Wedache: The French Riviera Wedding Blog

My fairy godmother…

2009-10-15T15:31:00.003+01:00

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…..

2009-10-08T15:21:00.003+01:00

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

2009-10-05T15:51:00.016+01:00

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

2009-09-25T11:30:00.002+01:00

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

2009-09-23T11:13:00.004+01:00

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

2009-09-22T14:06:00.010+01:00

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.

2009-09-21T16:06:00.002+01:00

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

2009-04-15T16:42:00.002+01:00

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

2009-04-15T16:33:00.004+01:00

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

2009-03-30T17:00:00.003+01:00

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?

2009-03-30T15:19:00.003+01:00

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?

2009-02-24T12:14:00.002Z

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

2009-02-17T11:07:00.004Z

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:

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

Want to stay in touch…

2009-02-06T11:59:00.003Z

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

2009-02-05T15:00:00.003Z

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…

2009-01-30T11:05:00.005Z

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

2009-01-29T17:23:00.004Z

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?

2009-01-29T16:07:00.005Z

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

2009-01-28T16:37:00.004Z

Intro to Cannes

2009-01-28T12:17:00.003Z

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

2009-01-26T15:58:00.002Z

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

2009-01-26T15:07:00.008Z

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

2009-01-26T12:06:00.006Z

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

2009-01-22T14:43:00.006Z

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

Jet Setters

2008-12-09T16:00:00.005Z

If like us, you are fortunate to have friends scattered all around the world coming to your wedding, this might have an impact on your venue location decision.

For us, we decided that as the only international airport on the Riviera is Nice Airport , we wanted a venue a couple of hours drive away at the most, to make life easier for those coming from far away i.e. Australia, South Africa, North America etc To help your guests below is a list of who flies from where to Nice.

Coming from North America:
The only non stop flight to Nice is on Delta Airlines from New York JFK.
Air France flies from many US airports to Nice via Paris
British Airways flies via London
Lufthansa flies via Frankfurt
KLM flies via Amsterdam.
Emirates via Dubai

Coming from South Africa
Lufthansa flies via Frankfurt
KLM flies via Amsterdam.

Coming from Australia
Emirates via Dubai
Qantas via London
Air France via Singapore and Paris (unfortunately you also have to change airports in Paris)

Coming from Europe no-frills airlines:
EasyJet or Ryanair or from London
Air Berlin from Copenhagen, Berlin, Düsseldorf, Hamburg, London, Milan, Munich, Vienna, Zurich,

Le Beauvallon in Sainte-Maxime

2008-12-04T12:11:00.004Z

This very grand palace was built in 1914, a Parisian business man asked his architect friend to build him a palace hotel in the valley, looking over the bay of St Tropez.

Le Beauvallon has 70 bedrooms so can accommodate up to 140 guests, and up to 300 guests for dinning. You can hire the place exclusively or just for the number of guests you need.

For weddings it has either a grand ballroom, with painted murals, crystal chandeliers, and a large terrace for reception drinks. Or alternatively it has the most beautiful beach club that is right on the waters edge which was just stunning and defiantly my preferred option.

Do I favour you?

2008-11-18T13:48:00.004Z

Apparently we are once again following our cousins across the pound, and starting to get in to wedding favours. These are small gifts given as a gesture of appreciation or gratitude to guests from the bride and groom at the wedding reception.

There are lots of interesting ideas out there, one being the French tradition to give 5 dragées (pronounced dra-ZHAY ), whole almonds coated with a sugar shell in various colors, to each guest at their wedding. The five symbolises Health, Wealth, Happiness, Longevity, and Fertility.

Another idea, but not necessarily a tradition but still very French, is to have a box of mini macaroons at each table setting. Some of the best are made by Laduree and I can personal vouch for how lovely and yummy they are!

Also anything that is a local product to the Cote d'Azur would be appropriate.

Chateau de Massillan

2008-11-14T16:55:00.012Z

I fell in love with this venue, it’s not really the French Riviera, but it is so beautiful I have to mention it. I can’t be alone in thinking this either, for when we went to visit they were already booked up for 2009. However, I should mention they only host one wedding a month. This is nice for other guests wanting to visit, but sad for moi!

The Chateau de Massillan was originally built back in 1550 as a hunting lodge. The current owners are interior designers, and you can tell as soon as you step inside.

You have to take over the whole Chateau, for a minimum of 2 nights, and they can accommodate 26 guests. So if you are looking for a magical, intermit venue for your wedding party, you might want to add this to your venue visit list.

Count Down to Wedding in Cote d'Azur

2008-11-08T23:37:00.003Z

Mr and Mrs Smith

2008-11-07T13:30:00.003Z

I love the Mr and Mrs Smith concept and often go to their website for inspiration and latest travel news, and have just done so and discovered they are now offering a wedding planning service. Under the find a venue France is listed, yippeee, and you can search by city wedding, country wedding or wedding with a view!!

I Do?

2008-11-04T11:09:00.006Z

Do I hire a wedding planner or do I not, is the real question. The wedding industry is huge in the USA, especially in terms of dollars ($90billion). The UK is slowly following suit and people are looking more in to hiring a wedding planner. However, I have to say if my wedding was in my own country I wouldn’t even consider hiring anyone, as I feel that I could do just as good a job as them, and I know many of us look forward to the wedding planning process and take extreme joy and pride in planning every detail. But when we are talking about a wedding in a foreign country, where I don’t really speak the language, suddenly it sounds like it might be a good idea.

They can help set up visits to potential venues
They can save you money as they get trade rates
They can deal in the local language
They can make sure on the day everything goes to plan whilst you just relax and enjoy

But a deciding factor might also be about the cost. Some examples of how they charge their fees

10% - 15% of the overall budget
Flat rate for day of services plus 15% of vendor contract costs
Fee based on number of guests
Flat rate based on amount of work needed
Hourly Rate

So if you decide that hiring a Wedding Planner is for you make sure you:

Establish what their fees are and get them in writing, along with a list of the tasks that they are to be responsible for.
Ask the names of at least two couples whom the wedding planner has recently worked for and contact them for a reference.
Let your wedding planner know what your total budget is. You may wish his or her guidance at establishing how to distribute the total budget over all the items needed for the wedding.

Some local wedding planners:
http://www.eventsandhome.com/
http://www.alchimieoriginelle.com/
http://www.riviera-runners.com/
http://www.seaviewwedding.com/

However, if you feel you can find a venue you on your own in France, then great, as most of the venues have an events planner and their service is in included in to your booking, and they can do everything a wedding planner would do at no extra cost!!

Rayol-Canadel-sur-Mer /The French Riviera Garden

2008-11-03T13:53:00.011Z

Is in fact two tiny villages, Le Rayol and Le Canadel which are co-joined in a single commune, located along the rugged seaside between the Saint-Tropez peninsula and Le Lavandou.

The nearest airport is Toulon approximately 50Km. I would recommend that you travel to the village via the hilltops (for those that don’t suffer from car sickness), take the RD27 road. The road is about 12 km long, and winds round the Maures national forest, and just when you are lulled into thinking the pretty broom and evergreen forests were going to stretch on forever, you are suddenly confronted by one of the Var region's most spectacular coastal panoramas, as the immense Mediterranean Sea literally explodes into view. (You might want to stop the car and get the camera out!

The area is known for the winter-blooming yellow mimosa and a couple of great little beaches.

Plage du Canadel

The sand is very fine and reasonably white and the seawater is a crystal clear, beautiful shade of light blue. There are several places to eat and drink on the beach.

The beach is easily accessible with reasonably good parking near the beach. Alternatively you can walk from the main road

Plage du Rayol

The beach consists of both pebbles and sand and is backed by pine trees, but it is nicely protected from westerly winds by the jutting Cap Nègre

It is a 10-15 minute walk down from the main road, there is not much parking but there is a place to get food.

If you don't want to just lie on the beach you should visit the Domaine du Rayol This is a large botanical garden divided into different botanical regions of the world, including of course Le Jardin de la Méditerranée. It takes about one and a half hours to follow the marked, 2 km itinerary, but you should plan on a half-day for a leisurely tour, exploration and photography. It's just a couple minutes drive down from Le Rayol, and there's parking at the entrance. Entry is 8 € adults, 5 € kids.

You might also like to check out Club Tropicana which is a Restaurant-bar-disco right on the beach. It might be nice as a possible venue for a rehearsal dinner, or if like us your wedding is running over the weekend, a party for the night the guests arrive in to town.
Club Tropicana
Plage du Canadel83820 Le Rayol Canadel
Tél. +33 (0)4 94 05 61 50

Its time to start planning

2008-10-31T16:37:00.011Z

We decided to have our wedding in France as we felt its part of our story and it seemed to be calling us. (our story link to follow soon).

I had a dream of a lovely chateau in Provenance and he wanted something in the French Basque area….who would win out? Neither instead we compromised.

The French Basque area are did not really have venues that suited our needs, and on the weekend we went to the Provencal area (the exact date a year in advance), the weather was atrocious!! Whilst at a friend’s château talking about our weather worries, he suggested a lovely hotel down on the coast and told us that even when it’s bad in his area often they get slightly better weather. So we made the hours drive, and discovered our friend was right, in the last 20mins of the drive as we neared the coast the weather totally changed and the sun was shining bright.

The friend’s recommendation was the Hotel Le Baille de Suffren, which is a beautiful 4star hotel in Rayol-Canadel-sur-Mer.

We saw this on our last afternoon of our visit and had to race to the airport to catch our flight back to London, but we loved it and planned our next trip back to research the Cote d'Azur area more.

Alternative Options

2008-10-30T15:58:00.005Z

If living in France before the wedding is not possible, don’t give up on your dream, just approach it from another direction.

You could instead opt to hold a civil ceremony in your home country and then hold a religious blessing or non-religious ceremony in France, either on the same day or in the days following.

You could even keep it a secret and not let your guests know about the home event, and leave all wedding related items such as the exchange of rings, vows and traditional wedding attire until the French blessing so that it is the main event in everyone’s eyes.

French Red Tape

2008-10-30T14:35:00.002Z

Why wouldn’t one want to get married in one of the most romantic countries on earth, namely France? Could it be because of all the hoops and red tape they have unlike other countries.

You see, strictly speaking either the bride or groom should be resident in the area (commune) where the marriage is to take place for a period of not less than 40 days immediately before the wedding. However, there are some exceptions; if a parent of either the bride or groom are residents, or the bride and groom are part-time residents then the interpretation of the residency requirement is up to the local mayor.

You might be wondering why the mayor, well this is because in France religious marriage ceremonies are not recognized under French law. So before a priest, rabbi or any other religious official can perform a marriage ceremony, there must have been a civil ceremony first, which is held in the local town hall (marie), in front of the mayor.

Once the civil ceremony is completed, the newly weds will receive a French marriage certificate (livret de famille), and then a religious ceremony can follow in any romantic location one desires. Traditionally in France both ceremonies take place on the same day, one right after the other.

So if you have a way of meeting the 40 days resident requirement you will also need to produce:

A valid passport or a French residence permit (carte de sejour)
Declaration of a French home address such as a phone or utility bill
Certified copy of birth certificates (extrait d'acte de naissance)
Affidavit of marital status (declaration en vue de marriage
A certificate by a French solicitor stipulating if the marriage is to include a prenuptial legal contract (contrat de marriage)
A medical certificate, issued within the prior three months (certificat de l'examen médical prénuptial)
One or two witnesses per spouse (témoins)

Do remember though that any documents in English must be translated into French by an officially recognized French translator...oh what joy!

Wedache: The headache you get and stress you go through while planning a wedding.

2008-10-29T14:48:00.002Z

I thought I might share my frustrations and hopefully my solutions by sharing this blog about planning my May 2009 wedding in the South of France. You might wonder why I say it’s a headache, well it’s not really, however, is it just me, or does no one choose Cote d'Azur as a overseas wedding destination anymore?

France is the most beautiful country, great food, great wine, and great joie de vivre, but I have struggled to find information on the web to assist planning this joyous event, so whilst I muddle my way through finding info that is more related to the South of France rather than USA or usual Destination Weddings countries, I hope you come along for the ride.

So… enjoy, take part, leave a comment or don’t… it will all be therapeutic in the end.