A very French affair!

Saturday 6th
Today we attended our first French wedding. Our friends Stephanie and Laurant had decided to get married and Stephanie had asked me to be her witness. I felt very honoured; I have never been anything special at a wedding before – except the bride of course! As this was the only French wedding I have attended, I can’t tell if it was typical or not, but it was hugely different from any wedding I have attended in England. For a start, there was no pomp and ceremony. The bride wore a simple, woollen, short, red dress and black boots, and the groom an everyday pair of trousers and shirt, but accompanied with a very bright red and white jacket : a testament to his zany character. The ceremony itself was held in the Mairie (the town hall) and was performed by Monsieur le Maire himself. It commenced with the playing of an old, crackling version of “Here comes the Bride”, to which our lively friends danced around the room to the cheers and delight of the guests. Then, the very brief formalities were spoken, the signatures were made and it was all over. Back at the bride and groom’s house the celebrations continued in this informal style. Drinks and canapés provided by the parents were followed by a delicious main course of ham and potatoes brought in by the local butcher; followed by a cheese course and then deserts which I had offered to make. I had prepared pears in red wine served with crème fraiche and flapjack, then a traditional (English) fruitcake, iced and decorated with flowers to have with the coffee. It all went down very well and our dear friends were very happy. After we had eaten, the groom’s brother, a marvelous singer, sand us two, ancient (medieval I think) French love songs, the father of the groom sang a wedding song, and Francis and James played some Irish and Scottish jigs on their guitar and mandolin. It was a wedding as weddings should be…all about the couple and those closest to them who wanted to enjoy the day with them and wish them well. England can keep its ‘20 grand’ weddings with its flash outfits, cheesy disco and expensive dinners in posh hotels!