A question of black and white

For the past three weeks my stint of voluntary work at the little local library has been on a Saturday afternoon. The library is next door to the Town Hall and at this time of year the mayor is very busy with weddings. A civil ceremony is compulsory in France, so I hope his deputies helped out yesterday since there were 16 ceremonies.

It’s very entertaining looking out of the library window at the different fashions worn by the guests and commenting on them with colleagues and other – mostly female – readers. It struck me yesterday how many of the female guests were wearing black. I thought that was not done at weddings. One colleague suggested that maybe some ladies only had one smart outfit, the LBD. There are also a few who wear white, which I thought was also not done. I remember the criticism when Princess Grace of Monaco turned up in white at the wedding of Princess Anne.

The most interesting wedding – at least as a spectator sport – took place a couple of weeks ago. Because the Town Hall is in the old town, whose streets were not designed for modern traffic, there are frequently problems with parking the bridal cars, especially if there is also a church service after the civil ceremony because the cathedral is close by.  Perhaps because of this, scuffles broke out among the male guests, several ended up on the ground, the police piled in and various young men were led away in handcuffs and put in police vans. Must have spoiled the wedding atmosphere! What happened if everyone was wondering where the groom or best man had got to?

Second Time Around

It’s my second wedding anniversary today, so spousal unit and I will be swanning off after Spawn is in bed, for a diner à deux at the same place we held our reception. It will be nice to enjoy the feel of the place properly, without a whole guest party around me and being the centrepiece.

Nice reversal: Back then I couldn’t drink because I was pregnant. Now spousal unit can’t because he’s driving. Payback! *fistpump*

Happy Midsummer to all and sundry; don’t let your bonfires run wild.