I had a dream everyone I love came to a castle in Amsterdam and we had the most magical night the world has ever known.
The thing is, my dreams have a way of coming true.
My Midsommar Night’s Dream meets Alice in Wonderland in the Garden of Earthly Delights themed party started out as a WORK OF FICTION, but as the months and years of the pandemic went on we continued to dream and plan, and it all came together on the magical day and night of summer solstice June 21, 2022.
I’d been praying for good weather, and the gods delivered. It was a perfect Amsterdam summer day with blue skies and fluffy white clouds.
We arrived at the castle around noon the day of the party to help set upWe chose Landgoed Duin & Kruidberg because the castle is so perfect, small but elegant, located 30 minutes outside of Amsterdam with a modern hotel wing so everyone who wanted to could spend the night. The next day everyone had the option to rent bikes and ride through the forest to the North Sea. Once we got checked into our amazing room I hung out the window yelling down to everyone below to greet them and invite them up and Brooke was like, it’s not time for that, get dressed! Brooke, Luna, Kai, Kevin, JW and James and I arrived early to set up for the party. We didn’t have to do much as our wonderful party planner Jacky Hoitsema handled most of it but we had fun hanging hundreds of ribbons in the trees and creating a nest with blankets and pillows for a nature chill out area and setting up the croquet game. The kids ventured into the forest to collect sticks for our vengeance bear. I had the best room in the castle and Brooke and I got dressed and had our hair and makeup done together. For my post-dinner costume changeArtist Laura Van Kolk created the hair and makeup look I wanted for my Capricorn Titania costume. I told her I wanted my hair to be a giant rat’s nest and she took that into consideration, while also asking leading questions to really tease out the full extent of what I was going for. She’s so lovely to work with — so talented and full of compassion. She also did my sister’s makeup, did some awesome braids for Luna, added glitter to James’s beard and helped JW with their hair.
Almost time for the guests to arrive
James, JW and I welcomed everyone to the party with our vengeance bearMy darling Hope whose epic journey from Charlottesville rivaled OdysseusI love you Tom and Hope! May all our years be filled with music and the finest life has to offer. In the words of Bread, I wanna make it with you…My bestie MeredithVery late into the night I asked Meredith if she had any hard candy and she said all she had was Fisherman’s Friends, which was weird because I already had some Fisherman’s Friends but I wanted hard candy so Meredith said she’d see what she could do and a few minutes later she returned with her cute little designer bag stuffed with hard candy and she started shoveling it out, fistful after fistful, it just kept coming. She always comes through for me. She also learned I was disappointed we weren’t allowed to set our vengeance bear on fire on the castle grounds and set off in search of accelerant and was close to hijacking a bottle of high proof alcohol to get the job done but James decided he was too attached to our bear and told her to abort the mission. I have no doubt she would have carried it off should we have wished it. She’s that kind of friend. My party guests were all so fabulous. I love how everyone embraced the theme with their own interpretation. Here’s the elegant Page Sullenberger knocking them dead as the Queen of Hearts and her eldest daughter Dorothy (who happens to be my best friend), both of whom traveled from Virginia especially for the occasion. Some very fine tailsI still can’t believe how lucky I was to have so many people I love and treasure come all the way to Amsterdam. Here’s my friend Julie and her amazing daughters Erin and Annie and our friend Michelle. I’ve known Julie and Michelle since we were 16 years old. I’m so thrilled these ladies got to experience the magic of Amsterdam. They are all in new chapters in their lives and I hope the magic Amsterdam sparked continues to sparkle for them in their new adventures. I believe it will. Matt and Christine came all the way from Seattle. Christine looked so gorgeous in her blue ombre gown. It was Matt’s birthday week so he and James got to celebrate their birthdays together. We love these guys and their kids Jess and Nate so much. These girls right here are my whole life. Beth, Jessie, and Dorothy. Omg just looking at this photo makes me tear up. We’ve all been through so many stages of our lives together. Now we’re all separated by geography so being together again was everything to me. My lovely friend Heidi, the flutteriest of social butterflies here with her angel’s wingsLiving as an Expat in Amsterdam means you form deep bonds with people who are there for you in thick and thin. Heidi is a vital part of my Amsterdam family. Our kids, our animals, our lives are intertwined. Look how cool my sister’s family is. Brooke, Luna, Kai and Kevin. They went with the Alice and Wonderland theme. James made Kai’s scepter and added lights so it would glow. Kai crashed my brother Michael and sister in law Kristina’s photo. When Michael arrived at my house from the airport I burst into tears. The good kind. I loved that we had this time together. They also get high marks for their excellent costuming.JW put so much work into making their tail, ears and mask. This party was such a light in the darkness for us. It gave us so much hope.Beautiful butterfliesWe were so happy our friends David, BrÃd, Fionn (not pictured here, I think he was playing croquet) and Isabelle could come — big props to them for driving in from the Hague on a work and school night during exams. It was easier for our traveling friends to party on a Tuesday as most of them took the whole week off to travel so that made having our local friends all the more meaningful. BrÃd, I haven’t taken off the Irish bracelet you gave me. I love it so much. Also, I loved learning that you are an Ultravox fan.Aren’t we so fabulous? I mean look at us. Brooke, JW, and the vengeance bearBeth and Jess making my table so gorgeousMeredith and Amy, my Amsterdam ladiesAmy and Thor! We love these guys so much and can’t really cope with the fact that they are closing their Amsterdam chapter this summer and moving back to the States. We need more time with them. Michael got the kids all set with croquetMost peculiar, indeedThe table was set up under a medieval style tent and was absolutely gorgeous. Karin at Meester in Bloemen did all the flowers which took everyone’s breath away, and she also made my incredible flower crown. She’s so incredibly talented. The moment I saw the table my eyes welled with tears. The flowers, the candles, the greenery… Karin is the best floral artist in Amsterdam and that is saying a lot. Also, look how cute Dorothy and I are together. Thanks for helping me with all my layers every time I had to go the the bathroom, Kitty! I love you the most. Dinner was awesome. Everywhere I looked there was someone I loved!I need to take a moment to acknowledge my amazing party planner, Jacky Hoitsema pictured here in white. This photo encapsulates how awesome it is working with Jacky. Every single thing I dreamed up or fretted over Jacky took in stride, making sure I got exactly what I wanted and working behind the scenes to make my party the best it could be. Jacky brought ALL the best artists and vendors to help make my party perfect. Jacky is SO FUN to work with. She’s that rare combination of professional and laid back so I never got nervous working with her, I knew everything was in her capable hands. She put out all my figurative and literal fires — the table of earthly delights caught flame early on in the party and Jacky was on the scene. I love you Jacky, I want to plan a million more parties with you. The kids had fun at their end of the tableJW holding court at the end of the table. They did such a great job hosting. I had a whole big speech planned but the second I stood up and started talking I got so emotional I could barely get the words out so I kept it short and to the point. This party was a beacon in the darkest of times, something my family clung to throughout lockdown after lockdown, hoping and dreaming for the day we could have this party and see all the people we love in the world. It was truly a dream come true.Brooke and Kit down at their end of the tableJulie and Michelle, oh I loved seeing you both after SO MANY YEARS!Villia, our Oracle reader. I met her at a pink full moon ceremony and she did my oracle reading and told me my life and I tracked her down and asked if she would come to my party. She did oracle readings before dinner, then led us through our vengeance bear ceremony (more on that later).The flowers and candles were absolutely stunningThank you, Villia, for your amazing energy, spirituality, and light. Our cake! The folks at The Holy Kauw made it so special for us. There was so much drama and pageantry! It was a garden of earthly delights.The Holy Kauw team assembling my masterpiece of a cakeA work of delicious red velvet art
After dinner it was time for our vengeance bear ceremony. Everyone was encouraged to bring a totem of their enemy, blood feud, nemesis, or of anyone or thing who has wronged or vexed or generally displeased them as an offering to the vengeance bear. We would then set the bear and the totems of our enemies aflame and watch it burn for all the world to see, our enemies will know our power, they will suffer the eternal flame of our wrath, vengeance will be ours.
We weren’t able to actually set the bear on fire on the castle grounds (though Meredith Mani did her best to try!) but we made a beautiful box that everyone could put their totems in and then we burned that while Villia led us through an unwinding and winding ceremony that took away the negative energy then filled it back up with all the good things to come. I have to say, it was far more moving than I anticipated it would be. I know several people, myself included, felt some seriously powerful energy. We were so lucky to have Villia guide us, especially since I seemed to be having trouble remembering the difference between clockwise and counter clockwise. “Darling, it’s a clock!” Villia said.
Luna smiting her enemiesDon’t mess with the May QueenMy friend Jill did such a great job with her costume, her feathers ruffled in the breeze in the most pleasing wayWe spent a lot of time on the guest list and seating chart for dinner, and I believe we were super successful bringing people with commonalities together. It’s wild how so many of our worlds collided on this witchy night. Our hope is that old friends were able to connect and new friendships sparked. Destiny is all!We loved our vengeance bear too much to burn himBut did we ever set that box on fireburn, baby, burneverything we wished for will come trueAs you will note, I had a costume changeAnd thus begun the nighttime portion of the event, though it did not get dark out until 11pm. Summer solstice, the longest, witchiest day of the year did not disappoint.Just before the final offeringI am so happy my friend Gaby and her husband Jesse came to Amsterdam. I met Gaby on the internets because I love her writing so much and we’ve become internet friends and now we’re finally friends in real life. We’re going to create great things together, Gabrielle Moss and I. I can’t wait for you all to read it. Ushering in the nightThe kids are alrightWe talked and sang into the night — I chose every single song we heard that night in what I like to think is the best play list that ever existed. It was, I am telling you, the best. As more people came we made the circle bigger and bigger so there was room for everyone until the castle finally shut us down, but then the die hards came back to our super fancy castle room with James and me and we just kept going… the next morning we rode bikes through the forest to the North Sea. It was pure magic. It was a dream come true. Dorothy leading the way through the castle in the wee hours by candelabra, as one does
THANK YOU!
PS, I’m still adding photos as people post them to the shared album so I’ll update this post as more photos come in! xoxo
