that morning

So despite the ceremony not being until 5pm, we had to get up bright and early to do all the behind the scenes stuff.  First thing we did, of course, was check the weather.

See, we had gambled.  We had chosen to have the ceremony outside in the remote countryside in Normandy.  Rain in the countryside with fancy shoes is no fun.  We had also invested money and dedicated a good portion of the evening to releasing wish lanterns into a rainless night sky.  Average rainfall in Normandy is 27 inches.  Average in London is 29.

Me:  So?
Husband:  It’s supposed to be like yesterday
Me:  You mean sunny in the morning then violent storm at 5pm the exact time of our ceremony?
Husband:  That’s what it says. 
Me:  Maybe we should think about a plan B.    

But we didn’t have time to think because we had to get the key to the gite the guests were staying at.  As we did the inspection I wondered to myself if this was the kind of gite with towels.  I tried to remember what I had communicated to guests.

But it was on to the next thing which was to do last minute preparations for the reception.  Armed with a giant board, nails, hammer, and string to put together the table placement sign, I stood and directed father in law as he put up the board.  But that’s as far as he got as he had to go to the train station to pick up the first wave of guests.  Mother-in-law and I were left to do the job.  Husband told me to keep an eye on my phone because he would surely be contacting us.

About 10 minutes later my phone dies and this wouldn’t have been a big deal had I not left my charger back in Paris.  On the off chance I asked my mother in law if she had her charger (we have the same phone).  She doubted it but because everyone will humor a stressed bride she looked in her purse and, miraculously, had it!  
   
We shared a moment of amusement but not for long as there were things to mount and both of us had only theoretical knowledge of hammer hitting.  We got it done, but flimsy would be the word to describe the result.  But no time to worry as it was on to the next thing which was to have lunch.

We arrived back at the hotel to join our families who had had a leisurely morning sleeping in or walking around the premises.  By the time I grouped and seated everyone I looked at the time.  1:00pm.   Groom side had to leave at 3:00.  I casually mentioned that there were sandwiches for those who thought maybe they would need more than one hour to get ready.  They went like hotcakes.  My mind went back to a week earlier when we had ordered the sandwiches for the gite guests in which husband and I had one of our typical Americans vs. French conversations.   

Me: Maybe we should get some extra sandwiches for us on Saturday
Husband:  Why?  We can eat at the hotel.
Me:  Yeah but we’ll be really busy.
Husband:  Ceremony starts at 5.  We have time.
Me: …
Husband:  It’s our wedding day, we can have a nice lunch. 
Me:  Let’s just get extra sandwiches.  Just in case.

I too was supposed to be sandwich eater as I was meant to accompany my parents in law to pick up the next wave of guests coming into the train station.  But they insisted I stay and have a nice lunch replacing me instead with a napkin with something like “Hello, come with us Orange wedding” written on it.

Concerned but at this point exhausted from keeping everyone on schedule I did what I was told and had a lunch consisting of tactfully hurrying along 10 people and trying to make conversation with the only two French people remaining who happened to be teenagers who didn’t know anyone, didn’t speak English, and had wanted to be sandwiches eaters but were forced to stay due to lack of enough sandwiches.