Crossing Pont Marie, I step onto île Saint-Louis, the second island in the Seine and she follows behind. Privilege… The migraine aura spreads and puts everything in a purple haze. The kind of purple that you can only see deep in the Provence during summer.

We could have taken the plane to Nice and a taxi from there to La Croix-Valmer, the place where we decided to get married, but we thought it would be romantic to drive there. Instead of reaching our destination fast, we took our time enjoying the road, choosing small streets and narrow paths, giving us a chance to be together before our friends and family would want to share our happiness with us. While passing stone cottages and crumbling farmhouses, we entered the deep heart of the Provence – where life slows to the mercy of the sun’s strong rays. I was in awe of everything, from the sprawling fields and winding scenic routes to arty cities and sleepy squares. Everything was beyond my wildest imagination, but nothing could compare to the excitement I felt about becoming her wife.

I couldn’t wait to make her Mrs. Porter.

When the hues in the sky turned pastel, the region’s farmlands painted violet and bright lavender flowers transformed the already beatific landscape into a patchwork of colors, we parked the car next to the road and she wrapped her arms around me. It was at that moment, while admiring the swoon-worthy fields, that I knew what my vows to her would be.

‘I see these vows not as promises but as privileges: I get to laugh with you and cry with you; care for you and share with you. I get to run with you and walk with you; build with you and live with you. 

I get to have you be the person I spend the rest of my life with. I get to be there for you and support you, to share your dreams and make them come true. I don’t have to honor and cherish you – I get to.’ 

‘Let’s go right, it’s closer to your place.’ She says and I bite my lip when her hand reaches out for me and leads me via Pont de la Tournelle avoiding the Quartier Latin district with all its excellent arthouse cinemas – her guilty pleasure. ‘Would you feel better if I’d resign?’