Low Key Destination Wedding in France

Low Key Destination Wedding in France

To get your week off to a flying start we have a sun drenched low key destination wedding in France for you to feast your eyes upon.

Jordon & Sarah along with their 3 month old baby daughter celebrated their love with their closest family and friends at the boutique venue Manoir de la Foulquetiere, a beautiful 15th century property in France’s Loire Valley.

From a picturesque outdoor ceremony setting to all their personal touches, Sarah-Jane Ethan captured it all including all the emotions of the day! We love the couples golden hour portraits – so dreamy and full of fun!

We’ll now pass you over to our bride Sarah who will be walking us through her destination wedding in France…

Manoir de la Foulquetiere France

We met on a dating app. It was a whirlwind, moving in together after 4 months and becoming engaged just 9 months after first meeting. Jordon proposed on a balcony overlooking Lake Como and this set the desire to have a destination wedding. We chose France because of its reputation for great wine, cheese, the guaranteed summer sun and beautiful countryside. Manoir de la Foulquetiere was the only venue we visited and almost immediately we knew this was the place for us, seeing how both beautiful and original it was and the warm welcome we received from owners Rose and Richard.

Grace Loves Lace bride Grace Loves Lace wedding dress

Loire Valley wedding florist

Manoir de la Foulquetiere wedding

As the venue was naturally so picturesque we were able to add just a few personal touches and flowers to make it our own. The most important things for us were excellent food, good music, and the beautiful setting. Rose was able to help guide us in choosing our local suppliers which was fundamental to making planning a destination wedding run smoothly. We did not feel the need for a wedding planner and were able to make all of the small and big decisions ourselves.

outdoor wedding ceremony france relaxed Manoir de la Foulquetiere wedding boho bride look

Our photographer SJ’s photos speak for themselves, but she still managed to exceed all of our expectations! She captured the day beautifully and gifted us a collection of photos that we will treasure forever. SJ was so much fun to work with and made us feel very comfortable in front of the camera. Her relaxed style and infectious personality were the perfect addition to a perfect day.

Loire Valley wedding relaxed groom outfit indoor shabby chic wedding breakfast

Our chef for the day and our post-wedding day celebrations, Ryan was phenomenal. He works alongside his wife Carol who made all the communications easy, and both became friends to us and after one tasting we were sold.

shabby chic wedding decor wedding day speeches

The style of wedding we wanted was something low key which spoke for itself, with our best friend Beth as celebrant, bridesmaid Philli making us a rustic wedding cake and decorations we arranged ourselves. Our decorations included wedding photographs spanning the generations on both sides of our families, as well as photos of those important to us as a couple.

shabby chic wedding breakfast Manoir de la Foulquetiere real wedding

Our day was fully planned out and then we had a very welcome addition, our daughter who was just 3 months old at the time of the wedding. For us the day and celebrations were even more special because of having Aurelia there to celebrate with us and luckily for us we had our family and many friends on hand to help out while we got ready. The big day started with us on site with our closest friends, making the most of the gorgeous venue and jumping in the pool with some fizz, how all wedding days should start. Jordon and best man got ready in the Gite and was able to welcome guests and see the venue as new all over again, through their eyes. I got ready in the Honeymoon suite in the main house with my 3 bridesmaids, mum and daughter.

destination wedding photographer

One of the most special parts of the day for us and our guests was the ceremony. Beth had planned this out to be very personal to us, with our own vows and acknowledgements to our friends and family. The setting underneath a willow tree and beside a lake was picture perfect and so romantic. After a much needed drinks reception, in the sizzling French heat wave we escaped the sun into the cool barn for speeches and food. We served our guests tuna tartar, beef and a trio of desserts and it was just as good as our expectations.

fun wedding photography relaxed wedding photography summer wedding france rustic wedding cake

The band made for an amazing party, as we crowded onto the outdoor dance floor under the stars and festoon lights. We lit sparklers and embraced feeling like big kids.

outdoor wedding disco

Our advice to people planning a wedding in France, who like us do not speak French would be to find someone local whom you can trust and can do a lot of the research for you, whether this be a wedding planner or venue owner. For us Rose was key to everything falling into place and running smoothly.

wedding first dance photos

Congratulations to Jordon & Sarah from everyone here at French Wedding Style!

For even more relaxed destination wedding in France inspiration check out this:

A RELAXED DIY HOME WEDDING IN FRANCE

Low Key Destination Wedding in France Snapshot

Low Key Destination Wedding in France Snapshot

Wedding Vendors

Photographer Sarah-Jane Ethan | Venue Manoir de la Foulquetiere | Florist Manoir de la Foulquetiere | Brides Dress Grace Loves Lace | Entertainment The Tonics | Grooms Outfit Reiss | Grooms Outfit Oliver Sweeney | Catering Ryan Matthee