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.

In the seventh and penultimate installment of our up-close and personal series of interviews with Caroline Berthe-Altimani, our very own Senior Wedding Coordinator here at CVW, who is planning her own wedding in the South of France, we now find ourselves just one week from the big day! Read on to discover Caroline’s choice of theme, decoration, menu, surprises and her top tips for how to create a perfect wedding in the South of France!

CVW Blog: What atmosphere are you creating for your wedding in the South of France?

I am creating a casual and very summery wedding with a Spanish theme. I want to stay away from what I’m used to doing for my own couples and have a very non-traditional wedding day.

CVW Blog: How will you achieve this? Tell us all about the decoration…

We are planning an outdoor ceremony and have sourced some pretty red and white parasols to match our wedding colors. These will provide shade for the ladies during the ceremony. We also have some fans to distribute should it get really hot.

The decoration at the ceremony and cocktail will follow a countryside theme with old wooden boxes filled with fruit, flowers, herbs as well as some watering cans and wrought iron salad baskets to add to the old-fashioned effect. The garden flowers and herbs will smell wonderful!

For dinner, we will move inside into a big room, like a barn where market animals used to be kept. The ceiling is really high with old wooden beams painted white. We will be hanging the table center pieces from the beams, round balls of flowers in the colors of orange, fuchsia pink and red. The table names have been made using pink and red wire. The wire swirls into the name of the tables that we have named after ballroom dances as my fiancé and I are passionate about dancing. Flamenco is one of the table names for example.

As a change from the traditional head table, we have decided just to have a small table for the bride and groom, surrounded by a U shape table with all of our friends. This way, when we get up to say hello to everyone and talk, we aren’t leaving anyone alone. A table of honor is usually quite empty and I don’t really like the idea of abandoning my favorite guests all evening, so this solves the problem. J

CVW Blog: What type of wedding menu have you chosen?

We’ll be having a very long cocktail lasting about 2 hours with a Spanish theme. We’ll be serving a variety of grilled foods on “plancha” as well as a selection of tortillas, pan con tomato and some classic mozzarella and tomato skewers. There will be a huge Spanish ham cut up in front of guests, this will be fun and lively. I am sourcing some cute aprons for the waiters with Spanish stripes to make it more rustic and less formal.

After such a long and copious cocktail, we have decided to skip the starter and go direct to the main course. We have chosen to serve a giant Paella cooked in one of those huge pans measuring over 1 meter wide. Following the main course will be a cheese buffet and dessert buffet. As a change from the traditional wedding cake, we have opted for an assortment of mini French pastries that everyone will love!

CVW Blog: Will you be providing your guests with wedding favors? If so, tell us more!

First of all, a welcome letter and gift will await each guest in their hotel room. The gift is a small jar of homemade jam (strawberry or apricot) with a nice fabric cover (yellow, red and orange) with little Catalan Spanish dancers embroidered on them. A personalized label with our names and the date of the wedding will be stuck onto each jar.

The red and white parasols and fans can be kept by those who wish to keep them. Then, on the tables, we will place a small heart-shaped box containing a small scented candle on each plate.

CVW Blog: Are you planning any surprises?

Yes of course! Several actually! The first is a surprise group of 2 guitar players and a flamenco dancer who will play and dance as guests walk into the dinner hall. They will then meander throughout the room and stop to play at each table. We are sure this will really set the mood and warm up the atmosphere as we have dinner!

Tony and I have practiced the traditional first dance waltz…with a twist! Within one minute of the music starting, our dance friends will come and join us on the dance floor for a fast chachacha Spanish song. I’ve had a really cute chachacha dance dress made for me for our second dance. I can’t wait to see the look on our guests’ faces when we change from the sooo traditional waltz into a fast chachacha. It will be priceless!

CVW Blog: What are your top tips to help couples create the perfect wedding in the South of France?

This part of the South of France isn’t easy for weddings. The region is called the Pyrenees and is named after the mountain range that separates France from Spain. Not many venues are available in this region and there are only a few good caterers. My top tips for creating the perfect wedding in this region of south-west France are:

• Make sure you have a contingency plan in case of rain as this region is renowned for its storms and planning an outdoor wedding is quite risky. Although the storm will likely only last a few minutes, it will be enough to destroy all of your setup. I haven’t taken this risk for dinner, although we would have preferred a full outdoor wedding.
  
• Be patient with the wedding vendors as they don’t reply fast. Although professional, they are slow to respond and don’t seem to be in any rush to do anything until the week before your wedding. This is enough to make any bride-to-be nervous, but hang on in there, you will not be disappointed on the day of your wedding!
  
• If you need to stick to a budget, consider renting equipment and other specific services from Spain which is often much more reasonably priced. It’s just a hop over the border!
  

CVW Blog: Have you hired a Wedding Planner to take care of the on-site coordination and allow you to relax on your wedding day?

I have planned everything to date and have really enjoyed myself. However, as soon as I arrive, my two colleagues will take over all of the coordination until the day itself. I want to feel like a “guest” at my own wedding, not only for me but for my family as well. So it is really important to me that someone else takes care of all the little details on the day, although you would hope that I will have thought of everything as a professional wedding planner!

CVW Blog: How do you feel only one week before the big day?

I feel so not ready! There is still so much to do. Although my list is getting smaller every day, time is just flying by! As I really want to be able to relax with everyone as soon as I arrive a few days before, I really want everything to be all set before I leave Paris.

I’m not nervous about actually saying “Yes” or anything. I just can’t wait to see how my family and friends are moved on the day and how they react to all of our surprises. Since we were so few in Sweden, this wedding with everyone we love around us will be special in a different way and it is the reactions and emotions of everyone around us that will make it different from our intimate winter wedding in Sweden and magical in its own way.

Stay tuned for the final episode after the wedding when Caroline will share her most special moments with us!

After the excitement of her civil ceremony that took place in an Ice Chapel in Sweden in March, read on to discover how the preparations for her second wedding ceremony and party are progressing.

CVW Blog: After the emotion of your Swedish wedding, are you able to focus on the preparations of your summer wedding taking place in July in the South of France?

Actually, I am really happy we had the Swedish wedding as I feel the pressure is off now and I can look forward to the wedding this summer as more of a relaxed celebration surrounded by lots of our family and friends. I feel like a spoiled child, getting to re-live the magic and emotion of a wedding day for the second time!

CVW Blog: How many guests are you expecting at your summer wedding?

Everyone said yes! We didn’t expect this as it is on a Thursday and smack in the middle of the summer. We are currently at 121 guests but there are still a few outstanding RSVPs so we may even make it to 130! Yikes!

CVW Blog: What type of wedding ceremony are you planning? What type of celebrant will preside the symbolic ceremony?

We are planning a very different type of wedding ceremony. I have seen so many types of ceremonies from different cultures that we wanted to create a truly unique one by integrating a mixture of all of the favorite parts of other ceremonies I’ve seen during my years as a wedding planner.

We will incorporate parts of a traditional catholic service with some protestant and jewish aspects, and maybe even something like the Rwandan ceremony where the bride receives a jug of milk for prosperity and the groom a mask or a lance to protect his new bride and family. We have no relation to this culture at all but the symbolism is strong and we want guests to be surprised.

We haven’t decided how everything will flow together, but we are working on this with my mother’s best friend, a very spiritual lady, who will preside the ceremony. It means a lot to her and us that she is doing this.

CVW Blog: What type of venues have you chosen for the ceremony, cocktail and dinner?

The ceremony will take place in the gardens of an ancient chapel located in the Pyrenees mountains and surrounded by apricot and peach trees. With the famous Canigou mountain in the backdrop, it will be just beautiful. The cocktail will take place at the same place. We will then drive down to the dinner hall which is a really nice renovated room in the center of the village. Old stone walls, high ceilings with old white beams. Very rustic.

CVW Blog: How will your dress be adapted for a summer wedding?

I will be wearing the same dress as the Swedish wedding only without the fur coat. The designer will be adding a nice simple red belt with some beads and additional lace and maybe a few ribbons to give it a more Spanish feel.

CVW Blog: What are the wedding colors?

It will be a mixture of strong summer colors: red and white with a touch of orange, fushia and eggplant. I’m very confident in the florist I have chosen (my favorite and the one I recommend to all my couples!). I asked him not to tell me much about what he has planned so that I can be surprised on the day. I’m very excited about it!

CVW Blog: Are you having any bridesmaids? If so, how will they be dressed?

All of the children will be wearing white. I am having small belts made, similar to mine, that we’ll tie around their waists. They will each carry a small gerbera. They are all quite small, the oldest will be 3 years old, so we’ll see how that goes! For bridesmaids and groomsmen, we’ll have 3 each. The men will be wearing a red waistcoat with a white long sleeved shirt and black pants. No jacket or tie. For the girls, they will be wearing raspberry red dresses, to the knees. The material is really light and airy so perfect for a wedding in high-summer.

That’s all for this time! Stay tuned for the next interview when we’ll discuss the atmosphere Caroline is creating for her wedding, the decoration, menu, favors and a surprise! She’ll also share some of her top tips to help you create your own perfect wedding in the South of France!

Caroline and Tony
Hometown: Paris, France
Wedding Date: March 15, 2010
Wedding Colors: Ivory and Silver-grey

Wedding Location: Ice Chapel in Kiruna, Sweden

Wedding highlights: The quintessential winter wonderland wedding. On a cold but beautifully sunny day in March, Caroline and Tony’s intimate wedding ceremony took place in a beautiful ice chapel in Sweden. Inspired details and personal touches made the day truly unforgettable for the select group present. Photographed by Patrice Lariven Photographies, these fabulous photos bring a smile to our faces every time we look at them.

For more details about the unique gift bags Caroline made, the fun weekend activities she planned which including dog-sled riding, snowmobiling and building, and of course to find out more about Caroline’s beautiful dress, check out our exclusive series featured on this blog under the “Tales of a Wedding Planner’s Wedding” section.

Thank you for sharing these special moments with us Caroline and Tony!

Its official, our very own senior wedding coordinator, Caroline Berthe, got hitched on Monday, 15 March in the Ice Chapel in Kiruna, Sweden, up in the Artic Circle, with a select group of her closest family and friends. Read on to discover the highlights of this magical winter wonderland wedding… a slideshow of her professional photographer pictures will be posted online in a few weeks, come back to our blog for a closer look then…

CVW Blog: How did you feel as you boarded the plane to Sweden? Did you forget anything?

I was so excited! I had been packing for weeks…putting things aside as I thought about them. I didn’t forget anything and nothing got lost or broken on the way. We took our wedding attire on the plane and everyone was so nice helping us hang them so that they wouldn’t be ruined.

CVW Blog: How did your guests react when you gave out the program at Stockholm airport?

Our guests loved the program and how much time and effort we put into preparing them. We included a few enigmas in the program which kept them guessing what activities and surprises we had planned for them.

CVW Blog: First impressions about Kiruna and your hotel?

We got in quite late but the guides were there to pick us up and take us to our hotel. Kiruna is only 15 minutes from the airport so it was a very easy transfer. The hotel and the airports themselves all look like you are in an IKEA store. Everything is very clean, modern, and cozy. The beds in the hotel were amazingly comfortable and we had a nice view of the famous Iron Mine of Kiruna. A landmark they are all very proud of.

CVW Blog: Tell us all about the weekend activities. What did you enjoy most?

We loved everything we did. At first we thought the highlight of the weekend would be the snowmobile ride in search of the Northern Lights. We did enjoy this very much and saw a really nice green Northern light, but we all agreed that the dogsled ride the next day was our favorite. It took place in the morning, we were all alone surrounded by snow and the dogs were so happy to go out for a run. Hearing the snow crush under the weight of the sleigh, with nothing other than trees and snow around us and the sun glimmering on the freshly fallen snow, it was just magical! We stopped halfway in an Indian style tepee for hot chocolate and a Swedish sandwich. The guides were all really friendly, open and talkative. They all spoke impeccable English!

CVW Blog: Any funny moments?

We didn’t have time to do an official hen night or stag night before leaving for Sweden. The boys and girls thought we would separate on Saturday for lunch but as there were only 4 restaurants in Kiruna including one that we had booked for the wedding night, we ended up lunching at the same place. Later, as we were walking on the snow trails around Kiruna, discovering the beauty of the region, the boys decided to throw us into the deep snow (it came up to our waists) and shower us with snow. The French translation of hen night or stag night is “burying your single life” so they did literally “bury” us in snow. It was very funny.

Other than that, we got a bit of sun burn on our cheeks and nose so ended up with bright red noses and cheekbones. Not sure how the photos will come out, but we had fun trying to cover it up with makeup on the wedding day.

CVW Blog: Were you nervous on the day of your wedding?

Much less than I thought I would be. I was much more nervous before leaving France, but once we got there, it was just fun throughout, including on the wedding day. We sort of forgot we were getting married for the first 2 days, and it hit us on Sunday evening that it was the next day.

As I was doing my own makeup, hair and all, we started quite early in the morning. I didn’t want to feel rushed. I got nervous when I stepped out of the hotel and started walking to meet Tony. We met in a really nice park behind the red church of Kiruna. That is when I realized what was happening. I guess all the preparation time was somewhat similar to what I’m used to living with my brides, except that it was happening to me and not someone else. I managed to keep my emotions under control until I actually saw Tony for the first time. It was a very moving experience as was saying “I do” in the ice chapel.

CVW Blog: Tell us about the first time you saw each other in your full wedding attire.

It was just amazing. The photographer ran past me and up to Tony to tell him to turn around. He told me to wait until he called my name and to hide next to the church in the meantime. He had realized, after following us for the previous 3 days, that Tony kept his emotions under wraps and so he wanted to be sure to capture that raw emotion up close. When he was ready, he called to me to start walking towards them. I saw Tony in the middle of the snow, a very magical moment. I walked slowly (in my very comfortable and practical silver moonboots). When I got to him, he was crying. It was the best part of the day I think! And the setting was exactly how I had imagined it would be.

CVW Blog: Describe the ceremony in the Ice Chapel.

The chapel was just stunning. We hadn’t seen pictures of the new design so everything was really a surprise. The ice benches with the reindeer fur on them made everything look very authentic for sure. The priest was a lovely man with 9 children, the youngest was our age actually! The ceremony went by so fast. I regret not being able to live it in slow motion.

Our guests had already seen us in the minibuses before the ceremony started, but they entered first and when they were ready we got called in. I had chosen the music SHE by Elvis Castello. I just love this song and Tony sung it to me several times, he sings really well. We decided at the last minute to walk down the aisle together since we had already seen each other before the ceremony.

My sister was crying so much. She really didn’t think she would so as a consequence had no tissues to wipe away her tears. The priest started with a Swedish Hymn and then translated it for us. It was really beautiful. I got choked up when I had to repeat my vows, Tony cried again too.

CVW Blog: How was the reindeer mousse and pepper baked salmon? And the cake at your hotel?

The menu was delicious. We were a bit nervous about the reindeer but we had nothing to worry about in the end. It was cooked to perfection and accompanied by lots of shallots so you couldn’t really tell it was reindeer. The salmon was just amazing. I want to try the recipe out at home. It was a lovely, informal meal in a private room (that was a surprise as I hadn’t asked for one), and they did a really nice job of decorating the table with the accessories I had given them beforehand. The cake back at our hotel was delicious. All white and glittering like the snow outside. Under the icing was a tasty, light, vanilla sponge cake that we enjoyed despite being very full. The perfect ending to a truly perfect wedding day!

CVW Blog: What will stay in your mind as the most memorable moment?

There are two moments that I keep replaying in my mind and surprisingly neither of them are of the ceremony itself:

The first is when we saw each other in our full wedding attire for the first time. It really was just as I had always imagined it would be. A dream come true!

The second is when Tony and my sister hugged each other outside of the chapel after the ceremony and cried for several minutes. A very moving, unforgettable family moment…

Stay tuned for our fifth interview with Caroline next month when she will update us on the preparations for her second wedding ceremony and party in the south of France. The fun is not over yet!

With the Swedish Ice Hotel wedding rapidly approaching (only 1 week until the big day!)…the wedding jitters are starting to set in. In this, our fourth interview with Caroline Berthe, our very own senior wedding coordinator, we learn more about the fun stuff, including Caroline’s wedding dress, her hair and make-up, table decorations, gift bags and wedding photographer…

CVW Blog: Tell us EVERTHING about your wedding dress!

Like all brides2B, I visited numerous wedding dress boutiques with my girlfriends and had fun trying on lots of dresses. This helped me to find the style that suited me, the material I liked, the shape and cut that was most flattering for me and of course the best color to suit my olive complexion.

In the end (as I knew I would), I decided to have my wedding dress designed for me by a great Parisian designer called Olivier Petigny http://www.olivierpetigny.com/. My last fitting was on February 13 and the result is breathtaking! A few of my former brides have had their dress made by him. He is great for matching your dream to your budget (within reason of course).

The dress will be off white, all lace, not too puffy and without a long trail as I didn’t want to have to deal with that in the snow in Sweden. For the Swedish ceremony, I will be wearing a coat that the designer is also designing for me. Something quite warm made out of silver silk. I will also have long, full length, silk gloves. A little “diamond” belt will finish it all off.

I will be wearing the same dress for the summer Pyrenees wedding, but without the coat of course and the diamond belt. Instead the designer offered to store my dress until July (that is very practical) and also customize it to fit the Catalan/Spanish theme we will be having in the south of France. A colorful large belt will be added to the dress in the colors of red, fuchsia pink and orange, with little beads of color.

I’m looking to tone down the dress for the summer wedding as I have asked guests to not come in a formal suit and tie for the wedding. The wedding and banquet will be taking place outdoors, so it will get hot and I don’t want to feel uncomfortable.

CVW Blog: Will you be using a local hair and make-up artist for your Sweden wedding?

I couldn’t find a hairdresser and make-up artist on-site in Kiruna, so I asked my favorite hair and make-up artists here in Paris to teach me how to do my own make-up (I have been practicing for a few months and the result is quite impressive, even if I do say so myself). My hair stylist is preparing a hair piece using real hair to match the color of mine. This means that on the day of the wedding I will simply put my own hair in a ponytail and attach the hair piece to the back of my head. Simple yet beautiful! I think it will look as if I have a real hairstyle in the end and is probably the best solution in my case as I couldn’t find anyone to help me on-site. My Maid of Honor will also be helping me to get ready of course.

CVW Blog: Will a professional photographer be there to capture the highlights of your wedding in Sweden? Was the choice of photographer a difficult one to make?

We decided to invite a professional wedding photographer that I often recommend to my couples. He is also a good friend and it was important for us to have him there with us. The photographer on-site that the Ice Hotel recommended wasn’t the style we had in mind and as I do have easy access to wonderful service providers here in France I thought that it would be more fun and meaningful to have someone come along with us.

CVW Blog: Are you planning to provide any gift bags for the wedding in Sweden?

Yes! And I finally found the gift bags to put them in! It wasn’t easy here in France as it isn’t something common at all. It is more an American tradition the gift bag idea.

I have bought silver gift bags to match our color theme. I will finish them off by attaching a ribbon and a snowflake cutout onto them. Inside the bags, I will be putting some hand-made gloves made out of white fake fur for the men and a matching muff for the women.
This will be for the wedding day so we will have great pictures of everyone with their matching gloves and muffs.

I will include some florescent, light-up bracelets to wear while we are on the snow mobile trip to see the Northern Lights so we can see each other in the dark! I will also include some Nivea special snowflake cream for the cold and some heart shaped pocket hand heaters you snap to start warming and put in your pockets. I’m also planning to get some DAIM chocolates that are typically Swedish at the airport while waiting for our connecting flight to add to the gift bag.

Finally, I have planned to bring some giant sparklers for our guests to hold as we exit the ceremony, it will look fantastic on the photos! These are too big to put in the bags though so I’ll hand them out just before the ceremony.

CVW Blog: What special touches are you adding to the dinner tables?

I will choose and order the floral dinner table decorations when I arrive in Sweden. In addition to that, I will provide some of my own personal touches which will include printed menus matching the programs I have prepared, some snowflakes to sprinkle on the table cloth made out of paper and some matching ribbons to put around the napkins). I am keeping it pretty and low-key as we can’t really do much more in a restaurant where there will be other guests dining.

CVW Blog: How do you feel just one week from your big day?

I can’t wait to jump on the plane! Stress has given way to excitement. We already have our suitcases packed and I get butterflies in my stomach every time I think about the trip. Everything we are about to experience, including all the activities we have planned, are as important to us as the wedding day itself. It is going to be such a fantastic experience with our close friends and family. I know the time is going to fly by. I wish I could live every moment in slow motion and engrave it all in my mind. I’m already anticipating the fact of being back home and the trip being over but having great memories and pictures to look back at in time…

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!

CVW Blog: With the date confirmed and venue selected, what did you do next?

Caroline : I started to talk to all my friends and family about the venue we had chosen and the date of November. Everyone thought it was great we chose a winter wedding and a long holiday weekend as well. Choosing the caterer, photographer and musicians and florist wasn’t the hardest part as I do have my favourites. Although I really wanted them to understand what we were looking for and expecting. I searched for a lot of photos in magazines and online for the florist to get an idea of what I liked and didn’t like, and for the caterer, I first talked to my parents about what they wanted to serve and then started to discuss with the caterer. This allowed less back and forth and waste of time with the different providers. The hardest part was the invitations. We didn’t find anything out there that we liked and that was our style or the style that we wanted our wedding to have. I had sleepless nights searching online for something nice, days contacting different providers…

Costs were so high for just a piece of paper that most guests loose anyway. I didn’t want to spend that much of our budget on something that for me wasn’t the most important element. However, it is the first glimpse to your wedding day for guests, so you do have to choose the right type of invitation, something that will set the scene for the day itself.

Finally, after ordering some invitations, we ended up changing our minds on the colors as well… and therefore just completely changed the type of invitations to a simple double card with our photo on it. We had lots of fun for about 1 hour with our favourite wedding photographers posing like stars in front of the camera. The invitations look great and we have something unique! We also got to practice having our pictures taken, and getting to know the photographers better. This was a real high point.

CVW Blog: Crunch time…when are the deposits due?

Caroline : Once I had negotiated the rental fees of both locations we were using for the ceremony and the reception, it was time to get out our checkbooks. That is when Tony reacted…first he fell silent and then he admitted that that he didn’t think it was the wedding that best fit who we are. I thought he was going to announce that the wedding was off! Yikes! He explained that he didn’t imagine himself in front of 150 guests saying “I do” and that he was really dreaming of a tiny ceremony, more like an elopement type and that he wanted it to be in the snow. His perspective on things was that when I talked about our wedding with the large traditional wedding idea we had at first, he had the impression of just listening to me talk about another of my couple’s weddings, not OUR wedding. He wanted it to be different. So after a complete rethink of our wedding plans and going through Lisa Light’s, international destination wedding planner book called Destination Bride (Lisa is a good friend of mine), we found a fantastic location for our wedding: Sweden, the Ice Hotel! A true winter wonderland wedding, snow and ice guaranteed! We have set the date for March 15^th 2010.

CVW Blog: How did you feel about this about turn?

Caroline : At first I thought that family would be against it, saying that a wedding should be for everyone to participate in and enjoy, with a large reception and party. But it was also the setting of my dreams, even before I met Tony actually. Strange to find out only at that moment that we both had the same dream of a snow wedding! We had just never talked about it considering the fact that a wedding must be traditional in our minds and parent’s minds. But once we had decided that we were getting married for ourselves and creating a special day for ourselves, we were able to move away from the idea of a traditional wedding and go along with something more suited to our style.

CVW Blog: How did your respective parents react to the abrupt change?

Caroline : At first, our parents thought it was a great idea but hadn’t understood that it meant we were cancelling the traditional wedding day. Therefore we came to an agreement of 2 weddings: one in Sweden with just close friends and one in France in the Pyrenees for family and more friends, thus also limiting the number of guests to a number that felt comfortable to all of us. Tony’s father particularly thought that this was also more his type of day than a big formal wedding and was quickly on board! My parents were thrilled with our idea to do a very informal garden party type wedding around the old chapel were we all got baptized. A very charming venue, everything outside, long rectangular tables and a garden theme decoration to stay away from a formal traditional wedding. Going back to this tiny chapel for them on my wedding day meant a lot. It ended all conversations instantaneously.

CVW Blog: What compromises and concessions had to be made?

Caroline : fixing the date was a bit hectic. Budget constraints as well. However after several weeks of putting together pricing and ideas for parents to review, we were able to come to a compromise. As more and more couples pay for their own wedding, we decided to pay for the Swedish wedding and help as much as we could for the French wedding. Our parents are firm on saying that they are giving us this gift of a very special day for us in France.

CVW Blog: Is there light at the end of the tunnel?

Caroline : Yes, the date and venue have finally been booked in Sweden and the date and venue confirmed in the south of France…The only disappointing part of all this is that our parents on both sides decided that we should do the elopement wedding in Sweden with just our closest friends/witnesses/brothers and sisters and not with our parents present. They feel it should be a trip for the “younger” ones to enjoy but that they will enjoy seeing the photos and video we have planned to do on-site.

Don’t miss the next episode when we will discuss the following…

Choosing the wedding dress

Wedding favors for Sweden

Paperwork for the legal ceremony

Here is the first in our series of insider interviews with Caroline.

Bride: Caroline Berthe

Groom: Tony Altimani

Bride’s profession: Wedding Planner

Groom’s profession: IT consultant

CVW Blog: So, when, where and how did Tony pop the big question?

Caroline : It took Tony 7 years to pop the question but he finally planned a very simple but romantic proposal during a special 2 day stay at Disneyland Paris. We just love rides and acting like two children for a few hours, laughing and screaming together. He booked a suite in the really nice Disney hotel. After a full day of rides and adventures, we went to the spa, then had a romantic dinner and on the way back to our hotel, he suggested we sit for a while under a gazebo. The trees all around us were twinkling with white fairy lights, it was really cold out so we huddled up really close together, and then he asked me. Although I knew my answer was yes and had known for ages, it still came as a shock and so I was left speechless for quite a few seconds (that probably felt like hours to Tony).

CVW Blog: Were you surprised? How did you feel?

Caroline : I knew it was getting closer and closer as my 30^th birthday was coming up. But he had planned the Disney weekend so far in advance that I didn’t guess it was going to be at that time. I thought it was just going to be a fun weekend away together. So I was totally surprised, stunned even when the moment came. I was floating on my little cloud for a long time afterwards…

CVW Blog: Tell us about the ring…

Caroline : He had the ring made specially and even designed it himself! I couldn’t make up my mind whether I preferred white or yellow gold with diamonds. So he did both with 3 little diamonds. It is delicate, discreet and elegant, I love it! It is my own personal ring, no one else has the same. That makes me feel even more special J

CVW Blog: What was the first thing you did after the proposal?

Caroline : Strangely we didn’t talk about the wedding plans right away. With the job I do of course everything seemed easy to plan and didn’t need much thought at first. Our families started asking us “So, when is the wedding?”, and we couldn’t even answer them, we didn’t even have a date. But we soon discovered how difficult it is just to find the right date! And imagine with the job I have too, all my wedding season weekends are booked or almost and I didn’t want to have my own wedding with several other weddings to plan around it.

CVW Blog: Did you already have a good idea of where and how you would like to get married?

Caroline : Yes and no. I knew I didn’t want to do it at a venue where I had already organized a wedding myself. That would have felt too much like working! After a full day of visiting venues, we found a venue that suited us really well. It is like a big glass conservatory with exotic trees and plants everywhere. For a winter wedding we thought it would be ideal to have so much natural light. It felt very summery inside although the wedding was planned for mid November 2010. We fell in love with it right away when we saw it. That made me think of the advice I always give to my couples, that they will know it’s the one as soon as they see it.

We didn’t want a traditional wedding though, so thought about a long cocktail reception with lots of canapés and live cooking stations. That way we could eliminate the starter and skip straight to the main course, followed by cheese and a huge dessert buffet. We wanted everyone to start dancing as early as possible, to start having fun.

CVW Blog: What was your first step (choosing the date, venue, caterer, invitations, etc.)?

Caroline : We first started with a list of guests asking both sets of parents how many people they had planned to invite and then made a list of our friends. You have to have an idea of the number of people attending the wedding to be able to choose the venue. Although it is a ballpark figure, it still helps with your research afterwards. Then we looked at dates, and that wasn’t an easy part. Our families finally ended up agreeing to a date in mid-November as we had hoped so we were happy when that was resolved. We then planned a full day visiting lots of venues together. But after the first venue we had already fallen in love with it and really went to see the others just to make sure we weren’t making a mistake. It was easier for me because I already knew what was out there. Actually deciding on the venue wasn’t a big deal…