nce upon a time there was a beautiful princess called Princess Camille who lived in a magical fairy tale kingdom . . . well, actually it was France but you can use your imagination!

This petite princess was banished to the dark heart of Europe for six short months (seven years and counting so far) where her heart was captured by a dashingly handsome young-ish, muscular, debonair and intelligent Prince with a wonderful luxurious full head of hair.

Then one day while kyaking on the mystic river Lesse this burgeoning love was rudely interrupted by a vicious gang of ruthless nine year old children who mercilessly splashed and harassed the helpless Princess.

In rode . . kayaked . . the valiant Prince and swiftly dispatched the scallywags and rescued her!

With the day won they celebrated until the early morn at the festival of Gent and watched the fireworks in the night sky before tired but happy they went back to their (very separate) beds.

The Wedding Ceremony

Where:

St. Antoine Church

Place Saint-Antoine,

1040 Etterbeek, Brussels

When:

14:00 CET 14th July 2012

The wedding is a traditional Catholic ceromony. The priest (Father Christian) will mostly speak in French though he has promised to try to alternate into English as much as possible.

The readings and songs are a mix of French and English but everything will be translated into both languages in the wedding booklet.

After the ceremony there will be a coach to take people to the reception (please let us know if you will be taking the coach).

Laurent Lefebvre

This intrepid Belgian deserted his home shores to invade the wine regions of Bordeaux and impart the wisdom of the hops and the yeast to the stubborn French sommeliers.

Now two years after quitting his job and converting his garage into a Belgian Beer microbrewery and going it alone the boy's finally coming good and is now branching out into cask ale!!

I first met him in Belgium via Cam and his (extremely understanding) wife Gaelle and we immediately hit it off by getting totally wasted and debating everything and anything to put the world to rights.

We have kept up the tradition and can regularly be found underneath the Bordeax night sky happily merry and debating such gems as whether a person's character is gained via genetics or experience and which cheese can float the longest in his swimming pool

Enjoy his beer at the wedding and visit his website at Alienor if you would like to know more about it or give him a contract.

Ivan Seminerio

What can be said of a man from Italian parentage who speaks/writes fluent Italian, visits Italy for every holiday and then studies Italian studies at university to get a free Erasmus year in Italy? Genius or lazy g*t? You can make up your mind when you meet him but I know what I suspect . . .

I was cast by fates' die to be in the room next to this Italian Stallion (well less stallion . . more pit pony) during my first year at the halls of residence and I immediately took a disliking to him as he incessantly played Stone Roses - "I am the resurrection" at an ear bleeding volume for the first two weeks I was there. Yes, we're in Manchester, yes, I agree it is a good song but being forced to live next door to a university student cliche approaches the patience limit quite fast.

After a month of ignoring him I actually spoke to him and found that firstly he was a student cliche but secondly that he was actually a lot of fun and very easy to talk to and a superb friend was found. We travelled together during and after university where we went to St Ettiene in France because it sounded cool and chic and we had heard of the football team . . . it was neither cool nor chic but it inspired an excellent impromptu trip where we just wandered from place to place (anywhere but St Ettiene) by train to explore the east of France.

Marie-Anne Rouvery

I met Marie-Anne 15 years ago (or when I was 15, it’s the same).

After one year chatting and gossiping in her room at boarding shool, we were unfortunately separated. We yet did not stop visiting each other. In Caen, Paris, Brussels (because she worships Chris’ fry up), and even at the Bier Fest, Marie-Anne is the same, always (although a little different at the Beer fest) ;-).

Genuine and generous, always with the same smile, she is my pretty Marie-Anne. She is and will be. That’s why she’s my bridemaid.

She did not play wisely though…she might give birth the day of the wedding…let’s be ready !

Eloise Dougere

I met Eloise at the EDHEC Business School

I invaded her house also, during a whole year.

Eloise is a kind of wonderwoman. Real humanist, she spent couple of months in the Philippines and in Pakistan, trying to help those people who are in it, really in it. She the same all the time, wherever, superb listener, a generous Wonderwoman !

Fresh, funny and dynamic, she is now the mum of a beautiful Arthaud

By Car (and Ferry)

This could be good if you have a full car as you only pay per vehicle. You need to catch either the ferry or the Eurotunnel from Dover to Calais and then it is about another 1 1/2 - 2 hour drive to Brussels

Dover to Calais: Eurotunnel

Faster than the ferry (but more expensive) you can load your car on the Eurotunnel

Dover to Calais: Ferry

Adds an extra hour and half on your journey but P&O Ferries is often a lot cheaper than the Eurotunnel.

By Airplane

There are many airlines that fly direct to Brussels but be aware that flights advertised as flying to Brussels South or Charleroi airport (i.e Ryanair) are infact about 60km (40 mins)drive from Brussels centre though there is paid bus service to go into the center (to Gare Midi).

Two reasonably priced airlines (London and Manchester) are:

• Brussels Airlines
• BMI

but there are many more.

russels runs contrary to many places as hotels are cheaper at the weekend than during the week due to the number of European institutions and head quarters that are based here.

This is especially true around the European Quarter (Schumann, Merode etc).

The best prices for hotels can be found on websites like Booking.com and there are hundreds in Brussels to choose from.

We have created a guide list of hotels in a few areas but if you find a better deal in another hotel or area by all means go for it (most areas in Brussels are well linked by public transport).

russels is quite large and sprawling with many different pockets of areas with things to see and do. As most of you will probably have half or a full day in Brussels here are some places that could be of interest

Getting Around Brussels

Public transport in Brussels consists of the Metro, Tram and Bus. If you buy a ticket it is valid for about an hour and can be used on any number of metro's, tram, bus during that time period. It is always better to buy tickets outside of the bus/tram/metro if there is a machine available as they are cheaper. The Stib site holds of the details and is available in English

Brussels Centre

The centre of Brussels is quite compact and is full of period architecture, restaurants, bars and hidden twists and turns. Here is a taste of what is here but we recommended aimlessly wandering and exploring the streets.

Grande Place

Impressive and definitely worth a visit you can find this at the heart of Brussels. Have a look at the Panaromic Grande Place to wet your appetite. Obligatory robot man and the creative genius' pretending to be statues . . .

Delirium Cafe

Ok, not the sight or Brussels but this bar has over 3,000 beers from all over the world (the menu is about three inches thick) and you have to pass the touristy street of hell to get there without being dragged into an overpriced restaurant.

Place Flagey Area

Place Flagey

The massive open square of Place Flagey next to Flagey lake has many bars and restaurants including the large Cafe Belga where you can hang out for a beer or coffee with the bright, young things of Brussels. If more sophisticated fare is required then there is Develara's across the road which is an Irish pub with awesome burgers.

Flagey is also near Rue de Trone a shopping street but with also many hidden gems around including the bars/restos at Place St Boniface.

Avenue Louise

Avenue Louise Area

Avenue Louise is known mainly for shopping and this is where you will find all of the designer shops willing to take your hard earned money for that latest Prada handbag.

After all that gesticulating head to Place Luxembourg and relax with a beer in one of the bars around there (note: most of the restaurants/shops will probably be closed as all the MEP's go home for the weekend).

Elsewhere in Belgium

Gent

Gent is home to the legendary Gent festival which is where Cam and I first kissed so is worth a visit for that alone. If not, it also has many sights to see including the keep and the cathedral and plenty of delightful bars and restaurants dotted around the river and canals running through the center.

Bruges

In West Flanders Bruges is an idyllic collection of medieval and flemish architecture set on an interconnecting set of canals. It is also a UNESCO Heritage site(thanks Wikipedia). If you have a car and a spare day (not the Saturday!!) then it is definitely recommended to visit here and maybe stopping by Gent on the way.