Enter the enchanting world of love and elegance as we delve into the wedding of Maddie and Dan, a celebration set in the picturesque hilltop village of Provence. Imagine a magical event where every detail exudes delicate sophistication against the backdrop of the charming French countryside. The interiors, beautiful and unique, offer a tranquil and chic ambience that is simply mesmerizing. The wedding theme, a black-tie garden party, unfolds beautifully in a stunning French farmhouse setting, surrounded by lush greenery, seasonal flowers and color accents of white, green and blue. The strapless bride's dress coupled with the mismatched bridesmaids' outfits made the occasion both stylish and memorable. Let's explore this dreamy celebration, where love and Provencal charm intertwine, and enjoy an interview with the bride and images by our talented member, Nina Wernicke.
Tell us a little about yourselves. How did you meet? What do you do for a living? What are your hobbies?
Dan and I both grew up in villages next to each other. We used to go to tennis camp together as kids, and then we went to the same secondary school. But it wasn’t until later years when our romance started. Dan was home from University for Christmas, and we went for a night out with some mutual friends. We then did long distance for 10 years and then bought our first home together in London 3 years ago.
I work in Social Media Marketing for a Fashion Company, and Dan works in Investment Management in Real Estate. We live in West London, Shepherds Bush, with our Cavapoo Nellie, and in our free time, we love to work our way through our restaurant hit list, go to the local pub with our friends and potter in the garden.
Can you share your engagement story?
Last June, Dan took me away to Rome for a surprise trip. After a long and hot walk around the Villa Borghese Gardens, once Dan found the perfect spot overlooking the city of Rome, he got down on one knee and asked me to marry him. For once in my life, I was speechless!
Did you have any pre-wedding events, like a rehearsal dinner or bridal shower?
We had a welcome BBQ on the estate’s vineyard on Friday evening. This was the best thing we did as it allowed everyone to get in the mood, and meet and chat so when the wedding day came people had done all the introductions. It also meant we relaxed more as we had already greeted everyone! At the BBQ we had a vinyl player DJ set-up, so people could choose their own records, this was a fun an interactive element for guests.
Where was your wedding? Why did you choose this venue?
We got married at the beautiful Bastide de Marie, which is situated in a tiny hilltop village called Ménerbes in Provence. We settled on France because I have always wanted to get married there (my grandma is French and my Auntie and Uncle live there, so we have spent a lot of time there). As a ‘typical’ girl, I have always romanticised my wedding, and I first saw this venue before we were even engaged by someone posting an image of the hotel’s cast-iron chairs – and I then went into a deep dive and found that they also do a small handful of weddings (it turns out they only do 4-5 a year, so we were so lucky to be able to plan our wedding there in only 11 months).
As soon as we were engaged, we went to visit it, and we knew it was perfect right away. It is one of those places where you can’t appreciate the beauty until you are there. It is magical, the interiors are beautiful and unique, it is calming and so chic. It’s the sort of place you almost don’t want to tell anyone about because it’s so special.
What was the concept behind your wedding and how did you find your inspiration?
As a true social media girl, I spent a lot of time on Pinterest and following different designers, photographers and events pages, this fuelled a lot of my inspiration, but I always made sure the ideas worked with the location and us as a couple. I would say the general ‘theme’ was a black-tie garden party, as the venue is a French farmhouse with lots of beautiful green space, flowers and cobbled courtyards it felt like the perfect theme.
For colours and flowers, we kept it in seasonal and in keep with the surroundings with accents of white, green and Provencal blue. For the tablescapes we kept it simple with white linens, glass lanterns, calligraphy signage and green velvet bows, which I made with my friend – these have always been a signature at our dinner parties at home, so it was nice to tie this in.
How long did it take to plan your wedding? Did you encounter any challenges during the planning process?
11 months – but I won’t pretend I didn’t have most things in my head for the past 5 years. We luckily found our perfect wedding planner, Stephanie from WEP in Provence early on, and she helped us secure the venue, suppliers and bring my vision to life – I think the main challenge would have been finding French suppliers, but Stephanie helped with this and was amazing throughout. With our suppliers I just made sure I provided lots and lots of visual references and had calls to talk through my ideas, this along with Stephanie’s expert advice and knowledge of weddings was the perfect combination.
How many guests did you have? And what was the seating arrangement at the wedding like?
We had 70 guests (majority friends and then immediate family), we had 16 people on the top table which was fun, and this was a mix of the wedding party and other friends which we knew would get on well together. Then we had tables of 8 which was a nice amount, so people could get to know each other, we mixed them up a bit as people knew at least 4 people on the table or had met each other at our stag and hen dos.
Tell us about your outfits. How many different styles have you tried?
In an unconventional order, I had my accessories before I bought my dress. My wedding shoes I always knew I wanted to wear Maysale style from Manolo Blahnik. For jewellery, I wore the pearl and bow earrings my Mum wore on her wedding day and a bracelet from my late grandpa. Then my main dress, I surprisingly got this on my first appointment (I am normally super fussy), when you know – you know! The dress had removable sleeves, which I loved, so I still got that strapless moment.
For dinner and our first dance I removed the sleeves and added a custom silk neck scarf to drape over my collar bones and down my back, this added a unique element which I loved. Then at midnight, I changed into a Khaite custom mini dress. This was the dress I wore in the church in the UK when we legally got married the month before, but I got it made into a mini, so I could re-wear and dance all night long. I teamed this with a pearl choker and some Jimmy Choos.
What was your first dance song? Did you choreograph or improvise?
We love Dermot Kennedy and go and see him live every year, so it felt fitting that we had our first dance to him. We chose the live lounge acoustic version of 'Kiss Me' and swayed to that. I am notoriously bad at dancing, so this was the one thing I was so nervous for, we tried to practise some simple twirls at home, but it always resulted in an argument or me kicking over an ornament. On the day, a few espresso martinis killed the nerves, and we lent into it and had the best time.
Did you have any special performances or entertainment?
During our ceremony our childhood friend Lizi is an amazing singer, and she performed Ave Maria which was so special. We also had a sax player during the cocktail and party, this was a fun element we wanted to include as we love the atmosphere a sax player can bring.
What was the most memorable moment from your wedding day?
So hard to choose, but perhaps walking into the reception to Jubel on the Sax and doing our champagne tower, then my vail getting stuck on a tree – that was funny.
Are there any vendors that you would like to tell us a little more about?
Stephanie our planner, she was amazing – she made me feel safe and heard, she calmed me, listened and brought all my visions to life. I honestly was so relaxed on the day because of her, I even had a nap in the sun before getting my hair and makeup done! Nina and Sandy our photographer and videographer were also incredible, we didn’t even notice they were there, and they have created the most amazing images and videos for us to cherish forever.
What advice would you give to couples who are currently planning their wedding?
Enjoy the process because once it’s done you will miss it. But also, have fun, be present and do what you want to do, not what others want you to do as this is your day about the two of you.
Did you have any special or unique elements (such as a signature cocktail or a fragrance) at your wedding?
We had a 1.2M disco ball above the dance floor, this was so impactful, and I am so happy with this last-minute edition! We also created a Wedding Newspaper which had our order of the day, fun stories, games and pictures, and then some unique small elements such as personalised picante cocktails from Lockdown Liquor, personalised match-boxes which had our puppy sat in a martini glass and scallop shells for olive oil which my auntie had collected for us.
What helped you cope with the anxiety before the wedding?
Ashwagandha and magnesium supplements really chilled me out and helped me sleep. But also trusting the universe that it will all work out, and you will have the best day no matter what.
Wedding Planner: WEP In Provence
Venue: La Bastide de Marie Hotel
Photography: Nina Wernicke
Video: Sandy Cluzard
Hair: Mr Sacha
Makeup: Celia D’Ancona
Music and Light: Basile Imbaeult
Ceremony Furniture: Blounge
Flowers: Celine at Atelier Provence
Dress: Kyha Studios
Shoes: Manolo Blahnik , Acquazzura , Jimmy Choo
Second Dress: Khaite
