If you ask us, it’s pretty tough to beat the old-world romance of a French Chateau in Provence. And for these two Londoners, Chateau Martinay was the perfect place to say their “I do’s!” Flower by céline decorated their day with lush, summer blooms in a delicate palette of blush, dusty rose, soft peach, ivory white and eucalyptus green. WEP in Provence had the entire weekend’s worth of festivities going off without a hitch, while the talented Oliver Fly was there to capture every last detail. Keep on reading to hear about the couple’s steal-worthy wedding tradition and don’t forget to check out the full gallery to pin your fave photos from their day!
What was your color palette and your style vision ?
From the Bride… Our colour palette were soft summer pastels in blush, dusty rose, soft peach, ivory white and eucalyptus green. I wanted to have colours which reflected the warm, natural, and rich landscape of Provence. I loved that my bridesmaids all had complementary shades of the colour palette in flowy, romantic dresses with different cuts that were uniquely flattering. The groomsmen wore navy suits to match my husband who wore a bespoke midnight blue tuxedo. They all wore boutonnières which matched the flowers of the bouquets.
The overall vision was to have an elegant, dreamy wedding in a romantic French Chateau tucked away in acres of rolling hills, flowers and trees. As we were having a destination wedding and all our guests were traveling in, we wanted to create a 3 day escape so that everyone could truly enjoy the best of Provence. Our wedding started off with a Welcome Party at Chateau Pesquie where guests were treated to a private wine tour & tasting and enjoyed cocktails against the beautiful Mont Venoux as the backdrop on one side, and the vineyards and Chateau surrounding the other . We then had a very special and traditional Wedding Tea Ceremony to honour my Chinese heritage. Afterwards, we enjoyed a gorgeous Provencal-style dinner with an accordionist playing beautiful melodies, later with dessert from an old-fashioned ice cream trolly and finally danced under the beautiful star lit sky. The Welcome Party definitely set the scene for the days to come!
The next day was the Wedding Day at the beautiful Chateau Martinay! Our ceremony was held in a forested area of the estate where there was a long alley lined with tall cypress trees, creating the perfect aisle. We ran a white carpet down the aisle and had lots of natural grass and flowers decorating the entire ceremony leading up to a lush floral arch with a gorgeous crystal chandelier hanging from the center. For music we had a violinist and cello and one of our best friends officiated our ceremony. This made it very special as it was personal and bespoke to our journey as a couple.
Our cocktail reception was held in the South Facade of the Chateau in the late afternoon sun with everyone enjoying signature cocktails and canapes. Our dinner was definitely a highlight of the wedding. It was hosted in the courtyard of the Chateau with long tables framing the idyllic fountain pond in the center. Each table had generous crystal chandeliers hanging over them creating this “luxurious indoor dining but outdoors” effect. The table settings were adored with lush foliage and flowers over a draping pink chiffon, beautiful dinnerware of white and gold, and lots and lots of candles. Dinner started with a golden sunset against the warm colours of the Chateau and carried on into the night where we ate in candlelight and glowing chandeliers under the stars. It was magical!
After cake and a champagne tower, we started the party off with a big sparkler entrance into the Chateau ballroom where music, the DJ, a saxophonist and the dance floor waited. It was a party of all parties!
On the final day, we hosted a Brunch & Pool Party at Chateau Martinay under giant shady trees in the Orangerie and an inviting in-ground pool where we basked in the Provencal sun and partied until the sun came down, one more time. A perfect way to end what was a magical and unforgettable 3 day wedding!
What unique elements or DIY details did you include ?
My husband and I actually met at the airport! We are both passionate about travelling and so far have even been to 34 countries together. Instead of a guestbook, we asked our loved ones to write and “send us a postcard” instead which they dropped into an UK inspired postbox we made ourselves. We live in London and thought this was a cute idea and a nice nod to our shared passion of travel.
We love wine and we absolutely adore Provence and wanted a special way to remember and celebrate our wedding day years down the road so we decided on a winebox ceremony. We curated a special vintage of wine from Chateau Pesquie where we had our Welcome Party and wrote each other a love letter to be locked in this wine box. We wrote about how we felt on this day and all the hopes and dreams we had for the years to come. We also asked our guests to write us a message, a piece of advice, or a wish for us, in which all of these notes would be sealed for 5 years. On our 5th wedding anniversary, we would return to Provence and Chateau Martinay, open the wine and read our letters, where we could reflect on the wedding day and the last 5 years of our marriage. We would then choose another bottle and seal this for another 5 years with our new letters to each other, to be opened on our 10th anniversary, and so on. Hopefully this will be a beautiful tradition we can carry on which will always bring us back to our special day.
Tell us about your flowers, your gown, your favors for your guests, your cake, etc…
For me, I always knew I wanted a bespoke wedding dress that was dramatic, romantic, ethereal and that would complement the venue perfectly. I love Berta as her dresses are stunning! They are silhouette framing, intricately detailed, definitely dramatic but also very comfortable to wear all day and night. I bought a gorgeous Berta gown in London and then had bespoke details added to it to make it flattering and unique to me. I also had a bespoke 5 meter overskirt custom-made, which had 3 layers of tulle and hand-stitched lace flowers floating down from the waist which matched the same lace flowers on my dress. This enormous overskirt train looked absolutely magical as it floated down the narrow cypress lined aisle of our ceremony. I wore this dramatic overskirt look for the ceremony and at the reception, removed it for a more sexy, figure hugging Berta for my second look! This was a dream dress for a dream wedding!
I love a semi-naked cake as it tends to look a little more natural and you can see all the lovely layers. We had a 3 layer cake with different layers of vanilla sponge with red berries and a chocolate layer with hazelnut cream. The cake was adorned with fresh olive leaves and fruit which suited the setting beautifully! I loved my cake so much that even before the wedding, I asked my planner to ensure 2 pieces would be saved for us to enjoy at our breakfast the following morning!
What is one piece of advice that you could give brides-to-be ?
It is a bit cliche and the same advice given to me when I was engaged, but I am sharing the same wisdom with all the future brides – because it is true! You spend so much time, months, maybe even years, planning your dream wedding and when the day finally comes, it all happens in a blur and in a blink of an eye. Really try to take some moments during your wedding together with your husband, to just take it all in, watch the crowd, smell the flowers, savour a bite of cake, and “be in the moment”.
Another piece of advice I have for brides-to-be is, if you are questioning at all hiring a photographer and videographer – do not hesitate for another second! Personally, together with my Wedding Planner and the venue, these were the most important and influential people throughout the entire planning process. Ensure you do all your research first and also make sure you meet them beforehand so you know not only your photography styles align but so you can also develop chemistry and a rapport. If you can, do an engagement shoot or pre-wedding portraits before as this will help relax you (or your groom rather!) on the actual wedding day. A high quality photographer is understandably a big investment, but for me, this was an absolute must. After the wedding is all said and done, all you leave with is your husband and your memories. Make sure they are captured perfectly so they take you back to that day for all of time.
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Photographer: Oliver Fly Photography | Videographer: MG Image | Florist: Wepagency | Wedding dress: Berta | Stationery: Jo Studio | Rings: 77diamonds | Caterer: Brunet Freres | Tuxedo: Anthony Sinclair | Vintage car: Provence Classics | Wedding venue: Chateau du Martinay | Bride shoes: Bella Belle | Cake designer: Made In Cake | Champagne: Domaine de Lucien Jacob | Chandeliers: Phôs | DJ & Entertainment: Selecktive Official | Dress welcome event: Self Portrait Studio - Azaelea Red Dress | Furnitures: Be Lounge | Groom shoes: George Cleverley | Hair pieces: Victoria Harper Bridal | Hairdresser: Axelle B. | Make up artist: Ylva Langenskiold | Rings box: The Mrs Box | Saxopphonist: Adrian Sax | Shuttles: Ose Provence | Skirt designer: Aleksandra Backunaite | Tableware: Wadah table | Veil designer: Joyce Jackson | Violonist: Pierre Hatat | Wedding planner & wedding designer: Weddings Of Excellence In Provence | Welcome dinner venue: Chateau Pesquie
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