Carpenter helped build Notre Dame after fire—then experienced something that hasn’t happened in 30 years
The 2019 fire at the iconic Notre-Dame Cathedral in Paris captured worldwide attention. It took years to rebuild it before reopening in December 2024. However, this October, a special event took place at the cathedral — a wedding. Something that had not happened in the last 30 years. One of the carpenters who had helped rebuild the cathedral dreamed of getting married there. So a special permission was granted to make his wish come true, per the National Catholic Register.
The event was special because the church does not host private ceremonies anymore. The last wedding was held at the church in 1995. The cathedral is not a parish church and requires special permission from the archbishop for such a ceremony. Paris Archbishop Laurent Ulrich permitted the ceremony to recognize the carpenter, Martin Lorentz's, efforts to rebuild the cathedral for three years. Lorentz worked on the wooden frame of the church, which was badly burnt in the fire. The wedding took place on October 25 and hosted 500 guests, including the couple, Lorentz and Jade, their family, friends and the other carpenters who worked with Lorentz to restore the church.
Monsignor (Msgr.) Olivier Ribadeau Dumas, the rector of Notre-Dame Cathedral, hosted the ceremony for the happy couple. Lorentz was initially unsure if he would get permission for such an event, but everything worked out in his favor in the end. Lorentz had mainly worked on the roof of the cathedral and Dumas addressed it as he welcomed the couple for the ceremony. "Jade and Martin, welcome to this cathedral. Martin, you know it well — you know it from above." Lorentz told France Info, "I just want to say that this is the best day of my life. I don't think I can say anything else. I want to share my love, our love, with the whole world, with everyone who needs it."
Many of Lorentz's fellow carpenters who attended the ceremony carried their axes to honor the couple. "It's incredible to see this happen. It was a wonderful moment to end like that, to get married in our cathedral, which is a bit like home to us," one of the carpenters said. "Notre-Dame has known darkness; now it is back in the light," Ulrich remarked. The church was rebuilt by 2000 artisans and 250 companies, using ancient techniques to reconstruct the structure. The tourists were visiting the cathedral at the time of the wedding and looked at the ceremony in awe, according to a video shared by France 24.
People shared their thoughts on the ceremony in the YouTube video's comment section. @leatheryfoot6354 wrote, "If Notre-Dame were a wedding venue, hundreds of the most wealthy would pay millions of dollars to use it. I'm glad it's a million humble carpenter that got this rare honor." @sealover7134 commented, "In all honesty, I think a wedding was the perfect way to symbolize the finished restoration of Notre-Dame." @ilhuicatlamaini shared, "How very sweet! To have a carpenter who helped rebuild it be the one exception to celebrate a wedding there, it’s poignant in many layers and a beautiful opportunity for them. I'm sure the old church enjoyed having such an event once again, too, a nice way to reopen!"