Black and White, Oyster Shells, and a Valley Ceremony at Château de Cazenac, Dordogne

Amy wore the Malibu gown by Australian label Chosen by Khya. It had a lot of tulle and netting, and took hours to steam that morning. Her jewellery was borrowed from her grandmother. Oscar wore a black tuxedo with his late grandfather's watch and a pair of Swedish cufflinks.

The ceremony went slightly against their planner's recommendation. The garden terrace at Cazenac has no shade, and a July wedding in the southwest of France is a hot one. But it looks out over the valley, and the couple wanted that more than they wanted the comfort. They handed out fans and kept the service short. The weather held. They say it was worth it, and that the one thing they would tell anyone planning the same is to book a later ceremony time.

The view did most of it, so they added little: an aisle down the middle, curved seating, the two of them at the end framed by a pair of barrels of flowers. Both mothers read poems, one in French and one in Swedish, which the couple describe as symbolic of their two families and cultures coming together. A close friend officiated, someone who knows them well and has watched the relationship evolve over the years.

The two of them read private vows to each other. It was one of several moments they had wanted to fit into a busy schedule, alongside turret shots and an outfit change.

They had known from the start that they wanted wedding photographer Frances Mary Sales behind the camera, and asked for a mix of candid frames and something more editorial. One of their favourite moments was not scheduled. Frances spotted the golden sunset and told them to go outside. Some of the photographs they like best came out of that.

The bridesmaids wore black dresses, the groomsmen black tuxedos. The bridesmaids' bouquets were gypsophila, matching the groomsmen's buttonholes, tied with white ribbon to contrast with the black dresses. Amy's bouquet ran the other way, tied with black ribbon against her gown. Oscar carried a mini version of it.

Out in the garden, oysters were shucked fresh for guests. Food was a big highlight of the day, and the oyster station most of all. A pianist played, and someone set up pétanque, which the guests enjoyed learning. Wine and champagne came from local vineyards, and ran all day.

Dinner was in the barn, at tables run with flowers down the centre. The couple had handed the tablescapes to their planner and kept two decisions for themselves: those flowers, and the name cards. Black napkins hung off the tables.

They took a sweetheart table, so they could eat their first meal together and still move around.

The first dance came later, in the courtyard under festoon lights in front of the château, just before sunset. It had clouded over slightly by then. Just after the dance finished, the sun came back out.

The oyster shell place cards were made by hand. Amy and Oscar spent hours collecting shells on Mersea beach, back home, finding ones big enough to write a name on, then made each one up with the help of a friend. Time consuming, they say, and worth it for how much the guests liked them.

The floral brief was four things: eucalyptus, gypsophila, white roses, and whatever else was in season.

There is no shortage of château wedding venues in the Dordogne. Cazenac stands above a valley, with a turret and the views running out over it. The couple thought it spoke for itself, and kept everything else simple, to complement it rather than take away from it.

They used the whole domaine rather than settling into one part of it. The terrace held the ceremony, the garden the vin d'honneur, the barn the dinner, the courtyard the first dance. The bouquet toss went from the turret, and worked surprisingly well. By their own account it felt like a different venue at different points of the day.