Traveling to the Netherlands
It's been already 6 years since we left Italy and student life for true adulthood and its challenges, and 2 years since Suzanne & Lars' amazing wedding in the Netherlands. Lars and I were met as Master's students in Bologna, where we shared a lot of laughs together and had the best conversations about Greek philosophy and Dutch culture over Italian pasta. I met Suzanne and Lars met Costas when they visited us in Italy and we tried to keep in touch ever since, no matter where we were. After visiting us in Athens and sharing their engagement news over Skype short after they moved to Cambodia, it was time for us to visit their home country for their wedding.
Back in May 2019, we packed our bags, cameras, and our excitement and we landed in Eindhoven. A special tour by the couple was waiting for us: in den Bosch, Oosterhout (the bride's hometown), Utrecht, Nijmegen, and our last stop at the wedding venue outside Winssen. Our itinerary included meeting with old friends from Italy, being hosted by Suzanne's parents and her sister, strolling in Utrecht, staying at a lovely hotel in Nijmegen with our Italian friends and a Cambodian couple, and of course being there (photo shooting AND singing) on their special day. It was the best reunion ever!
The wedding day
In de Kas offered the perfect scenery for a romantic wedding: a glass greenhouse with all sorts of greenery, flower pots, and hanging vines, long wooden tables, all this surrounded by a cherry-tree field. The greenhouse had been filled with wooden furniture and rustic-style ornaments & flowers in pastel colors (pink, fuchsia, azure & lilac) with a touch of golden details. Moreover, single-use film cameras placed around the venue for the guests to take their own pictures of the wedding -how cool was that?. We arrived earlier for the photographers to capture some family and couple shoots in the surroundings, while the excitement for the ceremony was growing by the minute. The bride looked stunning in her handmade white dress and the groom was ultra-chic in his blue suit. Their families' and friends' smiles were shining throughout the day. The ceremony, elegant, intimate, full of tears of joy, reflected the couple's journey from partners to husband and wife.
The ceremony was followed by a vegetarian/vegan buffet and lots of champagne under the cherry trees, where we had a chance to meet and chat with some more wonderful people that made us feel at home. At dinner, we had the chance to get to know everyone a bit better: Suzanne's grandfather, who had prepared a Powerpoint presentation for his beloved granddaughter, Lars' brothers who got emotional talking about the groom, as well as their dear friends who wished the newlyweds all the best. Somewhere between food, laughs, and intercultural conversations, the Italian-Greek group surprised the bride and groom by taking over the stage and singing to the couple's first dance.
Here's to good friends
Lars & Suzanne are no ordinary couple; they're nomads trotting around the globe, seeking new experiences, discovering new places, adapting to different cultures, sucking every drop out of life and this is why we admire them so much. What made their wedding extra special was particularly their lifestyle: guests had arrived from 3 different countries to celebrate their union and wish them good luck in their new life in New York. A big heartful thank you, dearest friends, for letting us be part of your big day; we enjoyed every minute and will never forget the experience. Until we meet again in Europe or America, HAPPY ANNIVERSARY/ GELUKKIGE VERJAARDAG/ ΧΑΡΟΥΜΕΝΗ ΕΠΕΤΕΙΟ!
words by Marion
