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French château wedding: Michelle + Rob

November 5, 2012
crate of floral handkerchiefs

Happy Monday, Cakelets! When photographer Dasha Caffrey shared this wedding with us we instantly thought, “Wow, that is one graceful bride”. Then we heard all about Michelle + Rob’s love story and we turned green with envy thinking, “Why didn’t we get married in a 15th century castle?”. This is a gorgeous wedding you guys. Since Rob had proposed in a vineyard in the Provence region of France they decided there would be no better part of the world to hold their wedding than Château Lagorce. French food, French wine, lovely weather… yeah, it’d be an easy decision for us too.

pastel floral boutonnieres Lisa Redman custom lace dress

I knew deep down that I was never going to walk into a store, see a dress and say that’s the ONE! My only option was to design my dress and have it made. However I would strongly advise visiting a store that stock’s many types of dresses of all shapes and sizes and try them all on! I had a firm idea of how I wanted my dress to look…until I tried it on…and it just didn’t suit me at all!  I spent an afternoon flicking through Vogue magazine, pulling together silhouettes & details that I liked. I wanted my dress to have a couture feel with vintage detailing. From there I worked closely with Lisa Redman and her team, picking the lace, the beading, finalizing the silhouette, the fabrics, the corset detailing and so on for 6 months.

diamante headband made from vintage necklace limited edition pair by Brian Atwood shoes

I bought my wedding shoes before I had even thought of my dress! They were a limited edition pair by Brian Atwood and the reason why I loved them, was because they had more of a fashion edge, rather than your typical wedding shoes.

Lisa Redman custom lace dress diamante headband made from a vintage necklace

Michelle made her diamante headband herself from a necklace that belonged to her great grandmother!

custom groom's suit pastel rose bouquet

Michelle’s bouquet recipe: roses, ranunculus, lily of the valley, and sweet peas.

Chateau Lagorce wedding venue outdoor French countryside wedding Chateau Lagorce wedding venue outdoor French countryside wedding custom-tailored suit and oxford shoes Lisa Redman custom lace dress and custom tailored suit French chateau wedding venue hydrangea floral chair accents romantic wedding party style outdoor courtyard wedding ceremony

Being gifted with such wonderfully creative friends, our two friends Michelle & Paul, who are in a band called MEISHA, offered to play our aisle music. We didn’t want anything traditional, so I walked down the aisle to Michelle’s acoustic version of ‘Use Somebody’ By Kings of Leon; at the end of the ceremony we walked up the aisle to a beautiful acoustic remix of ‘Somewhere over the rainbow’ and ‘Louis Armstrong’s ‘Wonderful world’.

outdoor courtyard wedding ceremony outdoor French chateau wedding escort card garlands and wild flowers polaroid photo booth vibrant floral centerpieces and custom printed menus floral dinnerware and tag place cards crisp white linens and pastel floral centerpieces

After spotting a display in a Stella McCartney store – a random mixture of cut glass vases with wild flowers – I decided that this was how I wanted my flower arrangement to look. I (and family and friends) spent months collecting different sized cut glass vases, side plates, cups and saucers from vintage shops and fairs; my mother-in-law found the most amazing set of lace doilies at an auction.

French cheese platter table pastel floral centerpieces and floral flatware crisp white linens and vibrant floral centerpieces blue, purple and pink floral wedding cake

So so pretty! Congratulations you two!

Photography: Dasha Caffrey / Wedding planner: Anna Holmes at Chateau Lagorce / Bride’s dressmaker: Lisa Redman / Bride’s veil: vintage / Bride’s shoes: Brian Atwood / Groom’s suit: Richard James / Catering: Le Plaisir du Goût / Wine: Chateau Peneau / Cake: Sue Noseworthy (good friend of couple) / Band during ceremony: Meisha / Band + DJ during reception: Agence Mess