Rehearsal dinner - practice makes prefect

Bonjour mes amis.  Ça va?

Okay, it is a little after noon here on Thursday, or wedding day, and we are just lounging around the maison.

Last night's rehearsal dinner began with appetizers, wine and pastis in the living room, but honestly, I was still full from lunch and even the charcuterie siren with all of her charm couldn't lull me into submission.  Have you ever had pastis by the way?  It's kind of like a French version of ouzo; anise alcohol that is very fragrant.  Not my first choice at the bar, but interesting for sure.

Dinner was served al fresco, poolside and by the rose garden.  It was a bit chilly, even here in the south of France, so, good thing I brought a sweater.  Here is a shot of the bride and groom to be, right before the dinner and evening festivities began.

Dinner was good, but not mind-blowing.  In fact, the first dish was a vegetable terrine with a huge dollop of a mayonnaise-y goat cheese mixture.  I picked out the vegetables, which were actually quite nice.  

When I realized that the main courses were going to be family style, I practically begged the server for a fresh plate, so I wouldn't have to stare at the mayo any longer.  I was told (a bit rudely), "c'est impossible," but a minute later that an exception would be made for me, but nobody else.  

Okay, maybe I was being a bit of a guestzilla, but I really couldn't bare to look at that mayo any longer, let alone risk it polluting my entree.

New plate and all, we moved into the mains of both fish and pork, accompanied by some veggies.  Dinner was good, but again, I was not starving, and maybe mayogate had thrown my appetite off a tad.

Fortunately, dessert proved to be a meal saver (or close anyway), with this beautiful strawberry tart with hazelnut tuilles and coulis.

Mine was the fourth speech of the night, and I could tell that people were getting a bit restless by that point.  Fortunately, my "wedding poem" seemed to be well received, and I got that behind me.

After dinner, we re-retired to the living room for more wine and pastis, but frankly, by that point, jet-lag was beating me up pretty good.  I was in bed by midnight to get some sleep for the big day ahead.