Hello everyone!<BR><BR>I will be attending a wedding in Paris this coming spring (first time there!) and I wish to make a good first impression. Even though I am not part of the main event (just attending as a guest) I wanted to know if there were any specific do's and don'ts for weddings there.<BR><BR>Any advice on dress, customs, etc.?<BR><BR>Thank you for your kind responses.<BR><BR>Lisa (I'm not)

What ever you do don't give a bouquet of chrysanthemums, unless you're at a funeral where they are customary.

It depends on who's getting married!! Most of the French weddings I've attended were slightly less dressy, formal affairs than we're used to in the UK, for example. But it does depend on the family, as some Parisians like to go the whole hog! So if it's a well-to-do family, it could be very formal indeed. But on the whole, there aren't any real rules that wouldn't apply at home.<BR><BR>You'll find that the focus of the reception is the meal, which usually lasts for hours, with a couple of starter courses, main (meat) course, cheese, dessert, and lots of wine!! Sometimes, you can find that the wedding menu is presented in the form of puns/riddles so the guests have to work out what it is they're actually going to be eating! <BR><BR>At some French wedding receptions there is a lot of singing (traditional songs) and they may even hand out songsheets for everyone to sing along! They don't tend to follow the tradition of speeches after the meal, but often the families /friends of the bride and groom will organise something (a video, a song, a game) in honour of the newlyweds. At the end of the evening they bring in the wedding cake, usually an extravagant &quot;pi&egrave;ce mont&eacute;e&quot; made of profiteroles or other patisseries.<BR><BR> I'm sure you'll have a great time, whatever happens.

I went to a wedding in Paris that by British standards verged on the insane (I distinctly remember a lot of drunken uncles shoving money into the bride's garter), but I suspect both families were from elsewhere in the Mediterranean, and it was nearly 40 years ago. <BR><BR>Be yourself, smile a lot, don't be too surprised at anything that happens and pace your drinking. Festive meals in France are about taking a lot of time to be with people, rather than about getting the food eaten to schedule.

Patrick's reply reminds me of another wedding custom in France: the bride auctions off her garter, with bidders offering higher and higher sums of money as she raises the garter higher and shows off more and more thigh. The &quot;lucky&quot; winner gets to remove the garter himself.

We attended a September 2001 wedding of a Parisian friend. Most women wore hats for the church ceremony at 4pm. Some French women even changed from church attire to evening wear for the reception. The reception was quite elaborate with a cocktail hour and a four hour meal. Champagne, wine was nonstop. Outstanding food! There was no receiving line, but the American bride and Parisian groom went and greeted the guests inbetween courses. There were a few speeches in both English and French. Have a wonderful time...enjoy Paris.