Reflecting on a 2023 Wedding in Provence

Looking back on weddings 2022 and 2023

The thing about setting off on a new life in a new country (albeit with the “old” man) is, well it’s kind of time-consuming! So when, for the first time in my two years in France I thought “I’d better write a wedding blog”, the title that came to mind was simply “Reflecting on a 2023 wedding””. But then, you knew that since you’ve read this far. But what to write about. What do I choose from the last 2 years’ weddings in this beautiful country?

It’s the last day of 2023. I’ve got so many memories swimming around I’m struggling to know where to start on my reflection of this year, let alone 2022 as well. “Fun and laughter and joy ever after…” is part of Sir Cliff’s take on Christmas (that’ll be Cliff Richard to you younger people, the song’s Mistletoe and Wine, he played with the Shadows….ok, look him up!)

Anyway, I couldn’t help humming the tune whilst looking at some of my 2023 ceremony pictures. Nothing to do with Christmas, but a lot to do with the vibe at the best weddings. So for now, I’ve decided to blog about one in particular, inspired by the pictures taken by the wonderful Colas at My Blue Sky Wedding.

It’s all about the Vibe

Why this wedding? I could have chosen pretty much any of them, but what struck me about Chris and Louise’s pictures was that in every shot everyone looked utterly engaged with the ceremony. We had no symbolism other than the exchange of wedding rings. There was a chamber orchestra and four people read three readings since one was in both French and English.

One of my favourite moments occurred before the show had even started! As with nearly all my weddings here in France, meeting Chris and Louise felt like meeting old friends after all those hours creating their ceremony – despite never having met them in person. I’d not only poured over their questionnaires dozens of times and spoken to them length on Zoom, I’d also had great conversations with a selection of their family and friends to help weave the tapestry of their story.

The Start of the Ceremony

Louise’s entrance with her father was perfect. In the photos, you can see the love in the bridesmaid’s faces, and Louise’s dad’s pride as he walked his daughter across the lawns.

I like to take time to help everyone settle into the ceremony here in France in particular. After all, everyone has had to travel to get here whether they’ve come from the UK or further afield. We always have a “stop and breathe” moment, to give everyone a chance to relax and be in the moment.

What’s next in the Wedding?

After that it’s time to introduce the body of the ceremony. In this case, we focussed in Louise and Chris’s beautiful story which started in France. Since I’d spent time talking to both families and close friends, I was able to engage them from the start, teasing the parents about some of the information they’d shared.

I love it when guests participate through readings chosen by the couple or by themselves. In this case, Louise and Chris’s friend Laura read “The Relationship Promise” by Luke Wright. It was an apt reading to start the lead up to their exchange of promises!

Two other readings included “Love is Sharing” skillfully translated by Louise and read in both English and French, and the final poem was “Here’s to Right Now” written by Ms Moem and read by the indomitable Dia, Chris’s grandmother.

As the ceremony progressed, we had smiles,

Laughter such as discussing Chris and Louise’s particular foibles (“I love you despite…”!)

Thought provoking moments,

And hilarity brought on by Chris’s grandmother Dia telling him off for claiming not to be as “cultured” as his beloved! As you can see by those around her, her off the cuff comment went down a storm. Everyone shared the moment as I conveyed what she said to those at the back.

At last, the Wedding Vows

Then came the vows, and they were beautifully written and read by our bride and groom. The joy these two conveyed in finally tying the knot was palpable!

The charm of this ceremony came from Chris and Louise’s story rather than extra symbolism. Though I couldn’t resist sharing Louise’s sens of triumph when she finally wore Chris’s ring!

And so to the final moments when we shared wishes for the future and heard Dia’s reading. “The first kiss” crowned all as we celebrated the love these two have for each other.

Now Enjoy the Rest of the Day!

And so for Louise and Chris and their guests to canapés, dinner and partying for the rest of the day and into the night.

This was one of a number of weddings I’ve had the privilege to celebrate in Provence. I still have to pinch myself to check I’m not dreaming at times. “I’m an English Speaking celebrant in France”! I’ve travelled to Provence, The Herault (where I live), The Aude, The Tarn and even further north into Dordogne. I can’t believe how lucky I am to have been able to bring the profession that I love over the channel with me to France, and to continue starting great wedding days with engaging, as-near-to-perfect-as-possible (!) ceremonies.

As for Louise and Chris, they were very kind with their response to the ceremony.

In an email they wrote;

“Thank you again for your beautiful ceremony! It was so perfect, and we’ve had lots of friends and family commenting that the ceremony was really special because it was so personal. People also really enjoyed the loving despite and loving because section haha”.

And later, “Helen did a brilliant job of officiating at our wedding in Provence and we can’t recommend her highly enough!! She is warm and funny, and a delight to work with in the months ahead. On the day itself we laughed, cried and learnt some new things along the way, it was a beautiful ceremony.”

Which will do for me!

The pictures were taken by My Blue Sky Wedding, 

Venue Mas des Comptes de Provence

Flowers Bujar MORINAJ c/o Mas des Comptes de Provence

Musicians Elegy Quatuor

Videographer (though I’ve not seen the video!) Alexandre Vallee