Nantes hosts France's first night weddings

The first 'night weddings' in France have taken place in Nantes.

A number of marriages were conducted at the Brittany city's mairie long after the office's normal closing time on Friday.

The mairie, which usually closes at 4:40pm, remained open until 11pm to perform extended 30-minute ceremonies.

The city's mayor, Johanna Rolland, told journalists invited to the first night of weddings, "Nantes is the sixth largest city in France, a city that moves, which innovates. Here we like to launch new and creative ideas."

She said that the idea came from a consultation process several months ago: "In our big city, the schedules of the inhabitants evolve, expectations and uses evolve.

"We covered many subjects, health, transport, security, as well as the opening-up of a number of 'special moments'.

"We offer a personalised atmosphere, while keeping the republican and solemn dimension of a wedding," she said.

One of the first couples to take advantage of the late-night service said that they had taken advantage of the later timeslot so that they would not have to miss work for their nuptials - though they added that the time on the invitations had caused some confusion among their guests.

Two more evenings have been made available for night-time weddings this year - September 22 and December 15.