Paris Guide: Sharing our Day of Exchanging Vows

Yesterday I shared a lot about how we planned for and celebrated our marriage in Manhattan with our immediate family.  I've already shared with you about the day of our vow exchange in Paris.  In some ways it was similar.  It was intimate. Lynette's sister agreed to perform the ceremony and her husband joined as a witness.  Having a small party of close celebrants gave us flexibility on the day of our vows in Paris to determine our pace and timing.  In other ways it was different.  It was a much calmer and more reflective day.  For months I had been spilling my heart out to Lynette, sharing all the things I loved about her and about us together and how I felt about our future.  We would talk in bed at night about all the things we would include in our vows.  When we exchanged our vows the words didn’t necessarily come out perfectly but we had such a good understanding in the lead up to our day that we knew what we were each communicating and promising.

We started the day with breakfast at Cafe de Flore, a walk at Jardin des Tuileries and some light shopping in Saint-Germain-des-Près.  We then put the finishing touches on our vows and went to Pont Alexandre III for a beautiful and meaningful ceremony at sunset. We then changed into our cocktail attire and went, overdressed, to the Catacombes de Paris and for dinner at Pizzeria Popolare.  We continued the evening into the early morning hours visiting Iconic Paris Bars. It was a perfect day.

We chose November 12, 2019 as the day for our vow exchange because the November full moon, the frost moon, would be at its peak that morning.  I've mentioned before, November is a special month for us because it was when we were first introduced and it is also my birthday month and of course the holidays make it a sentimental time of year for us.

Lynette's sister performed a funny and touching ceremony. Saying our vows out loud to each other was awesome and I think because we had already discussed it so much we knew how we felt and what we were committing to.

Our vow exchange and honeymoon were the perfect compliment to our Manhattan wedding.  We included loved ones in a meaningful way and also kept our commitment to one another at the center of the celebrations. So, for anyone who wants wedding advice, keep it fun.  Do what makes you happy.  Follow traditions that fit your personal style and shrug off those that don't. For marriage advice...today a dear friend told us to keep it happy. Laugh a lot.  Give each other a lot and make sure that you both give fully to each other.  I think it's perfect advice.