Wedding Weekend

We spent a lovely weekend last week in the countryside east of Paris where we celebrated the marriage of our friends Katie and Jonathan. They are friends from my time in Aix who have also moved up north to the Paris area, and we couldn't have been more pleased to take part in their wedding festivities.

Zach and I met up with our friends Josh and Julia who had flown in from Aix and who let us trek out with them in their rental car. How nice to get out of the city and take in the misty countryside where the trees were in full autumn splendor.

Weddings in France are required to take place at the 'mairie' (city hall), and the church ceremony we attended was focused on seeking God's blessing and recognition of their marriage. It was an immensely pleasant surprise that the preacher giving the message was Hugh Wessel, a friend from my time in Marseille three years ago. Three months into our own marriage, it was a beautiful reminder of God's purpose in marriage.

And after the ceremony...celebration! In France this generally means lots of good food and drinks over a long period of time spent in good conversation, oh and yes, more food. Guests lingered at the church for a couple hours grazing on appetizers and countless, beautiful bite-size desserts (I lost count how many Zach sampled) while the bride and groom greeted everyone.

Later in the evening we migrated an hour to the south to a quaint farm that had been converted to a reception hall and guesthouse. Then ensued a six-hour, multiple-course meal interspersed with speeches and games about the newlyweds. We ate and learned more about Katie and Jonathan than I ever thought possible! Amazingly, we found room for dessert and at 1:30 sleepily made our way to our lodgings for the night - thankfully located just next door. What a joy to have been included on all this! Sadly my camera was left in the car for the evening, but I doubt we will easily forget this first French wedding we attended.