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Being relaxed for your destination wedding… brides and grooms can stress about it 😊 and yet… We tell you more in this article

Being relaxed for your destination wedding… a myth?

Let’s put things down first…. Everyone is different. Some people are anxious by nature, while others take things as they come and as they happen. So I don’t think it’s possible to ask someone who’s anxious by nature not to stress about their wedding.

However, there are things that can be done to help with this. I’ll give you a few tips in this article based on the experience we’ve had at the chateau over the last ten years accompanying our brides and grooms.

But first of all, a small point… it’s normal for there to be a lot of emotions during the preparations for a wedding and on the big day. It’s about making a commitment, doing this in front of lots of people who have come especially for you, and an event, with responsibilities and a budget… so a little stress is perfectly normal, even for the most zen of you!

Choosing the right destination wedding suppliers is absolutely essential if you want your reception to be the wonderful day of your dreams. Of course, with a destination wedding, things can be even more complicated. You may not even know our beautiful region of Provence and you may not speak French, which can make things seem very complicated. But only on the surface 🙂 We tell you more in this article

Choosing  suppliers – the basics

There are a few essential points to bear in mind when choosing your destination wedding suppliers.

The first of these is that not all reception venues in France operate in the same way. Some venues impose their own service providers or offer complete packages, organising your wedding from start to finish. On the other hand, other venues will let you choose the suppliers for your wedding entirely. Of course, between these two extremes there is a whole range of other possibilities. So we strongly recommend that you don’t book any suppliers without checking with your reception venue what is and isn’t possible.

The next two criteria to take into account are, of course, the availability of suppliers on the big day and your budget. These two criteria can easily narrow down the field of possibilities for some brides and grooms. So it’s important to establish all this as soon as you start your search.

Should you have your wedding dinner outdoors or indoors in Provence? This is another of the big questions that brides and grooms regularly ask themselves. However, it’s true that for our destination weddings, for our overseas brides and grooms who come to Provence to get married, it’s usually because they want to dine outdoors. So, in this article, I’ll explain why it’s important to ask yourself this question, even for a destination wedding in Provence.

Wedding dinner outdoors in Provence

It’s true, however, that future brides and grooms often visit the château with a view to dining outdoors for their wedding dinner. This is certainly even truer for our brides and grooms who come from abroad to get married in Provence. The setting of the château lends itself well to this, with its park just in front of our beautiful building, shaded by its plane trees. Cocktails are usually served on the lawn, on the side where you can enjoy the sunset over the vines.

Of course, this option is only feasible when the weather is fine and the temperature allows it. Also, without wishing to shatter the dreams of future brides and grooms, we would like to make it clear to them that according to our experience of ten years of weddings in Provence, this is possible with us. Taking all the different parameters into account, we realise that the time frame for doing so is not that great. We generally manage to offer this option to all our brides and grooms who decide to do so.

It’s true that dining outdoors for your wedding can be a very pleasant experience in summer. Under the guinguette lights, you can enjoy the drop in temperature and the last songs of the cicadas. What’s more, the aesthetic setting can suit a variety of themes, especially the more country-style weddings.

How to choose your wedding date, a real question. For some couples the date is everything – maybe an anniversary, maybe a birthday, or some other date that has fond memories. For others, the date is flexible, depending on the availability of the dream venue, or maybe the availability of close friends and family. In this article, we give you some advice on the questions to ask yourself when choosing your wedding date.

Choosing the date for your wedding – thinking about the essentials

• A symbolic date

You may choose a date that has special meaning for both of you – perhaps the date you met, or your engagement date. This can be a key factor in choosing your wedding date.

• Your professional commitments can have an impact on the decision to choose the date of your wedding.

For some people, their job will dictate the wedding date – it isn’t easy for teachers to take time off during term time, however much they’d love to! So be realistic about what you can and can’t do. As I am also a winemaker, my colleagues would not be impressed if I had decided to get married in August or September because of the grape harvest!

• The personal, professional or educational commitments of key friends and family

Let’s be honest, your wedding just wouldn’t be the same if your bestie couldn’t be there to share your happiness, and so if there are people who you can’t imagine celebrating your big day without, you will want to check their commitments and availability.

• Give advance notice

Don’t stress too much about the idea of getting married on a weekday. Every now and then, for one reason or another, this can actually provide you with some real opportunities. Service providers often offer discounts during the week, plus there is less chance your preferred venue or photographer will already be booked. Remember, your guests will be the people who care about you the most, and if you tell them you want to be at your wedding a few months in advance, they will usually make the effort to take the necessary days off work to be at your wedding.

• Don’t worry too much about the weather

The dates that generally benefit from the best weather are often the first to be booked for a wedding. Couples generally hope for good weather so they can make the most of the day and take beautiful photos with a perfect sunset. However, this is not the case for everyone. What’s more, you have to accept that Mother Nature will do as she pleases on the big day. So even a midsummer day in Provence can be a rainy day (although not very often, if we’re honest!). If you want to know more about this, you can read the story of our couple from a few years ago here or in this other article.

• Seasonal charm

Those sunny summer days are also the period when the days are longest. However, unless you absolutely want to dine outdoors, you might consider celebrating your wedding at a different time of year. With the shorter days, your reception venue lit up at night can add even more charm to your special day (not to mention your photos!). What’s more, the charm of autumnal colours can also be a real wow factor! And then, of course, there are those who love winter decorations, which add yet another special touch to a warm, intimate wedding.