The wedding celebrations will be held in the Ardennes, a region encompassing the beautiful territories bordering Belgium and France, well-known for their picturesque, storybook forests and for their sparkling wines called champagne! To the left side of this page are addresses and annotated maps for the ceremony and reception sites. Below, are location descriptions.
1 p.m. Civil Ceremony
The civil ceremony will take place in the Commune of Paliseul, in the Province of Luxembourg. Located in the Wallonie region of the country of Belgium, Paliseul is situated between the Lesse and Semois rivers.
The city hall frames the main square of the village, along with the landmarks, a water fountain, and a church. Here, you can find free parking along the streets or in nearby parking lots on the weekends. Take a moment to enjoy the village before entering the church; or before joining in the procession to the church.
2 p.m. Religious Ceremony
The wedding procession continues to the Catholic church, l'église St. Eutrope (Paliseul), approximately 100 meters from the city hall, for the religious ceremony. This neogothic church was constructed in 1905 using the designs of the architect Edouard Van Gheluwe; and retrofitted in 1987 by the architect Thierry Lanotte. The stained glass windows are of J.-M. Van Espen.
Onwards over the border into France, you may want to drive through Bouillon for a view of the medieval castle of Godefrey, knight of the first Crusades; and through Sedan for a quick look at the largest fortified castle in Europe, before reaching Fagnon, in the Commune of Charleville-Mézières situated along the Meuse river.
For those arriving first in or leaving from Charleville-Mézières, you may want to schedule time to see the early XVII century architecture of the Place Ducale, inspired by the Place de Vosges (Paris), a few hundred meters from the train station or about 9km northeast of Fagnon.
6 p.m. Reception
The Abbaye de Sept Fontaines is in the southwest part of Charleville-Mézières, in Fagnon, France.
A hotel and golf course sit on its 30 hectares of land, and the nearby 800 hectares of forest is ideal for exploring.
The reception begins with apéritifs in the afternoon, then dinner, followed by an evening of dancing and entertainment. The menu will be of local cuisine (please let us know if you have any food allergies/health concerns in advance, so we can speak with the chef). There will be a separate room for the kids to play in so you can relax and enjoy the celebrations.
There are limited lodging options at the abbaye, and many of you will stay in neighboring hotels. We ask that you let us know your lodging intentions early, for help in finding suitable accommodations. For those who stay the night elsewhere in Charleville-Mézières, rides will be provided. Those who are still present the following morning can join us for brunch.
