French Weddings are a very elaborate and drawn-out affair. Many courses of food are spread out until the wee hours of the morning, and a wedding where people start leaving before 2 am is considered to be a disaster. This particular wedding was small and "simple" as food is concerned, but we still spent 5 hours at the table.
3:30 PM
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| The Ceremony always starts with the wedding party at the town hall, where the marriage is officiated. This may or may not be followed by a ceremony in a church. This particular wedding included a "civil baptism." Yes, you heard right. |
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| Pictures in front of the town hall |
5:00 pm
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| Cars are decorated with "good omens"... |
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| Once arriving at the venue, a "vin d'honneur" is served to all the guests, even those not staying for the feast. This consists of drinks and snacks, and can last for several hours depending on the size of the group. |
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| Meanwhile, more pictures... |
8:00 pm
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| After 3 hours of vin d'honneur, people started getting restless and ready for dinner, which wouldn't start until 9 pm |
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| The Feast was in a cool renovated farmhouse |
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| Everyone is assigned a seat.... I found mine, finally. Most "unusual" names in France come from North Africa, and the groom's family had never met me. So hearing "Caleb," this is the result, and not for the first time. |
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| Always keep track of the menu! You can't leave until the dessert is served. |
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| Every guest is given a small gift, in this case a wooden horse |
9:15
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| First course. Often weddings are catered and plates are served whether you want them or not, so the buffet style is appreciated. |
9:45
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| Between courses, more pictures |
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Wine and champaign are always flowing. The previous wedding I attended (with a party of 180) had a bottle of champaign and a bottle of wine for each guest. This one was (thankfully) tamer, but there was beer on tap!
11:00 PM |
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| There are usually funny games organized between courses |
11:30
1:00 AM
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| Bring on the Cheese! |
Between courses there are games, dancing, and drinking. Still I think everyone was relieved when...
2:00 AM
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| Dessert! |
2:45 AM
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| We have two more French weddings this summer! Until next time! |
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