Last weekend, our dear friends got married in a chateau just outside Grenoble, France. The intercultural couple met in Cork; he’s Irish and she’s French. It was such a lovely wedding. I admit to not being prepared for my first French wedding, and filled up my second dedicated cake stomach before the main meal, which began late in the evening. There was an official ceremony at the administrative building in the town and a more traditional ceremony in the lovely setting of the chateau. The couple had paid for an open bar for the guests in attendance, and the canapés were plentiful, including a recreation of the couple’s favourite kebab from Istanbul Kebab in Cork City.

The wedding’s surprise was a brass band playing instrumental versions of classic hits. Their lead saxophonist, with his distinctive hairy ear, was particularly memorable. My husband and I had joked about the ginger fuzz on the upper part of the guy’s right ear, but it didn’t detract from the incredible musical experience of the afternoon and into the evening. The food kept arriving, and there was even a cheese course! I was stuffed with food and cocktails, but when dessert arrived at 11 p.m. I could only manage a few tiny choux pastry balls from the croquembouche. They were delicious!

After our friends’ wedding, we joined them for brunch the following day. They were relaxed and content, and it was wonderful to be part of their celebration. It had been almost eight years since they’d attended our wedding, and it was great to see them so happy. We headed to the airport, where we spent a night before catching an early flight from Lyon to Dublin and then driving back home. France is such a lovely place for a wedding, and we’ll definitely be back.