I’ve had a love affair with Paris since before I can remember. You hear these fantastic things: In Paris, the light is pink. Everyone wears a set of rose-colored glasses. Parisians are effortlessly chic—thin even. Ever heard of Mireille Guiliano’s French Women Don’t Get Fat? Paris is also the city of lovers. Only in France would the President fall in love with (and marry) a model. The lovely Marion Cotillard just won an Academy Award for her performance in La Vie En Rose, literally, the pink life.
Home to Notre Dame, the Louvre, the Eiffel Tower, Chanel, croissants, wine that is cheaper than water, and a language that is as sexy as it is elegant, Paris is awash with culture. The French countryside is lovely, too—peppered with lavender fields and vineyards, and bordered by the Mediterranean and the Alps. It’s no wonder Gertrude Stein once said, “America is my country and Paris is my hometown.” Who wouldn’t want Paris to be home sweet home?
During college, I studied in London and traveled to other European destinations, but I wanted to save France for a special occasion. And I’m so glad I did.
Paris was a natural choice and such an exciting prospect for our honeymoon. One night last week, Drew and I sat side-by-side at his iBook and searched for flights to France. We found a great deal on tickets at ATI Flights. We fly out the morning after our wedding. The only hitch is that we’ll be traveling for 18 hours. The price was so good because of the inconvenience of flying from Nashville to JFK in New York, having to switch airports there, finally flying out of LaGuardia at 1 AM, and arriving in Paris at about 2 PM on Monday. But what’s a little lost sleep to a newly married couple heading off on their honeymoon?
With six months to go, I’m brushing up on my French (Drew is learning) with a CD set, we’re having a Before Sunrise and Before Sunset movie night, and we’re reading all we can—most recently the Access Paris handbook and a suggestion by a friend, The Mystery Guest: An Account by Gregoire Bouillier.
I cannot wait to wake up late in a Parisian bed, walk to a café, order a café au lait and a patisserie, smoke cigarettes (usually don’t, but it’s Paris), talk about life like we’re poets or philosophers, stroll the streets, nip into another café and order glasses of wine . . . all with my new husband! Exploring a new city as a newly married couple seems a parfait way to begin a new life together.
Suggestions on sites to see? Places to eat?
Emily, a Washington bride-to-be, writes every Friday about planning her wedding, which will be in Nashville this fall. To follow her adventures from the beginning, click here.
To read the latest Bridal Party blog posts, click here.
