An update from the Watts Kennedys!

Last updated on March 18, 2022

Steve and Victoria at Cornish Tipi WeddingsWe did it! We’re married! After months and months of planning, we pulled it off and the wedding was a day of splendid joy. In true British style, there was a lot of mud and rain, but the sun shone and the showers held off at crucial moments, and it was made even better through the contrast.

People often describe their wedding as one of the happiest days of their life, and that thought had caused me to panic. What if I didn’t have a good time? What if I woke up in an inexplicable bad mood? I’m not always good under pressure. But the love and goodwill that surrounded us would have been enough to blow even the biggest clouds far and wide. I found myself at one with so many cliches – my mouth ached from all the smiles and it truly was one of the happiest days of my life.

I’ll write a post with all the details and lots of photos soon, but here are a few for now (with big thanks to Sarah London Photography for the amazing photos).

Confetti being thrown over Victoria and Steve

Steve giving speech at wedding

Wedding group shot

Honeymoon

Victoria and Steve at Cape Point on honeymoon in South Africa

After the wedding came the honeymoon, which was another event of superlative joy. Three weeks of pure indulgence and relaxation, filled with exquisite food and breathtaking landscapes. It was all we’d hoped it would be, and we’re now in a state of pining for that blissful time. We have lots of stories and photos to share, so I promise much more on that in the coming weeks.

Post-honeymoon

With the Shannon of A Little Adrift and Brenna of This Battered Suitcase.
With the Shannon of A Little Adrift and Brenna of This Battered Suitcase.

We’ve been back for two weeks now, but have barely had time to sit still. Our lovely friend Shannon from A Little Adrift came over for our wedding and housesitted for us while we were away. Once we returned, we spent some time being tourists in London together before she headed off for fairer climes in Istanbul. Sadly, I couldn’t get her to overlook London’s bad weather and fall in love with it enough to stay!

The weekend after we returned, nuptial bells rang again and we went glamping for a beautiful wedding of dear friends in Wales. It was fun to swap centre stage and simply be guests tickled by memories.

Amsterdam

Eye cinema and museum in Amsterdam
Steve’s film showed at this awesome cinema / film museum in Amsterdam.

Next came some days in Amsterdam for the Buddhist Film Festival Europe. Planetary was screening on the Saturday and we went a little early to explore the city. It’s over ten years since I last visited and I was keen to see it through non-teenage eyes. Both Steve and I found ourselves falling for the city in a way we hadn’t anticipated. We’re pretty sure we’ll be back. The festival was also a success. Steve’s film sold out and he nailed the Q&A. I’m always so proud to see him on stage, and this time was extra special as he was joined by one of my favourite interviewees from the film, Angel Kyodo Williams. She also spoke on an incredibly inspiring panel about compassion alongside James Doty from CCARE at Stamford, and Henk Oosterling from the Erasmus University in Rotterdam. They gave me so much food for thought that I’m still processing it now. I’d recommend checking out all their work.

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Back to London

So now we’re back to London. Weddings and honeymoons are expensive so it’s time to earn some cash! For the next month or so I’m going to be freelancing as a writer at a charity in London, and Steve will be tying up loose ends with Planetary. At the start of next year Steve’s taking a turn with his own work and will be starting to concentrate on his own creative projects alongside freelancing. He’ll still be involved in the next Planetary Collective film, but not so much as the last one. So post-December, it’s all wide open!

What next?

Sunset at San Pancho

As always, we’re umm-ing and ahh-ing about what to do next. It’s the same old song of craving both adventure and stability, peppered with consideration of long-term ideas and immediate desires. One idea is a house swap. San Pancho still calls our name, and Portland has been whispering for many years. Closer to home is the Amsterdam we just said bye to, or perhaps the Berlin we still miss. Or maybe we’ll simply stay put and opt for shorter trips here and there. Nothing is clear right now and we’re going to see how the next couple of months go. It largely depends on what we choose for work.

South Korea!

Rina

Christoph

One thing is certain though. In December, we’re going to South Korea! Two of our friends, Christoph and Rina (the muddy pair above) are getting married in Seoul so we’re going for their wedding. It’s so close to Japan that we’ll definitely try and add a trip there too, even if just for a long weekend. We’ve never been to either South Korea or Japan so we’re really excited about both. Now we just need to work out how long we can go for and what we should prioritise seeing once we’re there. Let us know if you have any tips. It’s also a long way to travel so the big question is whether to fly there and back to London in time for Christmas, or incorporate it with a trip elsewhere. As I said, our options are wide open!

London plans

Nuns and balloons at Covent Garden Up, Up and Away exhibition

So that’s where we’re at now – London-bound for the next couple of months. While we’re here we have lots to look forward to. One of the joys of being in London is the amount of people who pass through – both friends and cultural delights. It’s WTM in a few weeks so that will bring many friendly blogger faces here, and the week after we’re going to see one of our favourite musicians, Joanna Newsom. Other things on the calendar include seeing Derren Brown and then Elizabeth Gilbert, and of course plenty of time with friends and family. The weather may be far from ideal, but the people are making up for it.

On the blog

In terms of the blog, I’m currently updating all our travel planning pages, and will be posting stories and tips from our honeymoon and our trip to Amsterdam. I’ve also got lots of new additions for the special places series – we’ve stayed at some truly beautiful places recently! And we have some features coming out soon on some other travel websites. I’ll keep you updated!

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And in the meantime, follow our updates on Instagram.

Hope you’ve all had a beautiful summer.

To Autumn! Adieu.

15 thoughts on “An update from the Watts Kennedys!”

  1. Hi Victoria and Steve,
    Congrats on the wedding that’s incredible! Camille and I seriously love this stuff, thus the 365 travel dates honeymoon. I love how open you guys are with all the plans. South Korea and Japan will be amazing and we always with you a safe journey on your travels.

    I was wanting more about the honeymoon but I guess more anticipation on this side for the stories to come. Seriously wish there were more honeymoon photos. Though all the wedding ones kept me smiling through the post 🙂

    Congrats again! And thanks for the update!

    Travel in love, love in travel.

    Love from Manila,
    Mark and Camille

    Reply
  2. Wedding looks so so pretty!

    If you do come out to Portland let us know. We are just a hop and skip up in Seattle, and as of November we will have a guest room!

    Reply
    • Ooooh thanks Steph! We’ll be sure to let you know if we head that way. It’s looking likely that we’ll be there for at least a little bit. Would be great to see you 🙂

      Reply
  3. Congratulations to you both! The picture at the very top of the post is adorable!

    The trip to South Korea and Japan sounds amazing, have an incredible time, looking forward to the posts!

    Reply
  4. Weddings! How wonderful. We just celebrated our 50th in March. Seriously! I’m glad San Pancho is still on your radar. Maybe we’ll catch up with you there! All our best for safe travels and great adventures!

    Reply

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