Meet Your Guests In The Middle–A Romantic Destination Wedding In Provence
We live in a time where everyone is spread out. You graduate, get jobs and move across the world–so isn't any wedding a destination wedding (at least for your guests)? This is exactly why this couple, who currently live in Australia (a beautiful destination in itself), decided to split the difference for their loved ones and choose a destination somewhere in the middle. Lucky for them, that destination happened to be Provence in France.
Once they had a destination, their venue chose them. From the minute they saw Chateau Robernier, they knew it was the one. They didn't have an exact theme in mind but they knew a few elements that they wanted to incorporate, so Danni Wing Events helped them turn those small ideas into a fully formed, gorgeous celebration. They knew they wanted pampas grass and protea and Style Myrtille certainly got the brief, especially when it came to their ceremony arch! Katy Lunsford followed the couple throughout the day capturing beautiful candids of them and their guests while Christophe Mechineau got it all on video for their loved ones that couldn't make the trip. You can see even more from this beautiful wedding in the full gallery. Read on to hear more from Photographer, Katy Lunsford, and from the couple themselves!
A CLASSIC PROVENCE WEDDING–BUT BETTER
Chloe and Nick's wedding was everything you think of when you think of a Provence wedding–a fairytale chateau (complete with turrets!), the hazy August heat, palm trees, the scent of lavender, a champagne reception in the shade of the ancient plane trees to the sweet sounds of a live jazz duo, al fresco dining on the terrace, amazing French food washed down with beautiful Provence rosé, a golden hour walk in the olive groves, the sound of cicadas, a stunning sunset, and dancing under the stars. It just doesn't get any better than that...except, in this case, it did because on top of all this there was an epic protea and pampas grass arch, peacock-feather boutonnieres, a super stylish and absolutely adorable bride and groom, gorgeous bridesmaids, and a stunning Grace Loves Lace dress.
HOW THEY MET
We are the newlywed Gibsons. Chloe is from the North-East of England from a small country town called Berwick-Upon-Tweed she grew up there with her six brothers and sisters. Nick grew up about 60 miles south in Durham. Three years ago we decided to move to the other side of the world, to Australia, we have since settled in Sydney. Chloe is a Marketing Manager and Nick is a project manager working in home automation. We met at work about six years ago. Nick was the event manager for one of the Christmas events that Chloe was running whilst working for a cider company. We had our first date in London in July 2013.
POPPING THE QUESTION
Originally Nick planned to propose under the Northern Lights in Iceland but due to unplanned weather conditions, the timing wasn’t right. Nick’s backup plan was to bend a knee whilst on a surprise skiing trip at Christmas two weeks later in Chamonix, France. He was unaware of the proposal location until the night before. We took a long cable car ride to the top of Aiguille Du Midi overlooking Mont Blanc and the Italian border. At the peak is a large glass box where you can “step into the void.” Chloe was hesitant to stand in a glass box with a 1000 meter drop below her but was dragged in by Nick. Once positioned and after a couple of photos Nick got down on one knee. Voila!
FINDING THE RIGHT DESTINATION
We loved the idea of getting married on a Polynesian Island or in Australia but realized that not many people could or would make the long journey. Then, England crossed our minds but due to lack of trust in the climate and unpredictable weather we had to rule it out and head for Europe, we love French food and the weather is more predictable and, since we got engaged in France, we thought a French setting would be amazing and relevant. When we decided on France we knew we would love to be in the south of France. At first, I was keen that our venue should be near some lavender fields but then discovered there’s a certain season for lavender. Once you arrive at Chateau Robernier you are likely to imagine you are in a fairy tale and we instantly knew that this would be the one.
FINDING 'THE ONE'
It was a bit of a different feeling trying to find my wedding dress whilst on the other side of the world without my mum, sisters or best friends to accompany me. I took myself off on a few occasions to some of the bridal boutiques in Sydney and tried on many shapes and styles but not one of them stood out as the one. In October I was visiting the UK for work and stayed for a weekend in London with my parents. My mum and I went to Grace Loves Lace in Shoreditch and I instantly found my dream dress.
THE DESIGN
We didn’t really set out with a color scheme at the beginning but as we went through the planning we decided that we wanted lots of greenery and pastel colors. We both love blush pink and light neutral tones. We also love the romantic pampas grass trend that is very popular for Australian weddings so we asked for this to be woven in. It was in my bridal bouquet and also the beautiful ceremony arch that we had. Our venue was so stunning we didn’t feel that we needed too many additions. I decided last minute to have bridesmaids, but I’m so glad I did! Organizing dresses from Australia to four different cities (Dubai, London, Manchester, and Newcastle) was a bit stressful, but thankfully they fit the girls perfectly! We loved having our nieces and nephews be part of the big day, weddings are so special and so cute to see kids from the family running around!
AN UNFORGETTABLE FEAST
The food was unreal and so many people still comment on how fabulous it was, we opted for individual entrees and a shared main and individual assorted deserts. Then we had a cheese buffet and a wedding cake. The venue was perfect and we had thirty of our guests stay the night of the wedding which was lovely too! Seeing all of our friends and family come all that way to celebrate us was so beautiful! The recovery pool party the next day, the whole experience was the best weekend of our lives, and would do it all again tomorrow. Everything just came together so well!
WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT WEDDINGS IN FRANCE
The wedding industry is very laid back in France, so don’t panic if it seems like some things are happening last minute. If you find somewhere you love just book it, even if it’s slightly out of budget–book it and find a way!
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- Bridesmaid Dresses: Shona Joy
- Cakes & Catering: Gaudefroy Receptions
- Couple: Chloe
- Couple: Nick
- DJs: Thomas Dusseune
- Event Planning & Design: Danni Wing Events
- Flowers: Style Myrtille
- Groom & His Men: Joe Black
- Hair, Makeup & Beauty: Aglaia Sophie John
- Musicians: Lizzy And The Gentlemen
- Photographers: Katy Lunsford
- Venues: Chateau Robernier
- Wedding Dresses: Grace Loves Lace
- Wedding Films: Christophe Mechineau