Ja ik wil!

What does a wedding dress say about love, tradition, identity and about ourselves? Yes, I Do! at the Fries Museum in Leeuwarden presents the evolution of the wedding dress from the 18th century to today. The exhibition explores how fashion, culture, and personal stories come together in this iconic garment. From historical attire to modern and contemporary designs, more than 60 dresses reveal how the white wedding dress found its place in our collective memory.
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Exhibition Design
MAISON the FAUX
Graphic Design
Dana Dijkgraaf
Photography Exhibition
Ruben van Vliet, Dana Dijkgraaf
Video Exhibition
Seije Kingma
Production, texts
Fries Museum
3D prints
Carol Civre

Concept
The exhibition offers a fresh perspective on the wedding dress as both a cultural phenomenon and a deeply personal symbol. Every design, every fabric, every fold tells a story about love, expectations, and social change. The journey through the exhibition invites visitors to reflect on what marriage means today.

MAISON the FAUX designed the spatial concept, while we created the graphic design. Together we built a total experience where fashion magazines, wedding rings, showbiz, and wedding cakes are seamlessly woven into the design. Each room has its own theme, color palette, and typography capturing the spirit and aesthetic of the times.

What we created?
The experience begins with impact: in a vibrant purple space stands the wedding dress of Nikkie de Jager (NikkieTutorials), designed by Viktor & Rolf a powerful symbol of diversity and inclusion. A golden ring box on a platter contains a QR code, inviting visitors to a playful quiz to discover what kind of bride they might be.

In the next room, dresses float from giant golden rings, referring to the exchange of wedding bands. Then comes a space that dazzles with showbiz glamour inspired by nostalgic Dutch TV shows about weddings.

In the intermezzo, visitors are invited into Claes Iversen’s studio. Fabrics can be touched, and tracing paper awaits your own dream dress designs. The exhibition ends on a sweet note with platforms adorned with wedding cake prints. In the museum’s open-access area, visitors could try on dresses made by fashion students.

Sparkles
Yes, I Do! is a love letter to weddings in all their forms, eras, and styles. A feast for the eyes and the heart. Nearly 100,000 people visited the exhibition; more than 10,000 wedding dresses were drawn in Claes Iversen’s studio. Over 12,000 visitors played the quiz. And the most heartwarming fact? Three couples actually got married inside the exhibition.

An exhibition full of love, memories, and imagination. Yes, we do want to see it all over again!

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