Will you marry “moi” ?

A definite trend has developed over the past 12 to 14 months resulting from the disastrous financial climate enveloping the globe. While couples are just as enthusiastic about organizing a destination wedding in Europe, they are faced with tighter and tighter budgets. As a consequence, many brides are turning to DIY to save money.

As far as Wedding Planners are concerned, two different schools of thought prevail. One is that we should embrace this movement and provide our couples with more affordable alternatives to consider. The second is that we should try to convice brides they can get all that they desire with a professional.

While we are big fans of DIY, especially for those brides who have the time and are creative, our experience has showed us that most brides don’t realize the time and money that goes into DIY, nor have they factored in the challenges associated with transport over long distances or the difficulty in purchasing locally available raw materials.

That’s why we feel a middle of the road approach is the best way to proceed. Let us explain…

On the one hand, planning a destination wedding is very complicated, daunting and challenging, especially when planning across oceans, time zones or language barriers. In such a situation, your Wedding Planner takes on an important role. Not only can they save you a huge amount of time and effort by proposing venues adapted to your requirements, in the region you want, but they can also provide you with valuable local know-how. This is not limited to sourcing the best and most reliable wedding vendors but also includes providing you with local protocol tips and local wedding traditions. These are details that can make a huge impact on your guests and keep them talking about your wedding for years to come.

On the other hand, we understand that organizing a destination wedding is a tremendously exciting prospect for a bride. Not only is she offering her guests the possibility to discover a new country but she is also guaranteeing them new experiences, both culinary and cultural. She wants the wedding to be authentic to her chosen destination but also incorporate some home touches.

Since a wedding planner’s aim is not to spoil this experience nor dampen a bride’s enthusiasm, we suggest you choose a planner who proposes a DIY wedding package. This is one that allows the bride the freedom to be as creative and involved in her own wedding preparations as she wishes. Effectively, she can control as much or as little of the planning as she wishes without having to feel that she is being too picky or stepping on her planner’s toes.

Allowing couples the freedom to choose exactly which aspects of the planning they wish to take on enables them to be in full control of their budget while also benefiting from a planner’s expert advice and presence on the day to make sure everything runs smoothly. A true win-win situation for everyone involved!

Check out our DIY destination wedding package offer on www.chateauandvillaweddings.com

We all know that the very nature of a wedding (invitations, travel, food, drink, etc.) could never, under normal circumstances, be tipped as being an environmentally-friendly event, this is even more prevalent for destination weddings.

This is why creative design companies never cease to invent new ways to seduce the eco-conscious client. But would you dare go to these lengths to make your wedding eco-friendly?

Yes! is the answer…if you are an open-minded couple looking to surprise your guests! So, are you ready to consider purchasing recyclable cardboard tables and chairs for your wedding banquet? This may sound completely wacky but a company called Orika proposes a whole range of furniture made out of recyclable cardboard (which is 100% recyclable) for use in your home or for events such as weddings. No glue is used, only ingenious folding techniques and environmentally-friendly paint. Not only is the furniture extremely strong and solid but also esthetically pleasing. You don’t believe us? Check out some of their designs…

Why not choose this as an economic and eco-responsible alternative to the traditional tables and chairs one sees at all weddings? They can be painted to match any wedding theme!

This should only be considered, of course, at venues where furniture hire is necessary. Needless to say that it’s an idea guaranteed to put a smile on the faces of each and every one of your guests and provide a real talking point long beyond the wedding day!

For more information and to request a price quote, visit their website at Orika!

With the dates and venues for the Swedish Ice Hotel wedding and informal garden party wedding in the south of France now confirmed, in our third interview with Caroline Berthe, our very own senior wedding coordinator, we delve into the more intricate details of the wedding preparations. Read on to discover the latest developments and decisions…

CVW Blog : What are the legal requirements associated with having a civil wedding in Sweden? What paperwork must be provided?

The legal requirements are quite simple actually. I’m even wondering if it isn’t simpler than actually getting legally married in France, even as a French citizen. No translations were needed for any of the documents. We had to send over to the French Consulate in Stockholm:

• our full birth certificates,
  
• copy of our passports,
  
• a document proving our address of residency like an electricity bill for example with both our names on it,
  
• a form that we downloaded from the Consulate website and that we each individually filled out
  
• a large envelope for them to return the documents to us after the ceremony
  

Before the ceremony, on the morning of the wedding, we need to go to the Registrar’s office to legalize the documents they will have prepared. The documents will, of course, be in Swedish so we will be accompanied by our Swedish wedding planner (WP) and translator.

After the wedding, the WP will take care of sending the signed certificate to the French Consulate in Stockholm. They will legalize the wedding here in France automatically. A few weeks later we will receive all French documents justifying that we are now married.

CVW Blog: How does this compare to Italy and France?

It is quite similar to the documents and procedure for foreigners to get legally married in Italy. There is just one extra step in Italy, this is especially true for non-European citizens. Couples must also go to the Embassy of their home country upon their arrival in Italy. Depending on the city where the bride and groom choose to get married, they will need to arrive 2 to 5 days before the wedding to go to the Embassy and then to the Prefeturra which is the equivalent of the Registrar’s office.

In France, foreign citizens are not allowed to get married legally except if they hold a French passport or long term residency visa. However, it is interesting to note that the Swedish and Norwegian consulates in Paris do agree to civil legally binding ceremonies to be held within the consulate/embassy here in Paris only. The interior of the Norwegian consulate is beautiful. One of my Norwegian couples got married there a few years ago. They then had their religious wedding ceremony and reception at the Romantic Royal Family Chateau!

CVW Blog: What is the progam for your Swedish wedding day?

I just spent several hours putting together the program for the wedding weekend. It will be printed on silver paper with shiny glitter decorations and a pretty ribbon securing it to one paper snowflake cutout! I will be handing these to my guests at the airport in Stockholm while we wait for our connecting flight to Kiruna where the Ice Hotel is located.

On the day of the wedding, after going to the registrar’s office in the morning, we will have breakfast with all our guests and then probably start getting ready.

Once we are ready, we will have an intimate photo session in a romantic location in the village, just Tony, me and our photographer. This is the moment we will discover each other in our wedding attire for the first time. I want it to be very private and will ask our guests not to be present.

Afterwards, the bus will come pick us up at our hotel to take us to the Ice Chapel at the Ice Hotel. The ceremony is scheduled at 4pm.

After the ceremony, we will go for a tour of the Ice Hotel and take some fun pictures in the different Ice Suites of the hotel, on the beds or the Ice Sofas and chairs. We will finish off the afternoon with an Ice Drink at the Ice Bar of course.

The bus will then take us back to Kiruna where we will have some champagne and appetizers followed by dinner in a cozy local restaurant alongside a warm, open fire.

CVW Blog: We are intrigued to know what you have chosen for your Swedish wedding menu? Does the venue provide a wedding cake?

I have tried to keep the menu as “local” as possible. There will be a reindeer mousse with a berry chutney on dark bread as a starter followed by pepper baked salmon with garlic roasted potatoes and a herb sauce.

I have chosen a typically Swedish dessert called Sapmi Laffsa. We have no idea what this is, only that it is served with an orange sorbet and vanilla cream! If you know what it is, then please drop me a line! J In any case, we prefer having an authentic Swedish dessert rather than choosing one of their “international” desserts.

After dinner, we will be going back to our hotel that has kindly offered to lend us a private room with a bar. They will be making a nice chocolate cake for us. They don’t really do the usual wedding cakes in Sweden, so we haven’t been too fussy and are just expecting it to taste really good. I have planned to bring little figurines to place on the top of the cake.

CVW Blog: What fun activities do you have lined up for your guests while in Sweden?

We will be arriving in Kiruna on Friday evening, a bit late, so we will probably all just want to go to bed.

On Saturday we haven’t planned much. I want to go to the restaurant where our wedding dinner will be held to order some flower decorations for the table and give them the table decorations I have purchased (you’ll have to wait for a later episode to discover what these are)!

On Saturday evening, we are leaving for a snowmobile tour during which we hope to see the Northern lights (those greenish lights in the sky that look so amazing). Hopefully we will see some. We will be stopping halfway for a Sami dinner in an authentic wooden cabin.

On Sunday, we have to get up early to be ready to leave for a full day of snow fun! We will learn how to make an igloo, walk around in the fresh snow with racket shoes, and most of all learn to drive a sled with the so cute Husky dogs.

Monday is the big day and we return home on Tuesday (boo hoo).

That’s all for this episode, stay tuned for the next installment when you will find out all about Caroline’s dress, her hair and make-up trials, table decorations, gift bags and wedding photographer! Don’t miss it!