Rachael & Sam
For Rachel and Sam getting married at Chateau du Bijou was the best decision they made. Located in Provence, they shared their love of France with their with family and friends who travelled from the United Kingdom and the United States to join them in their weekend long celebration. Their beautiful images were captured by Kerry Morgan Photography
Looking back at the day – being able to have our closest family and friends under one roof in our own little weekend haven was just magical….
Hiring Chateau du Bijou offered Rachel and Sam the freedom to relax with family and friends both before and after their wedding day. The Bijou Team made planning their Provence Chateau Wedding easy. From the moment they arrived at the Chateau for their initial visit, Rachel and Sam knew this was the perfect location.
From: UK
Nearest Airport: Lyon
Number of Guests: 80
Why a Provence Chateau Wedding …
With Sam being from the UK and I being from the United States, we decided to turn tradition on its head and chose to get married abroad. Not only would this save the decision on whether to marry in Sam’s homeland, or mine, but it would also give our guests something very exciting and different to look forward to.
Having both had a love of all things French since we were young, a destination wedding in France was top of our list. As a couple, we love the French vibe, the food, the wine, the views and the accessibility from the UK which is where we were based before the wedding.
Wedding Vision…
A relaxed celebration with friends and family from around the world. A venue that could comfortably cater for 80 guests and a location where there was no need to rush. Knowing that we had complete exclusivity of Chateau du Bijou from Friday to Sunday meant that we could arrive in our own time, relax and find our bearings, celebrate our marriage and enjoy the venue post-wedding before heading home.
Wedding Attire…
As we knew it would be hot under the July sun, Sam wore a light blue linen suit, complete with a lavender themed button hole. I wore a flowing dress but changed and brought two pairs of shoes for the day; a strappy pair of Manolos for the ceremony and comfortable white wedges for dancing!
My bridesmaids wore knee length dresses in a vibrant shade of blue. They carried bouquets featuring sunflowers down the aisle and were delighted to be asked to be in a destination wedding – a first for them all.
Wedding Ceremony…
Sunflowers and sun set the tone for our ceremony. I walked down the aisle on the arm of my father, behind 3 wonderful bridesmaids dressed in deep blue towards a dream outdoor ceremony setting. We had legally been married in advance, but guests were non the wiser and we were required to do so, due to French law. The ceremony took place at 6pm – a perfect time for a summery celebration in France as a drinks reception can flow perfectly in to a fantastic French-inspired dinner, lasting throughout the night.
Wedding Reception…
Chateau du Bijou is the ultimate weekend wedding venue in Provence. We love how Bijou operate their wedding venues and the Chateau was an incredible space to call our own for a whole wedding weekend. The venue is large enough to hold up to 80 guests indoors and up to 120 outdoors, with 20 bedrooms including the bridal suite, making it ideal for large families. We visited the venue in September, and booked our wedding date for the following July. We didn’t want to wait any longer before getting married, and we knew that our celebration would be easy to plan and manage with Bijou Weddings. It was also lovely to be able to say that we did something completely different to our friends.
On the Day…
Our 6pm wedding ceremony was followed by an outdoor drinks reception and a multi-course banquet. We sat on a single banquet table which stretched from one end of the gorgeous chateau to the other. It was magical and the beautiful spot over looked the stunning gardens and hills in the distance. Sticking to a French-inspired wedding theme, we decorated our banquet table with lemons and lanterns, and the Bijou staff were absolutely outstanding throughout the whole event. Day turned to night as we dined and celebrated, followed by a DJ, also provided by Bijou. We eventually retired up to the bridal suite and our guests were transported to local AirBnBs or local hotels. We all met again in the morning for a hearty home-cooked breakfast.
Details and Unique Ideas…
We loved incorporating a French-inspired theme to our day. We’ve always loved France, so including Sunflowers was a given. The local florist we used was great – and our photographer was an expert when it came to communicating with English couples getting married in France.
Standout Moments…
Looking back at the day – being able to have our closest family and friends under one roof in our own little weekend haven was just magical. Our ceremony was awesome and the food was out of this world. Getting married at Chateau du Bijou was the best decision we could have made.
Extra Activities for Guest…
We had a celebratory dinner the night before the wedding, as close family and the bridal party were arriving from around the world throughout the afternoon. On the morning of the wedding the setting was perfect. We were able to enjoy the pool, go for calming walks throughout the grounds, catch a few rays of sun, eat a local buffet lunch teamed with delicious French wine, before preparing for our evening ceremony in complete serenity. The day after the wedding, anyone who was not staying with us at Chateau du Bijou was invited back for breakfast, before heading back to the train station or airport.
Advice for Planning a Wedding Abroad…
Choosing a company like Bijou Weddings was a dream come true. Our guests didn’t stop complementing us on our choice of venue or destination and the Bijou staff were professional at every moment. We would highly recommend Chateau du Bijou to any couple considering getting married in France. Bijou give wedding planning couples access to their proprietary online wedding planner – a tool we couldn’t have done without. We were able to plan and communicate our thoughts and ideas from day one, knowing that we had a specialist Wedding Planning Team to guide and support us if we needed it, at any time, from wherever we were in the world. Because of this, our advice to couples planning a wedding abroad, would be to book with a company who knows what they are doing in terms of the full wedding planning service, so that all you need to do, is show up and enjoy!
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The Perfect Partners
Wedding planner: Bijou Planners // Wedding Photographer: Kerry Morgan Photography // Ceremony and Reception Venue: Chateau du Bijou // Wedding DJ: Bijou DJ // Flowers: Marigold Fleuriste // Stationery: Potesta Designs // Jayne Caldwell Bridal Alteration Specialist – wedding dress alterations
