No sleeping until the afternoon on Saturday, we had a wedding to attend. There was enough time in the morning to make tea and pick up some prosciutto, brie and baguette from the local market. Those sandwiches were lifesavers.
Decked out in suits and fancy dresses, the elegant crowd boarded the bus to the church at the base of the mountain in Le Chable. The ceremony was beautiful and very upbeat. This was the first time I witnessed a high five exchanged between the new bride and groom as part of their vows.
Kate’s mom lamented about the weather. I thought it was actually quite mystic.
A thick coat of grey had coated the mountains both Friday and Saturday. And, as we climbed high up the mountain to attend the reception, we were literally absorbed by the clouds. This was not at all dour, it truly felt like we were sucked into a magical fairytale which, in a way, we were.
Champagne began to flow, followed by white wine, then red wine, all paired with magnificent food. The first course was a chantarelle mushroom soup, which is one of the greatest dishes I’ve ever tasted. The main course was a divinely seared venison that was absolutely perfect. Espresso and some peach infused grappa accompanied a dessert of local berries and cream. No expense was spared, and every aspect of the reception dripped with excellence.
A group of us piled into an SUV to make it back down the mountain in the village for the afterparty, which was sealed to the public. Almost everyone from the wedding, which had just over one hundred people, made it to the club. There we were, a group from across the globe, reveling in grand celebration of our friends the bride and groom. If any of you have seen the photos on Facebook, you’ll see that this party featured many of the men dancing sans trousers. I guess that means we were no longer quite as elegant, but we certainly were never anything less than posh.
Sunday turned out to be glorious. The sun had returned, and I as I peered off into the magnificent vistas of the Alps, I understand what Kate’s mom was frustrated about the day before. It is certainly spectacular here on a clear day.
We all made it, some earlier than others, back to Kate’s chalet to reflect. The bride insisted that I remain, and I ended up spending the afternoon with a small group of friends and family basking under glorious sun as we all told stories and made one another laugh. We went back into the village for drinks at TBar followed by dinner at a local restaurant, and still more drinks at TBar. By now I truly knew everybody in town.
The wedding was quite an adventure. What really made the weekend special was how intimate it was, whether sitting around a table in the kitchen of the chalet, dancing at the club, or schmoozing at the rehearsal dinner. This couple is bound by love, and the kindness of generosity of each of their friends and family offered each of us a delightful expansion of our own spheres. Thanks to their union, the world became a bit smaller and far more wonderful for us all.
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