Pisa is a community centre for people with cancer, and their loved ones. It is a welcoming home in the city of Hoorn and it is a very important place. It supports people with cancer and organizes many different activities. Partners and family members are welcome in the centre as well. And last week on Thursday, Pisa organised a special day to pamper its visitors. There were masseuses, and a hairdresser. Mindfulness traning and a zumba-workout. Great snacks and drinks by the Hoorn Bagels&Beans team. And the possibility to have a professional portrait done. Me, my lights and my camera were at the Pisa ‘pamper day’ last year and I couldn’t wait to join the team again this year.

I photographed strong, beautiful, vulnerable women. And a few men. But I didn’t just take photos last Thursday, I mainly listened. All these people have their own unique story. I can only hope these images do them and their stories justice.

The Pisa centre is going through some rough times due to the economic recession and cost cutting, but last Thursday made very clear why centres like this are so important. This is a small selection of the photos I took. Thank you all for posing for me. Thank you all for letting me share these images with our readers.

ps/ On the left, in the middle, with the great smile and the beautiful flower on her sweater, is Wiek Luza -the centre’s co-ordinator and the driving force behind Pisa and this special day.

Corine and Johan tied the knot at Buitenplaats Amerongen. They spent a lot of time organising their wedding and they had so much attention for detail. But even though it’s awesome when a wedding day is as well organized as this wedding was, the best part about Corine and Johan’s wedding day was not the attention to detail or the great planning. The best part by far was, and is, the love between this bride and this groom. Meaningfull eyecontact during the wedding ceremony, a hand on a shoulder, a sweet stroke over a cheek. Being there for each other. And by seeing how these two look at each other, you just know that something very, very special is going on between these two beautiful people who started out as holiday sweethearts on a skitrip

Corine had made it clear that she didn’t want a ‘traditional’ wedding dress, so I couldn’t wait to see her wedding dress when I arrived in the morning. And as purple is Corine’s favorite color by far, everyone expected her dress to be ‘something with purple’. The wedding dress in silver and black was a huge surprise to everone and it looked awesome on her!

The groom’s suit on the left. He got ready at Hotel de Wereld while the bride stayed at home. Corine’s dress on the right (with a small peak of their walk in closet that makes me just a little jealous).

Hairdresser and make up artist Emo made sure Corine looked her absolute best on her wedding day.

Johan on his way to his bride.

Corine and Johan had rows and rows of cards for their wedding. Including their wedding invitation that we photographed and designed for them.

Their wedding car was a huge Hummer, the superstrech kind (or whatever a car like that is called). With, as a special touch, the bride and groom’s names on the side. In purple, of course.

Arrival at Buitenplaats Amerongen.

Johan was walked down the aisle by his mother and Corine’s father gave his daughter away to her husband to be.

This is the Buitenplaats Amerongen Oranjerie. A gorgeous wedding location. Lots of light, lots of windows and lots of atmosphere.

See that look between Corine and Johan!

And obviously, all details in the wedding hall where perfectly matched as well. Great bouquets, flowers on the chairs, everything looked great.

Johan actually dropped Corine’s wedding ring and it fell to the ground clattering… Fortunately, the ring was okay and with a big smile he proceeded to give the ring to his new wife.

Buitenplaats Amerongen and the area around the castle are amazing for the photosession with the bride and groom. So many great places for photos!

The bride and groom as they entered their party at the Koetshuis, another location at the Buitenplaats.

A toast. And another look into each others’ eyes!

We had to find a purple background for our photo of the wedding rings…

The band, Piano & Co, has a great way of working: anyone can request any song they’d like to hear by writing it down and giving it to the keyboard players. These guys know how to play anything!

Wedding venue: Buitenplaats Amerongen
Flowers, bridal bouquet, decorations: De Stijl Floral Design
Wedding dress in silver and black: Covers Couture, Utrecht
Groom’s suit: De Sarto, Arnhem
Hair & Make up bride: Haarstudio Hermo, Ede
Wedding transport (Hummer): Limo Rental, Zwolle
Wedding band: Piano & Co van Kikks Produkties
Wedding rings: Limpers Design in Anna Paulowna

No introduction is necessary for Lisa Westerhof and Lobke Berkhout – these Olympic Eyecatchers have been very important for Dutch sailing for many years. Yesterday, they had their 2011 Friends of Lisa and Lobke Sponsorday in the Twiskerslot in Twisk. A whole day in which not the sportswomen themselves but their sponsors were put in the spotlights. There were speaches, there were awards and there was the Friend of the Year competition. There were activities for the sponsors’ kids, there was live music and there was plenty great food and cold drinks.

Mini-massages by Puur & Zuiver:

Ritsko van Vliet:

Sponsors were put in the spotlights by Lisa and Lobke.

Lisa and Lobke’s motto is “Folow your Dream” and it’s great to see how these gals, with help from their entire team and their sponsors, are following their dream. London 2012 is fast approaching and even though they won’t talk about Gold, they will not be competing in the Olympics to come in last. Very impressive to see so much talent combined with so much vigor.

Lisa and coach Jacco Koops:

The new boat was uncovered and all kids released a balloon.

Henk Gemser had the honor of naming the new boat and he gave Lisa and Lobke a great advise: as soon as you’re on the water, the world end at the soles of your shoes. Focus on you and the task in hand and don’t think about the rest of the world until after the finish.

The name of the new boat was released: Like!

Champagne for the new boat.

Cheers!

Lisette and Sam met in England, where they both worked in the medical field. They have since moved to Australia and I’m amazed at how they organized their whole wedding in between moving to the other side of the earth and adopting a whole new lifestyle! And if one thing was clear on this day, it was the love that was almost touchable. The unconditional love between Lisette and Sam. The love in both families. The natural ease with which people from all over the world came together. The fun. The emotions. Lots of emotions. The sun hardly shone during this wedding day, and there was all the more rain, but that was okay. Even getting rained on in an open boat is okay as long as there’s so much love. Enjoy the photos from Lisette and Sam’s wedding.

In the morning, at Lisette’s parents’ home.

Meanwhile at De Poort, Lisette’s brother in law Bob’s  restaurant. Sam looks over his speech before boarding the boat to be sailed to his bride by his future brother in law.

Sam gets a warm welcome.

Lisette, right before she descended from the stairs. There was just a hint of nervousness.

Everyone got on board the two open boats that took us to the Leiden Hortus Botanicus. That’s where the wedding ceremony took place in the beautiful Oranjerie.

Arrival at the Hortus Botanicus’s Oranjerie in Leiden.

Great image as seen and captured by Marco.

Nice overview and some details.

Like I said, lots of emotions!

A harpist played a few songs during the wedding ceremony.

There was no time for a photoshoot with the bride and groom on this wedding day, but we couldn’t resist taking this quick shot in the Oranjerie’s hallway.

The remarkable Leiden skipper who took  the group from the wedding ceremony to the restaurant by boat. The weather was Fall-like at times!

Dinner took place at Brasserie Meelfabriek Zijlstroom, another restaurant owned by Bob, the couple’s brother in law. A great venue and awesome food. And totally in line with English tradition, there were speeches during dinner. Especially Sam’s friends’ speeches were hilarious.

From De Meelfabriek, we took another boat to the party venue: De Poort, where Sam had started his wedding day in the morning. There wasn’t a real first dance, but there was a really Dutch entertainer to kick of the party, much to all the foreign guests’ amusement. A great party to end a great day!

The very unique wedding rings, that ingeniously formed a unity. Just like Lisette and Sam.