The Wedding in Pictures

Finally the grand opus - the work of the century (easy to do with the century only being 10 years old) - the daughter #3 - son-in-law 3A wedding....IN PICTURES (makes it so much easier than having to write all those words). Overcoming various international internet connection problems in the up loading of a crap load of pictures here it is.

THE DEPARTURE

Our party successfully assembled and ready to depart from Gare d'Austerlitz, Paris.
#1, 2B, #2, Wife and #3's friend M
2 and 2B just arrived from the US today. M got in yesterday

2 and 2B conked out on the train ride to Chateauroux

We arrive at the train station in Chateauroux which is an hour's drive away from the chateau
This part of France is literally in the middle of no where. If you study your French history and your French gastronomy and your French wines, you find out that nothing of significance has ever happened here!

THE CHATEAU

When daughter 3 told us early this year of her plan to get married in this chateau our reaction and that of the rest of the family was, "Oh it must be a very nice big house." No.

It's a freakin' chateau!!!!

We arrive to the chateau

No chateau is complete without a moat

And its own chapel

The back of the chateau where we ate most of our meals
By the way, the weather was unbelievable the whole time we were there in the 70's with crystal clear skies.

The pavilion where the meal and party took place

A tour of the inside

The kitchen

Original artwork was everywhere

Small room just out from the kitchen
SiL 3A calculating how to avoid bankruptcy from the cost of the wedding

Wedding Planning Central
aka the Dining Room

Parlour

Living Room

Billiards Room !!!!
(I told you its a freakin' chateau)

GETTING READY FOR THE WEDDING

For most of we guys, the amount of work that it takes to get womenfolk ready for a wedding is almost beyond comprehension. I was the designated chauffeur who drove the various members of the family and wedding party back and forth from the closest town for the hair, nail and make up appointments the day before and the day of the wedding.

Daughter 2 getting worked on. Since she doesn't speak French she wasn't sure what she got.

Wedding girl and Wife before the rehearsal

Rehearsal - 3 and 3A had spent many, many minutes of detailed planning on this - maybe as many as 15.

Opera singer K (another friend from ABQ and SiL 1A listening attentively

Security was super tight. So we had SiL 2B working the perimeter. This was one big event in these parts and you didn't want some cow or carp trying to sneak into the party.

Beautiful bride daughter 3. Friend M putting on the flowers.
M organized making All the corsages and floral arrangements.

THE CEREMONY

Opera singers performing
There were two, S the owner of the chateau and friend K from ABQ. They did solos and a duet. In the locale of the chateau it was pretty awesome.

CONSUMMATION

No, no, no, not that consummation.
The meal silly.
No de-I clan event is complete without some over the top food component.

Here newly wed 3 and 3A show off proudly the roast pigs for the wedding feast.

PARTY

I'm sorry but rumors to the effect that de-I and Wife joining the after meal party (the only members of the wedding guests over 45 years old to do so), staying up dancing with their kids (their kids never, ever having remembered said parents doing such a thing) until 2 AM is strictly slanderous hearsay with no evidence that can be delivered.