If you wish to offer us something, you can participate to our honeymoon using the Paypal account @jonwhigham84. Si vous souhaitez nous faire un cadeau, vous pouvez participer à notre voyage de noces en utilisant le compte Paypal @jonwhigham84.
Coming from different cultures, we noticed there are quite some differences between an American and a Belgian (or a German) wedding (more than you would think). Therefore, ours will be unique, a blend of traditions, with a touch of us. Venant de cultures différentes, nous avons remarqué qu'il y avait de nombreuses différences entre un mariage américain et un mariage belge (ou allemand). Notre mariage sera donc unique, un mélange de traditions, avec notre touche personnelle.
For those wondering how you should come dressed, please note that there isn't a theme. We have no standard set in place and believe you should consider coming dressed as you would for any outdoor wedding in the spring. Also consider bringing a light jacket as the evenings in Belgium can be quite cool, even in May.
The bus is at full capacity and will only be able to embark people who already registered. If you don't have a car, you can get to the venue by train (to Nivelles) and then take a taxi (more information on taxi companies in the corresponding section). You will have to take a night in a hotel nearby though as the trains won't be running anymore at the end of the wedding. You will find more information about hotels in the "Accomodation / Logement" section. Le car est complet et ne pourra prendre que les personnes déjà inscrites. Si vous n'avez pas de voiture, vous pouvez prendre le train jusque Nivelles, puis un taxi jusqu'à la salle (plus d'informations sur les sociétés de taxi dans la section correspondante). Vous devrez loger une nuit dans un hôtel proche puisque les trains ne rouleront plus après la soirée. Vous trouverez davantage d'informations sur les hôtels dans la section "Accomodation / Logement".
If you need a taxi to get to the venue or back to your hotel, here are two recommendations from the venue (only for the surrounging area): Si vous avez besoin d'un taxi pour vous rendre à la salle ou pour rentrer à votre hôtel, voici deux recommandations de la salle (uniquement pour les environs de la salle): - Taxi Bonjour: 067 78 08 43, 0495 80 92 15, https://www.taxibonjour.be/ - Aclotaxi: 0488 585 588, 0485 066 318, https://www.aclo-taxi.be/
If you are flying into to Brussels Airport (Zaventem) and are staying in Brussels, you can either take a taxi directly at the taxi stand, order an Uber (retrieval is in the parking garage) or take the train. We recommend the train as it is underground at the airport and takes you directly into the city. You can buy tickets online or directly at a machine when you get to the underground station. Brussels has three major train stations: Gare du Nord (north station), Gare Central (the central station) and Gare du Midi (south station). Most hotels in the city are located near one of these but there are many smaller train stations already over the area. Be sure to check which station is closest to your destination.
Brussels has several modes of public transportation: the train (SNCB), the subway, buses, and trams. The train is best for leaving Brussels to visit other cities around Belgium or to go to the airport and you can buy those tickets either online or at any train station. The subway, the bus system and the trams are all operated by the same company STIB and those tickets are good for any one of them. Tickets can be purchased at the MOBIB machines, or at the kiosk in certain subway stations. If you would like to buy a card where you can upload tickets, it costs 6 euros and you can do so at the red machine or also at a kiosk. You can also use your credit card to pay on the tram or bus or at the gate to enter into the stations. PLEASE NOTE: In Brussels there are also two other public buses that run here. The yellow and white buses called De Lijn and the completely yellow buses called TEC. These are not apart of the system spoken about above. De Lijn is part of the system that runs in Flanders and TEC is part of the system that run in Wallonia. DO NOT TAKE THOSE BUSES!
If you don't already have an international plan and depending on how long you plan to stay in Europe, there are two options you can choose for using your phones: relying completely on wifi or ordering an e-SIM. In Brussels finding WiFi is pretty standard when you go to most locations. Even most restaurants have access to WiFi if you are a guest. If you decide to explore the country, that could be a little more challenging. Personally, I relied solely on WiFi my first time visiting Paris and Brussels and I enjoyed the feeling of being disconnected. But I know that is easier said than done. E-SIM cards are a good option to be able to use data while you are traveling. It will give you access to WhatsApp and iMessage for the iPhone users but you won't be able to send an SMS or make normal phone calls back to the US. A friend came to visit in October 2024 and he used Airolo and he found a very affordable plan. I also used this website when I traveled to Montreal and I found it very reasonable. This is also good if you plan to leave Belgium and travel around Europe. As long as you remain in the EU zone, the sim card will remain valid. It's also usable in the UK. I recommend activating the E-sim either at your airport in the US or as soon as you arrive in Belgium using the WiFi at the airport. https://www.airalo.com
If you are flying into another country before the wedding or plan to visit other countries by train after, please be sure to book your train tickets EARLY! International train travel is the equivalent of traveling by plane, the closer you wait to the date of travel, the more expensive it is. This is the not same thing as using the local train system in Belgium, the SNCB. That is a local government train with a fixed priced based on your destination. You can book those the day of if you plan to visit another city within Belgium. The major train lines for international travel are: Eurostar (Brussels, Amsterdam, Paris, London, Cologne and Frankfurt are the major cities that connects this train but there are many other cities in France, Germany, Belgium and the Netherlands that it services); and ICE (a German train company that services from Brussels directly to Cologne and Frankfurt but all over Germany as well). Thalys was a company that existed but it has merged with Eurostar. There are other local train companies that service from Brussels to Amsterdam (Intercity) or to Paris (TGV or SNCF) but they are slower trains and usually have many stops and require changes. Best advice I can give you is when in doubt, just shoot me a text and I can help you navigate.
The start of the ETIAS system for US citizens travelling to Europe has been postponed to 2026, so you don't need to apply for it for our wedding! More information is available on the following webpage: https://travel-europe.europa.eu/etias_en