We Said Oui: Simple, Romantic Wedding of Americans in France
Jalen & Maria
On a hot and sunny day all the way back in July, we said oui to forever at the Reims town hall. After four years of dating and nearly four years of engagement, we finally made it official. That&#82…
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The Francofile
On a hot and sunny day all the way back in July, we said oui to forever at the Reims town hall. After four years of dating and nearly four years of engagement, we finally made it official. That’s right, we’re married! Numerous bumps in the road prevented us from planning a wedding earlier, not the least of which being a transatlantic move and a global pandemic. Though in our hearts we committed our lives to each other many years ago, we now have the paperwork to prove it!

We didn’t book a luxurious venue, hire a fancy caterer, or send out elegant invites. Instead, we had a low-profile elopement-esque ceremony that centered our comfort, happiness, and romance. It’s been just us against the world since day one, and a simple civil ceremony in the country we adore fit our needs perfectly.

Though we skipped the vast majority of items on the typical wedding checklist, we did hire a photographer so that we could share what our special day looked like with our friends, family, and audience around the globe. We would have told you earlier, but what good is a surprise marriage announcement without any pictures to show for it? We were ecstatic that one of our favorite French photographers, Sarah-Rose Photos, was available for our ceremony, and couldn’t be more pleased with the photos she took that perfectly illustrate our love.

Other than our photographer, we only had two other attendees at our ceremony. My dearest French friend that I’ve known since my 2013 high school exchange and her significant other graciously agreed to be our témoins, or witnesses. Our friendship has never wavered since the day we met, and their presence at our wedding meant so much to us.

From falling madly in love as teenagers, to taking on rigorous undergraduate studies together, to moving all the way to France to teach English, to supporting each other through arduous French master’s degrees, neither of us would be where we are today had we not found the other. We are each other’s best friend, confidant, travel partner, caretaker, supporter, and true love.

We can’t wait to share all the nitty-gritty details about how we pulled off getting married à la française as two Americans living in France in our upcoming blog posts. Until then, we’re just glad that you finally know our good news!

Learn more about getting married in France as Americans!

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