This is what happens when I'm sick...

Wedded Bliss by RueCeri 

I look for pretty things to help me forget that my head is about to explode and end up pretending that instead of having a 5-year anniversary this year, it's 25 or something vow-renewal worthy like that. Or maybe it's all the NyQuil making me believe that people other than celebrities and reality-show stars can justify spending over a grand to renew their vows, or even do renew them, for that matter. Do regular people ever do that?

Either way, I found some pretty pieces, and I'm not entirely sure that I'm even really typing right now { is this a dream? } so I'm going to go with it. If I could renew my vows, this is what I'd wear.

I got to have a Cinderella ball gown for my wedding, and, having idolized Cindy for years, I wouldn't change that. I present Exhibit A:  imitating Cinderella on Halloween and at Disney......and Exhibit B:  my own poofalicious wedding gown.

However, having gotten the princess poof out of my system, I'd go with more streamlined elegance to celebrate my whole 5 years of wedded bliss.  Isn't it lovely? I'm seeing it with an outdoor ceremony at dusk, followed by dancing in some sort of gauzy, fairy-lit tent draped in ivy and pale roses tied with dove gray ribbons and pearls. Intimate round tables would be decorated with vintage tea sets and candles with pearls, crystals, and rose petals strewn about.

Too bad I don't have any long-lost, ridiculously wealthy relatives out there who'd want to fund this.  Whose sole pleasure would be to provide for my completely unnecessary yet dreamily elegant wedding vow-renewal ceremony...

No one out there like that, eh? Anyone want to convince the Husband for me?

Nîmes: 30x30 Outfit 6

Dress: Victoria's Secret / Blouse: J Crew final sale / Shoes: Privo / Watch: Skagen / Bracelet: J Crew Factory clearance

Bienvenue à Nîmes, a city full of ancient Roman wonders. We stayed pretty close to centre-ville*, on the top floor of a tiny hotel that was one pile of stacked rooms. That's our window at the tippy tip top. Once we maneuvered our car through the tiny, windy streets { Europe was very clearly not designed with the automobile in mind. No wonder they love smart cars...} we unloaded then moved our car to the garage by the town cathedral.

Very few hotels in Europe have elevators or AC, so that was fun. From our hotel, we could walk to all of the major sites, so we woke bright and early, grabbed a delicious apricot pastry and fresh juice from a pâtisserie, and headed to the Roman amphitheater arena. Which I just realized we never photographed from the outside! You really need to see it from the outside to get the awe-factor, so you can look here instead. First the brooches, now this. I'm definitely going to have to plan another Europe trip. In fact, we should just move there ;) We did, however, get plenty of shots from the inside:
  

The amphitheater is from the 1st century AD and is the 2nd largest Roman arena { 2nd to the one in Rome } and best preserved in the world.  Gladiator battles and Roman games took place here back then, and today it's used for concerts, shows, and annual bull fights {of which I am not a fan...} They have a very good audio guide that's included in the entry fee to tell you all about the rich history of this ancient city. Wow, I feel like one of Rick Steve's minions. Wouldn't that be fun? Get paid for touring the world? I'm clearly in the wrong profession.

We next headed over to La Maison Carré, a small but well-preserved Roman temple built in 19 BC. Inside the temple they show a short 3-D film on the history of Nîmes.

Then we walked to the Jardins de la Fontaine, which are gardens built around the ruins of an ancient Roman thermae, or public bath from the springs found here.

The photos up top are also from the garden. While taking them, we realized our hotel parking pass was almost up, so we had to go move our car. The Husband decided to take a nod from the Europeans, skip the pay parking, and park European style on the sidewalk of this tiny street just by the gardens...

...which led us to the Tour Magne, or Great Tower. It is the only watch tower still standing that was part of the ancient wall that Julius Caesar Augustus, the first emperor of Rome, had built around Nîmes. 

The tower offers a spectacular view of the city, and was used to monitor the Via Domitia, the first road that connected Italy to Spain and an important route for the Roman empire.

While looking below us from the top, we found something far more pleasant than any invading Goths, or Huns, or Franks. We found a wedding party! I was fascinated, and the Husband came to my rescue, pretending to take shots of the tower while sneaking photos of the wedding party. I'm pretty sure they noticed. Oh, bonjour! I promise we're not stalkers. Just American gawkers, snapping photos of every bit of quaintness we cross.
.

But seriously, how darling is this elegant French bride and her family with their lovely fascinators? Love, love, love. I just love weddings. But somehow they seem even more lovely when in France!

On our way back to the car, we also passed a gladiator re-enactment. Check out these guys. They speak French, too :) This one's for you, friends sans mate.

 
We left Nîmes and headed about 15 miles away to the Pont du Gard. This marvelous Roman aqueduct bridge, the tallest in the world, merits it's own post, so stay tuned for Part Deux of Outfit 6!

P.S. As we traveled through France, I kept watch for a rue Cerisier, completely forgetting to type it into the GPS. Happenstance was not with us and we never came cross one, but now I've found that Nimes has a rue du Cerisier just a few blocks from where we parked to visit the gardens! Quel dommage*!  Anyhow, it turns out that the Frenchies like to have that of before Cherrytree when naming their streets. I could find rue du Cerisier and rue des Cerisiers (plural) but not simply rue Cerisier. Which strikes me as odd because they don't put the of before people names for streets like rue Jean d'Arc. Oh well, rue du Cerisier it is.

P.P.S. Have you ever seen a dog like this? That lady was not short, people.

Neither had I till I visited Nîmes!

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*centre-ville = town center; Quel dommage = What a pity!

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À Mon Mari

At 9:00 a.m. on a lovely spring day in Washington, D.C. this man became my husband. At 1:00 a.m. this morning he went to make copies for me when our printer tanked and I wasn't ready for school. At 2:30 a.m. last year he ran to the store after I ran out of eggs for delicious roulades au chocolat and mini crèmes brûlée for French food day. {Despite the fact that we do not live in town, and he had to be at work by 8:00 a.m. both mornings.} He never fails me through meltdowns, through fits, through life's many ups and downs, and through all those photos you see. He uplifts me when I'm down and sometimes brings me flowers for no reason at all. I'm one lucky procrastinating damsel in distress. Otherwise, I'm just a lucky sap who couldn't resist it when this came to mind:

My hair is red

My eyes are blue

My heart belongs

Only to you ♥

Joyeaux anniversaire, mon chèr.

Wedding Wear

Dress: Ross (BCBG) / Peek-a-Boo Slip: Vintage Hem / Shoes: Ross (Kenneth Cole) / Necklace: J Crew Factory clearance / Braclets: France / Clutch: Gabes (Ann Taylor) / Cheesy poses: c/o public photo embarrassment...seriously, like 3 girls walked in while we were taking these, then everyone was looking as the Husband and I returned. Fabulous.

I just scored this BCBG dress for $15 at Ross. I may have also purchased it in brown. I really have to stop doing that. But it's like wearing liquid silk. So that justifies two of the same dresses, right?

Since we've moved out West, we've made some wonderful friends and recently saw two of them tie the knot! I try to minimize photos with others to protect their privacy and/or potential blog phobias, but couldn't help but slip in a few shots with the lovely bride and some new friends. Her family is delightful. Her sister also has a French degree. And we were wearing the same shoes. And we both considered other shoes first. And we got them at the same store in different cities. And we're obsessed with Austen and the Brontës. And she was wearing a fabulous thrifted dress. {Des clous!? Ouais, c'est vrai!*.... } She, her sister-in-law, and I were les trois mousquetaires* of the night and had a smashing time together :)

And the lovely bride was radiant and elegant. I'm so happy to have her for a friend!

As you see, I didn't get to wear my English garden wedding outfit, but the vintage feel of this darlingly quirky ballroom was every bit as fun!

For my dress, I cut off the lace hem of an old tank and pinned it to my bra to help that dangerously low V without the bother of the tank itself. And since the Husband strongly dislikes empire waists {remember?}, I tied the sash in the front to give it some shape. That's right. I can be thrifty and crafty and daring. Bam. And tomorrow I might just make more cupcakes. The Julia Child within has been inspired by a certain lemon poppy-seed wedding cake with raspberry filling. Miam miam*!

P.S. I made the Husband go into the ladies room with me for those photos up top. Their powder room was irresistibly fanciful. We tried to be sneaky, but of course someone noticed and suddenly there were lots of 'yeah baby's snickered our way. To which he held up his camera and nodded dutifully. And I turned far redder than my hair and vowed never to be photographed in public again. Especially since we aren't very good photographers and take forever in low light...

P.P.S. Linked up here for Rule Breaking Monday! I've always wanted to try that sash tied in the front, but never did because of the inverted V.  I finally decided what they hey and broke my rule :)

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*Des Clous!? = No way;  Ouais, c'est vrai = Yep, it's true!;  les trois mousquetaires = the 3 musketeers {originally written in French!}; Miam miam = yum yum!

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