All courses available either in person or via Skype or Telephone. Please contact us for more information

Vous recherchez des Cours d'Anglais? Cliquez-ici.

How do the French celebrate a wedding?

Every country has it’s own way of celebrating a wedding. This happy occasion is celebrated in different ways all over the world, but what are the specific ways of celebrating in France when a couple get married?

Before the wedding, it used to be tradition that only the groom would have a stag party which is called in French ‘Enterrement de Vie de Garçon’ (burial of your boy life!) and that the bride wouldn’t have a celebration like a Hen Party with her friends. However times have changed and while hen parties aren’t as popular or as extravagant as in other countries, they are also now more commonplace.

Everyone in France must get married in the local town hall (Mairie). If you wish to get married in a church, then this is always in addition to the official legal ceremony at the town hall. Some people decide to get married first at the Mairie and then go on to the church and some do it in the opposite order. Some get married at the Mairie earlier in the week and then just do the church ceremony on their ‘Wedding Day’.

In France, brides don’t have friends of their own age as bridesmaids like in many English-speaking countries. They have children, usually girls but also boys as flower girls and page boys and these are the ‘Demoiselles d’Honneur’. The couple choose witnesses for the official ceremony at the Mairie and these are the ‘témoins’. It is considered bad luck for the groom to see the brides’ dress before the wedding day, like in many other countries.

After the ceremony, French people always do a ‘Vin d’honneur’. This is where people come and toast the happy couple and have a drink to celebrate their union. This is the moment when colleagues, neighbours and acquaintances are also invited in addition to family and close friends. Everyone shares a drink and some canapés, has a chat and children play games. Like in many other countries, champagne is the drink of choice!

After the ‘Vin d’Honneur’, family and close friends go to the place where the main meal and evening party will be held. There is usually a sit down formal dinner followed by drinks and dancing. The wedding cake in France is traditionally a ‘Pièce Montée’ made with profiteroles filled with cream and made into a tower stuck together with caramel and decorated to make it look pretty.

At any point in the day when the wedding party and friends are moving from one location to another in cars, the cars will go in procession and beep their horns as they parade through the streets. Often people on the street will clap and cheer as the married couple drive past!

After the meal and the cake, there is usually dancing into the early hours of the morning!

There is also an old tradition which is slightly old-fashioned nowadays and some couples choose not to do this….but to financially help the young couple who were getting married, the bride would wear a garter that she puts around her ankle. As people give money, she moves the garter slowly up her leg up (a little like an auction) to its usually place on her thigh. By this point people have given quite a lot of money and the young couple can put this towards their honeymoon or their new home!

Before the wedding, the future bride and groom make a wedding list in a shop and wedding guests can go to the shop to choose their gifts from the list. After the wedding, the couple usually go away on a honeymoon like in most countries around the world.

February 1st, 2024
News Things to do

Thrills and Chills: Junior World Ski Championships 2024 Descends Upon Morzine

The picturesque town of Morzine, nestled in the French Alps, is set to become the epicenter of youthful skiing prowess as it hosts the Junior World Ski Championships in 2024. With its stunning mountainous landscapes and world-class ski facilities, Morzine provides the perfect backdrop for this exhilarating competition, where the…

May 12th, 2023
Activities Things to do

Your French Summer Holiday in Morzine – Bucket List!

Summer in the mountains is a completely different holiday experience to your normal all inclusive beach holiday, in fact, it’s better! Imagine – gorgeous views surrounding you, long days in the sun spent swimming in Alpine lakes or exploring the mountains on foot or bike, and finishing the day with…

May 4th, 2023
News Things to do

When is the Tour de France 2023 coming to Morzine?

On Saturday 15th July the Tour de France will arrive in Morzine. The Tour will depart from Annemasse on Saturday morning and head towards Samoëns. From there, the riders will have to conquer the winding road to the Col de Joux Plane, at 1691 m altitude, that separates the valleys…

January 6th, 2023
Activities Things to do

Beginner skiing in Morzine

If you have never skied before and are looking to spend a holiday, or perhaps a season in the french alps, you have a lot to think about. From what clothes you need, how many layers to put on, to equipment and overall fitness, the experience is definitely a new…