pia & hendrik 19 january 2008

POST WEDDING THOUGHTS

Thank you ALL for sharing our wedding day with us! We had a magnificent time and we wish we could do it again, this time in slow-motion.

We are currently on honeymoon in Koh Samui, Thailand. Tomorrow we are departing for Bangkok.

We hope to post some wedding pictures as soon as we return. If you have some nice pictures, PLEASE send them to us on piahendrik@gmail.com.

Talk to you soon...

The Knoesters

THE WEDDING CEREMONY & RECEPTION

The wedding ceremony will take place on Saturday, 19 January 2008, 16:00 in Vanaja Church (Vanaja Kirkko in Finnish). All guests are earnestly requested to arrive on time.

Address: Hautausmaantie, Hämeenlinna

Seating Arrangements at the Wedding Ceremony:
The parents and family of the bride will sit in the first pews on the left hand side facing the altar while the parents and family of the groom will sit on the right. Friends will be asked to seat behind the reserved section on either side of the aisle. Before the processional guests will be led to their seats by the groomsmen.

Priest
Our friend and neighbour Maria Sundblom-Lindberg will officiate and perform the wedding ceremony.

The wedding ceremony is immediately followed by the reception at Vanajanlinna Estate.

Address: Vanajanlinnantie 485, Harviala, Finland

GETTING THERE & GETTING AROUND

TO FINLAND
Guests travelling from abroad can fly to either Tampere (Tampere airport) or to Helsinki (Vantaa airport). We suggest contacting the following airlines for flights to Tampere and/or Helsinki: Finnair, Blue 1, KLM, Ryan Air, Air Berlin, Air France, British Airways.

TO HÄMEENLINNA
The fastest and easiest way to Hämeenlinna from Tampere, Helsinki and/or Jakobstad is by train. It takes an additional 10-15 minutes by taxi from the railway station in Hämeenlinna to Vanajanlinna. For train tickets and timetables visit http://www.vr.fi/.

TRANSPORTATION TO & FROM CHURCH

We will arrange bus transportation to and back from the church with a pick-up from Vanajanlinna so that nobody needs to travel separately by taxi or car, unless of course you want to or you are running late...

WHERE TO SLEEP/ACCOMODATION

We have negotiated special prices for our guests with two hotels.

VANAJANLINNA
75€ / person / night (double room) including breakfast
50€ / person / night (aparment for 4 or 6 persons) including breakfast (there are: two 2 person apartments, four 4-6 person apartments and three 6 person apartments).

The wedding reception and party will be held here. Vanajanlinna is situated 10 minutes by car from Hämeenlinna city centre and railway station.

For room or apartment reservations at Vanajanlinna please e-mail to Riikka Nieminen at firstname.lastname@vanajanlinna.fi or telephone to +358 3 6102202 (she prefers to be contacted by e-mail). Rooms and apartments will be filled according to booking order. Please mention 'Wedding Pia & Hendrik' when booking your reservation.

SOKOS HOTEL HÄMEENLINNA
79€/ night (single/double room) including breakfast & evening sauna.
Sokos Hotel Hämeenlinna is situated near the railway station approximately 10-15 minutes away by car (taxi) from Vanajanlinna.

For room reservations at Sokos Hotel Hämeenlinna please e-mail to
vaakuna.hameenlinna@sokoshotels.fi or telephone +358 20 1234 636. Rooms will be filled according to booking order. Use booking code 'gpia80118' or '19 January Pia & Hendrik'.

PRACTICALITIES

DRESSCODE
A 'Black Tie Optional' or 'Black Tie Invited' gives you the option of wearing a tuxedo or formal dress, but it should clue you into the formality of the event, meaning a dark suit and tie would be your other option. Women wear cocktail, long dresses or dressy evening separates.

Let it be known that we are well aware of the fact that 'Black Tie Invited' normally is a dresscode for events starting after 18.00 pm, however, we decided to break that rule of etiquette this once.

SPECIAL DIETS AND FOOD
When you r.s.v.p. please let us know if you require a special diet due to food allergies or the like.

PROGRAMME/SPEECHES
If you would like to give a speech or sing a song during the night or if you have some other kind of programme for the wedding party please inform one of the Toast Masters: Georg Junginger (gcjungingerAThotmail.com) or Lidia Theuri (lidiatheuriAThotmail.co.uk).

GIFTS
Ok, hold your breath: 2 first class tickets to any KLM destination in the world (ha-haa); a vineyard in Champagne; a lifetime supply of Calve Pindakaas (only the best peanut butter in the whole world)...No, seriously if you are in need of tips and ideas we have compiled a list. Katarina, who is one of the bridesmaids has promised to send this list to you upon request. You can reach Katarina Valkama by e-mail firstname.lastname@luukku.com or phone +358 505895892 . To avoid doubles, please inform Katarina if you bought something from the list so that she may tick it off. If you want to be creative think black and/or white, these colours are very present in our home and can easily be matched with other colours of our liking.

HAIRDRESSING
Below is a list of places you can contact in case you want to have your hair done for the wedding.

1. PS Hiusstudio, Sibeliuksenkatu, Hämeenlinna
Tel.: 03-6822545,
http://www.pshiusstudio.fi/toimipiste-hameenlinna-sibeliuksenkatu

2. Pääpaikka, Hallituskatu 12, 13100, Hämeenlinna
Tel.: 03-6756900

3. LinnaStyle OyRaatihuoneenkatu 5, Hämeenlinna
Tel.: 03 6532 666
http://www.linnastyle.fi/

PRE-WEDDING...

GET-TOGETHER, WEDNESDAY, 16 January 2008
For early arrivals we are planning a small get-together at our favourite "around the corner" café/restaurant/hang-out place TORI on Wednesday 16 January at 20:00. This is not a wedding rehearsal so everyone is expected to pay for themselves. Food is great and prices are very reasonable.

Address: Punavuorenkatu 2/Rödbergsgatan 2, 00120 HELSINKI (Tel: +358-9-68743790)

How to get there: Tram 3B or 3T (Stop: Viiskulma/Femkanten).

ACCOMODATION HELSINKI

Contrary to what you might think there are plenty of hotels in Helsinki. For those of you travelling on a budget we strongly recommend http://www.omenahotelli.fi/ (link to English language in the bottom right corner), http://www.eurohostel.fi/ or http://www.erottajanpuisto.com/ (English language links very visible). Of these three, Hostel Erottanjanpuisto is the closest to our home, however, all three are located in the city centre and within walking distance to key landmarks around the city.

Remember, the city centre of Helsinki is small compared to other capitals and we have a fantastic public transport system with a tram taking you to almost every corner of the city, hence distances should not be an issue.

POST-WEDDING

On Sunday 20 January we plan to go out eating in the evening. If you are still in Helsinki and you want to join please let us know when you r.s.v.p. so that we can make table reservations.

THE FLOWERGIRLS, BRIDESMAIDS, BESTMEN & GROOMSMEN

THE FLOWERGIRLS

Hendrik's god daughter and niece Francesca Mia (3 years old) is one of the two flowergirls at our wedding. Francesca Mia is the daughter of Hendrik's older brother Stephan.

Pia's goddaughter and niece Amanda (10 years old) is the other flowergirl (Amanda admires Hendrik very much). Amanda is the daughter of Pia's older brother Thomas (Peppe).

THE BRIDESMAIDS

Jessica (Jessi) Troberg (to the right) and Pia (to the left, admittingly not the most flattering picture) met at 'Tant Linnea' who was their nanny from age 4 to 5. In the picture they are Lucia and Lucia maid. Lucia is celebrated in Sweden and the Swedish speaking parts of Finland on December 13 in honour of Saint Lucia. When Jessi stayed the night she would spend the morning reading Donald Duck, waiting for Miss Sleepy to wake up :-) Jessi and Pia went to the same kindergarten and later also started school together. After high school they went their separate ways but have always remained in close contact. Jessi gave birth to Isabella in 2003 and Pia is Isabella's godmother.

Kati (Katarina) and Pia in Berlin, Summer 2006. Kati pregnant with Alexander who was born in December 2006. Pia and Kati became friends in high school and have been close friends since then. Kati is the eternal optimist who often tells Pia 'yes, of course it will work, just do it'! Kati married the love of her life Matthias in the summer of 2005. Kati lives in Berlin, Germany.

Lidia and her two sons, Conrad (on Pia's lap) and Dominic (next to Lidia) at Pia's and Hendrik's place in Helsinki, June 2007. Pia and Lidia met in the seascouts in Jakobstad ages 7 and 6, respectively. Their paths have crossed many times and together they have enjoyed student life in Vasa and lived in the same apartment building in Helsinki where they would share delicious evening meals prepared by Lidia. Lidia married Kaz, father of Conrad and Dominic in the autumn of 2004.

Karin (Katarina) Valkama has almost always been Pia's neighbour, at least in Finland. They have known each other more or less always, however, it was not until Helsinki that they started "hanging out" and Hendrik and Karin's husband Antti quickly joined. It is with Karin and Antti (who got married in July 2003) that Pia and Hendrik stay up until five o'clock in the morning laughing about absolutely nothing and possibly opening one more bottle of bubbles...(And no they are not pretending to be seamen in the picture. It's custom in Finland (and Sweden) that when you graduate from high school you get this hat that we call 'studentmössa" and every year on the last day of April and the 1st of May we celebrate whilst wearing our 'studentmössa').

THE BEST MEN

Hendrik and his "big brother" Kristiaan (Chile).

Hendrik and Kristiaan 23 years later (Finland summer of 2007).

Kristiaan ("Gordo")

A talented writer and thinker, Kristiaan is also Hendrik's older brother and friend. Although different in many aspects, they are two sides of the same coin. Anyone who knows them both will also know that they share a very special and inseparable bond.

Sebastian ("Sebi", "el Chileno Culeado")

Hendrik and Sebastian have known each other since childhood, when they lived as neighbours in Chile. They would meet again many years later in Holland where they attended the same high school. After graduation Hendrik joined Sebastian in Maastricht to study International Business. It was in Maastricht that the two of them became very close friends; a friendship that they share to this day. Today Sebastian is a self-entrepreneur in Santiago de Chile.

THE GROOMSMEN

Ben ("Benhameen")

Hendrik and Ben had their first beer together during a class trip to Berlin in 1994. The friendship was immediate and Ben soon became a regular at the Knoester house in Wassenaar, where Hendrik and Kris lived without adult supervision the greater part of the year. Hendrik also became somewhat of a fixture at the Seisler household, even long after Ben went back to the US to study law. In 2001, Hendrik, Ben and Georg travelled to Peru to hike the infamous Inca Trail. Having survived the hike, Ben today lives in Boston (USA) where he practices law - still enjoying the odd beer.

Georg ("George")

Hendrik and Georg met in high school but what brought them together was Georg's exchange year in Maastricht where they co-lived in the same apartment. The two did almost everything together, earning them the "old married couple of the year" award from the Seislers, Ben's parents. Today Georg works as a sollicitor in London (UK) and recently bought his first apartment together with his girlfriend Siobahn.

Jef ("Jefe")

Jef is one of Hendrik's old high school buddies and, like Ben, another regular at the Knoester household growing up. Together with Kris the three spent a lot of evenings together joking around and having fun. Jef has a terrific sense of humour so if you happen to be sitting next to him try asking him to do an impersonation of Eddie Murphy's Raw or Delirious. Today Jef lives in The Hague with his high school sweetheart Tanja and commutes to Hilversum every day where he works as an up and coming architect.

Vladimir ("Vladi-Vodka")

Legend has it that Vladimir arrived in Holland speaking little English and wearing a green sheep sweater. Kristiaan and Hendrik took an almost immediate liking in Vladimir (admittingly because of his sweater) and friendships were soon born. Like Ben and Jef, Vladimir was another visitor to the Knoester household growing up. Although Vladimir traded in his sheep sweater long ago, he has remained a very close and trusting friend to the Knoester brothers. Today Vladimir lives and works in New York (USA) together with his wife Catherine.

FAMILY

TWO FAMILIES MEET

From left to right: Hendrik, Pia, Pia's mother Else-Maj, Hendrik's mother Ada, Pia's father Peter and Hendrik's father Henk (Leiden October 2005).

PIA & FAMILY