Day 8 – How to achieve wedding day bliss
Tips from Best Events Company to help you plan your wedding in France
Top tip no #1 – choose France as your wedding destination
France is a fabulous place to get married whatever your budget. Less expensive than renting a venue in the UK and with the advantage of being able to buy your wine and champagne in the supermarket or going direct to the vineyard. Generally, there is no corkage charged in France so if you are renting a chateau, country house or gite complex you can get a selection of superb wines and champagnes at a very reasonable price.
When looking at venues in France either consider renting somewhere with plenty of accommodation for you and your guests or encourage them to book their accommodation as close as possible to the venue as taxis can be expensive and organising transport can be quite challenging.
Top tip no #2 – legally register your marriage in your own country, then have a fabulous wedding in France
My advice is to get married legally in the country where you live and use a celebrant to conduct a symbolic ceremony in France. It can be done in secret so your guests feel they are actually seeing you get married. They’ll never know the difference.
Getting married in France can be a challenge as you may only visit the venue once before your wedding so…….
Top tip no #3 do hire a wedding planner
Choose an experienced and well-established planner who speaks French.
Each wedding should be unique and truly reflect the personalities and style of each couple. I don’t believe in cookie cutter design where all weddings look similar except for a change of flower colour.
You need someone who will work closely with you to establish you vision and colour palette and work with you on styling and maximising your budget. Many weddings reflect a fine art design with pastel coloured napkins, candles and floral displays, others prefer a bolder colour scheme and you need a wedding planner who’ll assist in finding the small details which make your wedding stand out.
Everyone’s dream wedding looks different so it’s important your wedding planner has good contacts with great quality professional vendors. By listening to you, your wedding planner will be able to then suggest the right types of photographers, florists, celebrants etc. who would be a good fit for you. By working with a close knit team of professionals your wedding planner will bring together your beautifully created wedding or elopement anywhere from a chateaux to a country house, on a beach or and yacht.
Or maybe consider having an on-the-day coordinator, which is a service I am very happy to offer.
Top tip no #4 – Have a wedding website
Here guests can RSVP, check out local accommodation and transport, and see updates to help them with their involvement in the day. https://www.indiebotts.com/ihb/ will create a beautiful wedding website full of useful information for all your guests.
Talking of your guests …………………
Top tip no #5 Remember your guests and their comfort
For summer weddings, put fans and bottled water on their seats for the ceremony and provide shade for babies, young children or elderly relatives. I always recommend comfort baskets in the lavatories with paracetamol, plasters, indigestion tablets, deodorant etc. Scented candles and fresh flowers are always appreciated in the ladies toilets.
Top tip no #6 – this one is just for the bride – comfort is important for you too
Make sure your shoes are comfy and maybe consider a flat pair of sparkly sandals to change into later.
My job is not only to look after the couple but also their guests and I am often found offering plasters to guests who have tripped up in their heels, finding water for the photographer, walking the odd dog and generally making sure the day runs smoothly and is unforgettable.
I am busy with enquiries for 2019 and 2020 but I still have some availability if you’d like to get in touch. http://www.besteventscompany.com/rsvp/ As a Christmas advent gift there’s a 5% discount for readers of this post. See you in France.
