Love is in the air for newlyweds Antje and Ikhsan, who have been longtime members of our community since 2020. For their most meaningful day, they have chosen to wear their Most Meaningful Clothes™ as a symbol of their everlasting love, values of sustainability, and fondness of nature. An intimate, heartfelt, and memorable day for the beautiful couple and their families.
Read the interview below.
SukkhaCitta (SC): Could you tell us a bit about yourself? Your hobbies, interests, occupation, values, etc.?
Antje Nehls (AN): I’m Antje and I first moved to Indonesia in 2017 to teach at a university in Jakarta. I’m from Germany originally. Indonesia stole my heart quite quickly and after some brief interruption I’m living and working in Jakarta again since 2020. I love traveling and exploring new places with Ikhsan. Cities are great, but at heart I’m a nature girl who enjoys spending time surrounded by greenery, away from hectic urban areas. I’m quite introverted, so in my free time I like to recharge by doing creative hobbies that feel calming to me; painting, writing, being outside and especially making ceramics!
SC: Please share your love story. How did you meet your husband?
AN: Ikhsan and I met on an online dating app in 2020! I “liked” him first, not expecting anything because you know how unpredictable things on these apps are :-D I didn’t even have a proper photo uploaded. Surprisingly, he texted me on that same day and we kept chatting until late at night.
This was early 2020 and I was actually spending time in Bali with a good friend when suddenly COVID-19 put the world on hold. Ikhsan was in Jakarta and we had been texting back and forth a lot for a few days at that point. The news about the pandemic got more dramatic every day and when I received an email from the German Embassy that I should take the next flight home because all the airlines were about to stop their service, everything had to happen very quickly. It looked like Jakarta was heading into lockdown. I had to leave Bali and catch the flight to Germany from Jakarta. Of course I explained all of this to Ikhsan. I knew I would come back to Indonesia as soon as possible–but when exactly, nobody knew.
He asked me about the time of my flight.
The next message was: “Hold on, I’m coming to the airport!”
So, we had our first (and very short) date at the airport :) It took five months until I could come back to Jakarta. We talked long hours on the phone almost every day during that time and have basically been together ever since.
"We talked long hours on the phone almost every day during that time and have basically been together ever since." – Antje Nehls
SC: Tell us about the wedding. Was there a theme/concept that connects with both your values?
AN: We wanted to have a small and intimate wedding because we believe in quality over quantity in regards to everything. We got married in Sukabumi, where most of Ikhsan’s family lives. This also meant shorter and easier travel for the majority of guests, especially the elderly. Our preference was an outdoor location because we both love being in nature! Also we wanted to produce as little waste as possible with this event, so choosing an outdoor location where we wouldn’t need lots of extra decoration felt right to us. In the end, we just added some fresh flowers.
To avoid plastic waste, we opted for a Sundanese style buffet with reusable tableware and plates and some paper bowls. Because it’s difficult to calculate the right amount of food for an event like this, we were thinking about what to do with extra food on the wedding day. The best option was encouraging guests to take food home! So no food was going to waste in the end!
SC: Why did you choose SukkhaCitta to wear on your most meaningful day?
AN: We found out about SukkhaCitta in 2020 when researching local sustainable fashion brands in Indonesia. After watching documentaries about the huge negative impact fast fashion has on the environment and the life of the factory workers, we actively looked for better options. SukkhaCitta’s mission really impressed us! Being able to learn about the whole journey of clothes that are produced sustainably with incredible detail and transparency is truly amazing. Knowing who made your favorite piece is a great feeling. We love to know that with our choice we’re helping not only the mothers in the villages preserve their traditional craftsmanship, but also to keep the ecosystem healthy and balanced, because no harmful substances are being used. So the decision to wear SukkhaCitta on our wedding day was a very easy one! :)
SC: Tell us about both your outfits! What was the intention behind your attire (i.e. style-wise, and/or chosen collection)?
AN: Ohh where do I start!! Angkasa has a special place in my heart from when it was first launched. Instant love. Maybe because I was always fascinated with the stars and the universe since being a kid. I do already own some pieces from SukkhaCitta and Angkasa is just my favorite collection. My dress is from the “one-of-a-kind” section and I just felt so drawn to it, I had to get it! At that point I was not thinking it would become my wedding dress, actually. Ikhsan had not even proposed when I bought it :-D It was really important to us that our outfits for the wedding are versatile enough to be worn over and over again after the big day. Ikhsan wanted some flowy pants and ended up choosing the gorgeous Angkasa Tilem Pants with some alterations. Paired with the Angkasa Tailored Shirt it was a modern take on the traditional Sundanese men’s attire (“pangsi”). To make it even better, Ikhsan and I wear the same size in clothing, so I can easily wear his outfit too! Such a win-win! To make my Angkasa Flowy Dress a little more festive, I chose the SweetIndigo™ Light Blue Ethereal Scarf which is such an eye catcher and, again, a very versatile piece. For shoes and accessories we used things that we already owned.
"It was really important to us that our outfits for the wedding are versatile enough to be worn over and over again after the big day." – Antje Nehls
SC: What does sustainability mean to you?
AN: Sustainability means being mindful about your own consumption and the consequences of your actions in your own life, but also in the grand scheme of things. It means being grateful for everything that you have and realizing that more isn’t better. That’s just a lie society and the media wants us to believe. Having less things but taking good care of them is a lot more fulfilling than mindless overconsumption.
SC: What was your journey into sustainability like?
AN: I became a vegetarian for environmental and ethical reasons 17 years ago because I don’t want to support the exploitation of other sentient beings and because of the immense negative environmental impact of meat consumption. Ikhsan has been a vegetarian for 5 years now for the same reasons. A big dream of ours is to start our own vegetable farm using sustainable and ecological farming methods to grow our own food and live off grid.
SC: What’s the one thing you hope the person reading this will take away?
AN: It’s OK not to be perfect, nobody is. I think something that everyone can do is thinking about one’s own consumption. Even when it’s about planning your wedding :) Small changes like switching to more environmentally friendly options make a big difference in the end. As a consumer you have the power to decide what you want to support with your money. Try and support what is good for the earth and be kind to people.
SC: What’s the best advice you’ve ever received?
AN: Avoid thinking in impossibilities. The challenge is not that you can’t do something but that you haven’t done it yet! I try to remember that when I’m feeling stuck. There is so much room for positive change and moving forward, personally and collectively. The answers are certainly there, maybe you just haven’t found them yet.
"Avoid thinking in impossibilities. The challenge is not that you can’t do something but that you haven’t done it yet!" – Antje Nehls
Photos by: NOTERRA PICTURES
