My wedding in France felt like a dream come true. It sounds really cheesy to say that, but it was even better than I could have imagined. While I’m not and have never been a “wedding” person, I did not expect the day to be as fun and meaningful as it was. I’ve never thrown a big party before, so I had no preconceived ideas about it, and I thought because I had already been to several weddings with half the same people (my family is big) that I knew what it would feel like. Boy, was I wrong!
J and I traveled to France on July 15th after two trips to Paris, months of planning, hundreds of emails, and what felt like countless hours of fretting over small details. Our wedding was July 20th, a Wednesday. We’d put so much time and work into the planning that we were both pretty maxed out on the wedding before it even began. I wasn’t sure how the week would go, if there would be any unforeseen events or problems, and I definitely wasn’t sure if I’d sleep well. On our last trip to Paris in April, I had a bad encounter with a Tylenol PM and spent the whole week groggy and out of sorts. Not looking to repeat that, I packed my trusty Cat Eye Mask, extra earplugs, and every toiletry item I could fit in my luggage, to ensure I was well rested and fresh faced on my wedding day.
The first few days were calm, I adjusted seamlessly to the time change, and our appetites were good and healthy. It was strange to be in Paris and to not do anything touristy, so J obliged me with a few walks around Rue Cler and visits to our favorite coffee shops. We met with our coordinator the same day we arrived, I finished assembling our programs at my in-laws (I designed all the paper things), and we got a few last minute details/pick ups squared away. By the time Monday rolled around, we had rehearsed our dance in a courtyard, attended a few group tours that we planned for guests, practiced the ceremony with our officiant, and sent out detailed emails for each traveller.
Wednesday started off a bit bumpy. I had heat exhaustion from the trip to Versailles the day before (it was over 95° and crazy crowded), storm clouds were looming, and my maid-of-honor and I were Ubering around Paris like madwomen. But when I arrived at the venue, our coordinators were on top of everything. The mood went from frantic to peaceful, the weather cleared, and by the time my hair was being done I was joyfully listening to the Jazz band practice their set list. During the wedding we we able to focus on enjoying ourselves, spending time with our guests, and having fun. It was an absolutely incredible day and I cannot wait to share all the wonderful stories and details!
I am so thankful to our family and friends who travelled from all over the world to celebrate with us! Our guests made an amazing effort to make friends and welcome each other, which to me was the best part. My heart felt full when I witnessed the generosity, kindness and friendship that came out during our tours and the wedding. I loved all the unexpected pairings and the warm discussions between people we had known from different stages of our lives.
My love goes out to everyone who came to Paris for our wedding! We hope the trip was worth it, we hope you had fun, and thank you so much for your love and support through J and my many years together! My friend Jason said it best at the end of the night: “I don’t use this word very often to describe things, but it was magical.”
