Mathilde
Pretty Mathilde tells us all about her wedding to Benoit. Let's find out all about their wonderful day together...
Photo credit : Marie Peltriaux / Saint Cyr Image.
The Meeting :
"We met through our work. I was in Paris for training, he was in London, and we were working together on certain projects. The first time I saw him was three days after my arrival in London, and personally, it was love at first sight! Twelve days later, we became a couple.
He proposed to me in the mountains in the village where we had spent our first vacation together five years earlier. At that time, we had a big discussion about our potential future on a small brick bridge in the middle of the village. He proposed to me five years later on the same bridge, in the snow, on one knee. It was magical!"
What Marked Them :
"There are two moments that really stood out to me. The first was entering the church. My husband saw me for the first time at that moment. Except for my parents and witnesses, no one had seen me before. I was hidden until my entrance, and I was focused on looking straight ahead to make it down the aisle without crying, so I didn't see anyone! I also loved the exit from the church because I saw all our families and friends there in front of me, all at once! It was pure happiness !
The second moment was our entrance into the reception hall during dinner. We hadn't planned anything special, but the day before, Benoit (my husband now) suggested that we hand out the magic candles we had bought earlier but hadn't used to our godchildren, so that our guests could light them as we entered. It had an amazing effect! We walked into the hall, and it was sparkling everywhere. That's when we felt all the enthusiasm from our families and friends, we received incredible energy, and we knew the evening was going to be a success !"
The Venue :
‘We got married in the Var. There were quite a few of us (around 170 people) and we had quite a few children (around thirty), so we wanted a spacious venue with an area for the children. We found La Toussane in the commune of La Cardière. The venue is in the middle of the owners' vineyards, with a large outdoor area for cocktails, a large tent backing onto the bastide and a “children's room”. We really liked the natural feel of the place. What's more, we were able to accommodate around fifteen people on site, which came in very handy for our friends from abroad.
We chose a Provençal decor. I'm from the Var, but my family is scattered all over France, my husband is from the Landes region and all his family are from the South-West. We really wanted to emphasise the local aspect of our wedding decoration. That's why we used lots of lavender, olive trees and rosemary, as well as gypsophila and lysianthus, to add a touch of flowers and enhance the purple of the lavender. For the centrepieces, we opted for 60cm olive trees, but with a slender trunk that wouldn't spoil the view when people were seated and would still allow everyone to talk to each other. We also gave our guests personalised calissons with our first names and the date of our wedding, which we bought from Déclaration Gourmande. They're delicious and a nice change from the sugared almonds we never eat...’.
Their Inspirations :
In terms of inspiration, I spent hours on Google images and saved an impressive number of photos. I organized everything in Word by categories and printed everything so that we could look and decide together with Benoit. I also found a lot of inspiration on the wedding decorations website (http://www.decorationsdemariage.fr/ ) and on Etsy (https://www.etsy.com/)
The colors naturally came after choosing the theme. Since the colors were mainly lavender purple and olive green, we didn't require our witnesses or family to wear purple or green, which may not be easy to pull off...
For my wedding dress, it was very simple. I was in Lille for a family celebration, and my amazing witness advised me to go to Promesse (http://www.promesse-mariage.com/). I made an appointment thinking I was just going to see which styles suited my body type... the sixth dress was the one! Constance, the manager, is very professional and attentive. Great place!
For my civil wedding dress, I visited all the Galeries Lafayette stores in Paris and found one at Tara Jarmon (Midi-length dress in pale pink ottoman and matching bolero).
The Shoe Creation :
My creative process was very enjoyable! I initially had no idea what colors to choose for my shoes... I went from "I want white, no, bright colors, no white"... I was indecisive. I also don't usually wear heels, and being already tall, I didn't want to tower over my future spouse with 10 cm heels... In the showroom, I could see all the colors and which heels I could dance in all night... With good advice, I opted for 8 cm chunky heels for stability. For the color, the boutique had a wide selection. Juliette showed me several samples and made suggestions. I wanted two different colors: one for the bow on top and the heel, and another for the rest of the shoe. I chose the round-toe pump style, with crisscross straps at the front and an iridescent champagne color for the bow and heel, and I chose pale pink for the rest. They are beautiful, and I received many compliments! Plus, I was able to wear them until 4 a.m., dancing and jumping around! I am very proud of my shoes!
For me, choosing the right heel is crucial. I highly recommend visiting the showroom for the kindness of the team and to try on different models. The color selection is truly rich !
Their Favorite Service Providers :
"For the invitations, place cards, and menus: Etsy Little Indie Studio -https://www.etsy.com/shop/LittleIndieStudio?ref=profile_shopname. We chose the Rustic Lavender and Raffia collection. Alexandra is English, but if you don't speak English, contact her, she will provide you with samples. Just send her your text in French, and she will print it. Responsive and accommodating, we were very happy with this collaboration.
For lavender: France-Lavande : http://www.france-lavande.com/ It's a cooperative in the Drome that only produces lavender. We ordered both bouquets and lavandin to make sachets, and the bouquets were beautiful and smelt fantastic, as did the lavandin.
For the caterer in Toulon: Les 2 Toques - http://www.lesdeuxtoques.com/ He was very professional, responsive, and adapted to our needs and desires. The head waiter and the servers were excellent throughout the wedding and for the brunch the next day.
For guest gifts (personalized calissons) in Aix-en-Provence : Déclaration Gourmande - http://www.declaration-gourmande.fr/ Hélène will create personalized calissons for you that are unbeatable in quality. She is attentive and will find the design that suits you.
For flowers : http://www.lionelrochedecoration.com/ àin Saint Cyr sur Mer, Lionel will listen to you and have plenty of great ideas to make your venue decoration beautiful.
Regarding DJs/Cameramen: Vosta in Toulon - http://www.vosta.fr/ - Christian is attentive and will find the DJ that suits you. Ours managed to fill the dance floor from the beginning to the end of the evening. For the cameraman, we wanted someone discreet who captures emotions without being intrusive. He created a very professional film that perfectly reflects us.
For the photographer in Saint Cyr sur Mer : http://www.saint-cyr-images.com/ - Marie Peltriaux was perfect. Extremely friendly and experienced, we had a great time with her, and the photos are amazing.
For the dress: Promesse in Lille : http://www.promesse-mariage.com/ onstance was attentive and very responsive. She immediately saw what could enhance my features and gave good advice. The whole team is really nice and professional.
For shoes: DMUS in Paris of course! Beautiful, comfortable shoes, professional advice, and kindness at all levels. As I mentioned earlier, for someone who doesn't wear heels, I kept them on all day and all night, and my shoes are still impeccable!
Finally, for decoration, you need to search online for ideas, and then we went to Amazon, Fêter et Recevoir, Casa..."
Mathilde's advice :
The key is to be organized... One of the things that helped us was to create a timeline a month before the wedding listing the remaining tasks. Benoit and I assigned and shared the tasks. The important thing is to think of everything because it avoids last-minute stress; on the wedding day, you will have other things to do than worry about what was forgotten!
The day before, we went to the venue to set up a good portion of the decoration and to discuss with the venue owner, the head waiter, the DJs... It helps visualize how the next day will go.
I also find it important to take your time to prepare. I was fortunate to have my maid of honor, my sister, and my parents with me during my preparation (hair, makeup...). I especially remember getting dressed with my maid of honor and my sister. It was a special moment! The moment when the tension rises a notch, and it reassured me a lot to have them with me at that moment.
It's also important to keep things in perspective! As a very wise friend told me, a bride can become selfish and lose sight of priorities a bit... And that's very true, I was glad she pointed that out to me! Something to reflect on...
Overall, my advice is to stay as calm as possible and to enjoy every moment and the company of the guests to the fullest.
