Will you marry “moi” ?

This heart-warming story is enough to convince any cynic that love is still alive and kicking!

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