Just Say "Yes," He'll Do the Rest

The tiny French Alpine hamlet of Novel, 3,000 ft. above sea level, has no store of any kind and only 34 inhabitants. Yet in the past decade, Novel has witnessed a remarkable 800 to 900 weddings. Couples itching to be hitched flock there from all over France and neighboring Switzerland, only a mountain torrent and a small bridge away. What makes Novel the Elkton, Md., or Gretna Green, Scotland, of France is the hamlet's mayor, Rene Bouvet. An athletic, effervescent man of 42, Bouvet does not believe in the ten-day posting of the bans or the month-long residency required by French law. His motto: "Just say 'yes,' I'll do the rest."

Whether the applicant is a Frenchman eager to marry before departing for Africa the next day, or a man and woman anxious to legitimize their newborn child, Bouvet obliges by donning his tricolor sash and officiating at a town-hall ceremony. "Mind you, I don't marry just anyone," says Bouvet. "First, I have a chat with the couple. If I feel something's wrong, then I refuse to marry them. But red tape shouldn't be allowed to thwart love and marriage."

Worn Out. In a village with two hotels (one owned by Bouvet), an inn and a cafe, the marrying mayor has almost a monopoly on the commercial fruits of marriage. If a religious ceremony is requested, Church Sexton Bouvet makes the arrangements. His wife is a ready witness, though she is usually busy preparing the wedding dinner (or breakfast) at the Bouvets' hotel, where the mayor lodges the honeymooners.

When there are congratulatory telegrams to be delivered to the newlyweds, Postmaster Bouvet does the delivering. Should the loving couple accidentally start a fire, Fire Chief Bouvet is responsible for dousing it.

This busy cupid has become so popular that a Swiss radio station broadcast an Alexandrine in his honor the other day: "Si tu veux te marier, va trouver Rene." Bouvet appreciated the sentiment but not the publicity; the French Ministry of Justice could fine him $5.50 for every marriage pronounced without posting of bans. Thus, when five couples seeking marriage turned up in Novel last week, they found that Monsieur le maire was not in a marrying mood. "My husband is all worn out, so he has gone to Switzerland to lie in a sauna," said his wife. "He'll start marrying people again next week."

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