A Wedding in Uden, Noord Brabant | Suus & Menno

June 13, 2023

wedding details on a blue upholstered bench of a bridal hair comb, earrings, rings, perfume and cologne

black and white detail shot of two wedding rings sitting and standing upright in the folds of a hotel magazine

I didn’t know it yet

But choosing the Montessori school in Eindhoven where my two youngest children would learn Dutch would affect my life in a very meaningful way. We arrived in late July, just after our four children had finished school in England and just in time for a two-week intense heat wave. There would be two weeks time between our arrival and the start of the Dutch school year, but we were very keen for our children to finish their school year in England. However, we soon discovered that there was no contact with Dutch schools during the summer vacations, so we had no idea which class our children would go to on their first day. And we only had our bikes to get from the south side of Eindhoven to the north.

But the teacher greeting us there would change my life

This was also juf Suus’s first day of school in Eindhoven, after moving to be with her new partner Menno. She accepted international students of all ages and patiently gave them the basic language skills they needed before they could integrate into their regular school classes. Thus began our new morning routine in our new country – getting up and eating breakfast before cycling 30 minutes north to school in the dark to be met by Juf Suus. There, parents stayed for circle time while Suus taught the children the weather and read a children’s book aloud. She became a trusted source of information about Dutch traditions and holidays and a reassuring presence as we not only navigated the streets, but also our integration into a new language and culture.

bridal portrait of a bride looking out a lightly curtained window holding a coral coloured hand fan

a bride getting ready in her white wedding dress with dark hair whilst her daughter with blond hair and a pink dress helps to her right

We left the school when we moved to Nuenen

It was bittersweet. The children had moved on to classes with children their own ages. After almost a year in Eindhoven, we had found and bought a house in nearby Nuenen. We finally had the stability of a place of our own, but it required uprooting and starting over. However, Suus and I stayed in touch, giving each other updates and messages. She followed my photography journey and as soon as Menno, her partner, asked her to marry him, Suus said she wanted me to be her photographer. She said she wanted someone with whom she would feel comfortable.

They put their trust in me as a photographer

I had never professionally photographed a wedding before, although I had photographed my sister’s second wedding. But their confidence in me motivated me to learn as much as I could during the year-and-a-half engagement period so that I would create photos they would be proud of on their wedding day. I met with mentors, read articles, photographed other events and worked on my posing. Wedding photography was not a direction I initially thought I would take, but the more I learned, the more I loved it. Suus & Menno’s confidence in me helped me see my value as a wedding photographer and helped me grow.

view of groom sitting in chair with leg crossed in a maroon coloured suit and cream coloured rose

detail of groom buttoning maroon three piece suit with green tie, multi coloured vest, and cream coloured rose corsage

And planned a wedding in June

Since this was Suus & Menno’s second wedding, they wanted to keep it intimate & accessible for their family members who were less mobile. Therefore, they chose to get married at Van der Valk Hotel Uden, which was also more centrally located for both sides of the family. Suus & Menno chose to have their portraits taken at the Bedafse Bergen, a dunes nature reserve nearby. During the planning we met three times – once at their home to go over our plans together and twice at the hotel to discuss the plans in general. I also visited the Bedafse Bergen earlier in the year to get an idea of the landscape.

Family portrait after the wedding of bride, daughter, and groom, in Uden, Noord Brabant hotel with bright summer colours

The day began extra hot

In Eindhoven, the temperature rose to 30.5ºC. Fortunately, Van der Valk Uden had air conditioning for everyone’s comfort. I started by capturing wedding details and photographing Suus getting ready in the bridal suite. After the First Look, I also photographed Menno in his custom-made suit. He had their names, wedding date and Suus’ nickname embroidered into the suit. It was a wonderful surprise for Suus and one of the most thoughtful suits I have seen a groom wear.

From there, we went to the ceremony, where all their invited family & friends were seated. Menno had proposed to Suus at Christmas with a visit from ‘Father Christmas’, who now happened to be their wedding officiant, Antoine van den Waardenburg. He led the guests through Suus & Menno’s life to the point where they met, fell in love and started writing their own love story together. The ceremony continued with love, laughter and tears until it spilled over into the toasting time at the hotel’s Skybar.

And Moved From Proost to Sand Dunes

After the toast moment and the cutting of the cake, we said goodbye to the guests and drove a little further to the dunes. Because of the oppressive heat, we chose to photograph in the shade of the trees near the dunes. That way we could take good care of our bride wearing such a lovely dress on such a hot day. Only towards the end of the photos did I notice Menno’s hilarious socks! After our photo shoot, we headed back to the hotel where Suus & Menno joined their extended family. And I prepared to go home, but not before they presented me with my own bouquet of flowers that matched the gerbera flowers of the bridal bouquet.

And as I look back on this wedding, I cannot help but feel immense gratitude for Suus & Menno, for their trust in me and my abilities and for the way they leave people better than they found them. I wish this beautiful couple lasting happiness together. They deserve an eternity of joy.