Wedding photographer Antwerp | Wedding photography Verbeke Foundation & Park van Beervelde – Lochristi, Belgium –
When I first met Nele & Ivo I had no idea where we were going on their wedding day as their wedding photographer Ghent & Antwerp and – oh boy – was I in for a treat! Their day made it into the top five of 2016 straight away, not only because of the awesome locations we visited that day, but mainly because they are such lovely people! Their day became a real destination wedding because Ivo is Dutch and Nele is Belgian and so festivities were in both countries. A great opportunity for us to be back in our beloved Belgium, where we grew up :-).

We started the day as usual as wedding photography duo and at two different locations so we were able to capture both the bride and groom’s preparations. After the first look we left for the municipality of Hulst where bride & groom and their posse arrived in a specially rented old Swiss postal coach, the ‘Blue Saurer’, awesome!

After the civil ceremony we drove to the location for the first part of the portrait session (the photo shoot with bride & groom), the Verbeke Foundation in Kemzeke (in Belgium). Wow, what an amazing location for a wedding reportage and wedding pictures! Quote from their website: ‏Founded by art collectors Geert and Carla Verbeke-Lens, the Verbeke Foundation is a private art site which opened its doors to the general public in June 2007. As ‘a refuge’ for the arts, the foundation holds an impressive collection of modern and contemporary art and also offers exciting possibilities for emerging as well as less renowned artists. ‏Culture, nature and ecology go hand in hand at the Verbeke Foundation. With 12 hectares (29.7 acres) of scenic area and 20,000 m² (4,9 acres) of covered space, the Foundation is one of the largest private initiatives for contemporary art throughout Europe.

We have seen only a fraction of the park and could have easily stayed there for a whole week, there is so much to see that we will definitely return for another visit. The photoshoot was over in a blink of an eye and it was quickly time to drive on to Uitbergen (also in Belgium), where the church ceremony was to be held, at the Sint-Pieters-Bandenkerk (church of Saint-Peter-Banden). It was a beautiful ceremony with lots of touching and emotional moments.

Festivities continued at the Park van Beervelde (Van Beervelde park) in Lochristi (still in Belgium), not far from Ghent. Wow, what an a-ma-zing wedding location! The castle-like coach house is a charming complex of buildings with Tudor-like characteristics, situated around an inner court. It is surrounded by the vast park, created in 1873 in English country style. You will find everything you might ever wish to have for a natural setting: romantic views, wide meadows, curvy paths, picturesque bridges and even a fairy-tale-like pavilion overlooking a pond… Imagine our joy when we found out we still had an hour and a half for the second part of the photo shoot with the couple!

Dear Nele & Ivo, thank you for choosing us to be your wedding photographers and thank you for sharing this special day with us!

 
Tips & tricks from Bride & Groom:
Dress & shoes: Dianna David
Suit: Van Westen Mannenmode
Shoes (groom): De Splenter
Rings: Atelier de Bruijn
Civil & Church ceremony locations: Stadhuis Hulst (Nl) & Sint-Pieters-Bandenkerk, Uitbergen (Be)
Babs: Dhr. W.Heyman
Singer church: Maurice Monfrance
Wedding venue: Park van Beervelde, Lochristi (Be)
Catering/Decoration/Styling: De Feestarchitect
‘Thank you’ gifts: Trouwgom van bedankjes.nl