SO. Notre Dame Hosts First Wedding in 3 Decades for Carpenter Who Helped Rebuild Iconic Cathedral After Disastrous Fire

Martin Lorentz tied the knot with his bride Jade at the cathedral in Paris on Saturday, Oct. 25

Notre Dame is celebrating their first wedding in 30 years.

On Saturday, Oct. 25,  the cathedral in Paris, which caught fire in April 2019, hosted a wedding for a carpenter who helped rebuild the structure, according to the National Catholic Register.

Martin Lorentz spent three years rebuilding Notre Dame before it reopened to the public in December 2024.

This resulted in special permission being granted by Paris Archbishop Laurent Ulrich for the wedding to take place.

Notre Dame does not host private ceremonies anymore with the last wedding taking place in 1995, according to the outlet.

Due to not being a parish church, weddings are only allowed at the landmark after permission is granted from the archbishop.

Lorentz’s wedding consisted of 500 guests of friends and family, as well as other colleagues in carpentry who came with axes to pay tribute.

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As Lorentz tied the knot with his bride Jade, the cathedral was filled with bright lights, candles and statues.

“Jade and Martin, welcome to this cathedral. Martin, you know it well — you know it from above,” Msgr. Olivier Ribadeau Dumas, who serves as the Archpriest of Notre-Dame de Paris cathedral, said at the ceremony.

Lorentz also told the press, “I want to share my love, our love, with the whole world, with all those who need it. I just want to say that this is the most beautiful day of my life. I don’t think I can say anything else,” per radio network France Info.

Many carpenters who were present also expressed their excitement for their colleague.

“It’s incredible to see this happen,” one told France Info. 

Another added, “It was a wonderful moment to end like that, to get married in our cathedral, which is a bit like home to us.”