Whether you got married on a beach somewhere hot, in your hometown or in a medieval castle in the heart of the European countryside, here is an ideal way to celebrate your wedding anniversary.

Imagine spending a weekend in Paris, the most romantic city in the world. During the weekend, surprise your sweetheart with a 2-hour boat cruise on your very own private luxury motor yacht on the River Seine. Enjoy a glass of champagne as you sit under the elegant white awning on the open air wooden deck or for winter anniversaries, snuggled up in the captain’s cabin.

Discover the delights the City of Light has to offer: the Grand Palais, the Louvre, the Invalides, the Orsay Museum, the Eiffel Tower and Notre-Dame Cathedral. When you feel the moment is right, gesture to the skipper to slow the boat and cut the engine. With the romantic backdrop of the Eiffel Tower or Notre-Dame Cathedral, you can again declare your love to your beloved before being served another glass of champagne to seal this exceptional moment. We can even arrange for a special dove release with 40 doves as a symbol of your love for each other!

Should you wish to extend the pleasure, settle back and enjoy a sumptuous dinner for two before retiring to the pretty sleeping cabin below deck and float off to sleep to the sound of the rippling water of the River Seine around you.

In any case, this was the challenge presented to Elena, CVW’s Italian wedding coordinator, and which she courageously took on…and succeeded as you will see from this article.

Bride and Groom: Adebusola & Babatunde – better known as Busola & Tunde Nationalities: Naturalized British (both originally from Nigeria)
Resident country: London, UK
Wedding date: Sunday, August 1, 2010
Wedding venue: Majestic Villa in Old Celtic Village. Located in the Italian town of Friuli, north-east of Venice…just 10 minutes drive from Elena – the wedding coordinator’s – home!
Number of guests: 38
Number of weeks of preparation: 6

Busola & Tunde wanted a dream wedding in a beautiful Italian villa, surrounded by their closest family and friends. So far so good. The only hitch (no pun intended) is that they wanted to make it happen in only 6 weeks…including a civil ceremony! Yikes!

With no time to waste, they got to work with Elena and 6 weeks later were happily married. Read on to discover their choice of venue, catering, music, color theme, ceremony and celebrant, wedding attire and other details…

Venue and catering

The 17^th century Majestic Villa in Old Celtic Village, built on the gentle hills of Friuli near Venice, is a splendid wedding venue. The grandeur of its park and the discreet elegance of its interiors have made it one of the most suited sites for Italian destination weddings and receptions.

Not only was it chosen for its majesty but also for the practicality of it being able to accommodate the entire wedding party overnight. Another major advantage of this venue is that it comes with a beautiful private horse and carriage with 2 white horses to transport the bride and groom through the park and down a beautiful wooded passageway to and from the church. A romantic detail that clinched the deal for our bride and groom!

Moreover, the Villa offers many alternatives for an elegant, exclusive, old fashioned, yet modern wedding. The setting of the wedding reception is extremely flexible and at the same Villa your reception can be held in many different styles such as in the “Loggia” outside for al fresco weddings, the cellars (rustic), the Main salon (very elegant) or by the swimming pool (young and fresh).

The catering at the Villa is also first class! Our bride and groom chose to have a long, 2-hour, welcome cocktail outside with a lively Brazilian trio on hand to entertain guests. The entrance of the wedding party for dinner lasted almost 1 hour as each couple danced their way to their table! The ensuing seated dinner consisted of 3 courses with a beautiful wedding cake to finish.

Music

Busola & Tunde wanted to create a fun and festive atmosphere at their wedding, they succeeded in doing so by choosing a Brazilian Trio followed by Nigerian music and finally an Italian DJ with a vast selection of music for dancing at the end of the evening. Fun was certainly had by all!

Color theme

Our couple chose deep purple for their wedding color theme. Simple, elegant and pretty are adjectives we would use to describe the flower decorations. To create this effect, purple and white hydrangeas, orchids and champagne roses were used. The center pieces consisted of floral decorations with one central candle in the middle of each table.

 Ceremony and celebrant

A legally binding, catholic church ceremony was performed by the local priest. At the end of the ceremony, the bride and groom and guests sung thank you hymns to the Lord for over 30 minutes!

The bride arrived at the ceremony riding the beautiful horse and carriage pulled by 2 white horses with two drivers. Guests were already seated in the church awaiting her arrival.
During the ceremony a harpist and violinist played background music.

At the exit of the church at the end of the ceremony, the bride & groom were greeted by a shower of rose petals and a glass of sparkling wine with the local specialty “frico” (fried cheese) served just outside the church. The bride and groom were then transported back to the Villa on the horse and carriage.

Wedding attire

The bride and groom’s closest family members wore traditional Nigerian gowns brought over from Nigeria. The gowns were a beautiful purple color, re-calling the wedding theme. The bride and groom opted to wear traditional European wedding attire for the civil, catholic ceremony then got changed halfway through dinner to more typical Nigerian outfits. This made for a very colorful and elegant wedding.

Tips on how to organize your destination wedding in just 6 weeks

To be able to accomplish the organization of a wedding in this super short time span, the bride and groom must have a very clear idea of what they would like and both families must be in agreement. It is, of course, easier to choose an off-season date but as you can see from above, its also possible to choose a high season date, so long as you are flexible on the day of the week. In this instance, the couple chose a Sunday, a typically quiet day for Italian wedding vendors who are used to weddings taking place from Thursday through Saturday.

The most important criteria for a wedding planner when considering whether to accept such a short planning phase is the reactivity of the couple. They must be able to make quick decisions as soon as information is presented to them as any options set with providers in Italy can ony be kept for 3 days maximum before a decision must be made. 

An added complication is of course the choice to have a civilly binding marriage ceremony. The main concern for this civil destination wedding was indeed the short time span concerning the documents that had to be provided. As soon as the decision has been made to have a civil wedding in Italy, your first consideration should be the preparation of the legal documents! This can make or break the whole event! Good luck with your planning!

Our warmest regards and best wishes go to Busola & Tunde for a long, healthy, happy and loving married life together!

CVW Blog: How did you feel on the morning of your wedding?

The few guests that couldn’t make it all called me on the morning of the wedding to wish us good luck. That’s what helped me to realize it was actually going to happen that day! Otherwise, I felt quite relaxed. I had faith in my wedding coordinators who so happen to also be my colleagues and knew that for the rest of the day everything was being taken care of and coordinated by them. I didn’t have to worry about anything! I did plan 30 minutes where I disappeared and went for a walk so that I would be on my own, away from the family and everyone, just to relax a little.

CVW Blog: Were you happy with your hair and makeup?

I loved it! Well of course I chose my favorite hair and makeup artists to come on this special day. They did an amazing job. I wanted very discreet makeup which was perfect and my hair was in a Spanish style chignon matching the theme of the day, with a big red flower in the back. It held throughout the day and night and I thought I would actually have to sleep with it as I had a hard time getting the pins out before going to bed. It would have survived a hurricane I’m sure!

CVW Blog: We know that one of the uncertainties of any outdoor wedding ceremony and cocktail is the weather. This is especially true for the region of south-west France where you got married. How was the weather on the day?

We did take a risk, but had a rain plan as backup. The weather was a little cloudy on the day and my Mom thought she felt a few drops of rain just before the ceremony. But in the end, there were quite high winds but no rain. It actually turned out ideal because the photographer got great light and we were not too hot.

CVW Blog: How did you feel during the ceremony? How did it compare to your Swedish Ice Chapel ceremony?

There is no comparison! They were two very different ceremonies. The Swedish ceremony took place in winter, inside an ephemeral ice chapel with only 10 guests whereas the ceremony in the south of France took place in high summer and was much bigger with 125 guests. The emotion of all those people around us was palpable. It was quite surreal in fact, you can feel and see them moving around you taking pictures and talking to you excitedly, but you can’t really control your own movements, you feel like you are just swept along by the momentum of the day. Its like I lived the whole day in a happy bubble. It is definitely the emotion and number of guests that really made the difference between the two weddings.

CVW Blog: Were you pleased with the catering?

Loved it! The cocktail appetizers were amazing. A copious buffet of tapas with live cooking stations really gave a festive feel to the cocktail. We gave specially-made Spanish-red aprons to the servers to wear, matching the rest of my decor. It made the feel of the cocktail less formal which is what I wanted. My only regret is that they did not go around serving champagne to guests, everything was buffet style.

We skipped the starter due to our 2-hour long cocktail and served a giant paella for the main course. It was amazing, as was the cheese and dessert buffet that followed. The presentation, taste and service were just perfect.

I must admit though that having the coordinators make sure everything was set up and running on time and done according to my recommendations was a godsend. I can definitely say, after 6 years of wedding planning, that I would not do a wedding without any onsite coordinators. It is a job in itself just to be the bride on the day, never mind having to think of a million other details! I couldn’t imagine if I had had to coordinate everything myself.

CVW Blog: Did the decoration look as good as you had imagined it would?

Perfect. I knew the florist very well and only had to tell him the theme – Spanish flamenco – to know it would be fabulous. He decided on black and red for the dinner hall. The effect of the big balls of red flowers suspended by a black ribbon from the wooden beams overhead was just stunning.

The decor at the ceremony and cocktail was even better! A multitude of colorful ribbons hung from the century old tree overhanging the cocktail area alongside the ceremony, an iron-framed gazebo decorated with flowers and ribbons served as the altar, and colorful gerberas were positioned all over. An old carriage was also decorated with ribbons and flowers and served as an ideal backdrop for the photos. Baskets of rose petals, lavender and transparent tubes of soap bubbles were placed at the foot of each aisle. There were so many rose petals and dried lavender thrown over us after the ceremony that we had to close our eyes for what seemed like forever until it stopped. It was so much fun.

CVW Blog: How did the surprises go down?

The Flamenco musicians and dancer were a blast. Everyone was surprised to see them as Tony and I had kept it a secret, not even our parents knew about them! I loved my father’s face when he saw them. I knew he really wanted something like that. He and the other guests really enjoyed listening to them.

The dancers from my dance club performed two great dances that our guests just loved. It was a great change to the endless speeches that usually take place.

CVW Blog: What was the most emotional moment(s) of the day for you?

I really can’t say, the day went by so fast, I felt like I was floating over everyone and watching them from above. I can’t wait to see the photos and video because that is all I have to relive the day. Memories are very faint as it went by at lightning speed. I think it was actually the next day that was more emotional for me than the wedding day, seeing everyone so happy…

CVW Blog: Which did you most enjoy between the pool party and the rehearsal cocktail the day before the wedding and the brunch the day after? Which one is indispensable for a destination wedding in your opinion?

I would say that something the day before and the day after is indispensable, especially for a destination wedding! Again, the actual wedding day goes by so fast, and you have very little time to see all of your guests, so having the pool party all afternoon and the rehearsal dinner to finish the day before really enabled us to see all our friends that had joined us from far and wide.

The next day brunch is a great way to unwind and close the wedding. The energy is different, almost nostalgic but everyone was so complimentary, relaxed and happy, it made me feel all warm and fuzzy inside. It was wonderful to be able to say goodbye to everyone too. It would have been like a cake without the cherry on the top if we had not done it.

CVW Blog: Would you recommend your wedding coordinators? J

Like I said above, it really is indispensable to have a wedding coordinator to supervise the set up, timing and all of the other details on your wedding day. I am serious when I say this is a necessity and not a luxury. I would have spent the day completely stressed out if I had had to do my own coordination. I wish to thank my colleagues from the bottom of my heart for allowing me to be a real bride on my wedding day. Everything was better than I had imagined it would be. The day ran so smoothly and it was largely thanks to them! You’re the best!

CVW Blog: What will stay in your mind as the most memorable part of the day?

There were actually three most memorable parts of the day for me. The first was walking down the aisle with my father. This is something I did not get to do in Sweden so it was important for me. The second was hearing Tony say his vows. We wrote them ourselves and his were so moving, I had a tear in my eye just listening to him. The fact that 123 other people were listening at the same time made the moment even more magical. The third was our first dance. We danced a Chachacha with special costumes, music and choreography. It was just fantastic. We had been working on it for so long and as amateur dancers everyone had high expectations for our first dance. We made it! It was really invigorating.

This brings our series of interviews with Caroline to a close. We hope you have enjoyed them and have been able to take away some helpful tips for organizing your own destination wedding. Stay tuned later this month when we will be posting lots of photos and maybe a video clip of Caroline and Tony’s dream wedding in south-west France.

A few months ago, we were contacted by a discreet and eloquent English gentleman of a certain age whose son had found us by surfing the internet. His wish was for us to help him organize a declaration of love in Paris for his beloved wife to celebrate their 50th wedding anniversary.

It was with great honour and pleasure that we rose to the challenge and organized an unforgettable evening in Paris for Arthur and Bridget.

The evening began with a chauffeur-driven journey in a vintage car from their cozy hotel to the banks of the River Seine, just a stone’s throw from the Eiffel Tower, where a handsome private luxury motor yacht awaited them.

Bridget’s surprise was clearly visible as she climbed aboard in her long, deep blue evening dress, accompanied by her escort who followed on with a twinkle in his eye. Greeted by a glass of champagne, they settled down in the cozy cabin before enjoying a splendid 3-hour cruise on the most famous avenue of Paris.

While cruising down the River Seine, they were regaled with a delicious 4-course dinner as they gently glided past the Eiffel Tower, the Louvre, Notre-Dame Cathedral, the Palais Royal and the Orsay Museum. As they approached the Pont Neuf, the oldest bridge in Paris, the captain cut the engine. To Bridget’s astonishment, a man dressed in period costume rose from the lower deck and proceeded to unravel a scroll and read a romantic love poem specially written for the occasion by one of our native English-speaking poet friends. With tears in her eyes, Bridget accepted the scroll as a souvenir and a magnificent bouquet of red roses from her husband before embracing him with such passion that anyone looking on would have seen a 20-year young couple who had just got married!

A few more glasses of champagne later, the rosy-cheeked Bridget and contented Arthur were shown downstairs to their private cabin where they spent the night in each other’s arms dreaming of the magical evening they had just spent together.

An incredibly romantic and true story…enough to warm anyone’s heart on this bitter March morning.

Jeanette and Peter
Hometown: Singapore
Wedding Date: December 30, 2009
Wedding Colors: Silver, red and black

Wedding Location: A charming, neo-classic style Palace with breathtaking views over Lake Annecy, nestled in the mountains, in the heart of the splendid French Alps. Send us a comment at the end of this posting for more details!

Wedding highlights: We had lots of fun organizing this four-day event for Jeanette and Peter. A gift basket with locally made chocolates and personalized water bottles awaited each guest as they arrived at the Palace from all around the globe. A special shuttle service was organized to bring guests from the local train station and Geneva international airport. After enjoying a welcome buffet at the Palace, guests were free to relax and discover the grounds of the Palace.

On the day of the wedding, after much pampering by our professional hairdressers and make-up artists, Jeanette stole away with Peter and our photographers and videographers to have some intimate photos taken before the ceremony took place at 2pm within the Palace. One of Jeanette’s friend’s hand-made the beautiful aisle runner, making the ceremony that much more special.

Cocktails were served in the restaurant with a panoramic view over the lake before guests were invited to step outside to view a spectacular fire-eater show. Guests were then asked to line up opposite each other and form an arch with their arms held high and lighted sparklers as the bride and groom ran under them and into the banquet hall.

The angled, U-shaped, rectangular table configuration blended perfectly with the contemporary style reception room. A troop of Brazilian Samba dancers dressed in beautiful bright costumes and ostrich feathers regaled guests with their lively music and dancing between each course and encouraged participation from the guests. The rest of the evening’s music was provided by our favorite wedding band that follows us all over France!

A private tour of the old city of Annecy was organized for a group of 30 of the guests on the afternoon following the wedding with an English-speaking guide. Since the day after the wedding happened to fall on New Year’s Eve, Jeanette and Peter took advantage and we organized a New Year’s Eve buffet dinner in the restaurant to celebrate this special event. Lots of red, orange and yellow balloons helped to create a party atmosphere. The dress code was black tie and everyone had to come wearing a Venetian mask! An oriental menu was served and between courses, guests were entertained by an oriental dancer who brought accessories with her and dressed up some of the guests and had them dance with her. Our fantastic wedding DJ then took over and kept everyone on the dance floor until the early hours of the morning.

All the best to Jeanette and Peter! Thank you for trusting us to help you organize your fantastic winter wonderland wedding in the French Alps!

Photo Credits: Studio Cabrelli

Occasionally we are contacted by someone who knows exactly what they want for their wedding, it’s rare but it does happen. This was the case this past summer when we helped a French couple organize their 30^th Wedding Anniversary celebration at one of our favorite Loire Valley venues, the Dream Renaissance Castle.

Indeed, Mrs S. knew exactly the type of atmosphere she wanted to create for her 80 guests. It was a breath of fresh air and quite a change for us to work with someone who had a precise vision of how the day would unfold. So, we simply called upon our trusted suppliers and partners and put the pieces together to make the perfect day. Mrs S. was not disappointed. Here are some of the day’s highlights…

Relaxing morning…

Without the stress of preparing for a wedding ceremony and the turmoil that inevitably surrounds a new bride, Mrs S. was able to relax on the morning of her 30th Anniversary. She took breakfast with her guests before retiring to her suite to be pampared by our professional hairdresser, ready for the first part of the day, a Chic Picnic that was to take place in the pretty tree-lined Italian Alley with the backdrop of the castle and peaceful surrounding countryside.

Chic Picnic…

With staggered round tables descending the Alley and ivory parasols to protect guests from the hot June sunshine, we created a Chic Picnic with wooden folding chairs, cappucinno colored table cloths, transparent crockery and take-away centrepieces. Indeed, each guest was invited to take home one of the small zinc plant pots containing a plant or herb which doubled up as a centrepiece and favor.

The food was carefully selected to add color, flavor and variety. The presentation and impeccable service rendered the Picnic a unanimous success.

Afternoon games…

During the afternoon, guests could relax around the pool, play tennis on the tennis courts or join in the golf driving tournament which was improvised on-site. The younger crowd enjoyed playing football and frizbee. As evening approached, everyone disappeared to their rooms to freshen up and prepare themselves for the evening celebration.

Baroque ‘n’ roll…

This is where we really enjoyed ourselves! The theme for the evening was baroque ‘n’ roll. A mix of the “Baroque” style which originated in Italy in the early 17^th century and is characterized by free and sculptural use of the classical orders. It uses forms in elevation and movement to create a dramatic effect. Architecture, painting, sculpture and the decorative arts work to combined effect. This was spattered with a touch of rock ‘n’ roll.

The color theme was black, silver and purple. Deep velvet purple Calla lilies with sweet peas and peonies helped to create a bold, harmonious effect. Black table cloths with purple satin ribbons adorned the tables along with silver chairs and crystal candlestick holders as centre pieces filled with black candles. The tables were named after famous rock ‘n’ roll singers and menus placed in silver picture frames.

We even had fun with the table plan which consisted of silver spray-painted empty picture frames with flowers suspended inside mini glass vases and attached to the top of the frames.

All that remained was for our caterer to regale the guests with more delicious food and our DJ to fill the room with rock ‘n’ roll tunes. The rest is history…

Thank you to Mr & Mrs S. for sharing your special day with us! We’d love to organize more wedding anniversaries!

Photo credits : Studio Cabrelli

This month we venture to the picturesque countryside of south-west France for a charming elopement celebration.

Rebecca and Kyle
Hometown: Indiana, USA
Wedding Date: September 11, 2009
Wedding Colors: Ivory and Berry-blue

Wedding Location: Stunning 12^th Century Abbey located in the Languedoc region of south-west France. Inquire at Chateau & Villa Weddings for more details!

Wedding highlights: We had lots of fun organizing this intimate elopement for Beckie and Kyle. After the long flight from the USA, they were able to enjoy a good night’s sleep in the cottage located on the grounds of the Abbey before being woken up bright and early the next morning by our hairdresser. The look Beckie wanted to achieve was inspired by the Regency hairstyle Kate Winslet wore in the Titanic film and the following style worn by Blake Lively. We think she did a great job! We’re sure you will agree from the photos below.

Beckie’s dress was inspired by 18th century French gowns and Kyle’s attire was made respecting the same era. They made a handsome couple and blended in wonderfully with the surrounding scenery. A fun and more contemporary touch was added by the matching buttonhole and bouquet that Beckie had made for her back home as well as Beckie’s fab pumps!

Our English-speaking celebrant and professional wedding photographer provided the finishing touches to this unforgettable day.

Kyle and Beckie enjoyed lunch in the Abbey’s restaurant before heading off on their honeymoon spent travelling around picturesque villages and towns in south-west France.

“Félicitations” to them both! 

Click here to discover our specially designed Elopement Packages

WEDDING OF LENA & ARI

The Date: June 7^th, 8^th and 9^th, 2008

The Location: Majestic Loire Valley Castle

The Ceremony: Non-Traditional Jewish Wedding

No. Of Guests: 48

Thursday and Friday:

Guests flew in from Russia, Australia, UK and even a few from France on that Thursday but the majority arrived at the castle on Friday. Their wedding planner Caroline Berthe had planned out all the activities for the entire week-end.

First the guests were treated to a wonderful and unforgettable hot-air balloon ride which started at dusk and ended way past ten o’clock at night! Everyone met at a pre-determined spot, one hour before sunset. The guests were invited to help prepare and inflate the balloons, a total of four balloons were used to carry everyone. Inflating these giant multi-colored balloons is no easy task and requires a bit of patience and “muscle” …

For those of you who are interested you might want to know that a lot of the work in hot air ballooning comes at the beginning and the end of the flight, when the crew inflates and deflates the balloon. For the spectator, this is a spectacular show; once the crew has found the perfect launching point, they attach the burner system to the basket. Then they attach the balloon envelope and begin laying it out on the ground. Once it is laid out, the crew begins inflating it, using a powerful fan at the base of the envelope. When there is enough air in the balloon, the crew blasts the burner flame into the envelope mouth, this heats up the air, building pressure until the balloon inflates all the way and starts to lift off the ground! But watch out one must be quick to jump in and our guests did just that.

But I digress… here every one chipped in including the future bride and groom and before you knew it was up, up and away!!! It’s hard to resist as one hundred feet of wispy nylon majestically rises, the air is stable, and the winds are calm. All four balloons flew together in harmony. The flight itself was so tranquil and serene; the only sound was the dragon like roar of the burners from each balloon. The views were breathtaking; here the guests were magically transported above the Loire Valley and its beautiful castles, gliding over le Château de Chenonceau and le Château de Razay. Next they flew over the countryside and its glorious forests. The big surprise was when suddenly and just as if it was staged, a mother doe ran across the entire field anxiously looking for her baby fawn which was heard from far away but not in plain site calling for her mother. What an unexpected treat this was!

Unfortunately what “goes up” must “go down” and so the balloon ride was coming to an end. Here the guests braced themselves for the landing. The balloon landing can be a little rough, but our experienced pilot bumped along the ground to stop the balloon gradually, to minimize the impact. Next the ground crew held the basket down once it had landed. But this was not the end of the job for our guests and ground crew who began to push the air out of the balloon. Once the balloon was flattened, the crew packed it into a stuff bag. The whole process was like packing a giant sleeping bag! Champagne was served on the premises during the whole process and one could see how thrilled the guests were with this amazing experience.

It’s now 10:30 pm, the guests are all back at the castle tired but invigorated by the balloon ride. A jazz duo entertains everyone for an informal dinner before everyone retires to bed for a well deserved rest.

Saturday:

The wedding party consisted of several children of all ages as well as adults. What does one do with little children all day you might ask? Well the first thing to remember is that a baby-sitter is a must; preferably someone who speaks their language and can translate for them if needed. Here the children along with their sitter played all afternoon on the grounds of the castle, surrounded by jugglers and gestures dressed in medieval costumes. The bouncy castles were a favorite of the kids where they were allowed to bounce, jump, hop, skip and run around till their little heart’s content! Oh what a ball they had! They also played with medieval wooden games which were plenty of fun but kind of tricky and challenging, games like wooden pin-balls, beautiful wooden chess games and trampolines were also available for kids of all ages as well as puppet and magic shows.

While the children were playing… the adults were also having fun on a leisurely bicycle ride through the countryside along the Loire River. The weather was perfect, the guests were all thrilled and smiling, some riding handle-bar free and laughing like children as if to say: “This is soooo wonderful “! Once we passed the giant red poppy fields one could see that everyone was mesmerized by its beauty…there is nothing like the Loire Valley for its flower gardens and its castles clinging to the hillsides and alongside the rivers. From glamorous castles to picture perfect villages our trip was highlighted by a visit to the Château de Chenonceau, a guided tour of the castle spoken both in Russian and English which made everyone feel at ease. The castle stretches from on white stone piers across the river and its grounds are adorned with rose gardens and mazes. Next we went to Amboise, home of King François the 1st as well as home to Leonardo Da Vinci where he spent the last three years of his life. Here we visited the Da Vinci home and viewed his inventions at the museum. Then we treated ourselves to plenty of shopping.

Its evening and we are back at the castle for an early dinner, buffet style and relaxed with the soothing sounds of the harp and singer. A magician visited each table and amazed us with his magic tricks. Afterwards at the end of the dinner, and for those of us with “two left feet” we were entertained with a ballroom dance show as well as dance lessons from the pros featuring the Cha-Cha and of course the elegant Waltz. Everyone was very grateful for the lessons as we now can show off the next day for the wedding!

Sunday Wedding Day:

Before the actual ceremony started guests lounged at the pool then enjoyed a casual lunch of wine and cheese at the Troglodyte cave of the castle. Here bottles of fine wines dating back to the bride and groom’s date of birth were opened and was a lot of fun.

In the meantime the bride and groom prepared for their big day, the castle provided three private hairdressers and one make-up artist to care for the wedding party guests. We were only expecting the woman that morning at the salon but soon the men as well as the groom joined in as well for a quick trim! The little girls also came in early that day to get their hair done, but later could not resist the beautiful pool and ended up jumping in before the ceremony with their pretty new hairdo’s. Meanwhile the bride was expertly cared for in a private room in front of a sunny window while some guests peaked in and took pictures. The groom also was seen in another room fixing his tie and smiling for the cameras.

And now the big event we all waited for had finally arrived and the ceremony started!

The bride and groom each came down the castle stairs separately, escorted by their respective family members to finally arrive at the bottom of some eighty stone steps. They slowly walked down the beautiful red carpet aisle decorated with thousands of multi colored rose petals. There the guests were seated facing the Huppa and the beautiful castle in plain view.

The bride wore a dazzling long strapless gown with lace and tiny sequins and a long train. Her head was covered with a traditional tulle veil which later revealed her beautiful hair styled with swirls of blond curls each adorned with single pins made of pearls. Her jewelry was simple but pretty; a white satin ribbon around her neck with a small diamond pendant in the shape of a flower. Her bouquet was made of pale peach colored roses and white freesias surrounded by fresh ivy leaves.

The groom looks tense but then relaxed when the couple joined hands and gathered under the traditional Huppa to meet the Rabbi who had arrived from London to perform the ceremony. After the blessings, came the rings then the sipping of the wine and finally, the breaking of the glass. This signaled the guests to shout “Mazel Tov”! Let the party begin… The entire ceremony was filmed live to be viewed through a private internet website for family and friends in Australia and Russia who could not attend the wedding. Bride and Groom toasted with their glasses of Champagne before the end of the transmission. The couple walked down the aisle while little children carrying wicker baskets threw rose petals. What a site! Spectacular pictures were then taken outside on the grounds of the castle by a professional photographer hired by their wedding planner Caroline Berthe.

Now its party time and all the guests return to the castle for cocktails. Dom Perignon 1998 Champagne flowed; foie gras, oysters and numerous French canapé appetizers where served, live jazz was playing and a few very talented singers, who to my surprise were actually guests, joined in the band and song a few songs! Dinner was served outside under a tent, tables were decorated with orchids and papyrus leaves, a live band sang Jewish songs. Next came the raising of the chairs, a time honored Jewish wedding tradition where the wedding couple and sometimes, their parents are hoisted up on chairs and into the air. Guests were laughing, singing and dancing. I even caught a glimpse of a pretty blond woman at a table laughing while smoking a distinguished cigar…and a couple of men dancing the typical Russian dances kicking their feet low onto the dance floor while the rest of the guests clapped and encouraged them..

And now for the grand finale! The bride and groom filled a Champagne glass pyramid with Vouvray, a wonderful local Champagne, proceeded by the cutting of the cake which in this case was a traditional French wedding specialty called “croquembouche” consisting of a giant tower of caramel-glazed cream puffs. Sparklers lit up the cakes which was perfectly coordinated with the start of a dazzling firework show which lasted a whole ten minutes! Dancing followed till the end of the night…

This WAS truly a wedding to remember!

References: www.wikipedia.com, theknot.com,majicjump.com, http://science,howstuffworks.com, www.1800skyride.com, infohub.com,