Under the golden Moroccan sun, not far from the ancient walls of Marrakech, Ludi and Drew's wedding unfolded like a beautiful dream. Friends and family gathered from far and wide, and their journey brought them to this enchanting place to witness the union of two hearts in a place where old world charm and love collided. The ceremony took place amongst a flower garden alongside the Riad, a traditional courtyard surrounded by balconies, with ornate arches that became silent witnesses to a story of love that has travelled across continents. As dusk fell, the garden was transformed into a colorful dance floor, illuminated by the soft light of the lanterns and the twinkling light of the stars overhead. The sounds of music from the band, an abundance of traditional local Moroccan dishes, French cheese as a wedding cake and boundless happiness – a night that marked the beginning of their eternity.
Our Love Story
The Day We Met
We met through a dating app right before COVID in Feb 2020. Our first date was a stop at an art museum – Drew’s choice, Picasso exhibition at The Royal Academy, followed by watching Six Nations Rugby France vs. Italy (Ludi’s choice), at The Walmer Castle pub in Notting Hill.
The Proposal
We had a weekend away at The Wilderness Reserve in the UK, and they had an outdoor scavenger hunt/ escape the room around the 8,000-acre property and had set up champagne and a picnic at the final stop in a field. Drew may have accidentally knelt in sheep poo when kneeling for the proposal.
The Engagement Ring
Ludi only had one request – vintage. We found a hand-cut ring from Hancocks London which was from the 1920s.
Our Wedding
The Vision
As Ludi is French and I am American, we wanted to pick a place that was a destination for our guests coming from all over the world. After a previous trip to Morocco, we decided Marrakech was a great spot for a spring wedding and catered to both French and English speakers in an exotic location.
Our Team of Vendors
We were guided through the process by Claimy at The Souk Department. We were also fortunate enough to find incredible talent in La Dichosa from Barcelona for photography and The Talent Events for music out of London.
The Location
The wedding was at Beldi Country Club, just outside the old city of Marrakech. It was an incredible place to gather our family and friends for the weekend for the ceremony, as well as downtime by the pool, impromptu padel tournaments and drinks at the Cactus Bar.
The Ceremony
The ceremony was in a garden just in front of the Riad. It had incredible weather, and we were guided through the ceremony by Scott Siemens, our good friend and celebrant. Another close friend, Julianne Funk, did a reading of the wedding scene from the show “Fleabag” which is both sweet and a bit jarring, which we found funny.
The Reception
We hosted a cocktail hour in a greenhouse just next to the ceremony with champagne for Ludi’s French origins and Mint Juleps for Drew’s Kentucky origins. The band played in the open courtyard, followed by a lively DJ set and a serenade of “You’ve Lost That Loving Feeling” to Ludi, a tradition of the Kentucky group of friends.
The Special Touches
As neither of us are huge fans of sweets, we decided to have a "cheesecake" - wheels of French cheese as the layers, which were eventually cut and served at the bar throughout the rest of the evening. As a late-night snack, there was a Shawarma cart serving those on the dance floor to keep the energy going into the evening.
Our Favorite Moment
Rehearsal dinner in the old city of Marrakech with our families, styled by LRNCE and The Souk Department – a really wonderful way to get the weekend started with the most important people in our lives. LRNCE also made custom plates for each guest at the rehearsal, which we were able to give as a surprise to each person.
Our Advice
For The Planning Process
Find someone local to help coordinate and have lots of conversations as a couple on what is important to each of you (e.g., live music, nostalgic touches) and spend less time on items that are less important to you.
For On The Day
Get your rest, avoid the “hurry up and wait” mentality before the ceremony, and find a little bit of time to sneak away with phenomenal photographers between the ceremony and the reception.
For Post-Wedding
Take 1–2 days on site after the wedding to decompress if possible. We were not able to go straight on our honeymoon; we just got back from climbing Kilimanjaro and going on safari! So those 48 hours after the ceremony allowed us to spend quality time with friends and family who don’t live in London, and we don’t get to see them as often as we’d like.
Vendors
Photographer: La Dichosa
Venue: BELDI Country Club
Planning & Design: The Souk Department
Rentals: ROCCO
Florist: The Bloom Room
Cake: Palettes Marrakech
Celebrant: Panopticwildlife
Custom Plates: LRNCE
Makeup & Hair: Karima Maruan
Style
Bridal Dress: Newwhite
Reception Dress: Jacquemus
Bridal Boutique: The Fall Bride
Bridal Shoes: JW Anderson
Bridal Jewerly: Ruby Jack
Wedding Ring & Engagement Ring: Hancocks London
Groom: Zegna
Bridesmaids: Mac Duggal
