James Middleton and Alizée Thevenet's officiant talks about wedding and William and Kate's appearance

James Middleton, the younger brother of Duchess Kate Middleton, tied the knot with Alizée Thevenet in an intimate ceremony in the south of France on Saturday. François Arizzi, mayor of the hilltop village of Bormes-les-Mimosas who officiated the ceremony inside the local town hall, is now revealing details about the top-secret wedding.

In a conversation with local publication Var Matin on Monday, a day after James Middleton announced the marriage on Instagram, Arizzi said, "It was a very nice and very family ceremony."

The nuptials, which had only had 50 people in attendance, was held in Bormes because the family of the bride, who is a native of France, had recently acquired a property in the village. After the couple exchanged their vows, the guests celebrated privately at an undisclosed nearby location.

Arizzi recalled, "Everything was organised with the utmost discretion. They arrived by plane in Hyères [Toulon] before joining Bormes. I was in on the secret, but I could not say anything. They had a security detail and we also reinforced security on our side!"

"The bride and groom were very happy. They were able to pose and take photos on the forecourt of the town hall, and the two dogs, who are at the origin of their meeting, were there. They then went to a private domain to celebrate," he continued.

The groom's younger sister Pippa Middleton was present at the wedding, so was his elder sister Kate Middleton and brother-in-law Prince William. The Duke and the Duchess of Cambridge were also accompanied by their three children, Prince George, 8, Princess Charlotte, 6, and Prince Louis, 3.

The mayor revealed that the royals made sure that they did not grab any attention at the wedding, and wore casual attire to ensure this. He recalled, "Prince William and Kate were there but they did not want to steal the show from the newlyweds, Alizée Thevenet and James Middleton, who is a very nice boy. Prince William did not have any formal attire but wore a beige and off-white suit.

Meanwhile, Kate wore "a long dress of a very light green color."

Arizzi quipped that he was able to interact with the royal couple in "very poor English." He recalled, "We talked about the charms of Bormes-les-Mimosas and its climate, banalities.... It was a simple moment, and I wasn't more impressive than that!"