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