Alexandra had a long time idea that she would absolutely NEVER meet someone for a relationship while she was out at the bar. So one fateful night, she went to Cornerstone Tavern in Raleigh with her old roommate to have a drink. That's when she crossed paths with a handsome man looking a bit lost. Immediately she knew that he was upset that the bathroom line was so long and decided to tell him about the "secret" bathroom in the back (now if you ask Clement about this "secret" bathroom he thought it was a codeword for making out). Immediately Alexandra noticed Clement's charming French accent and they began talking about traveling. They spent the rest of the night together talking, drinking, and dancing. At the end Clement asked for Alexandra's number and she complied expecting to never hear from him again. However, the next weekend she got a text from him and the rest is history. They've been together since October 17th 2015 and it's been the happiest three years of their lives.

Bonjour à tous et bienvenue, Before we get started, please make sure that all of your devices are turned off. The outside world can wait until the end of the procession to reach you. Leave them in your bag or pocket. Please do not take photographs during the ceremony; there is an official photographer, and you will make his job a lot easier if you don’t hide behind your phone. Instead…enjoy and live fully in this moment with Alexandra and Clement. Everyone has arrived and taken their places For those of you who don’t know me yet, my name is Fabien TOULY, and I have the honor of being chosen by Alexandra and Clement to be their officiant for this ceremony. Just in case anyone is curious, I am official, even if I don’t look like a holy man. Dear friends and family, welcome to a wonderful day that we all have been looking forward to for so long. Today is a celebration, a celebration of love, commitment, friendship, family and of two people who are in it for the long haul: Alexandra Wolfzhan Herskowitz, born in the Bronx, NY State and practicing the profession of Occupational Therapist. And Clément Aristide Gilles Fert, born in Pau in the south-west of France and practicing the profession of commercial engineer. We are all here to support you two, to be proud of you, and to remind you that love isn’t simply happily ever after. Love is the experience of writing your story. It is not one moment. It is not even this moment. It is every moment. In your future there will be moments of great joy, and moments of great sorrow, but they are all part of the story you’re writing together. Getting old is a difficult and scary task; there is no denying that. We all go through the same stress, fear, worry and doubt. With the support, love, attention, and patience you have for each other, you will overcome those difficult moments.

Remember to take joy in the little things such as holding on to the memory of when you first met and started dating, holding hands and walking in the street, falling asleep next to each other, seeing your other half cheering you on at a triathlon or soccer game, enjoying a birthday celebration on a boat, and watching hot air balloons twinkling in the night sky. These same little things can be the start of argument such as figuring out who will take ECHO for a walk, trying to stop Clement from making smoke during a Thanksgiving party so the fire alarm won’t bring the cops over, or why do you want to eat dinner so early Alexandra it is only 5:30pm. Joy can also be taken from the bigger things: spending your first vacation in Wilmington together, adopting ECHO into your family, moving together in a freshly bought house, and getting a new car I am looking forward to drive later. There will be a few select moments that will surpass all others in your heart: your wedding today, having children, having two children, having three children, having…. Are you alright Clement, you look a little pale, having grandchildren, and spending the holidays with the family you created. Over the past few years, I have had, and I am convinced that I am speaking for everyone present here, the privilege and honor to get to know Alexandra and Clément as individuals and as a couple. If there is one thing we all have learned from them is that when you find the right person for yourself, living as a “we” and sharing love gets very easy. Alexandra, when you started dating Clément you had not only to overcome one of the loudest snoring I had the displeasure to hear, but you also had to deal with his French community… which soon became yours too. Clement, when you started dating Alexandra, well…you found out that she was perfect, so it was a lot easier for you.

Everyone present here today is feeling very lucky to have you both in their lives. You are part of the very few people who can be relied on when needed. Alexandra and Clement, you have done a lot of work moving your friend’s furniture all around the city. You were a huge help when my car broke down. This is a personal example, but I know you both would do the same for all of us, if you haven’t done so already. You are not only bringing support to people around you, but you also bring joy. I have always seen you two smiling, enjoying every moment as much as possible, always ready to go out with friends and family, and happy to try new experiences. These qualities you share, make you a powerful force. Your differences make you both stronger as well. Clément, sharing your feelings is a hard task. Alexandra, hiding yours is difficult, if not impossible; I am sure you could cry watching Family Feud. But, this is why you are able to read Clément’s feeling like nobody else can. Cornerstone and its very few bathrooms was the perfect romantic moment you dreamed of to meet each other. You spent the night together: talking, dancing, and drinking to find the courage to do the first step. You finally kissed later that night. That was the start of your love story. From that day on, your feelings kept getting bigger and bigger to that moment, on a French beach at l’ile dieux, where Clement built from seaweed the ring that became the symbol of your love and commitment. This is the love and commitment that Clement and Alexandra have put down in words, and they would like to express those feelings in front of us today. Alexandra would you like to start? Ali’s speech Clement, if you will. Clément’s speech I thought I was going to be strong enough… (take a tissue) Anyone need one? Throw it at someone crying.

I call upon - these persons here present –to witness that I – Clément Aristide Gilles Fert - take Alexandra Wolfzhan Herskowitz - to be my lovefull wedded wife. - I will love and cherish you - through good time and bad - with kindness and understanding, - I will care for you always. Moi, Alexandra Wolfzhan Herskowitz, - je consens à prendre pour époux – Clément Aristide Gilles Fert ici présent – pour le meilleur et pour le pire – dans la richesse et dans la pauvreté –dans la santé et dans la maladie, - pour t’aimer et te chérir, - jusqu’à ce que la mort nous sépare. I declare you husband and wife. You may kiss the bride.

It feels near impossible to talk about all of the things that make me love you and what we share together. For me finding love has been a truly long and winding journey. Before, love disappeared as quickly as it came and left me feeling empty, desperate, and a few times afraid for my life. I had an idea of what a healthy relationship should feel like but it was purely intuition. I didn’t understand what REAL love was until I met you. With you I feel an unyielding stability of commitment and connection. I am not afraid that a minute detail could cause everything that we have built together to crumble. Even in the beginning when things between us were uncertain my heart told me to give you time, to stay, and that you were worth it. When we first met, you were deliberate with dating slowly and only seeing me on the weekends. As frustrating as it was, this really allowed me to take my time and get to know you. I needed that. I was learning to trust again and you were developing your independence. There were definitely challenges along the way and I don’t think you were expecting to meet someone so quickly after moving to a new place. I feel really grateful to have witnessed your growth and transformation. You have impressed me so much. I am constantly amazed and inspired by your energy and drive. You are the only person I know who immediately puts away your laundry after washing it or who can build a garden box in one hour while I’m at the gym. There are so many small things that you do for us, and for me, that I am endlessly grateful for.

I am also grateful for being allowed to be myself with you. You have let me push you emotionally and to grow in life. You have never made me feel guilty when I’m cranky or feel ashamed for speaking my mind. With you I have the space and respect for self-expression and growth. With you I feel free and I feel full. Together we have built a life that I am proud of. We have formed a community of amazing friends. We have a beautiful house with a sweet dog. We have embarked on so many adventures together and no matter what we are doing I am not afraid because I am doing it with you. Having you as my husband is one of the greatest honors of my life. You are the best man that I have ever met and I am filled with gratitude that my winding path has brought me to you…. I promise to always try to recognize all the ways you show your love for me. I promise to support and encourage you. I promise to continue to push you to explore your emotions and to encourage healthy communication between us. Overall, I promise to love you every day and to choose our relationship every day. I love you and I choose you, for the rest of my life. J’taime toujours.

I would like to ask a question. Why do you think she is a good fit for me? I think all of you have some part of the answer in mind, I will for sure not go through all the details because the list is long but to answer you: Ali is really smart, straightforward, and whatever happen the most important thing is that I lover her. 

I have learnt a lot of things now, one good point due to my sees work is to not speak too much about yourself but to let the others talk. So the goal here is to more focus on our couple. Being close to 30 now, just in a few weeks in August this is also a really good present to have you all here and to celebrate. I am really happy about my current life, still at 29 I have a stable and challenging job for a French company, an outstanding fiance now wife, a comfortable house, a really cute dog, and amazing friends and family. Family is far but I am lucky to see them at least once a year, have them all healthy. Some of them haven’t been able to make it today because of age, plane phobia, pregnant situation and because of really long trip to cross the ocean but I think really strong about them and I know they think about us today. Si I kiss them all. To speak about Ali, she is brilliant, I day I saw her in this bar, The Cornerstone Tavern in Raleigh, highly known place to fish for some girls, it was really easy. It finally took me only few weeks to find her, at that time I was busy settling down in this new country and feeling really excited to know her more. Since those past years together, more than 3.5 years, we had a lot of fun and seriously reasonably no issues like others face. Like throwing plates at each other, fighting for no main reason or being uptight. I just know when she starts to get stressed or moody that she is just hungry so I make her some food or that she needs more sleep so I try to stay more in bed instead of running everywhere around the lake.

It is a really healthy relationship and feels it will last forever. Sometimes language can be an obstacle but being close to each other helps a lot. I am happy to continue this life, have fun and go on new adventures every years to come. I am happy you are also part of that special moment, we all know a lot people but being here today you just proved we can truly count on you. I am thankful to you for that. Know that you can also count on me wherever you are in this world. Longue vie à la famille Fert, longue vie à nôtre famille entière !