Our wedding book arrived!

Today I got something I’ve been waiting for a long time – our wedding book! Finally 8 months after the actual event on April 26, 2008 it’s here! I rushed upstairs to open it. It’s like being transported in time and place to the happiest day of my life. Looking back on that day, or in fact on those three days as we celebrated the whole weekend with our friends,  there are so many special moments. First of all there were arguments preceding. Weddings are incredibly stressful and we were already late when we left on Thursday afternoon (April 24). There were lots of things to pack as we would be gone for almost 3 weeks.
But when we arrived peace settled upon us. Our wedding weekend was taking place at Chateau St. Gerlach and the actual cermony in Valkenbug. Chateau St. Gerlach is just outside Maastricht in the very south of the Netherlands. It’s surrounded by hills and forest which makes it a fairytale landscape – perfect for a wedding.

The next day on Friday, we faced a full schedule. I had a spa treatment and did some last minute shopping, but most importantly we were meeting up with the priest. As Reinout is catholic (I’m protestant) we had decided upon a catholic ceremony. From the outset I wasn’t that worried as I was relying on my religious knowledge which for an amateur is quite extensive.  But as we were going through the cermony a gradual fear descended upon me. There were so many procedures and of course the whole ceremony would be in Dutch. I tried to memorise everything as much as I could, but I didn’t want to make a fool out myself, least of all in front of God. Churches are by nature cold, but it felt like being stuck in a freezer, and I started shivering. Reinout saw my face going paler and paler as the priest continued with going through the various aspects of the ceremony. He asked if I was ok, and I nodded a yes.
—
Later that evening my nerves continued to bug me.  As I came downstairs in the lobby for a drink before dinner I was terrified. The only thing I could think of was to get through the ceremony. In all honesty I could have run away from the whole thing there and then. Reinout’s friends saw the terror on my face and ordered me a double whiskey. It helped and I’m eternally grateful for their swift actions.
—
That evening we had a sumptuous dinner for our most closest friends. Reinout’s friend Sander was spinning and the atmosphere was relaxed. We had a five course dinner which we had chosen ourselves. It was magnificent. I must hand it down to their staff and chef who made it an unforgettable experience.
—
The following day was the big event. I couldn’t sleep at all that night but in the end managed to get a few hours. When I woke up I had bags under my eyes, and as it was still early I decided to go for a run to get rid of some of that nervous energy.  A few hours later it was time for my makeup, manicure and hair. It felt good to talk to some women about my pre-wedding nerves.

The rest of the day went really quickly and finally the hour had come to get into the car. My good friend Ronald was with me and he was also the one that would hand me over. I am incredibly grateful for his support. As we were sitting in the car he did everything he could to get my mind off the whole wedding talking about the most mundane things. But I was somewhere else with my thoughts. As it turned out we were a bit early with the arrival and had to circle around for a good half an hour before we got the green light.

As I stepped out of the car, it felt like my knees were buckling underneath me, but Ronald held on to me with a steady grip. I don’t know what I would have done without him.
—
The moment I saw Reinout I knew this was it. He looked so incredibly good, handsome, and he smiled at me. I just wanted to take a leap into his arms at that moment, but naturally resisted my urges given the occasion. The ceremony went really well and the only time I felt I kind of lost it was when I stepped on the wedding dressed when I had to kneel for the holy communion. But no one seemed to take notice, and in the end my fears were completely unfounded. Later we had our reception in the garden of the chateau and dinner in the evening.  It was the most amazing day in my life. My very own fairy tale.  And now I have finally the pictures to prove it!

Pictures are taking a bit of time to upload so they will come later…
Here are some of our own personal pictures