Photography: Luca Rea & Sandro Di Vona, Pink Daisy Weddings

Dream location

With friends and family travelling from as far afield as South Africa, Zambia, London and the US, Steph and Rahoul knew they needed a destination where their guests could share a week-long celebration with them. And they found their dream location for their wedding celebration in Provence.

‘We fell in love with La Vieille Maison d’Art the moment we saw it,’ says Steph. ‘We both love art and architecture, and the château had such charm and character, we could really sense its history.

‘The venue itself was so beautiful it didn’t need a lot of decoration. We also really wanted people to be involved in our day, so my bridesmaids, my mother and I went out into the fields surrounding the village and foraged for wild flowers and greenery the day before the wedding. We found the most stunning flowers in earthy shades of pink, purple and green that complemented the château with its wonderful stone and light coming through old French shutters.’

Perfect shades

The groom even picked up on the sun-bleached ambience of the venue in his choice of outfit. ‘Rahoul wore a lovely linen summer suit in the perfect shade of light stone,’ says Steph. ‘He looked so handsome and timeless, like someone straight out of the Gatsby era.’

The bridesmaids also co-ordinated with the backdrop, choosing their own dresses from a variety of sources. ‘Each wore a midi dress in a block colour – dark green, rich yellow, black and dusty pink – which tied in really well with the bright colours reflected in the château artwork and the chandeliers. The whole look was incredible!’

For her own outfit, Steph chose a lacy, fitted dress from a US-based fashion label – ‘I bought it off the shelf and it fitted me like a glove!’. She paired it with a traditional handmade embroidered silk bag from India, a gift from Rahoul’s mother. 

‘It was an incredibly happy afternoon, with our band playing jazz in the courtyard as everyone chatted and sipped Champagne!’

A summer buffet

After the ceremony and drinks in the courtyard, the celebration continued as the guests sat down to eat at long tables laid with stone-coloured linen napkins embroidered with the couple’s initials, a gift from Steph’s stepmother. The dining style was super-relaxed with the starters – gazpacho soup in shot glasses, pâté from the local market, crudités with garlic aïoli and breadsticks – already on the table when guests arrived. This was followed by a summer buffet that included cold roast chicken with lemon and thyme mayonnaise and prawns with a lime, chilli and coriander dressing.

‘I’d say just be yourself when it comes to planning,’ says Steph, ‘and don’t be afraid to challenge the norms. We did things our way and, honestly, we wouldn’t change a thing!’

‘We chose traditions we wanted and left out the ones we didn’t – it was a great way to make our day feel really personal to us.’ 

THE LITTLE WHITE BOOK

Venue oliverstravels.com
Photography Luca Rea & Sandro Di Vona @pinkdaisyweddings.com
Bride’s dress shopalexis.com
Groom’s outfit eu.suitsupply.com 
Stationery oliveweddings.co.uk 
Entertainment bandinfrance.com