The Wedding Day Part 2

Photobooth time

With some of my witchy friends

Ian and Clare

The evening reception was held at "La Marechalerie" (blacksmith's forge) very near the lovely village of Camembert. It has recently been opened by a couple who have renovated a beautiful timbered barn and offer accommodation for the night of the festivities. It has a huge area outside with amazing views over the countryside and that is where the aperitif cocktails were served whilst the two hog roasts were being barbequed. Naomi's partner Neil made two wonderful cocktails -Bramble and Le Normand which were served out of milk churns along with many tasty nibbles made by Remi's mother. The photobooth was in action which was (made out of plastic pipes and a sheet) and although I was still in the kitchen preparing the final salads whilst our dear friends Kate and Mark were busy preparing the starter of smoked trout pate, I was finally able to go out and socialise and enjoy a bramble cocktail.

Kate in the kitchen

Apero cocktail time

At around 8.30 we went into the reception area and found our tables which were themed around love songs. After the delicious starter the hog roast was served in platters and when we heard "our song" we were invited to go up to the buffet. Our table's song was Stevie Wonder's "Isn't she lovely" which was the song we played when Lisa was born so rather an emotional one for Andrew and me! The next course was an apple sorbet with calvados known as a trou Norman. Everyone was asked to bring cheese from their region so there was a huge spread of different varieties from all over France and Britain. There were a few speeches and even some games in between courses and then finally around midnight the wedding cake came in.

Remi

The wedding cake!

Jam and name tags

 I could feel myself flagging around this time but fortunately Patrick (DJ) started the music and the dancing started. I continued to about 3 am but many of them continued until 7 am when the 7 hour playlist stopped!

macarena

Mother and daughter dancing

We drove home so that we could be ready for the next part of the wedding which was "Curry at La Ferme des Vallots". I had forgotten to defrost it but by the time everyone turned up in various conditions and states of hangovers it was nearly ready. The only problem was it started to pour and the marquee tent collapsed with the weight of the rain!  However all the work and preparation of the barn proved worthwhile and we all went and enjoyed the curry inside the barn.

My big brothers and me

The Barn 

 Many people went home after but for others the festivities continued and the sun came out and somehow with all the food left around we managed another meal and everyone squashed into our living room to watch the World Cup Final. The firework display for the 14 juillet provided by the Mairie of Livarot gave the finale of the weekend and I collapsed into bed on Sunday night exhausted.

A full house watching the world cup final!

  It was a wonderful happy celebration and thank you all - friends and family for helping so much. I didn't feel sad about our daughter getting married as I feel Remi is already a part of our family and I can only feel joy for them both. I feel very blessed to be welcoming more members to our international family in the future.

The Wedding Day Part 1

 After a wonderful barbeque and pre-wedding party on Friday night I woke up at 6 am to go through the final "things to do list". There was still my wedding cake uniced, my dress unfinished, flowers for the Mairie to do, and the decoration of the hall to be completed - HELP! Matthew and Anne Flore went down with me to the hall which was about 20 minutes drive away. We had mostly completed the setting the day before but we were short of some ties for the chairs, needed to bring the cake down, check the flowers and make some salads. The first thing that we saw as we entered the kitchen was the amazing croquembouche that Matthew had spent days making and assembling had unstuck and fallen everywhere. It was one of those moments you either cry or laugh and with all the nervous tension around it could have been either but we all had a good laugh and Matthew was wonderful about it and decided to scoop the choux pastries into a bowl and smother it with a chocolate sauce. Anne Flore made my interesting wedding cake look amazing with sugared rose petals from the garden; the ties were finished ; most of the salads done; the 80 chair covers that I made were in place; it was time to head back to La Ferme to check on the flowers, decorations etc. for the Vin d'honneur. While driving through Livarot I saw Patrick holding a bouquet of flowers that had been forgotten about and needed to be paid for - we had forgotten tablecloths for the marquee - a quick grab of our bedspread and material in my store solved that and it looked fine. My dress for the wedding was still unfinished so I sat down at 1.30 pm and finished it as best as I could...

Lisa and a very proud father

The kiss!

  Fortunately for my beautiful daughter Lisa there were many of her friends and sisters who were helping her with her hair and make-up and keeping her calm and serene. Her mother was of course her usual last minute self with no time for mother of the bride things but hey we made it to the Mairie in time and Lisa looked radiantly beautiful. Her dress was bought online and it fitted her perfectly and her hair and everything about her were lovely. When we got to the Mairie there were LOTS of friends and family there to share in the happy event. We squashed into the Mairie and Mr Le Mayor performed the ceremony efficiently and the papers were signed and out we went again to great cheers and wishes of happiness for the newly married pair.

The married couple

A Family group

We drove through our village tooting our horns and waving at everyone and then went back to the farm for the vin d'honneur. There was traditional music played; delicious tarte aux pommes and poire and cidre served along with fresh apricots and cherries. A vin d'honneur is traditionally the event that everyone in the village is invited to and then closer friends and family continue in the evening with a meal and more celebrations.

Sisters, brother and partners..

Friends...

Parents

and family

 We were lucky as there were only a few spots of rain and everyone mingled and chatted in the garden and went out to the field for the "sofa photo shot"which was great fun. Phoebe our 15 year old dog was in her element being very sociable and wearing her wedding bow and lots of people commented on the lovely garden and didn't even notice the weeds! At 6 pm the musicians stopped and it was time to drive off to Camembert for the rest of the festivities.....

Phoebe

The musicians

The Week Before the Wedding Day

The new canopy.....

and tent for Vin d'honneur

 I'm back on my computer and  have so much to tell you all that I'm going to have to condense it into instalments. I flew back last night and am feeling rather disorientated in hot, humid Kuching but for some unknown reason I was upgraded for the first time in my life to Business Class and had the pleasure of the seats that extend into beds and so the experience was a very different one to the usual economy sardine squash.

Painting the barn floor

Decorating and making pompoms!

 Anyway I will not go on too much about the build up before the wedding but it was very busy and everyone in the family plus partners all mucked in and helped. On Friday 4th July there was just Andrew joined by Lisa and me on Saturday. On Sunday Patrick,Gen and Mathew arrived joined by Remi, Naomi and Neil on Monday. Tanya and Anthony arrived on Thursday and then my brothers and wives and about fifty other people from all over France turned up in dribs and drabs throughout Friday. There was cooking, cleaning, painting, sewing , gardening, decorating and about 100 other things going on and Lisa had jobs written on post-its on a door for everybody to get on with in case there was a spare slack moment.

Games in the evening....

except when there are labels for the jam-pots to do

Holes in the lane to be filled

  I can't tell you all how marvellous everyone was and how cheerful and willing too about all the chores that had to be done. I know I really enjoyed the buzz and excitement of the first week and we did have lots of fun especially in the evening when the aperitifs started. Thank you my dear family for being so good about helping and never complaining. We will all have some very funny moments to remember and I just want to say a huge thank you to all the helpers. I love you all.

Cleaning stones?!

Cake decorating and rose petals

Sue and Clare blowing balloons