Our very special day

Our big day is coming up. Yes, after all these years, we are getting married. The timing - the fact that this happy event coincides with us going to Japan, might suggest we are doing this for pragmatic reasons. And we are - but the fact of the matter is that it was still something I was pretty excited about!

We wanted to keep the affair low-key, so only invited close family, and Aude and Magaye (after all, we need a bridesmaid and a best man, right?). I was happy that Katja & Janne, as well as dad and Berit could make it, in spite of the rather short notice.

Things got underway with the night before the big day, with a big dinner at Francoise and Joel's place, where our Finnish guests also joined. Predictably, great food was served up, a beef tongue pot au feu was on the menu - doesn't get much more traditionally French than that!

Then, as for our special day, we started off, as tradition has it, at the Puilbureau town hall (we didn't do the church bit). We were blessed with fantastic weather and a blue sky, something that's not at all to be taken for granted in this part of the world. Everything went very well in the town hall, Mathilde looked absolutely stunning in her red dress, and I didn't mess it all up by stumbling, losing my nerve, or forgetting how to answer the questions asked by the mayor!

After plenty of pictures taken in the nice little park outside the town hall, we headed back to Francoise and Joel's place, where plenty of more pictures were taken, and we enjoyed a proper French aperitif. And the bride still looked stunning!

We had the meal at a very nice panoramic restaurant by the Ile de Re bridge, from where the views towards Ile de Re and the beautiful Charantese coastline are absolutely fantastic - especially on a sunny day like this ! (when we tested the restaurant before christmas, the views were considerable less impressive, with a fog obscuring the view). The food was great, the wine was great, in fact, everything was just perfect! There was even a Japanese touch thanks to Aude and Magaye who "made us" perform a Japanese wedding ritual which involves sharing some sake.

After the meal, we all had a nice walk along the beautiful coastal footpath, making the best of the fantastic weather. Sadly, at this point it was time to say good bye to my dad and Berit, who headed back to the hotel to catch some rest. For the night's program, we had booked an Escape room for the "youth" (anybody under 50, basially!). Great fun, actually, and best of all, both groups (we had to split into two groups) completed the mission (which involved WWII submarines - there was a big base at La Rochelle). We then continued partying into the small hours of the morning - a rare thing at my age! ;)

The next day,  alas, it was time to say goodbye to everybody. So how was it, then, to get married ? Well, it was actually quite a magical moment, more so than what I expected. And I'm really happy we did it the "proper way" in the end, together with family and friends. A weekend I will never forget!