Love and Romance in France @ RomanceClass:
A French Wedding Reception

The Toast
The Wedding Toast is a French tradition - where the Best Man stands up and says some words about his fondness for the new couple. The new couple often has a double-sized goblet, a coupe de mariage, that they drink from together, symbolizing their new life together. Often the couple will then pass this goblet along to friends and family, to invite them to share in their joy.

Champagne
French is world famous for its Champagne, and there is no doubt that Champagne must be present at any French wedding! There are different types of Champagne. Brut is the driest, and the "standard". If you want to get a "great" Champagne, go for a Brut. Extra-dry is less dry than Brut. Sec is sweet, and Demi Sec is even sweeter.

Vintage bottles are, like most wines, from a single year's worth of grapes. Unlabeled or non-vintage bottles are from a blend of years.

Champagne should be served at about 45 degrees. A few hours in the fridge should bring the temperature down, but never store any wine for more than a few days in the fridge. Serve your Champange in tall, narrow-necked glasses, called flutes. Do not use wide-brimmed glasses - they cause the drink to quickly lose both bubbles and flavor.

The French Wedding Cake

The Garter and Bouquet
Pieces of a bride's outfit were considered very lucky by other unmarried women, and often the bride might have small bits of veil or dress torn off. This became the custom of throwing the bouquet and garter to reception members, a symbol of that luck.

Later in the Evening
With all of the talk of French and Sex, a wedding evening is more about friends and party than about the couple running off to be alone. The reception lasts long into the evening and even the next morning. Friends hang out with the couple until the next day. If the couple heads back home, usually the friends will follow behind, making lots of noise. The groom is supposed to welcome them in with open arms, showing that even as a couple, friends are always important.

Love and Romance French style