Winter weddings have long been associated with a certain magic – after all, they take place at a time of year that is already pretty special given the ongoing Christmas celebrations. However, it’s also true that every little touch or adjustment can help so much to make an already heart-warming and inspiring occasion even more so.

Continue reading →

Getting married in France is a dream of many couples. This is in largely because of the many
fascinating wedding traditions that have contributed to the country’s reputation as the
epicentre of romance. Continue reading →

Romance. The word itself provokes intense feelings and thoughts, good and bad because it is such a crucial concept for the human soul. So many of the world’s greatest achievements in art, literature, music and sculpture have been created because of it. Many of them had significant movements ordained under their name – the romanticists or the romantic style.

It resonates because of the strength of its connotations. When we start to think about the ingredients of a perfect setting for the ultimate romantic occasion – a wedding – then we are led inexorably to one place. France.

Hugo, Rousseau, Delacroix, Rostand, Courbet and Gautier. So many of the names associated with romance are French. Even the word Romance is French. It is not surprising that so many world luminaries flocked to France in the hope that its romantic essence would rub off on them. Hemmingway, Fitzgerald and Grace Kelly became part of the tapestry that stretches throughout time enticing modern lovers to have their marriage ceremony in France.

The epitome of French wedding ceremony must be a chateau. Their design, history and surroundings all provide unique mystique and inspire the heart and mind of any fiancé and fiancée.

Unlike functional British châteaux and fortifications, French chateaus were designed as places for families to live and entertain their guests. Chateau Bouffemont, just to the north of Paris is an excellent example.

The preponderance of windows and lights testify that the views are of paramount importance both inside and out. Even on rare overcast days, the chateau itself is always a beautiful and noteworthy backdrop to any activity with its 5-hectare estate.

France is also rightly renowned for gastronomic excellence and the food at a chateau wedding could rightly grace any romantic novel or fairy tale. Staff will have long-standing contacts and friendships with the local food and drink suppliers to ensure the best and freshest food in season will be served for the couple and their honoured guests and the perfect wine and champagne to accompany the occasion will be served naturally.  

Weather and external conditions cannot be guaranteed but an estate such as Chateau Bouffemont has four floors of salons, terraces, suites and rooms to accommodate indoor or outdoor ceremonies with a minimum of fuss. Regardless of your own preference, they will readily be able to accommodate your wishes.

A French wedding also makes economic sense. The average UK wedding cost is now over £30,000 and it can rise above even this figure. A fairytale chateau wedding is within your budget for you and your guests to enjoy.

The cost would also cover expert services to make your day even easier and more memorable including the services of an expert wedding planner to look after the myriad of small details and decisions that can cause big worries if left unattended to. Experienced and helpful staff at the Chateau Bouffemont will also be able to look after the other details that will make a wedding more memorable such as the decoration, flowers, cake, music, photography, video and more. Even more unusual requests and services such as children’s entertainers can also be accommodated.

The age of Romance may have passed historically but its ideals and ideas live on and are personified in a wedding ceremony held at a French chateau. Honour your dreams and follow your hearts desire to France and its citadels of romance.

The wedding planner that you pick will have the immense responsibility of ensuring that every aspect of the organisation of your big day goes smoothly. You should, therefore, expect to ask a lot of questions to each person you are considering for this all-important job.

Here are just some of the questions to ask that will help you to narrow down the candidates.  

 

 

Will you be available on my wedding day?

This may appear to be an obvious question, but you would be surprised to hear of how often it isn’t asked until the couple realise the true situation all too late. In fact, you should be asking this question before any other, to ensure you do not waste any time considering someone who isn’t free.

If you are strongly interested in working with a particular wedding planner and can be flexible with your dates, you could ask them to give several dates when they will be free within your desired range, so that you can determine when both they and your preferred venue will be available.

 

 

Have you organised weddings at this venue before?

Your chosen wedding planner having overseen nuptials at the specific venue you have in mind is a big plus, as they will therefore probably know the venue staff, layout and logistics. This, in turn, should help to make the planning process that bit smoother.

Alternatively, it may be that the person in question has planned weddings at similar venues, which can be a great advantage, too. It could enable you to ask them a little more about their approach to organising weddings in such settings.

This way, if you have an unspeakably romantic French chateau wedding at such a fairytale venue as Château Bouffémont in mind, you can be sure of the planner achieving a ‘vibe’ that you will love.  

 

 

How do you deal with difficult family members?

There are various ways in which you could phrase a question like this. The key is to uncover evidence of how the wedding planner customarily responds to those unexpected disaster situations that could put them under a lot of pressure. You won’t want to discover that your chosen wedding planner becomes easily flustered or angry in such a situation on your big day itself!

However, you should also gain a sense from this person that they have a foolproof backup plan in mind for such difficult situations and will be organised enough to hopefully ward off any catastrophes from occurring in the first place.

Don’t simply presume that disasters like those told by nine wedding planners for this recent article for Cosmopolitan won’t happen to you; being ready for worst-case scenarios is vital.

 

 

How do you prefer to communicate?

Different wedding planners often have very different methods of operating, and you will want to be sure that your chosen wedding planner’s process works well for you.

The wedding planner that you have in mind may be based largely in Paris, for instance, which may seem ideal if you are getting married somewhere like the refined stone-built Château Bouffémont, situated a mere 30 kilometres away.

However, you may be a resident of the UK who will not be visiting France until the wedding, which will not be helpful if your Paris-based wedding planner is never in Britain and prefers to discuss their ideas with you face-to-face, rather than via email or over the phone.

 

 

For how long have you been a wedding planner?

We’re not attempting to suggest here that an experienced wedding planner is automatically preferable to an inexperienced one.

However, if the person you choose has spent several decades in the industry rather than just a few years, they will have had greater opportunity to develop connections with vendors that could translate into a better wedding for you.

While it’s important not to become too stressed out by the process of selecting a wedding planner, you should also not underestimate the difference that the right person can make – not least because, as explained by Loverly, working with a wedding planner can bring unexpected benefits.

It is unsurprising that so many couples wish to tie the knot in France, which is, after all, perhaps the country on earth to be most indelibly associated with romance. However, whatever your own preferences or plans for your special day may be, it is vital to be well-informed with regard to the legalities and other practical aspects of formalising your union overseas.

 

What kind of venue do you desire for your big day? 

France is such a frequently dreamed-of wedding destination in part due to its abundance of highly distinguished and enchanting venues.

A French chateau wedding is surely the archetypal romantic occasion, as we have good reason to appreciate here at Château Bouffémont, on account of the many enquiries received in relation to hiring the magnificent heritage property for ceremonies and receptions.

While France is blessed with a variety of wedding venues to cater to different aesthetic tastes, it is also crucial to consider the logistics of your special day, including travel connections and the ease, or otherwise, with which your intended guests will be able to reach your chosen venue.

This is another factor that often heightens the appeal of such a well-situated venue as Château Bouffémont, which can be found in the heart of Montmorency Forest, a mere 40-minute journey from central Paris, and 20 minutes from Charles de Gaulle and Paris-Le Bourget airports.

 

The legal dimension of getting married on French shores

As explained by such online sources as TransferWise, there are many elements and rules that one must follow if they wish to hold a marriage ceremony and/or reception in France.

Some of the legal requirements for a wedding in France – such as for both parties to consent and be at least 18 years of age – may seem easy enough to meet. However, one frequent barrier to those wishing to officially marry in the country is the need to provide proof of residency in France for a minimum of 30 days prior to the application being made, for at least one of the parties.

It is for this reason that many couples ultimately elect to have a legal wedding in their home country, followed by a religious or symbolic ceremony at a French venue of their choice.

This was the approach taken by Natalie of the Weddings Abroad Guide website, who explained: “My husband and I ‘secretly’ got married in the United Kingdom prior to our wedding in France and had a Humanist wedding ceremony on our wedding day in France.

“Our civil ceremony in the United Kingdom was purely to take care of the legalities and our wedding day in France is when we considered ourselves married.”

 

All of the intricate touches required for a very special wedding

When you are interested in holding a destination wedding that will warm the hearts of everyone present and leave positive memories to last a lifetime, you can scarcely hope to select a more suitable venue than Château Bouffémont.

The noble stone-built property offers an extraordinary setting of manicured French gardens that lends itself beautifully to the most endearing photography. On the inside, meanwhile, you will find the opulent furnishings and crystal chandeliers that practically define the most intimate and charming of wedding venues.

Combine these elements with the exacting service characterised by the highest level of attention to detail, and you may have the ideal venue for your own intimate French chateau wedding.