Our not so big, not so fat French wedding
So, as we hope you've understood, we're getting married in September this year, in Sevrier, France. Practicalities dictate, of course, that some french rules, laws and traditions be respected, so here are some of the most common french traditions explained. We're not going to follow all of them, but it's interesting nonetheless.
In the olden days, when everyone lived in little villages and married the boy/girl from down the road, the groom would meet his fiancée at her home on the day of the wedding and escort her to the chapel where the ceremony was to be held. As the couple proceeded to the chapel, children would stretch long white ribbons across the road which the bride cut as they passed.
At the chapel, the bride and groom were seated on two red velvet chairs underneath a silk canopy they called a carre. Laurel leaves were scattered across their paths when they exited the chapel. Sometimes small coins were also tossed for the children to gather. Nowadays it's usually confetti, or rice (but not Ambrosia!)
At the reception, the couple customarily uses a toasting cup, called a Coupe de Marriage. The origin of giving toast actually began in France, when they literally dropped a small piece of toast into the couple's wine (to ensure a healthy life). They lifted their glass to "a toast" as is common in Western culture today.
It used to be traditional for each guest at a french wedding to bring along a small cake or bun as a blessing for the newly-weds. These cakes would be piled up on a table and the couple would kiss over the pile, bringing them good luck and prosperity and stuff. Nowadays the cakes are made by a chef patissier, but they still have the same shape.
Another practice that is becoming more common at wedding celebrations is "beheading" a bottle of champagne with a sabre made for the occasion. It was started as a way for the Hussards (under Napoleon's command) to celebrate victories and exhibit their horseback skills: they would "behead" the top off a bottle of champagne while on horseback. Legend has it that the skilled horsemen would ride at a full gallop while brave women held up bottles of champagne. The sabre must strike the neck of the bottle at exactly the right angle (champagne bottles have over 100 pounds of pressure per square inch).
posted by dave @ 12:06 am
7 Comments:
Can anyone tell me where the Jewish tradition of the bride breaking a wine glass at a wedding comes from? Doesn't really pertain to your wedding, but i thought it might be an interesting footnote...
Glad you found the pièce montée photo to be useful. Best of luck.
Not a comment on "Our not so big..." but on the website. Does the choice of Wedding music suggest that David will arrive at the wedding on a white horse (with sabre raised of course), that you will both leave the wedding in a horse-drawn carriage or that you are giving each other horses as wedding gifts? Can anyone suggest any other significance of the choice of wedding music?
So, i just took some films to Walgreens to be developed, not really knowing what was on them, and lo and behold, i find pictures of Becki and Kenny's wedding. There was a film from 2001, as well...
Time to post a reply, I think...
I've no idea about the wineglass breaking Matthew. I'll try to find out for you.
As for the wedding music, the link on the site was just a joke actually. This is the real music for our wedding.
Maybe you could upload some of those photos Matt?
Glad to hear you like the idea of a coupe de mariage. Traditionally the cup has the family name of the groom on it and is passed from father to son, but in this age of equality there's no reason why you couldn't have both names. Best of luck with the wedding.
Hello, I came across your blog when searching for a coupe de mariage, we've been searching for almost a year for one without luck. do you know where we might be able to find one or should we look in stores in France? Thank you and congratulations on your marriage!
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