Celebration

Today was one of the most important in our lives. G and I completed registered partnership this afternoon in Noordwijk. Together with family and friends, we had a wonderful day. With their help, it was even more spectacular. The day was long and quite memorable. All of us gathered at the house first, Dutch style. We ate a lovely green photography cake provided by my mother in law for the occasion. Afterward, G and I were escorted to the municipal town hall for the ceremony, inside my in-laws classic Volkswagen.

The ceremony took place upstairs in the town hall, in an elegant room with antique furnishings. G and I sat in two chairs in front of the town hall official, who conducted the ceremony in both English and Dutch. On tables surrounding us in a three sided square, G’s immediate family and several family friends witnessed our union. On the table next to the town hall official, we set two cameras from our families. One from G’s grandmother, and one from my great-aunt. G and I met through our mutual love for photography, so it was only fitting. Afterward we spent about twenty minutes in front of the building taking pictures in celebration. G used his 4×5 Crown Graphic to take a Polaroid picture of us too. We went to De Zeemeeuw restaurant next, and shared drinks and snacks. My mother-in-law spent some time with us at the beach taking wonderful pictures while visiting the restaurant. At the end of day, our family shared a meal together at an Asian restaurant. It was truly memorable, and a landmark in my life 🙂