The newly re-opened Notre Dame Cathedral was the host of something it hadn’t seen in 30 years: a wedding. The last wedding held at the cathedral was in 1995, when the Cathedral ceased being a parish church. However, the Archbishop of Paris, Laurent Ulrich, issued a special authorization for the wedding of Martin Lorentz and his fiancée Jade, which was held on October 25. Lorentz was one of the carpenters that worked on the restoration of the historic Cathedral after it was damaged in a fire. The authorization permitted 500 guests for the wedding, with many of them being other carpenters who had restored the church. Lorentz had worked on the restoration for three years, trying to maintain the church’s historic look by carving and assembling the church’s beams in a medieval fashion, true to the original architecture.

Msgr. Ribadeau Dumas oversaw the wedding and noted Lorentz’s contribution to the church. “Jade and Martin, welcome to this cathedral. Martin, you know it well — you know it from above,” he said. It was a dream come true for Lorentz, who had hoped to have the church as his wedding venue while working on it. Lorentz spoke with France 2 about what the special venue meant for him. “I wanted to share our love with the whole world, with everyone who needs it. It’s the best day of my life; I can’t say anything else,” he said. Other carpenters echoed the specialness of the event. “To end this adventure like this is wonderful. Getting married in our cathedral is a bit like being at home,” said one. “It’s crazy that this wedding was able to take place, and to see my friends here … I’m so happy,” said another.

The cathedral has been the site of some royal weddings, including Mary Stuart with François II in 1558 and Napoleon III and Eugénie de Montijo in 1853.The image of a newly-restored Notre Dame Cathedral giving back to one of the men who helped to restore her beauty offered a poignant recollection of birth and resurrection to the witnesses of Montez’s wedding to his bride. Onlookers cheered when the couple were declared husband and wife.