Fun South West Coast French Wedding

Good morning and welcome to a brand new week here at French Wedding Style! Fresh on the blog today we have for you a fun and colourful South West Coast French wedding brought to us by FWS vendor and wedding planners Marry Me In France.

Our bride and groom Laura and Mike couldn’t be happier with their choice of getting married in France as they’ll share with us below and as you’ll see from their fun-filled images they had the time of their lives!!

We just love all the emotion, colour and true relaxed French vibe that you can easily spot in Anna Pumer‘s photographs…

“The couple are both in the theatre business. Michael is an actor and Laura is a wigs and make-up artist. In 2011 they were both on a show called Jekyll & Hyde starring Marti Pellow, which toured the UK. The first real meeting happened as they were crossing each other on a stairwell. Michael stopped to allow Laura to pass by and it was then that she knew that something was different about him. She says that his chivalry grabbed her attention. The tour continued and they grew closer and closer as they travelled the country together.”

“The proposal happened in Michael’s family home town, Mussomeli, in Sicily. It was the day of the Festa della Madonna dei Miracoli, which is the most important festival of the year in the town. Michael knew he wanted to propose on this trip away, which also included Rome, but wasn’t sure when he was going to do it. He had the ring in his pocket at all times but on the first day in Sicily, they were hijacked by family members who took them for lunch. It would be rude to say no. The next day they were hijacked again, by different relatives. This is the way things are in Sicily. Family is everything. But Michael found a way to have Laura to himself for a few hours and during that time, on the way into Mussomeli centre, they stopped at a viewpoint that Michael would visit as a child, overlooking the whole town. As Laura was taking a photo Michael got down on one knee and as she turned around, he popped the question. The nice thing is that they have the photo marking the exact date and time of the proposal.”

“The reason for the destination wedding was quite simple. They had been to look at a few venues in the UK. It all seemed far too off the shelf package wedding for their tastes. There were too many rules to abide by. It felt like they were on a conveyor belt with hundreds of other couples that would ultimately be having the same wedding as them. They wanted something different. Once the venue at The Country Club was found and subsequently visited, they felt that they would indeed be getting value for money and then some. Top that with the unbelievable food and wine, the weather and the natural French charm and style, they knew that the destination wedding was the one for them.”

“Glorious sunshine and perfect temperature set the day off perfectly. Both the bride and groom were able to spend time with their families in the morning. The groom was able to have his daily coffee with his mum, which was needed as his best men had kept him awake for most of the night. Walking around the pretty French village and seeing friends and family either playing a round of golf, swimming, having breakfast was a real treat. It was so good to have everyone in the same place.”

“The guests’ reaction to the church was wonderful as it is so beautiful. The celebrant, Jean Sait, was gorgeous and every guest commented on how lovely the service was. She even gave us a boxed bottle of wine with our vows inside that we will open on our fifth anniversary.”

“The drinks in the square hosted by Frank at the Hotel de France was a great touch and really made the vibe special.”

“Back to The Country Club and it was pre-drinks and photos with Anna Puma Photography and Lianne from Blooming Lovely Films who were the best ever! One thing that everyone talks about still is the entrance of the bride and groom into the wedding breakfast. One of “their songs” La Luna Mezzo Mare was played on the speaker and Amy Fear had instructed the guests to wave their napkins as we came in. It was one of the moments of the wedding. It set the tone for fun and all of the guests were up, waving napkins, dancing and singing. It was a truly special moment.”

“Regarding the planning, it was actually made so easy for us by having our amazing wedding planner Amy Fear. She was so good, so attentive and completely with us. She would give advice, recommendations, and would be completely honest and we felt that we had a real friend on our side at all times. Several Skype calls and emails detailing anything and everything made us feel that we were being looked after the whole time and that it was all plain sailing.”

“Our advice to anyone having a wedding in France would be… hire Marry me in France, if possible. I would say, don’t be afraid about a location wedding abroad. We found that there were so many brilliant people who were all great at what they do and were more than willing to help. Julie at The Country Club was one of those. She was just brilliant. Don’t be afraid… DO IT!!”