To say we’re eternally in debt with Kaye and Antoine would be an understatement for the ages. Thanks to their trust, we went from a festival wedding in the Dutch countryside to a barnstormer in Amsterdam with her bridesmaid Dee and a Belgian humdinger with his sister Pauline.

Wasn’t that already enough?

Perhaps, but we never say no to a ‘home-game’ with familiar faces, least of all when it’s a destination wedding.

So when I checked the e-mail on an otherwise ordinary Monday morning in February, you could imagine our delight: “Not sure if you remember us, but I was one of Kaye’s bridesmaids, and Jake one of her witnesses. Last weekend Jake asked me to marry him. Kaye is very excited (perhaps an understatement) and has passed on your e-mail as we absolutely loved the photos you took at her wedding. So we’re wondering whether you’re open to head to the English countryside for our wedding!”

Booyaah indeed.

It took us all of a split second to say yes. And with November 18th written down in neon letters in our agendas we packed our gear, stuffed the car and turned our final wedding of the season into an epic road trip through the stunning English countryside. And if driving on the wrong side of the road was a unique feeling, the rest of the weekend was most certainly not.

Rather, it was a feeling of homecoming and belonging. We saw all our old friends, made new ones and were treated like family from the very first till the very last second of Jake and Hannah’s biggest day. Here’s just a few of our personal favorites from all the beautiful moments Leonard and I were allowed to capture for Best Men Weddings.

Trouwlocatie: Cain Manor, Surrey

Jurk: Stella York

Priceless. Dat is het woord dat in me opkomt als ik terugdenk aan de bruiloft in Italië van Aki en Britt. Een Engelse jongen en een Nederlands meisje, het magnifiek mooie hotel La Villa, de zinderende heuvels van Piëmonte en twee dagen feest met feestneuzen uit alle uithoeken van de wereld.

Geluk is mooier als je het kunt delen. Daar weten de plusminus 100 aanwezigen in Mombaruzzo inmiddels alles van. Mijn geluk was niet alleen dat Aki en Britt voor mij kozen, maar ook voor mijn makker Leonard Walpot. Best Man Weddings on Tour, zeg maar.

Cocktailparty, klederdracht, ontroerende ceremonie, een locatie recht uit een jetset-tijdschrift en een topfeest als toetje. En dit maakten we ervan.

I love Italy. For someone who hails from a country with dubious priorities, bad food and worse weather, there is something very seductive about the land with the sunny slopes and copious cuisine. And ever since I was granted the honor of photographing Daniele and Eliza’s wedding in Piedmont, that love has grown into adoration.

See, in my years as a tourist I’ve seen most of the hotspots and a truckload of quintessentially Italian villages. A real glimpse into the heart and soul of Italians, however, had been somewhat lacking. Until that simply brilliant weekend in august, that is. And just maybe, it made me realize that I love Italy and the Italians so much because they do most things completely different than we Dutchies do. With passion, pride, warmth and gusto. The Dutch only seem to kickstart into life when our football team performs well and I’m sure that by now everyone knows how that ended…

Apart from a huge reality check, I was struck by the feeling of gratitude that radiated from everyone attending. I also remember fondly being mocked by Daniele, who inspected my hand and deemed I nearly hadn’t had enough focaccia because my fingers were nowhere near greasy enough. “So stop whatever you’re doing and go get some more.” Yes sir.

I loved the raw emotions, guests who made attending a wedding in a white shirt and swimming trunks look stylish, the orange bowties, the wooden clogs, the guys my age who switched from fluent Italian to English to Spanish to Dutch and back again, the sun on my face and the epic party to cap it all off.

I’m extremely proud of and grateful for the awards I won with the picture above, but the happiest feeling will forever be the unforgettable experience. Special thanks to Adolfo and his team for working your butts off, Charlie and Sandra for being the catalyst for this adventure (and the red-wine assault on Friday night 😉 ), Gerrit for chasing me with beers ‘to prevent dehydration’ (haha), ‘De Wijven’ for keeping me company (sorry for the missed flight, Ria) and finally, of course, Dani and Eliza for being true, crazy and awesome.

Namasté e grazie mille.