As an arts student, I grew up obsessed with the idea that one day something I had created would be featured in Vogue. Well that day finally came! The wedding of Amanda & Zach at Hotel du Palais in Biarritz was featured in Vogue France.
Huge, huge thanks you to Ha Nguyen, the photographer I am now utterly obsessed with, for making dreams come true.
Click the image to read the full article:
Lou and Oliver got married in 2018. In the 12 months lead up to the wedding, and at the same time as setting up her company, French-Bague-ette, Lou was asked to be a ‘guest writer’ for the world renowned wedding Blog ‘Rock My Wedding’. Lou shared her experiences as a wedding planner and a bride getting married in France. Below you can read the articles and visit the French Bague-ette instagram for updates on what has been happening since!
It’s the final week so I’m sure you can all imagine how busy we are! I’m managing to squeeze in a blog post though so I must be somewhat on top of it!
When it came to preparing for our wedding, I always knew that I had another wedding beforehand so that always took priority. 3 weeks ago was the wedding of Halle & Bryn,.I am thrilled with how it turned out! The sun shone brightly for the cliff top ceremony, the day ran smoothly, the party kicked off! It was such a pleasure to see the bride and groom and their families so happy. Halle wore the most amazing Rue de Seine gown and her bouquet was to die for. Both Halle & Bryn are total babes so I can’t wait to see the photos from Yoris, their photographer.
It took a little while to rest and recover after that and then we realised there were just two weeks left until our own wedding which kicked us back into action! I’m not going to hide it, these last few days have been a bit manic, mainly running around getting everything where it needs to be. I think that no matter how well you have planned there’s always a bit of running around in the last few days because some things you can’t actually do until the last minute.
WEDDING WEATHER!
We’ve been watching the weather forecast apps like hawks! Biarritz, where we live, is snuggled between the mountains and the ocean so it has a bit of a weird microclimate. The apps are never really that accurate around here, but it hasn’t stopped us checking and even buying add-ons so we can see further ahead! Silly us!
At the moment it looks good for next Friday but I just want to share this: Many of the venues I work with have told me that people always worry about what the weather is going to be like on their wedding day. Of course we all want abundant sunshine, not too hot, slightly breezy perfection. But, if you don’t get that, please don’t fret! There is no reason that bad weather should ruin your day. In fact, sometimes it can help bring people together for a more jovial atmosphere. If people have to huddle in under a tent, then so be it! they will get chatting and have new best buds in no time! On the flip side, too much sun can be uncomfortable, or it could mean that your guests spread out exploring the venue gardens, only to return and find out they missed the speeches.
Worth noting too, that a bit of cloud cover can make better photographs as you don’t get odd reflections and squinting bridesmaids! So I’m vowing to not worry about the weather anymore! Anyway, what’s worrying about it going to do?
LISTS and DELEGATION
I think that the best advice I can give at this time is LISTS and DELEGATION. I’ve been struggling a bit with the idea that it won’t actually be me doing the on the day set up and styling. That’s the bit I love and I want to be there to make sure my vision comes together as I imagined. The logistics of me being there just aren’t really possible though, especially as I don’t want to see Olivier the morning of the wedding. So I’ve delegated the final say to a creative friend that I trust. I’ll be opting instead for some morning yoga followed by ALL the pampering!
It’s not easy to delegate but you do also have to put your trust in your friends and especially your suppliers. Generally you have chosen your suppliers because you love their work. So explain clearly what you want and then let them do their job.
LISTS, I’m not sure I would get through life generally without ‘to do’ lists! I find writing it down makes it all clearer and easier to manage. I even sleep better if I’ve written my ‘to do list!’ Having lists has helped with the delegation of tasks between Olivier and I and helped us to feel like we are making progress when we can tick things off. There are now just a few little things on the list to tackle before our friends and family start to arrive this weekend. Hopefully we’re organised enough that we can have a relatively calm week, relaxing with our guests before the big day!
So this time next week I will be a married woman! I can’t wait for the day and to share it with you all after!
Wish me luck!
Lou x
It’s been said time and time again that your wedding day is one of the best days of your life. But what if your idea of a great day doesn’t include a fancy white gown, being centre of attention, a wedding cake and ‘something blue!?’ Well that’s totally fine too! I’m a strong believer that your wedding day should be how YOU want it to be (as a couple!) The day should be planned to make you happy and a reflection of your tastes, your ideas and your love. And if that means ditching a dinner followed by wedding cake in favor of pancakes at brunch, then why not!?
Granted, if it’s a wedding there are some things you probably should include, like some sort of ceremony for example! But try to make it your own! Sometimes we also have to include certain things to make other people happy, even if it’s not exactly our thing, but as long as making them happy makes you happy, we’re good!
Invite your 30 closest friends on a fishing boat out to an island. Wear a green frock and trainers. Have coconut shys or a tequila donkey. Ask for your guest’s favorite books as wedding gifts. Blow the entire budget on an intimate concert with your favorite band. Or, if you want the white dress, a church, the 3 course dinner and dancing, you can totally go for that too!
Overall I would say that Olivier and I have followed a fairly traditional plan for our wedding day. That’s what we wanted, but we have ditched some things and we have tried to include our personalities and ideas and what works best for us wherever we can.
For example, we are not having a sit down dinner. Half the guests are French, half are English, we have no idea who can speak both languages so a table plan would be essential but also a total nightmare to work out! Lots of people could end up sitting for 3 hours with someone they struggle to communicate with and that’s no fun for anyone! Instead we have opted for stand up tapas and Spanish ‘rationes’ from cones. With the wedding being on the Spanish border, (you can actually see Spain across the sea form our venue) Tapas is local and perfect! We like the more casual vibe and imagine our guests in deck chairs under parasols eating garlicy ‘chiperons au chorizo’ straight from the plancha.
There are no real rules and you too can ditch wedding traditions if you want to…
WHICH WEDDING TRADITIONS TO DITCH OR FOLLOW?
WEDDING FAVOURS Wedding favours are certainly not essential! If you’ve got a good idea for wedding favors and you want to give them, do. But don’t spend hours of your weekends making hand embroidered hedgehogs that will end up st the back of a cupboard (Again, unless you and all your guests happen to love hedgehogs!)
And if you think favors are a waste of money, dont bother with them at all!
CENTRAL WEDDING AISLE - Mix it up a bit! I’ve always loved the idea of doing the wedding ceremony in the round. I would have totally opted for that myself if our ceremony venue was the right shape for it! Im hoping to persuade one of my clients this summer to do their ceremony in a field in the round.
WEDDING INVITATIONS - It’s ok to go digital!
ORDER OF SERVICE - Maybe a black board would do?
BRIDESMAIDS - If your best friend is a guy, pick him!
GROOMSMEN - Maybe your sister is your true best mate?
FLOWERS - Some people have allergies!
CHAMPAGNE - What if you prefer Aperol Spritz!
WEDDING CAKE - Ice cream machine? Donut wall? Pop Tarts!?
FIRST DANCE - Not if you’ve got two left feet and hate dancing!
My point is simply just do what works for you and what will make you happy! Your family and friends love you exactly as you are, so just do you!
Lou x
72 Days to go! ….. Brides of 2018, I know you’ll feel me, I can’t decide if time seems to be getting slower or going faster!? I want our wedding day to come so much, but there are some finishing touches to get in place, so not too soon please!
It’s been a little while since my last update, but I hope you enjoyed my Nordic woodland weddinginspiration shoot published last month? As the day is approaching, behind the scenes I’ve been getting on with wedding planning for my company French Bague-etteand also tackling wedding beauty and wedding traditions that I wanted to share with you….
WHY WEAR A GARTER?
You may or may not know why brides traditionally wear garters on their wedding day. It stems from old beliefs that it was good luck for wedding guests to keep a piece of the bride’s gown after the wedding. Sometimes this could even result in crazy guests ripping a piece of the gown off the bride! (I hope there are no guests like that at any of our weddings!) The garter was introduced so that the bride could willingly gift part of her wedding attire to a lucky guest. Some also believed that the removal of the garter was proof of the consummation of the marriage. Sometimes the garter is removed by the groom and tossed towards the unmarried men at the wedding, much like the bride’s bouquet toss, it is believed that the lucky bachelor to catch the garter will be the next to be married!
As with a lot of these old wedding traditions, these days, it’s totally up to you whether you want to have a garter toss or even wear a garter at all. Personally, we won’t have a garter toss but I’ve decided that I would like to wear one anyway just because I think I would quite enjoy it!
THE GARTER HUNT
Having made the decision to wear a garter, the hunt was on to find something that went with my wedding dress, that wasn’t crazy expensive, that looked comfortable enough... and it turns out that wasn’t that easy! It’s not something I had ever really thought about before, but you don’t very easily just walk into a shop and find a huge array of garters to choose from, especially not in our seaside town of Biarritz. After trawling Instagram, Etsy and Pinterest, I eventually came across Laura Beaumont Coutureand I fell in love with the simplicity of one of her bespoke garters.
Laura custom makes each garter by hand so she can make any changes you want, like adding an antique pearl for your ‘something old’ or a blue bow for your ‘something blue.’
Laura was lovely to communicate with and I’m expecting my garter in the post today. Luckily Olivier’s away on his stag do this weekend so I’ll have a chance to try it on and prance around the house!
HAIR AND MAKE-UP TRIALS
I’ve had a bit of a mixed experience with the hair and make-up trials and now I know just how important they are!
First was hair and it was a dream! I had gathered a few images of the sort of things I liked so I could show my stylist what I was thinking. It’s not always easy to work out if your hair is suitable for some of the super pretty images out there. I think I may have shown her something that would need an extra foot on the length of my hair! My super talented friend and wedding hair stylist, Whitney from Le Brushing, made it look as easy as pie! (which it definitely isn't!) She understood what I wanted, explained what would work best in my hair and created the looks perfectly. Don’t forget to take your accessories and veil (If you’re wearing one) with you to your trial.
WEDDING MAKE-UP TRIAL
Next I had a make-up trial with a local beautician. Again, I took some images with me of the look I wanted and explained what I did and didn’t want. At the time, I thought it had gone quite well but after the experience, the more I thought about it I realised that it just wasn’t quite right. The lady, although she was lovely, hadn’t really followed my requests and she put on a much heavier look than I would want. I didn’t feel comfortable with the look created and although I’m sure it would have been totally perfect for some brides, I just didn’t feel like me. I was concerned about it but it wasn’t until a couple of weeks afterwards that I realized I should try a different make-up artist. At this point I was worried about budget and felt bad increasing the beauty budget so I found the decision hard. However it turned out to be one of the best decisions I’ve made so far in the wedding planning process. After all, how you look and especially how you feel on the day is very, very important and really isn’t that what the trial is all for?
WEDDING MAKE-UP TRIAL TWO!
I was a little late for my appointment but as I ran towards the building there was a beautiful smiling face waving at me from the window and I instinctively felt more comfortable with this decision. Jenny Jane has recently moved from Paris to South West France and started her business Jenny Jane MUA. I am sure she will have great success as my whole experience was just lovely! Jenny looked at my inspiration images closely, she kept asking me how I felt about what she was doing and she made sure I was totally happy with the look created. She was professional and organised and just so good at it! I feel so much more relaxed and actually quite excited about my wedding day make-up! You can check out the experience in my highlighted stories on my French Bague-ette instagram
If your wedding is coming up and you still havent had your beauty trials, I suggest booking them in ASAP. Give yourself time to choose someone different if you feel like the first one is just not quite right. If you’re getting married in France I can’t recommend Le Brushingand Jenny Janeenough! They both speak English, are willing to travel and will make you look and feel fabulous!
Until next time, I hope your weddings are coming together as you wanted. If you feel like chatting through anything, don’t hesitate to get in touch!
Lou x
I hope you have been checking out my 'real bride' monthly posts over on Rock My Wedding? I'm giving them updates on my story as a 'Wedding Planner, Planning Her Own Wedding.' This month I discussed my current Top 5 wedding ideas and trends. There is so much beautiful imagery out there, so much on instagram, so much on pinterest, so much all around us! Don't you find it can sometimes become overwhelming?! As soon as you think you have your wedding day styling sorted, some other beautiful idea pops up on your feed and your plan goes up in the air! Each wedding I plan, I set myself the challenge of choosing my Top 5 ideas and I can't tell you how much this helps! Head over to Rock my wedding to read the full article!...
Whether they are hanging above your heads, creeping up the walls or lining your wedding aisle, flower installations look stunning!
Having a colour palette makes life easier! The wedding doesn't have to be entirely 'matchy matchy' but trust me having a colour palette helps to make decisions! Our palette came from our wedding invitations which was a pre made design on Papier.
Im totally obsessed with tassels at the moment and not afraid of a bit of DIY to get them exactly how I want them! They are much easier to make than you might think!
Stars, moon crescents, galaxies are all the prettiest things to me at the moment. I totally love the ethereal bridal accessories from Tilly Thomas or Luna Bea. Have you seen this moon crescent shaped alter from The 12 Events!
There you have it! My current Top 5 wedding ideas and trends! Have you worked yours out yet?!
Are you a bride-to-be hoping to get married in France?
I thought I would share with you some of the things I have learnt about getting married here and some of the lovely suppliers and people that I have been working with. Hopefully this will help the destination brides out there to put the final pieces of your wedding jigsaw together, or even get the ball rolling if you don’t know where to start!
LEGALLY GETTING MARRIED IN FRANCE
Firstly, the legal bits, and this might come as a surprise! If you are a British citizen, it’s important to know that if you are hoping to have a legal wedding in France, you need an address in France! For both heterosexual and same sex marriages, the legal ceremony takes place in the mairie (town hall) and this must be the local town hall where either one of you, or your parents, have an address or ties to. If you do meet these requirements you can legally get married in France but as with many things French, there is a lot of paperwork including getting birth certificates professionally translated which can be a bit of a drag!
As a result of these laws, many couples who have a destination wedding in France tend to do the legal ceremony in their home town beforehand and then have a second religious or secular ceremony in France. The rules vary a little from town to town on having this symbolic ceremony actually in a church, but again, it really helps if you have a link to that church or can bring a priest that knows you with you! Symbolic outdoor ceremonies are also very popular.
ENGLISH SPEAKING CELEBRANT
Luckily for us, Olivier and I do qualify for the civil ceremony in our local mairie in Bidart, our beautiful hillside Basque village, so we are doing that a couple of days before our wedding day with a smaller crowd. Then, for the symbolic ceremony on the wedding day itself, we have found a totally lovely and bilingual celebrant based near Bordeaux, Sandie Smith. Sandie Is English but has lived in France for over 30 years and is very willing to travel for your ceremony. I am excited to get writing the vows and we have confidence that Sandie will make the words of our wedding ceremony very special!
My nearest town is Biarritz, but as French Bague-ette, matures I am starting to work with suppliers all over the South West of France. It’s often a case of finding the right supplier to fit with my clients needs, so sometimes I have to look a little further afield and the contact list expands...
CREATIVE WEDDING SUPPLIERS
I’d like to share with you some of my most favourite suppliers that I have found. Firstly, hugely talented photographer Marine Marques. I love Marine’s approach, to capture ‘wild love & light’ For me there is a presence of nature and emotion in her work which I find beautiful. Marine would be an excellent choice if you are looking for a photographer in the South West area. These photos are of a styled elopement shoot in the Basque mountains that Marine worked on. You can see the contacts for her fabulously creative team in the captions below.
Also hugely influential in the region are Ruban Collective. They are a creative wedding collective consisting of planners, a photographer, hairstylist, stationery designer and amazing florist, Lady Brindille. Lady Brindille is the queen of cool when it comes to flower arranging, known for her signature ‘twiggy’ style and beautiful wreaths. Check out her instagram h ere.
Other exceptional florists in the area are Berry based in Biarritz. They are open minded innovators currently working on a pampas grass installation for a cliff side wedding I’m planning.
I am also totally in love with the ‘flower truck’ from Loreak Kalean! ...And speaking of trucks we mustn’t forget the fantastic food trucks available! Super cool Nacho Libre to bring Mexican midnight snacks when your guests get peckish after all that dancing! Or how about La Roulotte for some cool vintage caravan styling! For photobooth fun check out Wild Stories with their wooden camera, caravan photo booth with changeable backgrounds and fun accessories packs! Lastly, for hair and make-up, it has to be Whitney from Le Brushing or beauty agency By Jodie who have a team of talented English speaking beauticians for your destination weddings all over Europe.
I hope the wedding planning is going well for all you beautiful brides and that some of this has been helpful! I would love to answer any questions you have, so feel free contact me!
Lou x
Elopement shoot imagery credits:
- Photographer : Marine Marques
- Florist : Atelier Floral
- Vidéo : Nacmédia
- Wedding Dress : Confidentiel Création
- Makeup : Julia Marty
- Hair : Emeline Saros
- Stationary : Zemonsta
- Arch : Cactus et les Nanas
- Wedding cake : Fika
- Jewelry : Les soeurs pirates
I've got the dress! It took four shops which I thought was quite good, well for me anyway! Judging from my general shopping experiences, and Mum will vouch for this, it can be tricky for me to find anything I like. Mum has seen me scan shop floors from the doorway of stores that I usually love, and exclaim that 'there is absolutely nothing in here for me!' My only saviour is that the decision is quick when I know I like something.
THE FIRST APPOINTMENT
The first appointment was at German brand Kaviar Gauche . I was visiting my brother, Paul, and sister-in-law, Maude, who live in Berlin. It was a couple of weeks after Olivier and I got engaged and Maudie booked me the appointment so that we could do something exciting and 'weddingy' together.
We decided, as this was the first experience of trying on wedding dresses, I should just go for it and try all sorts of shapes. We had a couple of rather strong frozés before we went, which may have loosened me up but I liked loads of the dresses! Kaviar Gauche have these golden belts which just instantly modernise any gown into an uber cool realm. I learnt which fabrics I like, what shapes I felt most comfortable in, as well as what really didn't suit me and could be ruled out. My favourite dress on this occasion was a fairly relaxed, quite simple dress shape with Grecian draping. The dress is actually called 'Perfect Wedding Dress'
It was totally unexpected that I would like something that simple, but it fitted me really well and the fabric was so light and comfortable. The best piece of advice I can give at the beginning is, try loads of shapes, even if you think you know what you want, you may be pleasantly surprised!
Although I did like this dress, I knew there were plenty others out there and I think it’s hugely important to have your venue and date before you choose your dress. Really it's the venue and time of year that set the mood for the day. A very structured dress for example just wouldn't be right for my sea side reception venue.
THE BRANDS I LOVED
After deciding on my wedding venue, the next shop I visited was a local shop in Bayonne, near where we live in France. The shop, Alice Springs , stocks one brand that I was particularly excited to try on - Rembo Styling.
Rembo Styling are a Belgium brand, made in Portugal, which describe themselves as 'Modern & Luxurious Boho Chic.' This description goes perfectly with the aesthetic of my wedding planning and styling company @French_Bague_ette so I really wanted to try them!
The Rembo Styling dresses have a romantic feeling with a bit of an edgy twist through cut outs and lace detailing. They felt so good on. I particularly loved the backline of the Aimee dress . I could have easily bought this dress there and then but I hesitated because I had already fallen head over heels for the dresses from another brand and I wasn't going to buy anything until I had tried those on.
MADE WITH LOVE
I developed this huge crush on Australian brand 'Made with Love' Their social media is totally on point and I was a little obsessed with their Instagram videos of their other worldly model gliding in wedding dresses on bridges at sunrise.
Stevie , Frankie (which has pockets!) Sacha , and Mimi were all on my list and I knew I wasn't going to be satisfied until I tried them. There are precisely zero stockists in France. (If anyone out there has a wedding dress shop in France, you should seriously consider stocking these dresses!) There are only four stockists in the UK, but luckily I had a trip back to London planned so I managed to squeeze in two appointments.
THE WEDDING CLUB
The first time I tried the Made With Love dresses was at The Wedding Club in South Kensington. This was the wedding dress shopping experience out of a film. The shop was privatised, Mum and one of my bridesmaids, Debbie came, they sat on a velvet sofa in the middle of the white room, filled with lace, silk, and a huge mirror. The assistant, Shara, knew everything about the dresses, and treated us wonderfully. They had Sacha, Frankie and Stevie but not Mimi. I tried them all each more than twice and they were all exquisite. I loved the pockets on Frankie, I loved the unusual coffee colour underlay of Sacha and Stevie was also dreamy. I eventually had to rule out Sacha because the lace was very heavy and just not suitable for my beach side wedding. Frankie and Stevie both have very long trains and I knew that Mimi did not, so I was going to have to try Mimi before I made any decisions.
ALWAYS AND FOREVER
The next morning Mum and I headed to 'Always and Forever' in Hounslow. Always and Forever is a family run store which has been there 20 years. They also have a branch in
Melbourne, hence carrying Aussie brand Made With Love. Now, I'm not going to hide the truth here, the shop front isn't exactly the same experience as going into The Wedding Club bridal boutique in a Georgian terrace in South Ken! Always and Forever is vast, more like a warehouse, they stock hundreds of dresses, there are four changing rooms and other brides are in there with you all requiring assistance at the same time, sometimes even sharing the mirror. However, I can honestly say that I think this will forever be my fondest shopping memory of my life. Of course it was lovely having my mum there when I found the dress, but also the genuine passion and enthusiasm shown by Angie and her team was the best service I have ever experienced. They knew what would suit me, they quickly worked out what I would like and they were so friendly and fun! They were excited for me, excited to show me other dresses and they ran around going totally above and beyond with huge smiles on their faces.
CHOOSING THE DRESS
What happened in this store was totally unexpected. I tried the Mimi, and it was gorgeous. The unusual sleeves that form a cape with an open back looked dramatic and original - the lace was to die for and the train exactly the length I was looking for.... But there were so many others too. I eventually got into a position where I had 4 dresses, all from different brands that I totally loved and would have worn any of them down the aisle - But I had to whittle them down! I toyed with the idea of having two dresses and an outfit change, but that's not really me. Next I got rid of the most expensive dress because, why pay more when you love the others just as much? Next door to the store they have superb tailor. Angie called him in to discuss some changes I was thinking about and after he worked his magic, the decision was made!
Now obviously I can't tell you what dress I went for because I’m not going to reveal it before the big day. Olivier will read this, well, he better read this! I don't want him having any idea what my dress is like. But I will tell you this; in the end the dress was from a brand I didn't know, it is also from a couple of seasons ago and it cost far less than what I imagined I might spend on my wedding dress. But, it's totally perfect for me. When I put the veil on Mum and I both had that sought after moment where we welled up, knowing this was THE DRESS. It made me realise the obvious, that when it comes down to it, it's totally about how you feel in the dress and whether it suits you and your personality. It’s all too easy to get whisked up in which shop you bought it from, whether their Instagram account is cool, how recent or how expensive the dress is. In the end none of that mattered because I knew this one was the one for me. Trust your instincts because we all know that when you know, you just know!
Call me greedy but Olivier and I had two engagement parties! The casual BBQ that I told you all about in my last post, and this more formal affair. It made sense to combine the first time our parents met with the engagement party so we waited until my parents were in Biarritz visiting. We also wanted to celebrate earlier than that with our friends, hence the need for two!
Sylvie and Patrick, my future parents-in-law, were kind enough to offer us their beautiful garden as our engagement party venue. Patrick and the boys put up a sail in case of showers (one always needs a contingency plan and I’m so glad we had ours because it actually rained twice during dinner!) Friends and family came in from out of town, everyone dressed up and looked fabulous, we worked out a seating plan and menu, and speeches were written. The whole evening felt like a mini wedding! Most ‘weddingy’ of all for me was taking the time to pamper and get ready for the evening. I loved having my hair and make-up professionally done and having a photographer there to capture everything…
HAIR & MAKE-UP
Whitney, my hair and make-up artist, from @lebrushing64 was fantastic! We went for gold and iridescent colours to match my dusty-pink, sparkly dress. My hair was half–up and tousled with rose gold clips. I was so happy with the look! Whitney has the most beautifully infectious laugh and makes you enjoy yourself from the moment she walks in the room. If you’re planning a destination wedding in France and need a hair and make-up artist, then get in touch with Whitney, she’s the best!
PHOTOGRAPHER
The photographer was Rupert from @editorialists_wedding. Rupert captured the mood of the evening perfectly and was so much fun to work with! That picture of us kissing with our friends in the background expresses exactly what the evening was about - it’s getting framed immediately! That’s precisely how you should feel about your wedding/engagement photos, so make sure you take your time to choose a photographer you trust and who’s work you totally love.
THE DRESS
I ordered my dress in from an Australian company, Runway Scout. I loved the shape and cut out details on the back. The only thing is that, as I’m such a shorty, I literally had to take the scissors to it and cut off a good 15cm! It meant I lost the gorgeous scalloped edge the dress normally has, but at least I didn’t fall over it and end up a heap on the floor with my champagne all over me!
FLOWERS & STYLING
I wanted to create a stylish but still very relaxed atmosphere and I couldn’t really spend a huge amount on flowers and styling, so Sylvie and I both pulled from our supply cupboards. For the table, I went for lots of greenery with a touch of blush and copper and loads of candles. Sylvie sacrificed some of her bright blue hydrangeas growing in the garden. I should have felt guilty chopping down my future mother in laws’ home-grown glories, but then these are one of my favorite flowers, so I quickly got over it! I also spent the morning clipping down greenery for the tables and pampas grasses from the wild hedge rows. I’m not even sure if that’s legal so please don’t go telling the gendarmerie!
The only thing I bought were my 1940’s pink champagne glasses, I saw those in a brocante (French flea market) and just had to have them! I made place names by using gold pen on leaves and a sprig of golden wheat on each serviette.
We added festoon lighting, trestle tables and benches to complete the set up.
MENU
We wanted to make the most of the local Basque delicacies so we had local cured ham, grilled pimentos and brebis (Sheep’s cheese) My brother and some of the other lads tended to the delicious mixed grill BBQ of duck, cote des boeuf and marinated chicken (We all know that the boys enjoy bonding over the BBQ) All this mixed with our fanciest salad recipes. To finish we had Gateaux Basque, a black cherry or cream filled butter pastry tart. We also took the opportunity to test some potential wedding wines – that’s the wedding planner in me!
THE PARENTS MEETING
Mum and Dad and Sylvie and Patrick got on well… Phewf! We all worked together to get things ready for the evening and they casually exchanged stories of us misbehaving when we were kids. Olivier and I both welled up when my Dad and Sylvie made their speeches and it gave us a taste of how emotional the wedding day itself will be. (Mental note to make sure I get waterproof mascara!)
Overall, it was a fantastic night that went exactly how I planned it. I felt that I achieved the look and relaxed atmosphere that I was going for and we enjoyed every minute!
The next step for us is invitations and a wedding website. As our wedding will be a ‘destination wedding’ for all my side coming from the UK, we have quite a lot of info to give to people and so we think a website is best. We’re thinking of using the website builder and app called ‘Appy Couple.’ We’ve heard both good and bad things about it so if anyone has had any experience with them, or any other suggestions, we would love to hear them! Please add your thoughts and comments below!
As I finish writing my post, I’m literally just heading out the door to catch a flight to London for my friend Katy’s wedding. I’ll be trying on some wedding dresses whilst I’m there so I’ll let you all know how that goes…
Lou x
Photography by Rupert from @editorialists_wedding
Hair & Make-up by Whitney from @Lebrushing64
It’s been a bit of a roller coaster ride since my last article and today I feel like I’m on the Waltzer! I’m pretty sure that no ‘wedmin’ goes without some sort of hitch, whether it be the venue isn’t available on your ideal date, or the photographer you wanted will be on holiday or more alarming matters like the dress has gone missing! I’m sure we all have our own stories!
CHOOSING A WEDDING VENUE
Olivier and I had originally pencilled in September 2018 for our wedding. September is easily the best month in the Basque Country where we live. The evenings are long and balmy, most tourists have gone home and things start to get a bit more relaxed! We had decided on the perfect reception venue for us, a small, unassuming beach bar restaurant by the village of Guéthary. I was looking for a venue that would wow our guests with natural beauty and give them a taste of our lives out here, and this does just that. The venue looks onto Cenitz beach, Olivier’s favourite surf spot and where we spend a lot of our time. In the same way that our proposal site is so dear to us, so is this place and it seemed like a very natural choice… Here’s the hitch though, September was fully booked wasn’t it! – One of the bookings even being a gorgeous Welsh couple, my own clients through my destination wedding company, French Bague-ette.
The only date available was the 6th July so, although I’ll have less time to plan, we took it!
CHOOSING A CEREMONY VENU
The next step was to choose a ceremony venue. After days of searching, I stumbled across something magical – A stunning villa on the cliff above the restaurant, it couldn’t be more prefect! Hidden in it’s own beautiful gardens I have walked passed it 100 times but had no idea it was there. With turquoise shutters, incredible sea views, countless bright blue hydrangeas lining the gravel paths and even a swimming pool. I was totally in love. We visited the property, met the owners and discussed all our plans with them. I got really emotional standing at the spot in the garden where we would say our vows. I was just overcome with happiness, looking over the sea, knowing this was where I would make my promises to Olivier…. As I write this now, I have just learnt that the owners of the villa have now decided that, although it can be used for accommodation, they don’t want anyone who is not a family member to have a wedding ceremony at the property. We are both truly gutted.
So, the search is on again! At this point it’s very hard to imagine that we will find something just as perfect, but the area is full of beautiful places so I have faith that we will find a solution, and it might be even better! Here is proof that these things don’t always line up, even for a wedding planner! So, don’t be disheartened if your big day plans don’t all fall into place right away, it’s all part of a wedding jigsaw puzzle.
The villa we lost!
ENGAGEMENT PARTY
It hasn’t been all bad luck since my last post. Olivier and I organised an engagement BBQ at home in our garden. A beautifully relaxed moment with our friends and some of Olivier’s family. We also had the pleasure of having the incredibly talented photographer @lafemmegribouillage with us, whom I loved working with and totally recommend! We had some live music from our friend and wedding musician Andy Gregory and everyone chipped in with ‘cote des boeuf’, sausages and salads… as well as generous amounts of bubbles!
We are actually having two engagement parties, the second one is next week and will be a more formal, styled, al fresco dinner party at Olivier’s parent’s house. It will also be the first time that my parents and Olivier’s parents meet! Gulp! The language barrier might make for some rather comedy moments and I’m sure some embarrassing stories will come out from both sides! I spend a lot of time with Olivier’s family, who have been so welcoming to me. It seems strange that my parents have never met them but I guess it’s quite normal especially as we live in different countries. I’ll let you all know how it goes!
So, there’s lots to do for my wedding, and still lots to do for the other weddings I’m planning. My next mission will be the search for the dress! If you want to follow my story and find some wedding styling inspiration, check out my Instagram account and website:
Engagement party image Credits: Marika Mouh @lafemmegribouillage
To some, a “French Bague-ette” is a deliciously irresistible and moreish warm breadstick, fresh and fluffy from the oven. To me, it’s my engagement ring and the name of my destination wedding planning company. (“Bague” being French for ring) Olivier chose perfectly. From the rose cut ‘salt and pepper’ diamond to the trillion shape and the chevron engravings, I’m a little obsessed with it! To be fair, he did have some guidance in the words ‘Absolutely anything by these guys’ @digbyandiona
There’s a bit of a story behind the ring which has already travelled from the jeweller’s studio in New York to Paris, back to New York, to Switzerland and back into France before it finally found its place on my finger. I won’t go into details, but let’s just say that if you’re buying a ring from another country, make sure you check out the tax rules first!
Whilst my ring was travelling the world, I was back in France believing that Olivier just wasn’t ready to make that commitment yet (We had recently been on holiday to Morocco and I had hoped he would ask me to marry him in the romantic blue town of Chefchouen) When he didn’t, I just concluded that we weren’t on the same page and I continued with my everyday life in my job planning other people’s weddings. So, when it did eventually happen, I was caught completely off guard!
THE PROPOSAL
We live in a little Basque village called Bidart, it’s 10 minutes outside of the seaside town of Biarritz in the South West of France. We are nestled between the Atlantic Ocean and the Pyrenees mountains with views onto Spain. Surrounded by rolling green hills, Basque villages, sandy beaches and treated to tangerine glowing sunsets most evenings. The skies had been calm and blue all day… that is until about 30 minutes before Olivier had planned to propose. Being on the sea the weather can change dramatically and this day was a fine example!
At the end of our road there is a leafy foot path that leads up to a cliff edge. Olivier and I often walk up there in the evenings once he gets back from work and, as I work from home, it does me good to get some fresh sea air after a day at my desk. When he suggested we go for a walk that evening, I looked out the window and quite frankly thought he was mad! The wind was howling, the grey clouds were rolling in and rain looked imminent! He managed to persuade me though and when he pulled out the bottle of champagne on ice that he had previously hidden in the bushes up there, it all started to make sense! His words, the familiarity of our cliff side spot, the ring and everything else about it was perfect - the blustery weather just makes it part of our story in the end, and to be fair to him, it never actually rained! Although a little camera shy we both loved going back up there to do the proposal shoot with our friend and superb wedding photographer Will Hartl from @thisdayforward_weddings
THE FIRST STEPS TO PLANNING A WEDDING
You would think that as a wedding planner I would at least have my venue earmarked, maybe a couple of dresses I would like to try on, some styling ideas I’ve been saving for myself!? Well no, not really! Olivier and I met on an app called “Once” in January 2016. “Once” sends you one match every day and Olivier was actually the first person they sent me! Before that I had never truly imagined myself getting married and had sort of decided I probably wouldn’t ever do it. (Sorry to all previous boyfriends, but it just never felt quite right!) So, I hadn’t been saving up imagery or really been thinking about what I want for my own wedding any longer than before I fell in love with him.
My Home Office!
On a day to day basis I see so much wedding imagery, I scroll through feeds and watch for trends, plus I am talking to brides about their desires so it’s almost too much to filter through and pick just a few of the best ideas. What I do know though is that I will be taking the same approach I do with all the weddings I’m planning. I’m looking to create something a bit more unique. Festival vibes, boho vibes, stylish but relaxed. My first task is to find a venue where the views will wow the guests. If you’re interested in following my wedding planning progress, I’ve just started a new Instagram account @french_bague_ette where you can follow me on my journey, as a wedding planner planning her own wedding, I’ll share tips, ideas and what I learn along the way. You can also discover some more about my company.
Image Credits: Will Hartl - @thisdayforward_weddings