When my husband came to me in early spring and asked if I would be “Open” to living in the Netherlands, I was hesitant to say the least. I grew up a military brat and have always loved to travel. I have lived in places like Japan, California, South Carolina, etc. and have always wanted to give my children the same experiences. To me travel is one of the best forms of education you can afford your children. I took some time to ponder his proposal and it became extremely clear that I would be a fool to pass up such a wonderful opportunity.

As the owner of WED it was not as clear that I would be able to be away for 6 months and still make it work. I am very fortunate to have a wonderful associate, Ellen Robinson that stepped up and allowed me to feel confident to be away for a brief period. She and the WED team were brilliant to allow me this opportunity. I continued to work while over in Holland and kept contact with both WED staff and my clients via skype. Isn’t technology amazing!

(the WED ladies wishing Katie off in a Bon Voyage party!)

Once we had all the measures in place to be able to go, it was on to the logistics of packing, schools for kids, housing and much more. Scott left for the Netherlands in mid July to begin his job. I spent the rest of July packing and getting us ready for our “Adventure!” We knew we would be traveling to Europe in the back of a C-17, which happens to be the plane my husband fly’s. Needless to say the kids were Super excited to be flying on “Daddy’s Airplane.”

We arrived in Holland on August 9^th and hit the ground running. We arrived in Eindhoven, a nice size city in Eindhoven and set up our home.

(Scott, Amelia and Jared at their new home in Holland)

It did not take us long to start our traveling…our first trip was to Brugge, Belgium! What an amazing city! We took it all in and spent 3 days enjoying this historical city.

We traveled to Paris in late August and became the poster family for Paris. We went to the Eiffel Tower, Louvre, Palace of Versailles and much more. It was a highlight for us as a family and our children truly enjoyed the entire experience.

(Katie, Scott, Amelia and Jared at the Eiffel Tower!!)

(Beautiful views from the top)

(The Louvre)

(Katie had no trouble finding the shopping in Paris

(A meal in Paris)

Throughout our 6 month stay in Holland we went to many cities in Germany, traveled throughout the Netherlands, Belgium, Paris, and finished our journey with a Christmas trip to London.

(The kids on the riverfront in Germany)

(The tulip bulbs at the market!)

(a mountain town in Germany)

(London!)

Our time in Europe was magical and life changing in many ways. In a world where we run around trying to catch our breath, it was refreshing for us as a family to have uninterrupted time to “hang out” without the distractions of the TV, telephone, and tons of activities. The four of us did everything with each other and truly became an even closer family. It was a stolen moment in our lives…a moment that Scott, and I and the kids will hold near to our heart forever.

Many of you may already know WED’s founder and principal planner, Katie Huebel. Katie founded WED in 1997 in Charleston when the industry was really just beginning… she left a career in sales to pursue her passion: wedding design. As WED expanded to include four planners, Katie made the move back to her hometown of Beaufort to run WED’s Beaufort/Bluffton office and has now has over 13 years of experience planning weddings and events in the lowcountry.

What some of you may not know, however, is that Katie just returned several weeks ago to Beaufort from living in Holland for the past 6 months with her husband and two children! She’s writing us a blog about her life in Europe so please check back in tomorrow!

For now, I thought I’d offer a few teasers… oh, do I wish I could have been there, too!

I don’t know about y’all, but I absolutely adore the perfect bite of food. You know… I’m that one who perfectly crafts every single bite on my plate with a little bit of everything on my fork. Call me a foodie.

WED thinks that passed appetizers are the perfect way to show thoughtfulness in the details of an event. To create the perfect bite that is quite literally the first “taste” each guest has of an event is a formidable task, but one that must be done!

Here’s a peak one of our Lowndes Grove weddings, brilliantly catered by FISH, who always seems to be able to craft little pieces of art that also just so happen to taste divine:

WED is so excited about the new year. I’m an optimist so I say this every year, but I think 2010 is going to be the best one yet!

Although I have to admit… 2009 sure is going to give the new year a run for its money- here are a few of our favorite wedding elements from this ’09…

(photo by Elizabeth Leighton)

(Elizabeth Leighton)

(Jim Gund)

(Marni Rothschild)

(Marni Rothschild)

(Leigh Webber)

(WED)

(Marni Rothschild)

(WED)

(Watson Studios)

(WED)

(Leigh Webber)

(Marni Rothschild)

(WED)

(Melanie Nashan)

(Watson Studios)

(WED)

(Marni Rothschild)

(WED)

(Marni Pictures)

(WED)

(WED)

(Melanie Nashan)

(WED)

(Leigh Webber)

(WED)

(Marni Rothschild)

(Leigh Webber)

(WED)

(WED)

(Watson Studios)

(Leigh Webber)

(Marni Rothschild)

Wow, I can’t believe I’m back from Uganda. The trip was absolutely, positively beyond amazing. It’s a great thing to experience another culture and reminded me anew how thankful I am for each bride who comes through our doors with her own set of customs and values that she wants to integrate into her wedding. I’m grateful for each family with whom we get to work!

Here are a few inspiring images from the trip…

All right, now back to posting more of our wedding photos! Look out for our “year in review” photo essay to come… THANK YOU to everyone who kept up with our blog in 2009!