Wedding of Elena & Ari
WEDDING OF LENA & ARI
The Date: June 7th, 8th and 9th, 2008
The Location: Majestic Loire Valley Castle
The Ceremony: Non-Traditional Jewish Wedding
No. Of Guests: 48
Thursday and Friday:
Guests flew in from Russia, Australia, UK and even a few from France on that Thursday but the majority arrived at the castle on Friday. Their wedding planner Caroline Berthe had planned out all the activities for the entire week-end.
First the guests were treated to a wonderful and unforgettable hot-air balloon ride which started at dusk and ended way past ten o’clock at night! Everyone met at a pre-determined spot, one hour before sunset. The guests were invited to help prepare and inflate the balloons, a total of four balloons were used to carry everyone. Inflating these giant multi-colored balloons is no easy task and requires a bit of patience and “muscle” …
For those of you who are interested you might want to know that a lot of the work in hot air ballooning comes at the beginning and the end of the flight, when the crew inflates and deflates the balloon. For the spectator, this is a spectacular show; once the crew has found the perfect launching point, they attach the burner system to the basket. Then they attach the balloon envelope and begin laying it out on the ground. Once it is laid out, the crew begins inflating it, using a powerful fan at the base of the envelope. When there is enough air in the balloon, the crew blasts the burner flame into the envelope mouth, this heats up the air, building pressure until the balloon inflates all the way and starts to lift off the ground! But watch out one must be quick to jump in and our guests did just that.
But I digress… here every one chipped in including the future bride and groom and before you knew it was up, up and away!!! It’s hard to resist as one hundred feet of wispy nylon majestically rises, the air is stable, and the winds are calm. All four balloons flew together in harmony. The flight itself was so tranquil and serene; the only sound was the dragon like roar of the burners from each balloon. The views were breathtaking; here the guests were magically transported above the Loire Valley and its beautiful castles, gliding over le Château de Chenonceau and le Château de Razay. Next they flew over the countryside and its glorious forests. The big surprise was when suddenly and just as if it was staged, a mother doe ran across the entire field anxiously looking for her baby fawn which was heard from far away but not in plain site calling for her mother. What an unexpected treat this was!
Unfortunately what “goes up” must “go down” and so the balloon ride was coming to an end. Here the guests braced themselves for the landing. The balloon landing can be a little rough, but our experienced pilot bumped along the ground to stop the balloon gradually, to minimize the impact. Next the ground crew held the basket down once it had landed. But this was not the end of the job for our guests and ground crew who began to push the air out of the balloon. Once the balloon was flattened, the crew packed it into a stuff bag. The whole process was like packing a giant sleeping bag! Champagne was served on the premises during the whole process and one could see how thrilled the guests were with this amazing experience.
It’s now 10:30 pm, the guests are all back at the castle tired but invigorated by the balloon ride. A jazz duo entertains everyone for an informal dinner before everyone retires to bed for a well deserved rest.
Saturday:
The wedding party consisted of several children of all ages as well as adults. What does one do with little children all day you might ask? Well the first thing to remember is that a baby-sitter is a must; preferably someone who speaks their language and can translate for them if needed. Here the children along with their sitter played all afternoon on the grounds of the castle, surrounded by jugglers and gestures dressed in medieval costumes. The bouncy castles were a favorite of the kids where they were allowed to bounce, jump, hop, skip and run around till their little heart’s content! Oh what a ball they had! They also played with medieval wooden games which were plenty of fun but kind of tricky and challenging, games like wooden pin-balls, beautiful wooden chess games and trampolines were also available for kids of all ages as well as puppet and magic shows.
While the children were playing… the adults were also having fun on a leisurely bicycle ride through the countryside along the Loire River. The weather was perfect, the guests were all thrilled and smiling, some riding handle-bar free and laughing like children as if to say: “This is soooo wonderful “! Once we passed the giant red poppy fields one could see that everyone was mesmerized by its beauty…there is nothing like the Loire Valley for its flower gardens and its castles clinging to the hillsides and alongside the rivers. From glamorous castles to picture perfect villages our trip was highlighted by a visit to the Château de Chenonceau, a guided tour of the castle spoken both in Russian and English which made everyone feel at ease. The castle stretches from on white stone piers across the river and its grounds are adorned with rose gardens and mazes. Next we went to Amboise, home of King François the 1st as well as home to Leonardo Da Vinci where he spent the last three years of his life. Here we visited the Da Vinci home and viewed his inventions at the museum. Then we treated ourselves to plenty of shopping.
Its evening and we are back at the castle for an early dinner, buffet style and relaxed with the soothing sounds of the harp and singer. A magician visited each table and amazed us with his magic tricks. Afterwards at the end of the dinner, and for those of us with “two left feet” we were entertained with a ballroom dance show as well as dance lessons from the pros featuring the Cha-Cha and of course the elegant Waltz. Everyone was very grateful for the lessons as we now can show off the next day for the wedding!
Sunday Wedding Day:
Before the actual ceremony started guests lounged at the pool then enjoyed a casual lunch of wine and cheese at the Troglodyte cave of the castle. Here bottles of fine wines dating back to the bride and groom’s date of birth were opened and was a lot of fun.
In the meantime the bride and groom prepared for their big day, the castle provided three private hairdressers and one make-up artist to care for the wedding party guests. We were only expecting the woman that morning at the salon but soon the men as well as the groom joined in as well for a quick trim! The little girls also came in early that day to get their hair done, but later could not resist the beautiful pool and ended up jumping in before the ceremony with their pretty new hairdo’s. Meanwhile the bride was expertly cared for in a private room in front of a sunny window while some guests peaked in and took pictures. The groom also was seen in another room fixing his tie and smiling for the cameras.
And now the big event we all waited for had finally arrived and the ceremony started!
The bride and groom each came down the castle stairs separately, escorted by their respective family members to finally arrive at the bottom of some eighty stone steps. They slowly walked down the beautiful red carpet aisle decorated with thousands of multi colored rose petals. There the guests were seated facing the Huppa and the beautiful castle in plain view.
The bride wore a dazzling long strapless gown with lace and tiny sequins and a long train. Her head was covered with a traditional tulle veil which later revealed her beautiful hair styled with swirls of blond curls each adorned with single pins made of pearls. Her jewelry was simple but pretty; a white satin ribbon around her neck with a small diamond pendant in the shape of a flower. Her bouquet was made of pale peach colored roses and white freesias surrounded by fresh ivy leaves.
The groom looks tense but then relaxed when the couple joined hands and gathered under the traditional Huppa to meet the Rabbi who had arrived from London to perform the ceremony. After the blessings, came the rings then the sipping of the wine and finally, the breaking of the glass. This signaled the guests to shout “Mazel Tov”! Let the party begin… The entire ceremony was filmed live to be viewed through a private internet website for family and friends in Australia and Russia who could not attend the wedding. Bride and Groom toasted with their glasses of Champagne before the end of the transmission. The couple walked down the aisle while little children carrying wicker baskets threw rose petals. What a site! Spectacular pictures were then taken outside on the grounds of the castle by a professional photographer hired by their wedding planner Caroline Berthe.
Now its party time and all the guests return to the castle for cocktails. Dom Perignon 1998 Champagne flowed; foie gras, oysters and numerous French canapé appetizers where served, live jazz was playing and a few very talented singers, who to my surprise were actually guests, joined in the band and song a few songs! Dinner was served outside under a tent, tables were decorated with orchids and papyrus leaves, a live band sang Jewish songs. Next came the raising of the chairs, a time honored Jewish wedding tradition where the wedding couple and sometimes, their parents are hoisted up on chairs and into the air. Guests were laughing, singing and dancing. I even caught a glimpse of a pretty blond woman at a table laughing while smoking a distinguished cigar…and a couple of men dancing the typical Russian dances kicking their feet low onto the dance floor while the rest of the guests clapped and encouraged them..
And now for the grand finale! The bride and groom filled a Champagne glass pyramid with Vouvray, a wonderful local Champagne, proceeded by the cutting of the cake which in this case was a traditional French wedding specialty called “croquembouche” consisting of a giant tower of caramel-glazed cream puffs. Sparklers lit up the cakes which was perfectly coordinated with the start of a dazzling firework show which lasted a whole ten minutes! Dancing followed till the end of the night…
This WAS truly a wedding to remember!
References: www.wikipedia.com, theknot.com,majicjump.com, http://science,howstuffworks.com, www.1800skyride.com, infohub.com,
