the wedding day

Please excuse the rather boring blog but the blogger in me loses her sass when I'm pooped. I'm rather late in posting everything and I imagine that I'll have more to do when I get back as the late nights are making it very difficult to keep up with everything but it's been such great time meeting new people and eating fantastic food and enjoying the celebration.

My stomach has become a vat of pate, saucisson, wine, champagne and cheese cheese cheese!!  And I forgot to bring my fat pants...you know, the ones with the elastic around the waist that when I'm in public I refer to as my jogging trousers.  The tummy is rumbling these days and I suspect it's because it's trying so hard to keep up the digestion process going 24/7 with all the lovely and fatty food I've been eating. While I'm not over the moon to be leaving France tomorrow my body is thankful for the upcoming break.  To be fair, I went running on Friday and Saturday morning and am hoping to get another lope on along the beach tomorrow before we leave.

Anyway, yesterday was the big day...and it was a glorious one.  I've been looking at the weather forecast for the last two weeks and in every instance, it was rain rain rain and I don't know how they managed it but it was sunny and lovely and perfect.  After a wander into town in the morning and a light lunch (moules frites si vous plait) David and I smartened ourselves up and headed out to Caen.  Caen is about 25 minutes away from where we are all staying and is where Alex was born and where his parents got married.

The way it works in France is that everyone has to get married in a civil service and so the main ceremony was at the 'registrars' office and if your government office looked like the one we were at, everyone would be getting married there regardless. AMAZEBALLS!!!!  I don't have to tell you how stunning Jen and Alex were, you can see for yourselves below.

The was an intermission of sorts and we all took off after the ceremony only to reconvene at the restaurant where we drank and ate until 2pm.  Spectacular food and great company with great entertainment from various people -perhaps some stories to come later.

On our way to Caen - thank you little GPS voice for getting us there!

In the afternoon, getting our lunch wine of course

One of David's newest pals, Rod.  Adorable (must be pronounced with a french accent)

More new friends, Scott and Andre, hello Mr Handsomes

Kevin (my filipino bro) and Sarah

The lovely couples, Kevin and Will and Rod and Greg

And here it comes....

Not married just yet and looking F-I-N-E

In the ceremony exchanging bands

Taking pictures with the dashing Mr Thibodeaux

Need I say more?

Almost married at this point!

Getting hitched and also trying to sneak a peek at Jen's rocking shoes!

Pictures with family:  Uncle Philippe, Aunt Christine, Jean Charles and Louis

Drinking a shot of calvados with Andre.

And this is where they were married and where Alex's parents had gotten married many years before.

The hallway

Don't know how this got here!

More pics and stories to come but not until I get myself back home!  Leaving early tomorrow and don't get back until late because we've got a couple of dogs to pick up on our way home.

Hope you enjoy the pictures!  Love, Nikki

The Scots have arrived!

And we're so unprepared it's not even funny.  I lost my camera at Glasgow airport, along with my connection cable and my ear buds for rocking out!  So SO bummed.

I'm afraid that there won't be any pics until tomorrow when we sort out  a few things about phones and cameras extra because I left my camera at Glasgow airport because my husband was yelling at me (I don't blame him but it did frazzle me so that I wasn't paying the upmost attention to collecting my things) - let's not get in to that one at the moment.

Staying with the Lees is always lovely, lovely hospitality, lovely guests and hopefully you'll find one of boys hanging about to have a good chat with  - Joshie was in and got to catch up a bit and then went of in to the day.

David figured out on the way to Onslow Square that he had forgotten to bring a pair of dress shoes and he's forgotten a tie as well.  Nicky Lee jumped right in to sort out the shoes but then there was still the tie...figured we'd buy it at the airport but as it turned out the Tie Rack no longer exists in terminal 5 and ties are £65 - £72 in the other shops like Harrods...not quite in our price range.  We are going sans tie this weekend.

Anyway, left at 11.30am to get to the airport, found no tie, discovered I'd left my camera at Glasgow airport (hopefully somebody will be kind and return it to lost and found) then went an had a meal and beers to drown our sorrows.  I could only think with the weekend starting off so badly that it had, in the end, would turn out wonderfully...and it's getting there.

TO LHR: On the underground (found out phone was missing but was hiding the agony)

TO CDG:  on the plane -still hiding the agony but the G&T really helped!

                                                                Thank god almighty!

our snazzy car!  which we received 3 minutes for preferred customers...imagine david having to explain this to the french!

In the car along the perepherique!  BOOO - took so long!

Just happy that we are moving and that it's my husband driving as I am full of G&Ts

Nasty weather but we're almost there

Had a mini stress driving our car out of CDG airport ( I should have offered my services because the right hand side of the road is kind of my thing) but David took control and after a lot of swearing I managed to get us going in the right direction...managed the perepherique and made it to Dives Sur Mer where we are staying at one of the lousiest hotels ever!

We are living in a room on a cruise ship and I am Julie your cruise director!  I'm trying to find the funny in this but we definitely were not  impressed when we got here.  It's a funny set up (no drawers or closets or fridges) so we've had to make do with a few fewer things which sucks s bit.  But we've got a bunkbed on top of our bed and serves various purposes, like the storage of our clothes - get you minds out of the gutter folks!

The shower and toilet are moulded into one big porto-potty ...weird but it works if you treat it like a wet room

The beds nice and firm but with a bunked on top in case the old man gets mad at me and chuck me out!

 Jen and Alex were brilliant and made these lovely totes for everyone that had a bit of local flavour in them!  Better pics to come.

 Me trying to figure out how we are going to try and share the sink area!

 Shoes go underneath the sink...my poor shoes but they'll be alright!

Spent the day driving around some of the D-Day beaches and Dad would have loved them - had a great picnic too with patisserie! 

In the evening we were invited over to Jen and Alex's gorgeous rental for stunning food, great wine and the most friendly people on the face of the planet - what a fantastic group and can't wait to hear all their stories! 

The exit....

First goodbye to Alex's family

And then there's the touching!  Am I going crazy or is my honey pie soft on this bird?

Still touching and more dramatic in black and white!  Where the hell is Alex?

 I'll bet Jen's saying 'my fiancé is going to kick your ass!'

Coming to save his woman from the clutches of Mr Callander!

And there they are again...she can't seem to get away from him but at least she's moving him farther away from the house.

Oh no!  He's gone and done it...has managed to lift her slight frame into his Scottish arms and...

   begins to run away with her!!!!!

Alas, he just not as fit as he thought he was and drops her (I'd like to make ante here that David has started seeing  personal trainer and if this wedding was taking place in a year's time, he might have made away with her!)

Then fiancé to the rescue!

They go back to this gigantic dwelling and live happily ever after!

Happily ever after PART 2 starts tomorrow with the wedding!

Bon Nuit!  Nikki xx

We are on our way!

I'm slightly grumpy having worked all day (bad idea) skipped eating and then ran to the airport as soon as I got home...never go on holiday the moment you get off work because it's just not nice!  We didn't really have a say in - we used our air miles and got our round trip to France for £56 so I shouldn't complain.  I'm currently sitting on our room in the Onslow Square Church House where we get to stay with the lovely Lees  for the night and then head off tomorrow for Paris (CDG).  Then we'll hop in our rental car and motor to Cabourg to see the lovely Dethier/Vaughn clan.  My excitement tonight in this fab self portrait.

Okay, I am way more excited than that but you just can't tell because I'm totally trashed.

Will pick this up again tomorrow!

Love , Nikki

P.S.  i had lovely eyelash extensions for this event but had to get them removed because they kept coming off - they rocked for about 3 days!  Even the hubby was digging them.