Julie
The Meeting :
We met in high school, in our sophomore year. It was in 2005, and we have never been apart since. Nine years later, Yoann took advantage of a lovely weekend in Barcelona to make the famous proposal... One evening on the roof of the Arènes. It was wonderful, I absolutely did not expect it. In fact, the first words I said were, "For real ?"
What Marked Them :
Two moments were particularly rich in emotion for me: the moment when we saw each other before the ceremonies. We were surrounded by our witnesses and my sisters, we all met in a wood near my parents' house. He was facing away, waiting for me, and I was already extremely moved. In fact, some of our witnesses and my sisters shed a few tears. Our photographer captured these moments.
During the church ceremony, the village brotherhood sang the DIO VI SALVI REGINA in Corsican, which is a tribute to the Virgin Mary and especially the Corsican hymn. It was very symbolic and very moving for both of us.
The Venue :
We got married in Corsica, the island where we live, despite the many guests living on the mainland or abroad (England, Chile, French Guiana). We actually started the celebrations with all these people who had come from far away about a week before, every evening we had dinners with 15 to 35 people at my parents' house.
The ceremonies took place in my village, in the church that I have known since my childhood. The reception was held at the old Coti-Chiavari Penitentiary, in the only building still standing that was used at the time to store wine and food for the prisoners.
When I was a child, my sisters, one of my witnesses, and I used to play there regularly, our parents organized Easter Monday picnics that we call "Merendella". The place was almost abandoned at the time, and sheep roamed in the building and under the trees. Today it has been renovated with simplicity, allowing for free rein to the imagination and remains full of wonderful memories for me.
So we wanted something simple, highlighting the old stones and nature. A bohemian spirit, a Mehari as the bride and groom's car, old furniture, old frames, old keys, a DIY leather guest book, an old refurbished trunk, a photobooth corner with a ribbon curtain, a candy bar on a late 19th-century chest of drawers, a pop-rock band for the cocktail that allowed many guests to dance from the beginning of the evening, lights, lots of small bouquets of pretty flowers, large candles, olive leaves to throw at the newlyweds as they left the church, vials of Porto-Pollo olive oil as guest gifts...
The idea was to do things different from the standard wedding... things that reflect us!
Their Inspirations :
I browsed many wedding blogs, Pinterest, wedding magazines... Then, nourished by these readings, I finally relied on our ideas, our desires. I created a notebook in which I wrote down all my inspirations (magazine photos, impressions from Pinterest, flowers, colors, table names...). I walked around with this notebook for a year and a half, thanks to which our service providers understood what kind of wedding we wanted to create.
To choose the famous dress, I went to Toulouse, where I studied, surrounded by some of my witnesses and bridesmaids as well as my Mom. I had appointments at several boutiques even though I had a general idea of the style I liked.
The boutique L'Univers d'Elsa Gary was a revelation, Annie the manager is incredibly kind and gentle. Each fitting (which involved a trip to the mainland for me) turned out to be the scene of tears of joy, wonderful memories.
To harmonize things, my bridesmaids and maid of honor chose a color palette for their light outfits. In addition, we had a fresh flower barrette made for each of them that matched my flower crown. I also gave them a gold wire bracelet with their respective names. For the witnesses, we gave them the same bow tie and fresh flower boutonnieres.
For those of us who live far from everything, we ordered many things on CREAVA, on EBAY (many French antique dealers sell their products there), ETSY... We did some upcycling and created things with our own hands.
We had a real crush on faire-part-créatif.com which created our invitations, mass booklets, and seating plan. The prints are made in the south of France on quality paper.
The Shoe Creation :
Many blogs referred to Dessine-moi un soulier. So I went to the website and immediately fell in love with the concept. I designed so many models that I didn't know what I really wanted ! I took advantage of a weekend in Paris to visit the showroom where I was warmly welcomed. I was able to see and try on several shoe shapes, heel heights etc... And in the end I opted for a round-toed platform pump with criss-cross straps, a thick 10cm heel and a Lisa bow at the back. As for the colours, seeing the samples in person helped me decide on mint velvet and fine champagne sequins for the princess look !
Her favourite service providers :
The Bride's Dress : L’Univers d’Elsa Gary in Toulouse
The Groom's Suit and Bow Tie : The Kooples and Colonel Moutarde
The Bride's Shoes : Dessine-moi un soulier… Real jewels on your feet !
The Photographer : Julien SORIA
The Florist : Yveline A. Création
Make-Up Artist : Cindy DA COSTA
Hairstylist : Elisabete CARREIRA
The caterer : TOQUES 2 CHEFS
Invitations, Seating Plans, and Mass Booklets : faire-part-creatif.com
Julie's Advice :
Planning a wedding requires following your instincts. If, like me, you feel capable of organizing everything from A to Z, go for it! I am very organized and despite some teasing, I had prepared a schedule for our parents, witnesses, and bridesmaids detailing the day and everyone's roles... This proved very useful as the day went smoothly.
We also had a list of group photos, which we entrusted to one of my sisters. The photo session went by relatively quickly, and most importantly, we didn't leave anyone out! On the morning of the big day, I surrounded myself with loved ones—my mom, sisters, and witnesses. This reassured me, and I cherished every moment of that fleeting day.
Creating a special moment before the ceremonies for Yoann and me to see each other was the best idea we had. It was incredibly intense. Taking photos with our witnesses and bridesmaids followed by couple shots helped me relax and arrive at the town hall slightly less emotional.
