My fairy godmother…

The most talented Marie Mallozzi did the hair and makeup for me and my wedding party. She was a saint, stayed totally calm amongst the chaos of 5 women all trying to get ready for the big event and worked her magic wand on everyone.

She even came down in the lift with me to the entrance of the wedding ceremony and helped me with last minute touch ups, held my hand as I had to balance along a wall to get in to the entrance of the aisle and smoothed out the back of my dress…


LES CISEAUX DE MARIE
Tel: 06 16 14 48 96
Email: lesciseauxdemarie@gmail.com
http://lesciseauxdemarie.com/book.php

Just an added comment regarding the flowers…..

As our wedding was outside on grass, we wanted to do something to make the affect of an aisle. I did lots of research and after reading tips from other brides not to put a canvas runner down (apparently ladies high heels get stuck and people fall over) that we would use fresh rose petals. We also wanted to have fresh rose petals to throw at the end of the ceremony as confetti. It was not a problem for our lovely florists to provide the white rose petals, however the price of fresh petals was horrendous to say the least.

However all was not lost, I found an alternative “Preserved Rose Petals” they look and feel like the fresh petals but even better they won’t wilt or die in the sunshine and they are available in a wide range of colours and at a fraction of the price.

There are many providers out there depending on what country you live in, I ordered mine from Perditas Petals and had them delivered to my office in London and then I took them out to France with me.

Artistic Creations

3 A Roni Fleur is a family business that has been
creating floral arrangements since 1887 and is now run by the fourth generation of Roni’s, four brothers and one sister.

We had a lovely meeting with the sister who showed us through examples of their work and then came up with great ideas after we explained our look and feel we were striving to achieve, it truly was a made to measure service – and unlike some other companies we met, no French artist temperaments to deal with!

Our colour theme was white and arzu blue for the whole wedding, so all our flower arrangements were made up of white and what they call King Blue.

(sorry these are not our professional photos, just photo's that guests took.)

3A RONI
6 rue Sainte Marguerite
06 160 Juan les Pins
France
Phone : +33 4 93 61 93 31
Fax : +33 4 93 61 83 14
Email : roni3a@club-internet.fr
Web: http://www.roni-fleurs.com/

And for dessert….. the wedding cake

We decided not to go down the road of a traditional English/American style wedding cake. We figured whilst in France do as the French do, so we went with a Croquembouche.

The name comes from the French words 'Croque en bouche' meaning 'crunch in the mouth', because of the sensation one has while eating one of the puffs. The croquembouche has been used as a celebration cake for weddings by the French nobility since the early 18th century. Each wedding guest would bring a “sweet bread” or two with them to help create a tower of cream puffs. The couple of honour would attempt to kiss over the tower. As tradition has it, the hope was that this ceremony would grant them a prosperous life together.

The cake is made from choux buns filled with vanilla crème (profitteroles) held together with caramel in an impressive pyramid, and often decorated with threads of caramel, sugared almonds, chocolate, flowers, or ribbons.

Our cake was arranged through the venue with La Boutique at Oasis Raimbault. Contact there is Valérie Raimbault boutique@oasis-raimbault.comRue Jean Honoré Carle - 06210 La Napoule - FranceTel direct 33 (0)4 92 97 31 82Tel 33 (0)4 93 49 95 52 - Fax 33 (0)4 93 49 64 13http://www.oasis-raimbault.com

For those keen cooks, or brides on a budget here is a recipe which serves 20 people http://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/1801/croquembouche

The Yummy Stuff

Club Port la Galére offers various options with regards to catering your wedding. You can choose from either one of two all-inclusive packages which they call Les Formules or go a-la-carte. The two packages are:

The Preimiere Formule
Cocktail Open-bar without champagne
Menu options 3 to choose from
Wines of the slopes
Mineral water
The hire of the club incl. all equipment, chairs, tables, linens etc
Personnel until midnight

The Deuxieme Formule
Open cocktail bar with the champagne
Menus options 5 to choose from
Higher wine selection
Mineral Water
A goblet of champagne with dessert
The hire of the club incl. all equipment, chairs, tables, linens etc
Personnel until 2:00 am
Incandescent Decoration

Les Formules work out to be great value, and you can add things on and pay a supplement. We went for the Deuxieme Formule and it was great, as previously mentioned nothing was too much trouble. I won’t list all the menus or prices as I am sure they change from year to year.

However to give you an idea our menu was 5 courses followed by wedding cake, we did warn our guests not to eat a big lunch that day!

Our Venue

The most spectacular venue Club Port la Galere, in Theoule Sur Mer, 15kms from Cannes.

It is a private gated residence club, (i.e. where people own summer apartments and villas). It has a club house with 17 bedrooms, 2 restaurants, 2 swimming pools, and various other amenities. We took over the club house hotel and some of the villas for larger groups of guests.

During the course of the weekend we held several events around the 23 hectare resort, starting by having a welcome drinks reception on the terrace of our penthouse suite in the Club House.

The wedding ceremony took place up in the gardens of the Club House, which was then followed by Cocktails and aperitifs set up around the winter pool.

We then had everyone move down to the Summer Club for dinner and dancing with our band all set up outside around the summer pool, then at midnight moved inside to continue dancing away to the DJ.

The next day we held a brunch up on the main lawn in front of the winter pool to say goodbye to all our guests – those who could get up that is!

Not only was the venue beautiful, but the resort manager Kartik Kashive was amazing and nothing was too much trouble for him and his staff.

So sorry I have not posted in such a log time, as any recent bride can tell you, just before the wedding and just after the wedding time runs away from you…..

But now the big day has come and gone, and I just want to share with you how amazing the whole weekend was, everything was more than I could ever have dreamed. My word for the weekend that kept popping in to my head was “it’s surreal”

But before I sign off and close this blog (sadly no more excuses to research the South of France for wedding things now) I thought it would be nice to share with you how fabulous and amazing all our wedding suppliers were and let you know who we used, so I will be posting all info over the next few days.

Local info for St. Tropez

Taxis - can NOT be hailed in the street, book from your hotel
Siesta - most shops are open from 10-13 and 15-19
Restaurants - really get lively around 10-11pm
Bars/Night Clubs - stay open till 5am
Packing Tips - Jewelled sandals

Local info for Cannes

Taxis - can be hailed on the street or ring +33 (0)4 92 99 27 27 there is a pick up charge
Tipping - 10-15% is added in restaurants so if you really want to tip on leave a euro or two.
Packing tips - Very large dark sunglasses and a glamours wardrobe will help you fit in!

Cannes Restaurants

Chez Astoux
Address: 43 rue Félix-Faure, Cannes
Phone: 04-93-39-06-22
French, Seafood €€-€€€

Run by the same family since 1920, located in the heart of Cannes, just a stone's throw from the Croisette this restaurant has daily deliveries from everywhere on the French coast bringing the freshest of seafood to its door. Try the house speciality of bourride de lotte Astoux - a heady concoction of monkfish, prawns and mussels in a thick garlic-mayonnaise sauce.

The restaurant has tables on the terrace (which is covered and heated in winter) 3 rooms inside with seating for 300 including a private dining room for 40. They also offers tiered platters of fresh seafood to go with shellfish pre-opened or not.

La Brouette de Grand'mère
Address: 9 rue d'Oran, Cannes
Phone: 04-93-39-12-10
French €€€

Monsieur Bruno's tiny, charming hole-in-the-wall, set in the heart of town just behind the Hilton and the InterContinental Carlton, offers two dining rooms complete with lace curtains, painted-wood front, fireplace, and old posters, it could be a set for one of the Festival's films. Yet it's a true-blue bistro, there is quail roasted in cream, a savory meat-and-potato stew known as pot-au-feu, with beef, pork, and chicken, andouillettes (course-grained smoked tripe sausage made with pork) crisped in sweet muscadet, and sharp aged goat cheese. It's only open evenings.

Le Bouchon d'Objectif
Address: 10 rue Constantine, La Croisette, Cannes
Phone: 04-93-99-21-76
French €-€€

Popular with the locals and unpretentious, this tiny, recently renovated bistro serves inexpensive Provençal menus prepared with a sophisticated twist. Watch for its homemade foie gras, rabbit terrine with raisins and pistachios, or a trio of fresh fish with aïoli. The price even includes a glass of wine
Credit Cards: AE, MC, V
Closed: Closed Mon. mid-Nov.-mid-Dec.

Il Teatro
Address: 5 rue Gabres, Cannes,
Phone 04-93-38-09-08
Italian €€€
Offers Italian cooking made by a chef from Milan in a friendly and relaxed atmosphere. Their products are rigorously and specially selected in order to respect freshness and tradition and the wine list offers vintage wines and local Italian productions.

BIJOU-PLAGE
Address: Boulevard du Littoral, 06160 JUAN LES PINS
Phone: 04 93 61 39 07
French

At the far left-hand side of the Croisette (when facing the sea) just before the area known as La Californie is where you will find this small beach restaurant with an interior open to the beach and loungers on the beach itself. It is not as frequented by tourists as those nearer to "the action" towards the centre, and is more the haunt of local residents and long-time seasonal visitors. Excellent fish and good everyday Riviera fare. The real plus is the fact that you aren't surrounded by foreign tourists.

La Palme d'Or
Address: 73 bd. de la Croisette, Cannes
Phone : 04-92-98-74-14
French/European €€€€

This is a sophisticated rendezvous that serves some of the Rivera’s finest hotel cuisine. Situated on the first floor of the Martinez Hotel, the restaurant gets its name from the Palme d'Or, awarded each year to the Best Film during the Film Festival. The terrace seats 40 people and the menu changes seasonally but is likely to include warm foie gras with fondue of rhubarb; filets of fried red mullet with a beignet of potatoes, zucchini, and olive-cream sauce; or crayfish, clams, and squid marinated in peppered citrus sauce. The service is worldly without being stiff.
Opening days: Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday

Want to try your hand at something new – how about cooking classes?

LENOTRE
Located right in the centre of Cannes, these cooking lesson invited you to participate in by assisting in the demonstrations conducted by the Lenôtre Chefs. A unique glance behind the scenes of gastronomy. Tasting at the end of the lessons.

Ecole Gourmande

Lenôtre 63 rue d’Antibes

06400 Cannes

Tel : 0033 4 97 06 67 62 Fax : 0033 4 93 39 80 20 http://www.lenotre.fr/


LES APPRENTIS GOURMETS

These classes show you how to prepare fine cuisine from a new angle. They believe eating well means above all healthy eating, the recipes are divided into 3 nutritional categories: balanced, classic, gourmet. Learn the gestures and tricks of the great chefs and how to master new recipes and presentation techniques.

Les Apprentis Gourmets

6 rue Teisseire

06400 Cannes

Tel. +33 (0)4 93 38 78 76

http://www.lesapprentisgourmets.fr/

Anyone fancy a putt?

Cannes Mandelieu Old Course
Route du golf, Mandelieu-La Napoule, 06210
Created in 1891 by the Grand Duke Michael of Russia having returned from St Andrew’s in Scotland where he came across the game of golf.

Domaine de Terre Blanche
Tourrettes, 83440
This is considered to be one of the most beautiful golf courses in Europe. It also has the David Leadbetter Golf Academy, which is opened all year round. The Academy is directed by Alain Alberti the head pro there for the last 15 years and Raphaël Jacquelin’s coach on The European Tour

Domaine du Château de Taulane
Le Logis du Pin, RN 85, La Martre, 83840
This course is carved in to landscape of Provence at the edge of the Var, Maritimes Alps and the Haute-Provence Alps. This 18-hole par 72 golf course was created by South-African champion Gary Player

Golf Country Club de Saint-Donat
270 route de Cannes, Plan-de-Grasse, 06130
Just in the Cannes hinterlands is magnificent 6031 metre 71 par course designed by Designed by Robert Trent Jones Junior consisting of a 24 stall driving range, a compact golf course and 3 practice greens

Golf d'Opio-Valbonne
Route de Roquefort, Opio, 06650
Set between Cannes, Nice and Grasse, an 18-hole course amidst the sea and the mountains, this is considered one of the jewels in the crown of the Riviera.

Golf de la Grande Bastide
761 chemin des Picholines, Chateauneuf-de-Grasse, 06740
This is one of the Côte d’Azur’s most famous golf courses. Designed by Cabel Robinson, this course is considered contemporary

Welcome weclome come and enjoy

Need ideas for the welcome pack for your guests? How about the below

A custom made map tote, they need 2 months turn around, and they charge $100 one time set up screen and art fee
Quantity
50 – 74: $15/bag
75 – 143: $14/bag
144 – 249: $13/bag
250 – 500: $12/bag
Or you could just pick one of their standard bags.

And then for the contents:

1. Welcome letter from the bride and groom
2. Itinerary for the guests duration of their stay
3. Map of the area and places of interest
4. Clear directions to all places at which they will attend events
5. Useful contact details including mobile numbers in case of an emergency
6. Print out for weeks local forecast
7. Bottle water
8. Snacks
9. Something special for kids only packs.
10. Hangover cure
11. Suggestions of local tours/events/interests
12. French/English language book

Want to stay in touch…

So as we all know it’s very easy to travel around the world, but to stay in touch with loved ones, can get expensive using your mobile overseas. For you to stay in touch with all your guests you could hire a mobile phone or sim card from The Cell Phone CIE whilst your in France and give out the contact number to all for the duration of your wedding festivities.

You can order and pick up your cell phone at Nice Airport, The rental of the handset is charged either by per day, per week or per month. All incoming calls are free, from anywhere in the world.

How to keep the gang entertained

If like us your wedding is a long weekend event, you might want to give your wedding guests some fun things to do…

Want to organise a traditional coach tour for your guests, with either a full or half daytour, check out Sunny Days Tours

Or if you want something a bit different what about…

A half day boat trip to see whales and dolphins. Check out Acti'Loisirs

Or don’t want to get stuck in traffic, or tire out everyone’s feet, what about a cycle tour of Nice. Check out Nice Cycle Tours.

Or maybe the boyz want to have a go on the Monaco Grand Prix check out AGS Formula 1

And if that speed is too much how about the Le Petit Train

Some thing old, something new, something borrowed, something blue…

The “old” remembers the bride’s family ties

The “new” should bring success to the newly-wed

While the “borrowed” is supposed to bring them luck

And finally the “blue” symbolises fidelity and the couple’s 'purity'

For the something blue check out these

lovely bespoke bridal lingerie Ell & Cee Lingerie

English Wedding vs Mariage français

If you’re French and invited to attend an English wedding, you may have some surprises, and vice versa. The main different are the dress code, food, and the length of the reception,to name a few things.

The dress code
In general in the UK the groom, ushers, father of the groom and bride all wear the same outfit, a Morning Suit, (British type of tuxedo). Whist in France they typically do not have any ushers and the groom wears a simple smart suite. As for bridemaids, in France they tend to be under the age fo 10 and the bride and groom have a witness each, whilst in the UK there can be any number of bridesmaide all wearing idientical dresses.

The wedding reception
The biggest difference here is the legnth of the event. In the UK a traditioanl wedding is held at noon, followed by a seated lunch, made up of a starter, main dish, wedding cake, and some speeches by the Best man, the bride's father and the groom…and at 6pm, it’s all over and everyone waves off the newlyweds as they head on their honeymoon and then sometimes go back to more disco dancing.

Whereas at 6pm a French wedding is just getting starting! Straight after the ceremony, the guests are invited to a “vin d’honneur”, which is a cocktail party with champagne and canapés. People who are not invited to the dinner tend to be invited to this, which last for around 2hrs. Then there is the main sit down meal which includes a series of dishes, a starter, a fish dish, some alcohol sorbet or a small glass of spirit to help the digestion, a meat dish, a cheese plate, perhaps a dessert, and finally the wedding cake.

Basically do not expect to leave a French wedding dining table early. By the time speeches, games and pranks have all taken place, it will probably be well past midnight and this is when dancing starts.

How to get to the church on time?

Arriving in style either by a chauffeur driven luxury car, or an antique car, or maybe your dreams are higher and you want to land and take off in style, whatever you dream is, on the Cote d’Azur anything is possible.

No, no, no

Intro to Cannes

The town of Cannes, pronounced 'can' was nothing more than a fishing village. In the 19th century the Foreign Minister of Great Britain Lord Henry Peter Brougham, established himself in Cannes, in search of a healthy climate. This was the first boom time for Cannes with elaborate homes being constructed to entertain.

Today, Cannes is one of the best-known cities of the French Riviera. It is famous for its good climate, the luxurious hotels, glamorous villas, cars, beaches, the "port du Cannes" and myriad of visitors hanging out on the Croisette. Cannes is also very famous for events including the annual Cannes Film Festival, Cannes Lions, mipim conference. However, towards Le Suquet, cannes oldest neighbourhood is where much of its true character is still to be found today.

Famous Cannes landmarks not be missed include:

• Espace Miramar
• La Malmaison
• Musee de la Castre
• Monastere Fortifie
• Musee International de la Parfumerie
• Ile Ste-Marguerite

Getting from A - B

Easy-airport-shuttle.com
Easy-Airport shuttle is a transfer service with drivers specialised in door-to-door transport of passengers between Nice airport and hotels or private addresses.

Executive Transport Service
Nice airport transfer service with sedan cars, minivan, vans and coaches, with English-speaking drivers, to any destination in the French Riviera and Provence.

SARL Car Riviera
English speaking taxi service working throughout the Cote d'Azur 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Airport transfers, tourist excursions, travel to ski stations, wedding cars. Group and conference discounts. Reliable, safe – call us today.

Capturing the moment

Trying to find a photographer in the South of France to capture our French Riviera Wedding has proved to be trickier than initially thought, not because there aren’t lots of them around the Cote d'Azur, but that the typical
style in the South is very different to say London or Paris…
but I have found a few that I liked:

Studio Cabrelli Photographies - Dominique & Maria Cabrelli – Provence
Wedding package includes:

• A complete day from the preparation until 8pm.


• DVD with about 300 photos mix of colour and black & white in high resolution with no copyrights.
  
  Price: rates start at €1800 http://www.studiocabrelli.net/
  

ALBAN PICHON Photographer – Cannes
Wedding package includes:

• Taking Pictures (unlimited) from the preparation to the dancing


• High Resolution Digital Files and full permission to print and distribute your image as you wish (no additional fees) on 4x personalized DVD


• All images available online (1 year) for family and friend to view or download (High Resolution Free) or print.


• Extensive post-production image editing on all of your wedding images

Price : €1400 http://www.pichon.com/


Peggy Herbeau – Photographer – Saint Ouen (outside Paris)
Wedding package includes:

• Taking pictures in colour and black and white


• DVD with 700 - 800 photos

Price: from €1700 -2100 http://www.lesproductionsdelafabrik.com/

Time for Champagne cocktails

Bellini
4oz champagne
1oz fresh peach juice
one peach slice

Black Velvet
one part champagne
one part Guinness

Bone Crusher
4oz champagne
2oz gold rum
6oz Sprite or lemonadedash of grenadine

Bucks Fizz or Mimosa
two parts champagne
one part fresh orange juice Classic Champagne Cocktail
Sugar cube soaked in Angostura bitters
Fill glass with champagne

Champagne Cooler
1 ½ oz brandy
1oz Triple Sec
Fill glass with champagne

Champagne Cup
½ oz white Curacao
½ oz cognac
Fill glass with champagne

Champagne French 75
1 shot gin
1/2 shot lime juice
1 tsp sugar
Fill glass with champagne

Champagne Pick-me up
1oz cognac
3oz fresh orange juice
2 dashes grenadine
Fill glass with champagne

Champagne Punch
8 bottles of champagne
1 bottle of brandy
1 bottle of Jamaican rum
4 ½ oz cherry liqueur
4 ½ oz Curacao
2 1/3 oz lemon juice1oz sugar
4 ripe pineapples, skinned and chopped

Champagne Rita
1 cup champagne
4oz tequila
4oz limeade
½ oz Triple Sec

And check out this site for many more ideas Champagne Cocktail Recipes

Intro to Nice

In the 19th and early 20th centuries, this formerly Italian city was at the centre of all that was decadent and fashionable about the Côte d'Azur, located on the Mediterranean coast between the sea and mountains. The British flocked there to enjoy its year round warm climate and social activities. England's lasting legacy is the Promenade des Anglais. Today Nice is the fifth largest city in France and the capital of the Cote D'Azur.

The way to really get a feel for Nice, is to just wander around the streets of the old town, walk along the famous Promenade des Anglais, and then recover either on the beach or in one of the many bars, restaurants or cafes.

Nice is alive with markets, boutiques and restaurants making the city an active place. The most famous market in Nice is the flower market on the Cours Saleya in the old town (food market in the mornings too). A very large, traditional market can also be found most mornings along the Ave. Malaussena.

Famous Nice landmarks not be missed include:
- La Vieille Ville (the old town)
- Le port
- Le jardin Albert 1er
- La place Masséna (the centre of Nice)
- La promenade des Anglais
- Matisse Museum
- Cathedrale Orthodoxe Russe St. Nicolas
- Cathédrale de Sainte Réparate
- Neptune Beach