Flower-Filled English Country Garden Wedding in the French Countryside

Melissa Hammam
November 9, 2023
Categories: The Blog

[section title=”The Planning”]

[field title=”Wedding Colors”]

White, dusty blue and small elements of navy and taupe.

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[field title=”Design / Vibe / Vision”]

A traditional English country garden with a French backdrop is the easiest way to sum up the aesthetic! We are very much a couple of classic tastes with a modern twist and hoped that would be completely reflected in their day. After deep diving for 15 months in endless Pinterest boards, wedding blogs, magazines and suppliers weddings, it was a very visual process, I took elements from lots and lots of different boards using them as a base for the day. I hoped for a timeless & elegant feel made up of white, dusty blue and small elements of navy and taupe, this was implemented through moments on the day in the form of flowers, suits, bridesmaids dresses and table ware. As this was the first wedding at Chez Lussaud it allowed for complete creativity, literally building the wedding from the ground up, we were able to choose every single detail from the style of cutlery through to the ceremony backdrop and everything else in between! I loved the visual part of this process, the wedding was something I could completely visualise from the very start and I was so invested in the detail. So during our planning meetings with Julia I was able to explain our vision down to the smallest detail which made the overall experience so much more cohesive! Aaron and I are absolutely detail people in all areas of our life so we felt it only fitting for it to run into the wedding. I loved the elevated feel of the monogrammed napkins, cocktail stirrers & stationery, the etched detailing in the glassware, the complimentary chargers…to name a few! Planning a wedding on a different continent is no mean feat! Knowing they would need a very organised helping hand we chose to work with Julia at Chatelaine Events. Julia was cool, calm and very collected from the very start. Keeping us on schedule & task throughout the 15 months of planning. Speaking fluent French was also a real help, the day was planned to singular precision, the absolute best suppliers for the day they hoped to create were recommended (and what an absolute dream team they were!). I had a very strong vision for the day, down to the finest detail, and Julia was amazing at helping bring that vision to life with the right suppliers. My parents relocated from the U.K. to France in 2018 following a dream to set up a small gite business. Many many memories as a family have been made together in the time they have lived in France, the grounds are stunning, the weather is glorious and so it seemed like a very natural fit. Natalie & Aaron had talked early on (even before being engaged) about how beautiful it would be to have their wedding at the family home. An opportunity they are extraordinarily grateful for. Chez Lussaud holds alot of sentiment, it’s such a special place, many moments are cherished from their time in France and it allowed them to build a completely bespoke wedding day, something we were very keen on doing!

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[field title=”Proposal Story”]

We are Aaron & Natalie – we met 13 years ago in Wiltshire, originally from the West Midlands, U.K. we have been very nomadic over the years but are currently living in North Carolina in the USA, Aaron working in finance and Natalie a teacher! The proposal had been a long time coming! Aaron was biding his time and knew he wanted to make the proposal unforgettable. A long weekend planned by Aaron on the couples first visit to Washington DC, a beautiful few days in the beautiful Hay Adams overlooking The White House. Natalie understood they were visiting DC for a foodie/ cultural weekend just before Christmas 2021. DC being one of the cities in the US they wanted to tick off their bucket list. They hired bikes & toured the stunning architecture, perused the museums – Natalie spending a significant amount of time admiring every inch & angle of the Hope Diamond in the Harry Winston Gallery! That evening Aaron had arranged for a reservation in the stunning Lafayette at The Hay Adams followed by a private drive round the beautifully lit Washington monuments by night. Returning to the hotel Aaron had arranged for the most wonderful set up in their suite, Natalie’s favourite flowers, photos of their 13 years together & champagne…and of course, the beautiful ring. It was private, beautifully intimate and a memory that will be cherished forever Natalie – I was completely and utterly blown away the entire weekend, so much thought had gone into the proposal, which is Aaron all over, his attention to the finer detail is never missed and the whole weekend reflected just how well he knows me – it was wonderful

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[section title=”The Fashion”]

[field title=”Wedding Gown”]

I wanted her mum, Meg and sister, Laura to be really involved in this process and living in the US, France and the U.K. knew this could be challenging to coordinate! So after shortlisting some styles & designers, I found a bridal boutique in Glasgow, Scotland (Anne Priscilla Bridal) that carried everything she thought she was after! (Simple, mikado & classic) After trying on the 5 dresses shortlisted…the “one” ended up being the dress I pulled as a “I’ll just try this one” it was still the full mikado skirt & train she had dreamt of having but the neckline carried a modern twist. Cocora by Pronovias was “the one” with alterations including a full button train, and a bespoke cathedral veil by Anne Priscilla in tulle. It was the most wonderful experience & Anne Priscilla were an absolute dream boutique, service was absolutely second to none and the experience will never ever be forgotten. I just LOVED my dress and the veil absolutely made the moment for me, that was when I knew it was the one for me, I cannot thank Anne Priscilla enough for how special they made me feel throughout the whole process.

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[field title=”Bridesmaid Dresses”]

I was after a tailored simple and “classic evening gown” look for the bridesmaids, and I knew I wanted to incorporate navy into the day, I had decided to wear navy shoes, and Aaron had a navy tux so it seemed only fitting the bridesmaids wore navy too! Having seen and worn Dessy before, I knew fairly early on the brand would be a good fit for what I was looking for. I had sourced a few dresses that I’d found on the website and spoken with a bridal store to make sure we could try them when I met with the bridesmaids! There were actually a few gowns that would have worked beautifully but In the end we went for a simple navy form fitting floor length gown with a slight train, higher neckline and cowl back, the girls and I picked the dress together. I’m all about that re wear so I wanted to make sure they all loved it enough to be able to have it reworked into a midi dress or worn again as is sometime in the future! They all looked so beautiful!

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[field title=”Groomsman Attire”][/field]

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[board_carousel title=”Wedding Party”]

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[board_carousel title=”Ceremony”]

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[section title=”The Details”]

[field title=”Food & Drink”]

Both of us are huge foodies and so it was wonderful working with The Event Kitchen (wedding caterers) to create an amazing foodie experience for us & our guests that was perfectly “us”. We created signature cocktails, complete with edible flowers, and the canapés and four-course French wedding breakfast were carefully chosen to reflect our love of great food – all washed down with hand-selected local French wines of course – and the guests LOVED IT.

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[field title=”Florals & Decor”]

THE FLOWERS! Where to even begin, Claire was just sensational! Going into this wedding planning, I knew flowers would likely be the area I would have to compromise the most, down to two reasons, keeping within budget and the weather. With France being SO warm, I was told time & time again that fresh flowers in the heat wouldn’t last the day and it was a risk. Something that played on my mind until I found Claire….Claire at Silk Flowers France is an artist, her work is so so STUNNING! I went to Claire with a complete vision, no holding back, and she told me that she could do everything, quite literally bring my Pinterest board to life! From a ceremony back drop, to a photo opp floral arch all the way through to the beautiful cake garden & floral mirror drape everything was complete perfection, my obsession with white roses and hydrangeas was there in an absolute abundance, we cannot thank Claire enough!

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[field title=”Wedding Cake”]

Lucy at Invitation au délice was just FABULOUS! I knew from the start I was after a statement cake, we had talked about having the cake central in the marquee as the guests entered. Even though we were after a statement came we still wanted the over all look very simple, I knew that traditional cascade of flowers (although lovely) wasn’t for me, and with the cake garden being an option with our florist we decided to run with a 5 tiered simple structure, with a little detailing on tier 2 & 3 and in place of a cake topper, we had the our initial monogrammed by Lucy in a champagne gold on tier 3, which I just ABSOLUTELY LOVED. The cake was lovely, we opted for a vanilla sponge with different flavoured creams throughout the tiers including, lemon, coconut, blackberry, praline…the list goes on! it tasted beautiful! We also had a light blue Macrons made by Lucy to compliment the cake and they were AMAZING!!!

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[field title=”Readings, Ceremony Music, Reception Songs”]

We had a string quartet (Ensemble Obbligato) who played hand-selected music for the ceremony, and our closest friends and family did carefully selected readings that reflect us as a couple (Winnie the Pooh, Albert Einstein, etc.) which had a few in the crowd reaching for tissues We are also huge movie buffs, so had our string quartet include many of our favourite soundtracks, combining classic sounds with a modern twist.

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[field title=”Special Detail #1″]Of course, the ceremony where we said “I do” is a particular favorite. Working with Alison (celebrant) to create a unique ceremony that was not religious but still full of love & celebration. Alison even came bearing a gift – a bottle of wine and a letter – something “to open” on our 5th anniversary as husband and wife – to look back on our first 5 years of marriage. What a beautiful surprise.

For Aaron, listening to the string quartet play the hand-selected ceremony music as he waits patiently at the bottom of the aisle for Natalie. Nervous excitement and knowing she would look absolutely beautiful.

Having the family pets (two golden retreivers) walk down the aisle as makeshift bride & groomsparty brought some entertainment to the ceremony!

Obviously for Aaron, watching Natalie walk down the aisle in her beautiful dress was a highlight but for me, being able to walk down the aisle with my father wearing his Number 1s (he is a retired Lieutenant Colonel in the army) was truly special and something I had dreamt of since I was a little girl.

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[field title=”Special Detail #2″]

For Natalie, it was every single detail – from the small stuff like monogrammed napkins and cocktail accessories, Negroni favors (Aaron’s favorite cocktail) and White Company candles (Nat’s obsession with candles) to the larger things – the bespoke built ceremony arrangement (flower train with chandeliers creating the perfect altar, courtesy of Claire from Silk Flowers France), the marquee interior design that just screamed Aaron & Natalie, the wedding stationery that was painstakingly created for hours! All those details being noticed throughout the day was just wonderful.

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[field title=”Special Detail #3″]

Our photographer and videographer! Our planner recommended Katy Lunsford to us and from the very beginning we were completely blown away with her work, it felt like her style absolutely suited the aesthetic I was trying to create. Katy’s work, passion and attention to detail is absolutely second to none, we had wonderful conversations leading up to the wedding, Katy really took the time to get to know us as a couple which made us completely trust the process, I feel like she absolutely understood every aspect of the type of day we hoped to be captured. A couple of months before the wedding Katy visited Chez Lussaud, and four hours later we were still talking all things aesthetic, golden hour and even a spot of rose tasting! It’s fair to say that by the time the wedding came round, we were genuinely great friends and we felt totally at ease. Both Katy & Mark (videographer – Award Weddings – recommended by Katy) were completely integral to our day and we were so so pleased to have them with us during our wedding breakfast, a small token to show how much they meant to us throughout the day. They were a fantastic team – both of them work so cohesively together, very calm, collected, engaging with the guests. They both used their sensational talents to capture the absolute essence of our day, we really cannot thank them enough. Aaron remembers fondly Mark helping with the buttonholes and bowties like an honorary member of the grooms party!

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