Couple shocked to return from honeymoon to find entire house encased in beer crates

A couple of newlyweds returned home from their wedding party to find their house behind a barricade – of beer crates.

Jérémy Desmet, 29, and 28-year-old Maïté Beernaert’s home had been ‘decorated’ by friends and was surrounded by 2,000 crates.

The couple live in Zandvoorde in West Flanders, Belgium, where tradition dictates friends of newlyweds give them a ‘surprise’ gift.

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Surrounding the house in beer crates is becoming increasingly popular and friends of the pair wanted to outdo recent barricades.

In June, a couple in Ypres had their home walled in by 480 crates.

A few weeks later that number was smashed when a house was encased by 700 crates.

And when friends of Jérémy and Maïté decided on the same gift, they had their eye firmly on the prize as told to What’s The Jam.

Clément Mahieu, the mind behind the 2,000-piece masterpiece said: “Jérémy and Maité’s entire house is walled in, they can’t get in anywhere.

“When they get home, they’ll have to make their own plans.

“Maybe they can pitch a tent in the garden.”

Due to Clément’s family connections to a brewery, he had easy access to the crates.

He said: “I am part of the family brewery Vanuxeem in Ploegsteert.

“The first plan was a truck of 860 crates, but as we were filling the truck we changed our minds.”

Most of the crates are blue but there are a few pink ones which form the shape of a heart.

Clément said: “One of our friends is an architect and he drew the plan.

“There were about 10 people working on the construction and I want to mention them all: Louis, Jean, David, Micka, Poupou, Antoine, Ari, Cedric, Wouter and me.”

But it’s not all hard work for the newlyweds.

The crates are filled with Jérémy’s favourite tipple.

And when they worked their way through drinking them all, they can return the crates and ‘earn’ the deposit of €4,200 (£3,500).

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