Marc and Amanda had been "going out" long distance for over two years - Marc was with us in Paris, while Amanda worked in South America, most recently in Brazil.  They had only been able to spend vacations together, and had never shared a common location (or even time zone) for any significant period of time.  All of our friends in Paris had been impressed by Marc's resiliency and ability to handle the distance.  How did he do it so successfully?  I have lived through several long distance relationships, and none turned out for the better.  First of all, he committed himself to his cell phone, and talked to Amanda dozens of times each day.  He had no regard to the size of his phone bill, and was only hindered by occasional battery issues.  The only time that he "accidentally" forgot his cell phone at home was when Amanda happened to be offshore and out-of-touch....I never thought that it was just coincidence.  Secondly, they took many excellent trips together - Tunisia, Brazil, Spain, Canada, etc.  Living as an expatriot in France is not the greatest opportunity to save lots of money, but definitely has more than adequate vacation and travel opportunities.  And lastly, when he was not on vacation, Marc was very committed to both work and having pints with the guys, and left little time for other possible female distractions.  These were the secrets to his success.

When Amanda  left her job in Brazil at the beginning of the year and moved to Paris we were all happy for Marc, but also curious to see if he could adapt to having a girlfriend on a full-time basis....little did we know that Amanda was no longer on  "girlfriend" status, but that they had agreed to get married (some call it engagement in many parts of the world) and had announced it to Marc's parents over Christmas in Canada.  Amanda moved to Paris sometime in late February, and the secret was exposed shortly after when they inquired to Cecilia about the paperwork required to get married in Paris.  Were they being serious?  Like I said, expect the unexpected.

With Amanda's excellent French and clever ability to maneuver through the required marriage paperwork (which took Cecilia and I over four months to complete for our wedding), they were able to reserve a slot at their local Mairie (mayor's office) within only a few weeks.  For a more detailed explanation on the requirements to get married in France, see our wedding website.  On Saturday morning April 3rd, Marc, his father, and all local guy-friends met at a cafe in St. Germain at 9:30am.  It felt like the scene from the beginning of the movie "Reservoir Dogs", except for the guns, mafia ties, etc.  The girls, in parallel, met at Marc's house to help Amanda prepare.  At 10am we finished our coffees and walked over to the Mairie of the 7th arrondissement, and awaited the arrival of Amanda and the rest of the girls at 10:30am.  They showed up on-time in a giant stretch limo...which is not a typical site for the narrow Parisian streets.  The united group went into the marriage hall of the Mairie, and under direction of the mayor, we witnessed the marriage.  A few images from before and during the ceremony:
 

Marc & his proud father en route to the Mairie	Marc is nervous before Amanda's arrival
Amanda emerges from the limo	Wedding vows led by the Mayor

After the ceremony was complete we walked into the gardens behind the Mairie, and took pictures among the recently blooming spring flowers.  It was a gorgeous spring day.  A second limo arrived, and the group piled into the two-limo entourage for a tour of Paris.  We drove to all of the big Paris sites - Notre Dame, Trocadero, Sacre Coeur, etc.  We provided amusement of 100's of tourists who were surprised and happy to see the bride emerge from the limo in each location.  We ended the tour at the patio of our favorite local Irish bar, called the Coolin, where we enjoyed a lunch of Guiness stew and pints of Beamish.  A few images from the afternoon:
 

Limo stop #1 - the Trocadero	Final limo stop - Coolin Irish Pub
Pre-reserved seating area at Coolin	Trying to fit the bride & her dress onto the patio

I must credit Marc and Amanda first for pulling off an excellent surprise and unconventional event.  But second and more importantly, I must also credit them for going over great lengths and over large hurdles to be together.  I always maintain that a person must make or create their own circumstance, and that resting on one's laurels only leads to complacency and often failure.  Marc and Amanda have taken the initiative to create a great relationship, and have followed through with all of the circumstances necessary to make it happen successfully.  Good luck in the future!

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