Will you marry “moi” ?

Inviting guests to attend your Destination Wedding in France inevitably evokes images of beautiful rolling countryside with fields of lavender and olive tree groves or a sparkling Eiffel Tower and visits to the Louvre museum. Why not take advantage of all that your chosen destination country has to offer by creating a truly unforgettable wedding in France…j’adore!

Here is a snapshot of 10 of the ways you can make your destination in France “Formidable”!

1. Cheese and wine tasting
   

   One cannot come to France and not savor the local cheese and wine. Why not transform your welcome buffet into a cheese and wine tasting? You can have local producers bring an assortment of cheese and wine to your venue or visit a local “cave” (wine cellar) for a guided tour and a tasting afterwards. Délicieux!
   

2. Gift basket of local goodies
   

   Spoil your guests who have travelled from far and wide to attend your destination wedding by providing them with personalized gift baskets. Include some local specialties such as a mini bottle of champagne if you are getting married in the Champagne region, Calissons d’Aix (mini almond marzipan cakes see photo) for weddings in Provence, Foie gras for weddings in the south-west, a bottle of white or red wine depending on the region…to name but a few.
   

   
   

3. Creative wedding transportation
   

   You can take the couple out of their home country but you can’t take their home country out of the couple. To add a surprise touch and tongue in cheek glimpse at your own origins, why not hire a real yellow school bus or red double-decker London bus to transport your guests to and from your ceremony and/or reception venue? You could even hire an authentic black London taxi for the bride and groom depending on where you are getting married in France.
   

   
   
   

4. Guest book with a twist
   

   Instead of providing a traditional guest book for your guests to sign, why not jazz it up and place a Polaroid camera alongside it so that your guests can snap themselves before sticking the photos in your book and signing alongside. Should you be getting married in Paris, why not take a trip to the artists square in Montmartre a few days before your wedding and have an artist draw your caricature on a large piece of paper and have your guests sign it as a real souvenir of your trip. The caricature could also be done in your home country and transported on-site with you.
   

   
   
   

5. A show stopping ceremony exit
   

   Forget about the traditional bird seed, rose petals and rice, why not orchestrate a unique ceremony exit by providing guests with bunches of lavender or paper airplanes or having a butterfly release or dove release to mark the end of the ceremony? Fun music also adds punch like the theme tune to Star Wars or Superman or your favorite hit song like Chasing Cars by Snow Patrol? Your imagination is the only limit!
   

   
   

6. Unexpected wedding music
   

   A string quartet is lovely, but you’ll blow guests away with a Gospel Choir to sing during the wedding ceremony. To get the party going during the cocktail hour, look into hiring a mariachi band or a cotton club jazz quartet for some seriously memorable melodies.
   

   
   

7. Entertaining wedding favors
   

   Get creative when contemplating your wedding favors. To pack out your dance floor, distribute maracas or kazoos or even rally towels for a bit of fun. Think about your female guests comfort level by providing comfy flip-flops so they can dance all night or provide personalized pashminas (shawls) to fend off the chill of an outdoor wedding.
   

   
   
   
   

8. A surprise choreographed dance
   

   Everyone expects you to opt for a slow dance or the traditional waltz to open the dancing so why not surprise your guests by learning a sultry tango or a high energy swing or rock ‘n’ roll routine. It only needs to last 2 – 3 minutes but imagine the looks on your guests’ faces when you glide or jive around the dance floor like real pros! Strictly Come Dancing has nothing on you!
   

9. Traditional French wedding cake
   

   Consider having a traditional French wedding cake to wow your guests. A Croquembouche or Pièce Montée is the traditional French wedding cake. They are impressive pyramids of puff-pastry choux balls filled with cream (like profiteroles) and a coating of crystallized caramel. You can have the classic pyramid shape or it can be designed to fit your request like the Chateau de Chenonceau cake below. Yum yum! The French love to make a fanfare by dimming the lights, playing some up-beat music and putting sparklers in the cake as the chefs bring it out. A great photo opportunity. These cakes are not the easiest to cut into and feed one another so make sure the chef is on hand to help you!
   

   
   

10. Midnight crepes
    

    Nothing is more French than hot crepes doused in sugar, chocolate spread or jam and served by a French chef to round off the day! This is guaranteed to tantalize your taste buds and energize your guests after several hours on the dance floor. If you want to propose a savory touch, consider adding a buffet of cold meats (charcuterie) that the French do oh so well or a cheese buffet…oh là là!
    

We have lots more ideas to share with you if you are interested…just send us a comment and we’ll be happy to respond with other suggestions!

Photo Credits: Dream Limousines; Butterfly Release Wedding; http://www.prixmoinscher.com; Event Merchandising; Wikipedia ; http://www.studiocabrelli.com/