how I know I'm getting old

When your French brother's twenty-something son sends an invitation to his wedding, you know you're getting old. I got the following PDF (reduced in size for blog purposes):

Jeanne et Pierre Ducoulombier = my French Maman et Papa
Véronique et Dominique Ducoulombier = my French "brother's" wife and my French bro
"Have the joy to announce the marriage of
Manon & Augustin
They are happy and will be united for life"

That last part is very literally (maybe over-literally) translated. If you read certain French translations of the Bible, though, and you're looking at the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5), you'll immediately see that "Blessed are those who..." is translated as "Heureux qui...", i.e., "Happy are those who..." This is probably because the Greek term in question (Μακάριοι οἱ) can be translated as either "happy" or "blessed." So a less literal, looser, yet more "noble"-sounding translation of Ils sont heureux et vont s'unir pour la vie might be "They will happily enter into an eternal, blessed union." This introduces nuances not in the original, but you're taking a risk no matter how you translate something.

"M&A will be happy to find you on a day full of love and tenderness,
rich in emotions to celebrate their betrothal.
Saturday, July 4, 2026
The religious ceremony will take place at
3:00 p.m. at St. Eutrope Church
79270 Le Vanneau-Irleau.
At the end of the celebration, the families will have the pleasure
to greet you for a cocktail party that will be served at:
Domaine du Château des Loups (Domain of the Château of Wolves)
Chemin des Loups 79000 Sciecq

St. Eutrope Church is the cathedral right next door to where Dominique runs his B&B. He's in a very small, town-y, peaceful location. Even the cemetery by the church feels peaceful, not creepy. In 2018, my B&B room looked over the cemetery.

DINNER
We will rejoice to receive you at 8:30 p.m. for dinner at
Domaine du Château des Loups, 79000 Sciecq
You can set up a camper, camper-trailer, or a tent
at the reception area to celebrate as one should.
Response desired before April 4, 2026.

M = Manon
A = Augustin (a.k.a. Auguste or just Guste)

We will be delighted to greet you the following day, Sunday, July 5, 2026, from 11 a.m.
to have brunch and to prolong the celebration at Domaine du Château des Loups, 79000 Sciecq.
Response desired before April 4, 2026.

I took a long look at that name, Sciecq, and finally decided it should be pronounced "see-eck" or "syeck." And I was right! I looked Sciecq up, and it's a commune (small geographical region) not far from where Dominique lives.

cute couple

Response card:
Thank you for returning a response before April 4, 2026.
Your family names and given names:
☐ Yes, we will be present—_____ adults, _____ children (under 12)
☐ No, we will not be able to be there.
☐ Special dietary requests: ______________________________

Ah, our path together. Note the French style for writing dates: 04-07-26 means July 4, i.e., 7/4/26.

I'm still trying to decide whether I have the funds to go. Technically, I do, but a plane ticket followed by the price of staying at Dominique's B&B (he'll insist on not charging me, but I plan to sneak him cash if I do go) will put a big dent in my dwindling budget. 

Timing is also a factor. I can theoretically say yes by April, get a fall uni job by May, use my dwindling cash to travel to France in July, then use the rest of my cash to move to whatever city my new job will be in (right now, I'm guessing Ulsan or Daegu).

Decisions, decisions.