The pre-wedding feast began that night at seven o’clock, and was scheduled to last until twelve o’clock, where it would end not a minute either before or after that hour. The guests were borne along one of four winding paths leading from the confluence of the lake in a Southerly direction. Each path was lit by nine, seven-foot high torches, which crackled away on either side and made the balmy night flicker with inconsistent light.