And my something blue was....
Ta da!
You thought my dress would have some pink in it, didn't you? I don't blame you, look at the pink fest that is this blog!
Since our engagement was non-traditional so to speak, as well as many aspects of our life, I figured why not play up the the idea of a white wedding with a splash of color. The sky blue veil was actually a last minute decision that my neighborhood tailor generously made for me as a gift. He is a kind Turkish man that even when I don't have pants that my short legs need to have altered, I stop in from time to time for a cup of coffee and a chat. Offering me this iconic bridal accessory was unexpected and extremely touching, adding another facet to the homemade feel of our entire wedding.
Leaving the town hall after the ceremony, we were greeted by many of the villagers who came down with their umbrellas to wish us well, and residents hollered and whistled from their homes as we passed by.
Typically the tradition is that the bride and groom take the car back to the vin d'honneur while the guests follow by foot. Well my mom wasn't interested in another tour of Moret by foot, and helped herself to the front seat of the Rolls next to the horn-friendly driver. Every cutesy photo of us in the back seat of this vintage car features an awkward candid shot of my mother making all sorts of faces. I wish there was video rolling because I'm almost sure each photo comes with a comment.
We arrived at our rainy garden cocktail party with the front pieces of my hair starting to frizz up from the mist-like rain, and waited under a green Del Monte (yes, the pasta brand, no they didn't sponsor the wedding) umbrella to welcome our guests. I have no idea where this umbrella came from but my mother made sure to remind me that it said Del Monte. I think she brought up the umbrella last night over the phone.
So much time, energy, ideas and planning went into the entire weekend and it was just surreal that it was finally happening. I now understand why brides get stressed and anxious, and now feel a little guilty for secretly judging brides of my past who were wired up on their day.
So who would have thought that I'd learn something new on my wedding day? Because this was the first French wedding I have ever attended, it was unknown to me that the guests are forbidden to approach the bar for drinks and snacks until the bride and groom have had their first drink, almost like a ribbon-cutting to start the festivities. Well...it took me a good fifteen minutes to realize that no one was consuming anything, having almost a face-off with our servers who weren't serving. I didn't want to be the pushy one to get the first drink so I walked around and chatted while Aurélien was...actually, I have no idea where he was. Details like this are blurry, as the day went by in almost a haze.
It wasn't until Paris Unraveled Allison (who also graciously made us real American cupcakes to supplement our dessert offering) informed me that we needed to christen the event with the first drink and to announce that the bar was open before guests could help themselves. Ah ha! Makes sense now. Had I known this, I would have gone straight for the bar, instead of leaving my guests standing in a wet garden in the rain as I made rounds not knowing where my husband was.
The vin d'honneur was the most relaxing part of the day - no big stories to tell here - the music was calm, conversation was flowing and the drinks were strong. The rain actually encouraged mingling and interaction due to the fact that tent space was limited, and we were finally offered a moment to actually talk to people. After almost two years of e-mails and blog comments, it was so lovely to finally meet Grenobloise. Not every bride meets a dear friend on her wedding day, but once again going back to not following traditions, we were staying true to the theme. It was also wonderful to see Out and About in Paris' Mary-Kay and her family, The Kale Project and her husband, as well as friends who started this French journey with me from Alliance Française New York who made the trip all the way to France. Very much there in spirit was Sara Louise of Le Petit Village, Finding Noon, Pictours Paris, Paris Cheapskate and of course...Duchesse.
Our nod to Annie Hall with the words "Lurve" were originally hanging on the clothes line in the garden, but the rain wasn't having it. It was thanks to our quick-thinking coordinator who set them out on the bar for us. Merci! How sad would it have been to see drenched hearts dangling on a cord at a wedding?
Paper straws with little notes from the bride and groom.I swear these little devils are the reason why everyone got so blitzed. The booze went down a little too easy!
Spiked lemonade, c'est coquin!
A vodka-based mojito.
I'm wrapping up these wedding posts with one last to go and then it's back to my real Parisian life. I'm sure some of you are relieved! If I was bummed a few weeks ago that the wedding excitement was over, I'm here to report that that melancholy has since faded (as many of you promised). Now that the big project of 2013 is thankfully behind me, I'm back to being me again where big decisions are no longer what font should we use, how big are the entree plates, and if navy blue is really that different than marine blue. I must have been so boring! I think I just fell asleep writing that sentence....
I'm now looking forward to the future and to a new beginning. Thank you all for sharing my joy with me these past few posts.
Photography by Camille Collin
