Dave and I had the lovely opportunity to visit Chamonix in the French Alps, a valley town at the foot of Mont Blanc and oft featured as a stage in le Tour de France. The occasion? James Grice, Dave's friend through undergraduate and graduate years in Oxford, was marrying Jen Thum, another New Yorker who found her match while studying in England.
Firstly, YOU CANNOT BEAT THE VIEW. I have a thing for mountains, and there were plenty of very big ones in every direction. Secondly, we had perfect weather. I'm not a skier, so I think I prefer the mountains in glorious sunny summer. Thirdly, I have a thing for French lunches... crepes with cheese and ham, a simple salad without cucumber, and a refreshing glass of crisp white wine.
Why the Alps? University College shares ancient ownership of the "Chalet des Anglais" with a few other Oxford colleges, and every year a group of undergraduates go on a "reading party." The students read lofty things in the absence of electricity and with rustic toilet facilities, go on gorgeous hikes, and take turns cooking dinner and doling out healthy doses of french wine. James and Jen had special memories of the two reading parties they went on together, and gained approval to be the first couple to be married at the remote chalet.
You get there by first taking a cable car up one side of a mountain and then walking a bit down the other side... although many wedding guests changed clothes for the occasion, I braved the trek with my trusty fascinator perched on top of my head (much to the confusion of hard core mountain bikers that we passed on the way, wearing full protective head gear). Dave was the best man for the wedding, with all the associated duties, thus it was me and our good friend Minesh for most of that trek... he also opted to stay classy and suited for the trip :)
Dave, Minesh and I spent Friday puttering around Chamonix and helping decorate the (second) chalet in Chamonix where the families were staying and the dinner was held. At one point we had six or so people with doctorates trying to hang bunting, with twice as many onlookers and commentators, but Dave and James came to the rescue and took charge with their magical engineering powers. The place looked charming, and Mont Blanc in the background did NOT hurt. In the evening, after a fantastic barbecue at the hotel/restaurant where most of us were staying, the bride and groom created a pub quiz with questions about them and the other guests. Teams were cleverly designed to each have a family member, a friend from home, a friend from college, a Canadian, a rower, and a few other token characters to answer the tricky questions, and it very successfully broke the ice.
Saturday, we all took vans to the cable car, trickled up/down to the chalet, and after a lovely personal wedding ceremony we had champagne and canapes before gradually returning down the mountain.
The evening started with cocktails and cheese boards, then a lovely outdoor dinner with all guests cozied into picnic tables and under lights hanging from the tent. Dave delivered an excellent best man speech to conclude the event (and I am not just being nice... it was lovely). I have no pictures from the rest of the evening, but suffice to say the very loud and drunken rowers from Oxford headed up one impressive dance party :)
The group was approximately half from Oxford and half from Brooklyn, which was particularly confusing for my subconscious (and accent), but absolutely lovely in the end. I could have easily ended up feeling like a "plus one," but not in this crowd. It was unusual for a wedding: we spent lots of time talking to the bride and groom, and their parents, and actually just about everyone. It was a very relaxed wedding, despite the challenging logistics of shifting an entire wedding party up and down a mountainside. Some guests at the chalet wore t-shirts, some wore three piece suits. The flower arrangements were made up of wildflowers picked on the walk there and placed into empty wine bottles from the chalet kitchen. Everything was easy and enjoyable, a perfect reflection of the happy couple.
Finally, on Sunday, after a leisurely breakfast back under the tent, guests slowly began the return to normal life. Minesh drove us back to Geneva Airport and away we flew.
Can I go back soon, please?
For the full photo album, visit my google album !
