The form below lets you confirm your attendance at the wedding. It also gives us a few details that will help with logistics and planning (any allergies or dietary requirements, how you’re getting there, whether children will be coming…). Please fill it in by the 31th of December 2026 at the latest so we can guarantee your seat in the festivities!

PLEASE NOTE  :

• DO NOT fill in the form on the French language page. It is not the same, and we need different information from our foreign guests.
• Before filling in this form, please read through the practical information on this page. It should help you answer some of the questions.

French weddings come in all shapes and sizes, but here’s how it usually unfolds:

1) Civil ceremony: It all starts at the city hall. This part is mostly administrative and it’s the least exciting bit of the whole day — but it’s the one that counts: in the eyes of the French state, this is where you actually get married. It lasts a brisk 30 minutes. The mayor officiates, papers are signed, the official witnesses sign, everyone cheers « Yaaay! » and we’re out of there.

This is the only compulsory part. Everything could stop right here — but where’s the fun in that?

2) Religious or Secular ceremony.

If it’s religious, it’s often catholic. In this case it takes place in a church, with a wedding mass for the couple and their guests. A priest leads the service, with hymns and rituals. It’s an official ceremony in the eyes of the Catholic Church. It usually lasts an hour, sometimes more, and we usually get quite bored. The moment everyone steps out of the church is the famous one: guests throw rice over the newlyweds, who come out last. This can also happen on the steps of the town hall.

If it’s secular, everyone moves to a spot where they can all sit down for an unofficial ceremony, usually put together by the couple’s Best Men, Maids of Honour and families. No two are alike, but it’s generally a festive, funny moment, with family and friends taking turns to share stories about the couple’s lives. It can be deeply moving — it just has no legal standing. It usually runs about an hour.

3) Cocktail Party: By now we’ve reached the end of the afternoon, and this is where the party really begins. Plenty to eat and drink in a relaxed atmosphere, sometimes with games and photo sessions. It lasts 2 to 3 hours.

4) Dinner: The cocktail hour ends and everyone moves into the main hall to sit down and eat. More entertainment tends to happen between courses. Dessert is a moment of its own, and it leads straight into the first dance — the newlyweds start alone, then the guests join in. Dinner usually lasts 3 to 4 hours.

5) Party: Dancing and partying carries on all night, until guests drift off to bed one by one.

6) The next day is « the return » (le retour de mariage). This second day of festivities is a tradition at most French weddings. The idea is simple: guests come back the following day to celebrate again, but far more casually — no schedule, no ceremonies, no fancy food, no fancy clothes, and sometimes at a different location, for example the couple’s home. It’s just a relaxed day of food, drink and good company. No two « returns » are alike.

There you are. All informed! The exact contents and order of each part vary a lot from family to family and place to place, but the building blocks are almost always these.

Compare that to our own itinerary and you’ll see it’s much the same sequence. We’re not big on the religious side of things, so we went for a secular ceremony — a livelier affair, custom-built by our army of brilliant Best Men and Maid of Honour, who will make sure we all have a great time.

MONEY, CLOTHES, BEHAVIOUR, LANGUAGE – The Stressful Stuff

1) Money

French weddings are essentially free for guests. The couple and their parents organise and pay for venue, food, drinks and so on. You’ll usually find a box on site for cash gifts, which traditionally goes towards the honeymoon. Sometimes there also is a list of desired stuff where you can pick from if to want to offer actual gifts.

Ours is more or less the same: you don’t have to pay for a thing. French guests are generally expected to put something in the box (we won’t have a gift list), but it isn’t compulsory — and as far as we’re concerned, you’ve already spent quite enough getting to France to celebrate with us. We don’t expect more. It’s also why we’re covering accommodation for all our guests coming from abroad. Getting here is the only thing you need to worry about!

2) Clothes

French weddings generally call for formal dress on the wedding day. Nothing too precise — smart clothes will do. Sometimes there’s a dress code. One tradition worth knowing: avoid head-to-toe white, as that’s the bride’s territory.

« The return » the next day requires nothing formal at all. Wear whatever you like and feel comfortable in.

Ours works the same way. All the details on our dress code are in the “Pack Your Bags” section.
On Sunday, for « the return », anything goes!

3) Behaviour

French weddings are usually a relaxed affair. Nobody expects you to behave in any particular way — be easy-going and friendly, because everyone else will be. The one exception is the town hall, where you’ll want to keep it calm, as with any town hall anywhere in the world!

Some French families can be stiff and solemn, but rest assured: Anaïs’s and Kevin’s families are relaxed, warm and slightly unhinged at times (especially when alcohol kicks in). Expect jokes and silliness breaking out around you all day. And don’t get us started on our friends (look at yourselves in the mirror)!

4) Language

French is hard. You don’t speak French. We get it.

We’ll do our best to make this a wedding you can enjoy without the language — but we won’t be able to have everything translated at all times. That would be unrealistic. Don’t worry, though:

– Our 8 Best Men and Maid of Honour all speak English, know everything about the wedding, and can help you at any point. Most of you already know at least one of them!

– Most of our friends speak English, and a few are learning Japanese (and are getting pretty good at it). They’ll be delighted to talk to you.

– Some of our family members speak English, though not all — but they’re friendly and open, and they’ll happily give it a go.

– And in the worst case, if English isn’t enough, there will be several Japanese speakers on site. You’ll always have someone to talk to.

You don’t set off on a journey dressed just anyhow!

To make the most of your getaway, the rule is simple: look your best… and add one accessory to your outfit that recalls your favourite trip. It doesn’t matter whether it took place just around the corner or on the other side of the world — what counts is that it left you with wonderful memories!

Jewellery, a hat, socks, a bag… The accessory is entirely up to you, and it can clash happily with the rest of your outfit!

One word of caution, though: we don’t want to see anyone in « costume ». Please avoid full outfits drawn from cultures that aren’t your own, and be respectful of the peoples who inspire you — no caricature, no mockery.

We can’t wait to see you in your finest and to hear the stories behind your accessories!

A note for guests joining us from abroad: most of our French guests will be in classic Western formalwear — a suit or a dress — which may well clash with their accessory. You’re very welcome to do the same, or to come in the traditional formal attire of your own country. Entirely your choice, and both are equally welcome.

TRAVELLING WITH US

By default and if you’d rather not organise anything, we’re arranging group transportation for all our guests coming from abroad. We’ll meet you at the airport or in Paris, then either take the train to Burgundy together or drive you there ourselves.

Depending on when you arrive and leave, we’ll put together one or more convoys — ideally all of us together, otherwise split across different people and modes. We’ll sort out the details with you once you’ve confirmed you’re coming.

For this to work, two things:

You must be in Paris by Thursday 1 or Friday 2 July early afternoon at the latest.

If you’d like us to bring you back to Paris, you’ll need to leave Burgundy on Monday 5 July or later — and if you’re flying out that Monday, book a late afternoon or evening flight, nothing earlier.

If you wish to stay longer with us in Burgundy, tell us, we can make it happen.

If you’d rather travel independently, here are the details:

A car is essential for getting to Boussey and to the Domain.

BY CAR

Coming from Paris, Lyon or even western France, you’ll most likely take the A6 motorway. Handily enough, it serves both Boussey and the Domaine very well.

Paris → Boussey / Grand Nanteux = A6: approx. 2h30 / 3h (traffic permitting)
Lyon → Boussey / Grand Nanteux = A6: approx. 2h15 (traffic permitting)
Nantes → Boussey / Grand Nanteux = A11 → A85 → A10 → A19 → A6: approx. 5h45–6h (traffic permitting)

From Lyon, eastern or southern France :

• For Boussey, branch off onto the A38 and follow it to the Civry-en-Montagne exit. From there a country road will take you to Boussey in under 20 minutes, passing through Grosbois-en-Montagne and its lake.
• For the Domaine du Grand Nanteux, branch off onto the A38 and leave it immediately after the toll, at Pouilly-en-Auxois. The D981 will then bring you to Arnay-le-Duc in about twenty minutes, and on to the Domaine.

BY TRAIN

The railway won’t get you all the way to Boussey or the Domaine, but it will get you a good deal closer. From there you can hire a car or arrange something with guests who have one (feel free to ask us about it!). Two options:

• The TER: Les Laumes-Alésia station (for Boussey) or Dijon (for Arnay-le-Duc).

The slowest option, but the cheapest. Look into the Mobigo+ card: €20 a year, with significant discounts for the cardholder and a travel companion. Travelling as a pair, it often pays for itself on the first return trip.

• The TGV: Montbard station (for Boussey) or Dijon (for Arnay-le-Duc).

Either way, do sort things out with whoever is collecting you from the station (or with the car hire company) before you book your tickets!

Children are very welcome!

So that parents can enjoy the celebrations to the full without constantly worrying about the safety and wellbeing of their heirs (especially the youngest ones), we’re planning to set up a babysitting service on the Saturday evening, at least for under-6s. As the staff will be qualified professionals (paediatric nurses, certified childcare workers) and there are a good many children on the guest list, we’ll most likely need to ask parents for a contribution towards the cost.

Older children, in principle self-sufficient when it comes to eating, washing and inventing their own games, are welcome to play together under their parents’ supervision. That said, if you’d rather your over-6s were looked after by the babysitters, just let us know in the form.

As for meals: children over 12 eat the same as the adults. For the younger ones, a seated dinner tends to be too long, too late and too dull — so a children’s buffet will be served during the Cocktail Party.

Please pass on anything useful via the RSVP form!

If you have any doubts or questions, we are close-by!

Kevin

lunark989@gmail.com

+33.6.58.28.28.58
36 rue du Capitaine Marchal,
75020 PARIS, FRANCE