We’re reaching the final days of this travel log. Today we cover the civil wedding ceremony, the religious wedding ceremony, and the reception. Tomorrow’s update should be the last of ‘em.
Friday – May 14th – Albi Civil Ceremony
In the morning, Charlotte gets up and goes to the bank. She’s got some money that’s been sitting in a French account for a few years, but the process for releasing it is arduous and much better done in person, so she’s going to give it a shot while we’re here. As she heads out, I get up and take a shower, then take a walk, meeting her at a local cafe. The person who would be able to help her wasn’t there, so she’ll have to come back at ten the next morning. Alas! We drink coffee and then wander off, deciding to get a to-go lunch somewhere and bring it back to the hotel.
“Somewhere” turns out to be the bakery across the street. Charlotte grabs a panini and I, still somewhat wary of food, just take a piece of brioche with some sugar crystals on top of it. Tasty! We head back to the hotel, eat our food, and get dressed for the civil ceremony. We’ve been told to keep it semi-casual, so I opt for jeans and a button-down, which accomplishes the goal of making me neither the most nor the least dressed-up person there. Charlotte wears a dress, but pulls a cardigan over it to help de-formalize it. We get to the town hall early (our hotel is like two minutes away), so we walk back up the road a little bit and stop at yet another cafe for some coffee. Eventually we return to the town hall and meet up with friends and family.
We mill around the town hall’s courtyard for a while, waiting for everyone to arrive and for the wedding ceremony ahead of us to finish up. We’re alerted that this has happened when a bunch of dudes suddenly come out of the front door and hold up golf clubs, forming an arch for the bride and groom to walk under. It’s … an unexpected happening. That party disperses, and we make our way upstairs. The Civil Ceremony is short and sweet, with a focus placed on signing documents and agreeing to things. Everyone cheers the now officially married — in the eyes of France — couple, and we return to the courtyard for more pictures and talking.
Eventually we decide to head for … hold on for a surprise … a cafe! It’s early evening by this point, so most people grab a beer or similar. Charlotte has a Kir Cassis, which is white wine mixed with blackberry liqueur. Yum. I get a Leffe Blonde, and we snack on olives and chat with Charlotte’s siblings, cousins, and others. Jerome and Eglantine, the newlyweds, wander from table to table talking with everyone. Eventually we’re all freezing to death, and many people go home. The rest of us move inside and hang out for a while longer.
Charlotte and I excuse ourselves to go back to the hotel so that she can study a bit. We’ve made plans to go to dinner with all of her siblings except Eglantine, so that Charlotte and her other sisters can work on the details of their wedding speech. We’re having dinner at a hotel on the outskirts of Albi, which is actually a set of old farmhouses that have been converted to lodging by their owners. It’s also the place that Charlotte’s mom and dad are staying, along with her sister Nolwenn, brother-in-law Fred, and their two kids. We nearly get lost on the way, but manage to find the place just in time — everyone else has already ordered their appetizers! The meal is very tasty, and the ladies get in some good discussion about their speech for Eglantine. Tired and excited for tomorrow’s religious ceremony and reception, we head out, returning to our hotel and crashing for the night.
[Pictures from Day Seven]
May 15th – Albi (Wedding)
Eglantine’s wedding ceremony isn’t until 4:30 in the afternoon, which means Charlotte and I can spend the morning doing a necessary errand: Laundry. She had to bring so many books and stuff along with her on this trip that there was just no way for both of us to pack a full 12+ days worth of clothing (including a complete suit for yours truly). We’re rapidly running out of clean clothes, and don’t like the idea of having to hit the laundromat the day after the wedding, so we decide to do it today.
Charlotte has another bank meeting set up. We hop in the car with our suitcase full of dirty clothes, and I drop her off at the bank. I’m supposed to find parking near the laundromat and get started, and Charlotte will meet me there. What actually happens is that I drive through the winding streets of Albi for half an hour without finding a single parking space. I finally give up and pay for parking in a garage about ten feet from where I dropped Charlotte off in the first place, and walk the rest of the way to the laundromat. Charlotte is waiting for me there, and helpfully points out that two spaces have just opened up right in front of it! I resist the urge to shake my fist at the heavens, and we head into the laundromat. It’s totally automated and unattended, but it’s open, and that’s all we need. We get our laundry going, and sit around drinking diet coke and eating something which is exactly like Pocky, but has a different name.
Charlotte heads out to run another errand, and I hang out at the laundromat, messing around on my laptop and waiting for our clothes to dry. Eventually they do, and I fold them up and put them back in the suitcase. Charlotte arrives a few minutes later, and we head out, dropping the suitcase in the car and making a quick diversion into central Albi to look for a hair decoration for Charlotte. We find a place that sells several, and she settles on a clip with a bunch of black feathers in it. Satisfied, we return to the hotel to get into our wedding best, stopping at the same bakery as the day before to get sandwiches for lunch. We eat at the hotel, Charlotte does some studying, I do some internet browsing, and eventually it’s time to get ready.
Once dressed up, we check out of the hotel, get back in the car, and head for the Cathedral. It’s not far away, and we’re one of the first cars to get there, so we spend some time hanging out in the parking lot and chatting with the other guests that arrived early, several of whom are Charlotte’s aunts and uncles on her Mother’s side. Eventually everyone arrives, and we make our way into the church and get seated. Soon the ceremony begins. One of Charlotte’s uncles is officiating, and there’s a lot more singing, praying, and bible reading than there was in the civil ceremony. Trying to sing along with songs I’ve never heard in a language I don’t speak proves to be comedy gold, but I do my best.
Soon the happy couple are happily married for the second time in two days, and everyone greets them outside with confetti and road flares … for some reason that seems unclear even to the two dudes who are wielding them. Blanketed in smoke from the flares, people cough and squint, but are generally happy. It’s very cold out, however, and all of the women are freezing. Most of them end up covered in jackets and unable to show off their outfits. Alas!
Charlotte and I end up near the back of the group of cars heading to the reception. This is slightly problematic, because we don’t know where it is, so we’re a bit concerned about losing track of the caravan. We manage not to, which is fine, right up until we realize we’ve followed a group of people to a small campground where they’ve all rented cabins. They’re there to change! D’oh. Charlotte and I strike back out on the road, calling her sister and getting directions, which summed up are basically: Turn left at this tiny village, and then drive into the middle of French farmland for like half an hour, and then you’ll be there. We manage to find the place, a big stone structure that was probably built when Jesus was still a teenager, and park. Somehow we beat a huge chunk of the guests there, and manage to arrive just as Eglantine and Jerome are having their first champagne toast. Everyone applauds, and then sets about eating hors d’oeuvres, drinking champagne, and chatting.
France in mid-May is generally beautiful but unfortunately we caught it on a grey, cold week, and the wedding day is no exception. It’s freezing out, and everyone is bundled up. Thankfully the courtyard is protected by heavy stone walls on three sides, easily 20 feet high, which keep the wind away. The venue’s main staircase makes an excellent place to take pictures, and Charlotte and I get pulled into a few, in between champagne and snacks. Eventually night falls, and the guests move indoors for dinner and to warm up (there are space heaters inside!).
Dinner consists of four courses — fois gras appetizer, pot roast main course, salad and cheese course, and the cake. Having stuffed myself on hors d’oeuveres, it’s a challenge to make it through dinner, but I manage to at least try everything! During this time, many people make speeches (including Charlotte and her sisters) and there are two slide-shows of pictures from the bride and groom’s youth. Eglantine and Jerome cut the cake, there’s more champagne toasting, and then some of the guests begin to head out. The DJ takes this as a sign, drops the lights, cranks the music, and a couple of people clear and move some tables to make dancing space. For the next hour or so, Charlotte and I dance (her well, me poorly), and then we decide it’s time to head for our lodgings.
This proves to be somewhat more difficult than expected. As it turns out, the place we’re staying that night is a cabin at the very same campground that we had earlier turned into. This is not in itself a big deal, but what IS a big deal is that the road to the cabins is only drivable until ten PM. Given that it’s some godawful hour in the early morning, Charlotte and I have to park in the front parking lot and then stumbling along the winding road. It is pitch black out and we have only her blackberry and my laptop computer to use as flashlights, while also hauling suitcases and carry-on bags. We furtively wander up to cabin after cabin, trying to find the one that is ours. Naturally, it is the one at the very furthest reaches of the road, and down a small grass hill. Exhausted, we stumble inside. It’s not as rustic as I expect, but it is very small. We quickly find a bed, and almost immediately pass out.
[Pictures from Day Eight - Ceremony]
[Pictures from Day Eight - Reception]
