As it happens, Claude is the first one who - after everyone's gotten enough food in them to be patient - stands up, tapping a fork against his wine glass to make it ring.
"I know Felix will hate me for this, but there are certain traditions you can't shake," he says, grinning over at both the man in question and his new husband. "That you shouldn't shake. And one of them is receiving well wishes and blessings from friends on the occasion of your marriage. But in deference to you and how you hate this sort of thing, sunshine, I promise I'll keep it short...well, short for me.
"I couldn't be happier for the two of you, or more honored to have played even the smallest of parts in the two of you getting past yourselves in order to finally find the person who's always been right there with you. It sounds like that should be the easiest thing in the world, but I think you can both agree it isn't always. And I also couldn't be more happier or more honored to be able to share your lives going forward, too.
"Mostly, though, I wanted to say this: some people see an amazing wedding to a partner they're desperately in love with to be some kind of fairytale happy ending. I've always considered that rather reductive, and I expect neither of you could really buy into that sort of thinking either. But I think we could at least call this the happiest of happy endings for Sylvain Gautier." He raises his glass a bit higher. "So, in light of that, and in light of what all wise men know a wedding truly signifies, let me wish the happiest of beginnings to Felix and Sylvain Fraldarius!"
Claude's toast!
"I know Felix will hate me for this, but there are certain traditions you can't shake," he says, grinning over at both the man in question and his new husband. "That you shouldn't shake. And one of them is receiving well wishes and blessings from friends on the occasion of your marriage. But in deference to you and how you hate this sort of thing, sunshine, I promise I'll keep it short...well, short for me.
"I couldn't be happier for the two of you, or more honored to have played even the smallest of parts in the two of you getting past yourselves in order to finally find the person who's always been right there with you. It sounds like that should be the easiest thing in the world, but I think you can both agree it isn't always. And I also couldn't be more happier or more honored to be able to share your lives going forward, too.
"Mostly, though, I wanted to say this: some people see an amazing wedding to a partner they're desperately in love with to be some kind of fairytale happy ending. I've always considered that rather reductive, and I expect neither of you could really buy into that sort of thinking either. But I think we could at least call this the happiest of happy endings for Sylvain Gautier." He raises his glass a bit higher. "So, in light of that, and in light of what all wise men know a wedding truly signifies, let me wish the happiest of beginnings to Felix and Sylvain Fraldarius!"