The French Teach Me A Thing Or Two About Partying

We went to a wedding in the Perigord on June 24: a fun weekend full of darling friends, Anjou Rose and Bergerac reds, and pretty countryside with vineyards and tasting rooms. I was surprised by the dual ceremonies required in France (first the mayor, wearing the flag, conducts a very serious civil ceremony in the town hall, and then the entire audience treks to the catholic church, where the priest, equally serious, waxes about forgiveness, while leading the religious ceremony. Between the services, the whole crew had time to duck into a cafe and drink a round of brew.) As this is the foie gras and canard capital of the world, we feasted like royalty at the reception.


We rented two farmhouses within 100 meters of the restaurant where the reception was held, with gardens, bbq, and pool. And so I learned from the French (whom stereotypes always cast as proper and reserved) a thing or two about how wedding receptions should always be. The friends of the bride and groom dressed in hilarious costumes and performed a skit during the reception. They practiced diligently the night before, wearing the wigs into the wee hours of the morning. And the after-wedding party didn't die out after midnight as is often the case; these Frenchies rocked to the best 80's hits until dawn.


[Pictured at right: I've learned a new dice game]