I loved while making the overall look much more individual and distinctive. That was the vision I brought with me to my first fitting.
How do you remember your first Daalarna fitting? Was there a particular moment when you felt you had found the one?
My first fitting was an incredibly special experience, especially because I had visited Daalarna countless times before with my own brides, helping them find their dream dresses. This time, it was finally my turn. 🙂
The team were so lovely from the very beginning, and they seemed to understand almost immediately what I was looking for. I tried on several lace-covered dresses from previous collections, and they only confirmed that I was heading in the right direction.
Then, based on my ideas, they showed me a particular lace fabric, and I fell in love with it instantly. It really was love at first sight, because it had exactly the mood and delicacy I had imagined. At that moment, I already knew that this would be the starting point for my dress.
What mattered most to you when choosing your dress? How important was it that it reflected your personality and complemented the overall concept of your wedding?
The most important thing for me was that the dress should be minimalist, distinctive, and very much me at the same time. I didn’t want a dress that was simply beautiful in its own right. I wanted something that felt completely natural on me and fitted seamlessly into the overall concept of our wedding.
The Italian-inspired, old-money aesthetic had been part of our vision from the very beginning, so I knew I wanted something classic and timeless, with a special detail that would make it unique. The lace ultimately brought that element in.
Of course, it was also essential that I could still recognise myself in the mirror as a bride.
I think this is particularly important when it comes to a wedding dress: the goal isn’t to become someone else, but to feel like the most beautiful, most celebratory version of yourself.
What was it like working with the Daalarna team? Were you able to personalise your dress with custom details or alterations?
Working with the team was incredibly inspiring. I arrived with a clear vision, but I was also completely open to developing it together. I loved how they understood exactly what I meant at every stage, and from a professional point of view, it was a wonderful feeling to be able to trust them with my ideas. In the end, we created a custom-designed dress, and we paid just as much attention to the cut as we did to the lace. I didn’t want a train, so I chose a straighter, clean-lined silhouette that I felt perfectly complemented the old-money aesthetic I had envisioned.
We also designed the accessories to match. The Daalarna team made a pair of lace gloves and a long veil with a lace edge especially for me. Since I didn’t have a train, the long veil added the dramatic effect I wanted, and it was really the accessories that brought the entire look together.
Of course, I did wonder at one point whether it might be a little too much to have lace on the dress, lace gloves, and a lace-edged veil as well. But the Daalarna team supported the idea throughout. They felt that all the elements would work beautifully together, so I trusted them – and in the end, the result was exactly as perfect as I had imagined. I also loved that my original vision remained at the heart of the process, while the Daalarna team’s expertise and creativity added so much to the final result. I didn’t simply end up with a dress; I got the exact bridal look I had envisioned for myself and for our wedding.
What was it like seeing yourself in your complete bridal look for the first time? And how did your partner react when he first saw you in the dress?
It was such a special feeling to see myself in my complete bridal look for the first time. I remember going to one of my early fittings, when the dress was still in a very unfinished state. When they brought it into the fitting room, I was already completely blown away – even though it was nowhere near finished yet. I could see straight away that it was going to be something extraordinary. It was an indescribable feeling to see the dress I had only imagined until then standing right in front of me, and to realise that it was taking shape exactly as I had dreamed.
As more and more details were added, I could see how beautifully everything was coming together. And when the veil and gloves were finally in place, the entire look felt complete. That was when I truly thought: this is so me.
I didn’t just feel beautiful in it – I felt completely like myself.
I had told Bálint beforehand that I would be wearing a special lace dress, something you don’t see every day. He knows me very well and knows how much I love unique and distinctive things, so he had a pretty good idea of what to expect. 😀
We had a First Look together before the ceremony, so that was when he saw me in my full bridal look for the first time. His reaction was incredibly moving. He told me several times how beautiful I looked. What meant the most to me was that he immediately said how much the dress felt like me, because that had been my goal all along. And it wasn’t just him who felt that way. During and after the wedding, many of our guests and even our suppliers – which is perhaps the greatest compliment of all – commented on how beautiful and special my dress was. It was lovely to know that it had made such a lasting impression on others, too.
Which moment from your wedding day has stayed with you most vividly? Was there an unexpected or spontaneous moment that made the day particularly memorable?
Honestly, I feel that the entire day went perfectly, and I’m incredibly grateful to our wonderful guests and our fantastic team of suppliers for that. If I had to highlight something, I don’t think I would choose one specific moment. Instead, I would talk about the energy and feeling that carried us through the entire day. We constantly felt that everyone there loved us, and somehow that feeling filled every part of the celebration.
I also loved our First Look, because we got to share those few minutes alone before the day really began. It was lovely to focus just on each other for a little while and take in the feeling that the moment we had been preparing for was finally here.
The ceremony was another truly special experience. It was incredibly moving to listen to a ceremony speech that, for the first time, wasn’t about someone else, but about us – and addressed directly to us. And, of course, there were all the little spontaneous moments that made the day uniquely ours. Just before exchanging rings, Bálint took the rings from Kati and managed to drop one with a rather elegant gesture. 😀 Luckily, we found it quickly. It made everyone smile and eventually became a lovely memory. Those genuine, unexpected human moments are actually some of my favourite things about weddings.
As a wedding planner, you must have noticed all the little details of the day with a different eye. Were you still able to step back and simply enjoy the celebration as a bride?
Absolutely. In fact, one of the biggest positive surprises was how easily I managed to switch into bride mode. Of course, I still noticed details with a professional eye – that has become second nature to me – but I never felt that I had to keep an eye on whether everything was running smoothly. Our team was absolutely amazing. Everyone did their job so professionally, and everything worked perfectly. I trusted them so much that I was genuinely able to let go and enjoy the fact that this was our wedding.
And I think that is exactly what allowed me to experience it fully. I wasn’t thinking about what was coming next, who was where, or whether everything was happening according to plan. I was simply there, with Bálint, our family, and our friends. It was an incredible feeling to be on the other side for once.
Looking back, is there a decision or detail you feel particularly proud of, either as a bride or as a wedding planner?
I think I’m most proud of the fact that we managed to create a wedding that genuinely felt like us in every detail, and that we were able to enjoy every moment of it. We put so much work into it, planned countless little details in advance, and it was wonderful to take a step back on the wedding day and see everything we had worked on for months finally come together.
I loved that every element, from the bigger conceptual ideas down to the smallest details, had a thought behind it. At the same time, nothing felt forced. And perhaps I’m also proud that we dared to bring some ideas to life even when we weren’t entirely sure how they would turn out. The ice swans, for example, were quite a bold idea on paper. 😀 But in the end, some of those slightly crazy ideas became the details we loved most.
What has your own wedding experience taught you, both professionally and personally? Do you see the brides you work with differently now?
Professionally, I think it has taught me a great deal. It feels completely different to look back on the experience as a bride and remember what it is like to spend months preparing for something, making countless decisions, feeling excited and nervous, and then suddenly having the day arrive – only for it to pass in what feels like an instant.
Now I don’t just know what that experience is like professionally; I have felt it for myself. I also understand much more deeply how important it is for a bride to feel safe and supported, knowing that she is in good hands. To have people around her who don’t just take care of the practicalities, but genuinely look after her and take away the stress she shouldn’t have to carry on her wedding day.
On a personal level, perhaps the biggest thing I’ve learned is just how quickly the day flies by. We spend so much time preparing for it, so much happens, and then suddenly it’s over. That has made me feel even more strongly that couples shouldn’t just have a beautiful wedding – they should also have the chance to truly experience it.
So yes, I think I do see my couples differently now. I was always attentive to their needs, of course, but having been on the other side myself, I now know exactly what it feels like to stand in their shoes. And perhaps I understand even better what they need in those moments.
The couple: @lillakalmar x @balintszabari
Venue & catering: @napvolgyboraszat
Wedding planning: @weddingsbylillakalmar
Wedding-day coordination & celebrant: @creativeweddings_by_lk
Ceremony script: @barbara.ceremonymaster
Master of ceremonies: @ceremoniamester_nyitrai_sandor
Photography: @gerencsergreta
Videography: @pluswedding_films
DJ & technical production: @eskuvoibuli
Décor & stationery: @naturalweddingdecor
Linens & event rentals: @loungebycoco
Ice swan sculptures: @artificer_hungary
Bar: @ayes.bar
Charger plates: @lamesaeventrental
Cake & desserts: @tortapalota
Makeup: @ivanyimercedesz
Hair: @demenyi_oliver
Wedding dress: @daalarnaofficial
Rings: @ruszkaijewellery
Photo booth: @photofuncompany
Accommodation: @hotelvillavolgy @hotelkodmon
