Speech by Camille’s mother

This is the first wedding of one of my children, and it’s obviously a very emotional moment.

It’s also an opportunity for me to express just how proud I am of my daughter Camille and to reassure Ramon that he made the right choice in marrying her.

Ever since she was born, Camille has been a wonderful little girl.

She’s always been a good sleeper, and in fact, as soon as she started sleeping through the night, she wouldn’t cry in the morning but would play with her stuffed animal while waiting for us to come give her a bottle. This penchant for sleeping in has endured over time, since even now sleep is still sacred to her. Anyone who were to have the misfortune of waking her up when she could still be sleeping would face the wrath of hell. So here’s a little advice for Ramon: be careful!

She’s always been a good eater, too. Aside from her mom’s green beans—which, as luck would have it, she avoids every time—she’s always done justice to all the other dishes featuring pasta, hearty meats, and delicious desserts. And over time, she’s come to enjoy cooking herself, such as strawberry cake or pasta carbonara or Bolognese. It’s worth noting that thanks to her summer jobs at Dignan in Cap Ferret, she learned the tricks of the trade for making that famous strawberry cake—the favorite of her little brother Eudes, who was lucky enough to have her make it for his birthdays.

When it comes to sports, that’s a whole different story. Camille has also tried her hand at several, such as tennis, gymnastics, handball, and skiing, but in the end, rock climbing was the one she enjoyed the most. I remember that even as a little girl, she loved climbing trees and rocks.

Lately, she’s become passionate about Formula 1. She knows everything there is to know about the Grand Prix races, the teams, the drivers, and all their respective strengths and weaknesses. And she’s even willing to get up at the crack of dawn to watch a race on the other side of the world! Unbelievable! I should mention that she and Ramon bought a racing-style sofa that reclines, from which they can watch all these races on a huge TV screen.

As for her academic record, there’s nothing to complain about there either. Camille has always been a good student at every school she’s attended (two elementary schools, two middle schools, two high schools—including the preparatory high school in Bourg-en-Bresse where she met Salma—then an engineering school where she met her new group of friends, including Paul, and finally a business school).

I also looked for some funny stories to share about amusing situations she might have experienced, but I didn’t find anything except for a New Year’s Eve at La Vigne where she and her friends had the brilliant idea to go for a midnight swim and almost all of them came back sick! Other than that, nothing else. I can think of at least two main explanations for this: either this is the plain truth, or—and I’m leaning more toward the latter—I’m not aware of everything. (Which is normal for a parent.)

She’s also a caring big sister who’s always taken good care of her brothers and sisters. She paved the way. It’s thanks to her that Enguerran and Gabrielle got Nintendos and developed a love for video games.
She cut her teeth with Eudes when he was born—she fed him, gave him baths, too—a real little mom. That really helped me out!

In short, it was a great start to her journey, one that has continued throughout her professional life. She’s steering her own course well—after her end-of-studies internship, she was hired first in Paris and then in Lyon. She then moved into a lovely apartment in Oullins right in the middle of 2020 (COVID) and didn’t hesitate to enlist the help of her mom, Gabrielle, Enguerran, and Eudes to repaint it from floor to ceiling. It was a lot of fun!

Then things started to go a bit awry—or rather, to pick up speed. In 2022, for Gabrielle’s 20th birthday, she came up to me all smiles and asked if a certain young man named Ramon could join us at the restaurant. Hmm! I was on high alert. Who is he? How did you meet him? The questions every mom has a right to ask. But Camille was tight-lipped and remained evasive. And that’s how I met you, Ramon. It took a lot of courage for you to come join us, especially since your French was still very basic back then. I’ve never learned Spanish—I could have made an effort to speak German with you, but it wouldn’t have done any good! So our first conversations were in English.

And little by little, Ramon became a bigger part of Camille’s life, just as Camille became a bigger part of his. He finally moved to Oullins in late 2022. And his French has improved significantly.

But with two dogs, Mochi and Luna, the apartment in Oullins was starting to feel cramped. So off they went to look for a house. BINGO—after a few viewings, it was love at first sight for a house in a quiet neighborhood in Saint-Genis-Laval. And so, in June 2025, with the keys in hand, family and friends were once again called upon to strip the wallpaper and paint the walls, ceilings, doors, and garage. They moved in that September. Everyone thought to themselves, “Phew, finally, they’ll settle down.”

Not a chance! The adventure continues! There they are, flitting from one wedding fair to the next. And so, to our great surprise, they announced that they were getting married and got engaged right on the spot. The clock was ticking, and off they went again to find a beautiful venue worthy of hosting the people who matter most to them—that is, YOU.

That’s why we’re all gathered here today, Wednesday, July 29, 2026, to celebrate Camille and Ramon’s wedding in this wonderful setting and to wish them every happiness as they embark on this new chapter of their lives.

Ramon, I’m happy—and as you can imagine—to welcome you into our family. You’re now my third son, so you have no choice but to put up with me a little while longer. You know you can count on me, and as Camille says: “I’ll always be FAR away for you!” (a humorous reference to a card Camille sent to her sister Gabrielle where she meant to say she’d always be there for her, but wrote “FAR” instead of “THERE”)

The two of you make a beautiful couple, so congratulations to both of you, and may the future continue to smile upon you.