...And a Wedding! Vive les Mariés!

I think one major reason our trip came together this year was that Thierry made a promise to his God-daughter, Eve-Lise, to be there for her wedding on July 5th. "There" being France. There were not 36 solutions, as the French say, we needed to fly over.

Je crois bien qu'une des raison majeurs que notre voyage a enfin eu lieu, c'est que Thierry a promis à sa fieulle d'etre la lors de son mariage le 5 juillet. "La" voulait dire la France. Il n'y avait pas 36 solutions, il fallait qu'on prenne l'avion.


It was a beautiful event! Thanks to the baptism, all the clothing preparations had been done and tested the week before. 'Alls' I had to do was wash and re-iron the boys' things. (Girls know better than to dress up in clothes that need ironing.) And Thierry did the ironing part, because he knows how to iron and fold for a suitcase, a skill I will most likely die lacking.

Ce fut un ocasion très beau. Grace au bapteme, tous les preparatifs pour les habille ont ete fait. Il ne me restait plus qu'à relaver et repasser les affaires des garçons. (Les filles ont le bon sens de ne pas s'habiller avec des vetements qui demandent le repassage.)

The ceremony itself, that is, the one right after the one at the tiny town hall that is obligatory here, was held under a tent and not in a church...very unconventional here, and very moving, with chosen texts and speeches by family and friends, and a fabulous musical group who played all afternoon and night.

La ceremonie meme, c'est a dire, celle qui a suivi celle du mairie, a eu lieu sous une tente, et non pas a l'eglise...peu conventionel ici et très touchant, avec des textes choisis et des discours des membres de la famille et des amis, et un groupe de music formidable.

The exchanging of rings:

The property, a vineyard/chateau in the middle of nowhere, charming and beyond beautiful:

Our little part of the larger Chenus family: (weddings are a time for memory-making, not only for the happy couple, but also for the rest of us who dressed up for the day and were there with our own witnessing of the event. We will not forget this day either.)

And, what I know you all are really waiting for; the bride...and what everyone else was wearing to a French summer wedding:

 

My kids: (the oldest three, the other two were running all over tarnation, trying to catch the frog in the pool and playing tag with all the munchkins.)

Bi-color for guys is the new rule for shirts here...and, apparently, for cars! The one T. rented to drive to Germany is black, with a bordeaux roof and trim, super-odd, and super-easy to find again.

My brother-in-law (and me), before a week with my kids, and his, at the beach, in a tiny house, in the rain: (heaven only knows what he will look like on Sunday.):

My honey (on the left) with his cousin:

Thank you for inviting us, Eve-Lise and David, and thank you to all who were at our wedding, 21 years ago, and let me know they remember it as a beautiful occasion.

Merci de nous avoir invité, Eve-Lise et David, et merci a tous qui sont venu a notre mariage il y a 21 ans qui sont venus me dire qu'ils s'en souvient comme un beau marriage. 

The mother of the bride let me know that she wore the same dress she had worn to our wedding, hoping it would bring happiness to her daughter on this special day. Joy!

Congratulations!  Vive les mariés!