ALICE QUILLET AND Anselme Blayney were married on July 25th at the church in Cabanes in Aveyron, southwest France. Latin, English and French were represented in song and prayer during the blessing, conducted by Fr Didier Granjou.
Alice was born in Paris, and is the daughter of Lindi and Denis Quillet. From the age of two until she left home to go to university, she lived in Montreal and Toronto in Canada, Paris again, London and Hong Kong. In 1998, she moved to Dublin to attend Trinity College, studying English and philosophy. She graduated in 2002. She then went to work in the Rose Bakery, a British organic restaurant in Paris, and learned to cook professionally. In April 2005, she started working for the International Herald Tribuneand moved to New York in 2007 and began working for the magazine Monocle as a writer and researcher.
Anselme was born in Dublin and is the son of Benedict and Christine Blayney. His paternal grandparents are retired Supreme Court Justice Mr John Blayney and his French wife Bernadette. Like Alice, he had an international upbringing: between the ages of seven and 18, he lived in Al Ain in the United Arab Emirates; St-Germain-en-Laye, near Paris; Singapore; and Hong Kong. In 1998, he moved back to France to study political science at Sciences Po in Bordeaux, and later studied business in Nantes. He worked in advertising for a year in Singapore. In 2007, he started working for a winery in the Languedoc, and moved to New York in June 2007 to look after the winery’s sales in North America.
Anselme had three witnesses: his brother Matthieu, and friends Ivan Kouzmine and Benjamin Leveau. Alice's brother Anthony and school friend Clare Hannon served as her témoins.
The pair met in September 1997 at the French International School in Hong Kong. They stayed in touch sporadically until they met up again in Paris and, in May 2006, started dating. Anselme proposed while they were on holiday in Aveyron last summer.
Not surprisingly, guests came to their wedding from all over the world. After the blessing in the church, everyone walked down a country path to the Château de Réquista, which has been in Anselme’s family for generations, and now belongs to his aunt and uncle, Elisabeth and Jean Eudes Le Meignen, the mayor of La Bastide-l’Évêque, who performed their civil marriage in the town hall on Friday. As well as speeches and toasts, there was a video about the bride and groom. Friends and relatives performed songs by The Beatles, French singer Patrick Bruel and The Judds. A Colombian friend made a pinata to entertain children during the drinks reception.
The weather was perfect: in the 30s, with clear blue skies. The menu included foie gras, oysters, duck and local cheeses. In lieu of wedding cake, there was a pyramid of macaroons. The next day, Anselme’s parents invited the guests to their house for a pool party, which lasted all day. The couple drove south to Tarn and stayed at the Manoir de Raynaudes, a boutique hotel in the hills. They spent their few days relaxing, and wine-tasting in Gaillac. They intend to have a longer honeymoon at a later date. They are living in Brooklyn Heights, New York, but plan to return to Paris.
Photographs: CLARE HANNAN