On December 14, my sister married Joren, the Dutchman in her life! The bliss! In France, marriages must be celebrated at City Hall (Mairie) to be valid, so they tied the knot at the Mairie of Paris's 16th arrondissement, in the very building and in the very room where my parents got married 32 years ago. This was a very small affair, with just the parents and siblings of the couple - a great party, in a Belgium castle, is scheduled for next summer.Céline wore a beautiful BCBG dress, with black flowers embroidered on white fabric, and carried an exquisite bouquet in addition to a silver handbag that my mum bought back when she (my mum) was 15... However, she made a cultural gaffe because she wore a pearl pendant and in the Netherlands, pearls represent the bride's tears.
The dinner took place at our favorite Parisian restaurant, Le Congrès, which I blogged about here. Guests were given a choice of foie gras, raw oysters or goat cheese salad, followed by a choice of scallop risotto, lamb or duck breasts. We then went back to my parent's apartment for a pièce montée, the traditional French wedding dessert; this towering pile of cream puffs filled with delicious crème pâtissière was made by Le Nôtre, Paris's supreme pastry store.And the champagne flowed!
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53 comments:
Looks and sounds lovely!!
oh what a handsome couple!!!!! oh and sounds like it was a lovely afair!!! thank you for sharing mary-laure!!! xx
Bella, bella, bella.
bisous-baci to all...
Susan & GG
How nice to read about a charming wedding and small celebration instead of the over the top Bridezilla weddings that we so often see in the US.
May your sister and her husband have much happiness.
Beautiful!
BELLE DE VILLE - oh don't worry, she will turn into Bridezilla I'm afraid, as she prepares her summer wedding with the party and everything.
But I agree with you though - the best weddings I attended were very simple affairs, that emphasized the joy of being together rather than the displays and excesses.
Beautiful sister(like you) and what a handsome groom. xoxo
congratulations! ah, I live in the same country as your sister does :-)
and what a nice couple they make, so happy looking.
enjoy your time in paris and christmas later on!!
oh congrats to celine!
she looks beautiful!
thanks for sharing :)
SOLANGE - actually, Celine and Joren will be moving to Dubai later this month, as my sister landed a fabulous job there.
It's too bad, because I just ADORE The Netherlands, such a wonderful country.
Looks amazing, sounds like you had a wonderful time!
Wait a second... THAT'S MY OWNER!
Mary Laure, Celine will definitely turn into Bridezilla. From what I gather this is what a wedding is all about.
I am quite surprised by the lack of canine presence at the wedding. What gives??? I mean, ok so I wasn't invited but the Oracle??? Couldn't he fit into the little silver purse or be in lieu of the bouquet?
Oh Oracle, the Dutchman looks quite handsome but tell me, how tall is he?
Punkie,
Such a De-lovely wedding:
Celine is an exemple of perfect chic:
The Vintage bag, her romantic make-up.
"Cerise sur le gâteau" an intimate lunch
in a wonderful classic french restaurant.
"The best is yet to come, and baby wont it be fine
You think you've seen the sun, but you aint seen it shine"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wLcKX9tjK8M
With all Good Wishes To the newly brides.
PS: Great photos & between us ....
What an handsome husband
TAOCITO - the Oracle, aka darling Benjy, was present at home, where he was very successful with the Dutch crowd. We did miss you.
As for your new owner, he is 6'6, which is a lot taller than you...
CHLOE - merci de ton adorable comment, je suis sure que Celine en sera tres touchee!
Oh, Mary-Laure, how gorgeous she looked! And how elegant, civilized and romantic to be married at the City Hall in the same room as your parents had.
Congratulations to both Celine and Joren! I wish them a lifetime of love, happiness, laughter, and friendship.
Ooh la la! Thanks for sharing the photos :)
Oh how wonderful-she's lovely! That must mean so much to your Mum and Dad-that they would be married at the same city hall and the same room. Such a delightful time of year to be married too.
The 7-layers are three thin layers of sponge cake, two layers of apricot butter and two layers of rich, dark chocolate. Needless to say...I only make them at Chrsitmas!!! Will you be staying in Paris for Christmas? Have fun.
ANGIE - yes, it was a very romantic coincidence!
And thanks for your sweet wishes, which I will pass on to the newlyweds.
DEBRA - I will be in Paris indeed for Xmas, with my family including its new, Dutch member.
The 7-layers sound FABULOUS but must take for ever to make, no?
Que lindo!!
Todo parece tan especial!!!
Yo tampoco sabia lo de las perlas,seguro seran lagrimas de alegria!!!
Estas en Paris entonces???
Te mando un abrazo enorme!
Just beautiful. Thanks for sharing. Wishing your sister and her husband all the best in the world.
I had been so looking forward to the wedding posting...and, wasn't disappointed. First, the photo you took of the bride (the lighting was so beautiful); second, how dear of the bride to hold the silver handbag her mother had saved for her along with her bouquet; and, three, what a perfect event... elegant understatement!
Wonderful, so lovely and the flowers.....
Oh my goodness, these pictures are just beautiful. Congratulations to your sister and her new hubby :)
Celine looks beautiful and Joren so handsome :-) Congratulations to the couple. The wedding looks and sounds très élégant. Thanks for sharing it with us.
KARINA - si, estoy en Paris para el casamiento y las fiestas de fin de ano, y vuelvo a LA a principios de enero...
SPANGLER - ah, I had so much trouble with that late afternoon winter light! I am rather pleased with how the pics turned out, I have to admit.
So so lovely !
My dearest Mary Laure - these pictures are absolutely lovely. You are such a talented and creative woman, I love to read your blog. Please send my best wishes to Celine and her new beau. What a dream wedding! If you decide to cross the channel after the holidays please come visit. Lots of love to you and the Neulats. Marianna xx
Such a beautiful bride!
What a very special Christmas season for you all.
(No pictures of Benjy??)
I am so happy for your sis and for your family! They make a sweet and beautiful couple and I can see their happiness!!
My best wishes for your whole family girl!!!
I love marriages!
Merry X-mas!!!
Felicitations! Looks lovely!
Dreamy stuff!
B
Indeed, that Joren is quite the looker. And my, my, he is quite tall.
I heard that Benjy had quite some fun with his new relatives who were very fond of playing soccer with him.
I met them as well and was almost kidnapped by the Dutch as they were quite taken with my fluffiness....
congratulations to your sister and her husband! what an excellent event it sounds like :) just lovely.
How posh! Sounds like a lovely wedding to me! Defenetly an "air de famille" there!
How sweet! Looks and sounds like a beautiful wedding for a beautiful couple! My sister is getting married in early January and I'll be heading home for that. Oh wow, I just realized that's the week after next. Time is going so quickly, isn't it?!
Oh it's so divine! Exotic and wonderful - a wedding in Paris!! She looks so gorgoeous and the posey is very pretty indeed!
I'm all for small weddings - I think they are much more meaningful than those over the top affairs with trillions of guests.
MARIANNA - your message goes straight to my heart...
BETH - well, for ONCE, Benjy was not the star of the day! Let's allow someone else to stand in the limelight.
ARTYCHO - yes, people often comment that my sister and I have the same smile! Our mum has the exact same one too, very toothy.
REBECCA - I really hope you'll share pics of your sister's wedding! Keep us posted!
SAM - thanks for the compliments. I too prefer my FAR small weddings.
How sweet! Congratulations to your sister!
How beautiful, what a gorgeous couple. Just wanted to wish you a very Merry Christmas and a blessed holiday season. I guess we will all catch up in 2010. Hugs.
Simply beautiful from beginning to end! Congratulations to the new blissful couple!
Congratulations to Celine and Joren! What a beautiful bride!
Sounds a swell affair.
Congratulations to your sister! This sounds like my kind of wedding.
Congratulations to the newlyweds! How interesting that marriages must be celebrated at city hall first in order to be valid in France. Will the vows be repeated at the party next summer or will it just be one giant, glorious soiree?
City hall marriages seem so romantic to me, maybe because I find them so exotic and not like all the other typical church weddings I've attended in my life. I love the scene with Joan Fontaine and Laurence Olivier in Rebecca in which they get married in this tiny French village. If I ever get married, that is how I'd want to do it.
Joanna, to tell you the truth it was a bit of a paperwork nightmare... Marrying a foreigner was like jumping through hoops of fire on a tiny bicycle (yes I have a great imagination). I was wondering when they would ask for a DNA sample and to sign our names in blood. Ah the french administration....
congrats to your sister and your new brother-in-law! what a lovely wedding.
Nice! Must be so exciting to attend your sister's wedding!!!
Congratulations to your sis and your brother-in-law dear Mary-Laure! So very romantic and perfect for the holiday's! ♥
Congratulations to your sister! It sounds and looks like it was a brilliant day!!
Congrats to your sister. I love December wedddings. Maybe because we got married Dec 22, 19 years ago. Enjoy! xo
What a lovely little wedding. Much more beautiful than MY civil wedding, lol.
So interesting to hear about the pearls...amazing the differences between cultures. My real wedding was a Vedic svayamvara, a fire sacrifice, and I wore red, the color for weddings, cause white is the color for funerals. Loved it. :p
Wow, this wedding looks amazing. I am sure that everyone had an awesome time over there. Everything about this ceremony is fabulous. The bride is truly stunning. We also want a picture perfect fairy themed wedding so have started the preparations already. Would be booking one of the hillside San Francisco wedding venues for the day.
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