French wedding

A charming wedding custom of small French town, which is still in practice where the groom comes to her bride’s home early on the wedding day. Groom escorts her to the wedding chapel in a procession, headed by musician, followed behind by bride with her father, guests and groom with his mother at the end. In Brittany, children block the roads with ribbon that must be cut by the bride. The groom has to remove brains that have been placed across the road by those who demand and receive payment for these obstacles. All these obstacles are created for the wedding couple to overcome together and thus to signify their common path in new life.

The church is filled with incense and flowers, bride and groom are seated on two red velvet chair, underneath a silk canopy. At the end of ceremony a square of silk fabric is held over the head of the couple as priest blessing. The same silk is used to wrap their chill when they are baptized. Outside the church rice or wheat is showered over them as a symbol of prosperity.

At the reception the newlyweds toast each other from a engraved two handle cup, called la coupe de marriage. The traditional french wedding cake is called croquembouche which is a pyramid of creme-filled pastry puffs, drizzled with a caramel glaze.

Dancing is the popular past time in french time, the traditional dance is ‘rond‘ in which people join hand and dance in circle. After the reception, those invited for the wedding gather outside the newlyweds window and bangs pots and pans. They are then invited in the house for some more drink in the couple’s honour. This practice is called chiverie or charivari.

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