“Our wedding wasn’t just one day but was our own private holiday!”
The couple: Matthew & Jody Love
Length of engagement: Almost 2 years | Wedding date: 26th August 2017
Wedding venue: Chateau Lagorce, Haux, France
Photographers: Mark & Laure – Bordeaux Wedding Photographer
We met… 9 years ago, when we were both teenagers. We met through mutual friends at a shopping centre and Matt took me on a date to see a terrible film at the cinema! We have been together ever since.
Our proposal… Matt surprised me with a proposal at a beautiful little hotel in the Cotswolds. He had arranged the room to be set up with champagne, chocolates, flowers and rose petals on the bed which spelt out “Will you marry me”. After a few minutes I realised what the rose petals spelt and found Matt kneeling down on one knee behind me with a ring. After a lot of crying together, I said yes!
Our wedding theme/colours… Our wedding theme was influenced by the beautiful classic style of the chateau. We kept everything quite traditional but added personal touches in the details like the table names and favours. We went for pink and champagne for the colour scheme which worked well as it wasn’t overpowering and fitted in perfectly with the antique style of the venue.
Our ceremony… Was intimate, relaxed, short and sweet. We didn’t want anything religious or too long. The ceremony was set up next to the lake, under the shade of a large tree to shield the guests from the hot afternoon sun. Anna had arranged beautiful flowers to be above us on the gazebo. We had live music by Quelque Chose Dans L’air who played a harp and acoustic guitar whilst singing as the wedding party walked down the aisle. This created a lovely atmosphere and when they played my favourite song as I walked down the aisle, it definitely caused some tears!
We chose our venue because… Matthew’s brother got married at Chateau Lagorce a few years ago. The family have always stayed in touch with Anna and Edd who run the Chateau and we have even been there to visit them a few times, becoming friends. When Matt proposed to me, we knew instantly where we wanted to get married. The decision was easy, not only because we knew the Chateau and Anna and Edd so well but because we wanted to get married abroad. Not to mention Chateau Lagorce is stunning. For us the most important thing about our wedding was having all our family and friends there to enjoy the experience with us. The Chateau has 24 rooms meaning that most of our wedding guests shared the whole week with us with a few coming out to join us for the weekend. There was plenty to do to keep everyone entertained from sporting activities like swimming and table tennis to local trips out wine tasting and a trip Anna organised to St. Emilion. Our wedding wasn’t just one day but was our own private holiday, by the time the wedding day came around, everyone had got to know each other so well that we were just one big family.
We chose our wedding coordinator because… Where do I start… lovely Anna! Anna co-ordinates all the weddings at the Chateau and has done for many years. She knows the Chateau better than anyone and has such a wonderful way with people, it’s hard not to love her – so the choice was simple. I knew that I could trust Anna to make big decisions and listen to what I wanted, not to mention that she knows the best local suppliers, musicians, caterers etc. I can honestly say Anna made the wedding extra special, including the planning process which was easy and stress free. I have never met anyone who is so passionate and dedicated to their job, she truly is amazing.
My favourite part of the wedding day… Our first dance. We are both not very good dancers and so weren’t really looking forward to having everyone watch us dance for an entire song! Anna had made sure that the setting was beautiful, with a fairy light canopy and all the guests waving sparklers. As a big surprise to us, after about one minute of our dance, there was a huge fireworks display. It was amazing, we couldn’t have asked for a more romantic moment.
My piece of advice for other couples… I asked my mother and mother-in-law to walk down the aisle together before the bridesmaids. They were thrilled! It was important to me to include them in the wedding as they are two of the most important people in our lives and two of the most important people that helped me plan the wedding. It meant a lot to them to be asked and it meant a lot to me and my husband to have them be part of our special day. My advice is to include people who are special to you however you want, even if it is not traditional, as those moments make your day magical.
