Travel & Hotspots
WHY I AM FOREVER RUINED AFTER THIS TUSCAN WEDDING
Perhaps you have seen the hysterical Instagram spam already, but for those who haven't: I attended the best organized party ever this week. The type of party for which you need to take a plane. A Tuscan wedding that no wedding can ever compare to, I fear.
It all started a few months ago with an email. My cousin Lysanne and her partner Ferry wanted to celebrate their love with the vow. The question to my family was whether we wanted to be there. Of course. In TUSCANY. Three days of good food, dancing, and sleeping. In a house with a pool. But of course times fifteen! Last weekend we boarded the plane to Pisa, to first spend a day as tourists and then drive to Siena, where Lys and Fer had rented a Tuscan villa for the occasion.
Day 1 in a nutshell: there was a welcome speech, pub quiz, live band, drone, a dinner with meat that an average person would climax from and maybe a few too many wines, but so be it, it's a party. The next day there was a wedding in a too cute chapel, laughter, tears, kisses, speeches, a fancy dinner with delicious Tuscan specialties, and dancing until about 5 in the morning, eventually stumbling. The next (or should I say the same) morning, there were surprisingly many sunglasses at breakfast. This was a 48-hour party that is indescribable. I am ruined. Forever. It's disastrous. But also enlightening. I went to party in Tuscany and here’s what I found out:
1. I also want to get married abroad
The standard ceremony in the dreary town hall suddenly isn't good enough anymore. I want sun. A pool. A party weekend. A small select group of only my dearest friends and family instead of all those vague acquaintances you invite to a big party.
2. Getting married abroad doesn't have to be that much more expensive
Let everyone book their own ticket (come on, we flew for 70 euros, what are we talking about?) and rent a big house where your guests can stay overnight. Inviting 60 guests in Italy might cost about the same as 250 in the Netherlands.
3. A three-day wedding party comes with ten times the clothing stress
And now I'm also a diva child who wants to wear something different in the morning than in the evening. Three days of partying = six outfits. Plus an extra outfit in case something unexpectedly gets dirty, so actually seven outfits. That is WEDDING STRESS, I can tell you.
4. Simplicity is beautiful
Lys married in a beautifully simple white veil dress without frills. That clean look was incredibly beautiful against the Tuscan landscape. And during the party, she wore her wedding dress as it was meant to be: with a sparkling sheer top over the white dress. Nude Louboutin pumps underneath and you are very, very wedding-worthy. Bellissima.
5. Apparently, you can rent dresses if you have this kind of clothing crisis
Thank god I could go to the lovely Silke from jurkenhuren.nl. That's brilliant: you rent an expensive dress online for a pittance, it gets delivered to your home, and you just send it back easily after the party. How come I only know that website now?
6. I suddenly become an idiot when I participate in a pub quiz
And how fanatical I was! I still blame the sun and the wine. It all started with coming up with a team name, where I suddenly yelled ‘TUSCAN TIGERS!’ around a table with eight people I don't know. We immediately got a point for the most ridiculous name, you understand.
7. I will never drink cheap limoncello
again because the difference with the real deal is not normal. That hangover isn't either, but that's beside the point.
8. The hair and makeup artist who also worked at the wedding of Yolanthe and Wesley was flown in
And she also stayed the whole weekend at the country house for necessary touch-ups, while the nanny (who was also flown in) took care of the kids. I'm telling you: ruined forever.
