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Wonderful hot sunshine and an amazing venue – that was John and Katy’s Wedding in June

It’s been a fabulous summer in France, and thanks to my lovely couples, I’ve been able to see beautiful corners of France that I’ve never visited before. In the Dordogne, just a stone’s throw from me, is the beautiful and welcoming Chateau du Raysse. This was the stunning backdrop to Josie and Robin’s wedding.

Further afield was the fairy-tale castle by the Mediterranean. Alongside the famous Cannes marina at Mandelieu  lies the Chateau de la Napoule, the venue for Katy and John and their lucky guests. You could just stand on the terrace and gaze at the luxury super-yachts gently riding the waves a few metres off-shore.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Great outdoor wedding in both French and English for Jerome and Alex,

conducted by Leslie Mitchell

My last journey in October was to Paris, to the Cemetery in Montparnasse. There we were to lay to rest a Frenchman who had been living with his wife and family in England for many years. It was a long day, leaving home at about 8.30am and arriving back after  10.30pm and although the train took the strain it was quite a tiring day. The funeral took place only a few metres from the graves of Simone de Beauvoir and Jean-Paul Sartre and one of my favourite composers, César Franck..

It was a moving experience to be there on a warm, autumn day, and to see this Frenchman laid to rest in the family tomb.

 

 

Another longish trip in October was to the resort of Méribel in the Alps. Thankfully too early for snow, although it was well in evidence on Mont Blanc and the surrounding peaks. Here we were to inter the ashes of a British man in the garden he loved and cherished. The day was poignant rather than sad, the words of Ewan MacColl seemed particularly appropriate…..

Take me to some high place of heather, rock, and ling,

Scatter my dust and ashes, feed me to the wind,

So that I will be part of all you see, the air you are breathing –

I’ll be part of the curlew’s cry and the soaring hawk,

The blue milkwort and the sundew hung with diamonds;

I’ll be riding the gentle wind that blows through your hair,

Reminding you how we shared in the joy of living.

This month it’s been a case of have ceremony – will travel!  My celebrant wanderings have taken me from the Limousin (where I live) right down to the Pyrenees. Here I had the pleasure of conducting a wedding celebration for a Scottish couple who’d come to France especially to get married. The weather was dull and rainy when I arrived, but the day of the wedding dawned bright and warm – so the bride had her wish and the whole ceremony took place outdoors on a lovely patio looking right out onto the high Pyrenees in the distance.

And not only did the Bride have a lovely view and the warm sunshine, in addition, a gorgeous arbour, made with beautiful fresh flowers.

 

Leslie Mitchell is resident in France and  available for Wedding Ceremonies,Funerals, and Namings.

He is a Registered Celebrant of the Humanist Society Scotland and is authorised by the Registrar General of Scotland to conduct legal marriages in Scotland. His experience as a celebrant goes back more than a decade and he offers his services to members of the British community living in France.  Ceremonies can be conducted in either French or English and of course in a mixture of both languages as appropriate.

Please contact me on 05 55 60 87 07 for further details

leslie@lesliemitchell.fr