A WEDDING PLANNERS OWN WEDDING – THE NEXT STEPS

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

www.lafemmegribouillage.paris

A WEDDING PLANNER’S OWN WEDDING!

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

IMAGES : THIS DAY FORWARD

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

www.thisdayforward.com.au