Meeting Our Caterers in Toulon
Hello French Wedding Style Readers
So my wedding planning is moving forward and last weekend we went to meet our caterers (Traiteur en français) called Gaudefroy in Ollieres, Toulon who provide wedding catering South of France. We were really excited to go as we knew it was the day that we got to choose our requirements for our wedding.
A Warm Welcome and Grand Office Tour
We arrived early Saturday morning and were greeted by Monsieur Gaudefroy (that’s not his real name, but for this article we shall refer to him as that). We were welcomed into his very imposing grand office, sat down, and prepared our paperwork.
Choosing the Perfect French Menu
We started off by confirming our menu, there was a choice of a few. We choose Plaisirs de l’Ile Enchantée, just the name sounds lovely and romantic. This menu consists of a buffet cocktail, workshops, these are where you choose from a selection and the chef prepares it in front of you, it is something I have never heard of before, only in France have I seen it at our friends wedding and it was great. It really did add another dimension to the cocktail and day. Afterwards we have a starter, main dish, sorbet break to freshen the palette, cheese, dessert, fresh season fruit buffet, coffee and teas, cake and then a champagne fountain. All, served with drinks throughout.
Images from Gaudefroy on Facebook
Impressed by the Traiteur’s Service
I am really impressed with the Traiteur in France and love how the meals are served later in the evening and how you are served throughout the evening so you don’t feel full up quickly and you have time to enjoy it both the evening and your meal.
Ensuring a Variety for All Guests
We went through each course, choosing from the selection on offer, ensuring we had a choice for everyone (vegetarian and meat eaters). This was fun but also a little stressful as the fun really does form a big part of our wedding day and we want it to be right, in fitting with the day and that people will eat. The alcohol and soft drinks we decided we would search and buy ourselves and then provide Gaudefroy with closer towards our wedding.
Keeping Some Surprises for Our Guests
As some of our guests will read this article, I don’t want to go into too much detail re our menu choice as we want it to be a surprise. But I promise after the wedding I will divulge all (images are for illustration as examples of the delicious food Gaudefroy creates).
A Special Surprise from a Top Chef
But what I can tell you as I have promised in an earlier article is that for a surprise main meal……..Drum roll please…………… we are having a top chef in France making our it. Yep, we are so excited. Chef, is a friend of my fiance and his family and is well known in France. He is a regular on the radio and tv and has two michelin star restaurants. We feel very privileged to have this opportunity and are thrilled that we can shared this with our guests.
Fun with Decorations and Itinerary Planning
The fun part was choosing decoration. Yes, we choose our table cloths, the way the serviettes were to be folded, the decoration on each buffet table, the decoration for each guest table. Followed by devising a rough itinerary. This was the moment that my fiance and I felt like it was all coming together.
Post-Wedding Brunch Plans
As many of our friends and family are staying at the Abbaye we have decided to put on a brunch for the day after (Lendemain). Therefore, we have organised with Gaudefroy to supply us with a 20 piece buffet that we can help ourselves too. Again, we decided this was a little extra we can provide our guests and ensure they have a lovely memorable time at out wedding.
Feeling Settled and Ready for the Next Step
After a couple of hours, we felt a lot more settled, our choices were made and things felt slightly clearer. Now to thinking about the next wedding planning activity.
Tips for Planning a Wedding Abroad
People choosing to get married abroad, I would advise that you write down your questions in a quite space, visualise and plan exactly what you see happening on your day, it sounds common sense but I think it is really important to write things down as when you are there in the moment you can easily forget it.
Get in Touch
If you have any questions about my experience you can contact me via my blog www.oohlalaenglishmadame.com
I look forward to hearing from you
Gros bisous
Claire
