Didier and Jacky celebrate their golden wedding on Saturday 17 August in Esplas, north of Ariège. To mark fifty years of marriage, the wife completed a 1,500 km trek from Rome, reaching the village of Ariège for the anniversary.
Two hundred people gathered this Saturday, August 17, 2024, under the Esplas hall, to welcome Jacky and Didier Dupré, who were celebrating their golden wedding. With this peculiarity that the husband, passionate about hiking, chose an original way to mark the fifty years of marriage: he undertook a 1,500 km walk from Italy.
“I wanted to prove my love to my wife. So I left Rome on June 12 and went to Rome”, says Didier. A trip – ultimately alone to celebrate a shared event – that didn't surprise Jacky. “He likes hiking, I didn't mind staying in the village at all and I would never have been able to walk so much,” she explains, used to her man's challenges.
Three steps together
She joined him again on Tuesday evening in Montreal (Aude) to complete the last three days of the ride, namely the Montreal Fanjeaux, Fanjeaux Mirepoix, Mirepoix Pamiers sections. The adventure ended this Saturday morning at Esplas.
“We arrived in front of the town hall, where we got married 50 years ago,” explains Didier. Over time, the town hall moved further away, and the building became a communal hall. No matter, there is no nostalgia in the hearts of the couple. “We were not in the tradition of repeating our wedding vows. The big party with the two hundred guests is important.”
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An event organized by Jacky and his three children, Marina, Cédric and Emilie. “We have our wedding witnesses, the villagers, part of the family, the people we have worked with,” list the newlyweds happily, who add: “Last year, doing the Customs route, I thought everything would happen like this. .”
Feelings and compromises
If Jacky is originally from Esplas, Didier comes from a nearby village. When he was an executive in a large distribution company, he traveled all over France with his wife and three children, always returning “once or twice a year to Esplas”. When they retired, the couple returned to the city and renovated Jacky's parents' house.
Before starting the aperitif, which will be followed by a beautiful evening, it is impossible not to ask for the secret of their longevity. “We need to become aware of the emotion we each have with each other,” Didier announces. Jacky, more pragmatically, believes: “You have to put water in your wine. You have to make a lot of compromises.”
And definitely a lot of humor because if no gift is planned, it makes sense: “I'm Jacky's gift!”, says Didier with a laugh.