UTRECHT – It is not known exactly how many bridal couples have celebrated the most beautiful day of their lives. But that Huize Molenaar on the Korte Nieuwstraat in Utrecht has been able to accommodate a large number of weddings, that is clear given the history. To celebrate the 130th anniversary, the current operator is now looking for as many couples as possible who have had their wedding party at the historic location.
Anton Paulus is sure to be present at the jubilee. At the age of 77, he still works in the building and he also celebrated his wedding there. “It’s a special location,” he says about the old 17th-century patrician house that also served as a hiding place during the Second World War.
Chandeliers with a bell
Paulus himself joined in 1980 and has done just about everything. “I have been a business manager. And also set up buffets, served dinners and even did the dishes when needed. Very early on, we also had dishes being prepared in the main hall, which was still very common at the time.”
He has seen many changes over the years. “There used to be two large chandeliers in the great hall with a bell attached to them, which in turn had a cord attached to it. I was only allowed in after the guests had called!” Today the atmosphere is much more informal, he notes. Both with the guests and with the serving staff. “That very stiff rake, that’s gone.”
A nice development, says Paulus himself. That doesn’t mean there was less partying in the past. “In the ‘good old days’ people paid less attention to decibels,” he says. Regularly a band came to play. “Until the neighbors across the street didn’t like it that much anymore. Then we had to go outside with a decibel meter to see if it was just possible or not. Sometimes the band had to turn the volume knobs down a bit.”
Buffet at your own wedding
When he got married himself, he didn’t hesitate for a moment about the location for the party. That too had to be Huize Molenaar. “You feel it the moment you enter, then you are at home.” But he didn’t do that at his own wedding after all, serving dinners. “We did everything buffet style. Then the guests could choose what they wanted.”
The past two years have been the hardest for him, because of corona, the weddings have been almost silent. “We’ve had the lights out for two years,” says Paulus. “Some people are fine with doing nothing. But if I sit at home for a week, I think: I think I should see if there is nothing to do outside!” He doesn’t even think about stopping yet. “I am more than happy to do it.”
At the 130th anniversary, he could go as a guest as well as an employee. “As a joke, my wife could put on her wedding dress and we would come in like some kind of comedy. I just don’t think I’m going to drive my wife that crazy. But if the married couples who got married at Molenaar came by, that would be great fun!” Anton Paulus therefore sincerely hopes that bridal couples who got married in Huize Molenaar will register for the drink on 5 June.