A Dreamy Destination Wedding in France

Lottie and Luke tied the knot in their beautiful French country home. We fell in love with this rustic, rural wedding in the sunny South of France
Date: 9th September 2023
Location: Cordes Sur-Ciel
Photography: Alexandra Palombi Photography

An office romance

This gorgeous couple met when Luke joined Lottie’s place of work. After working together on the same projects for over a year the pair soon realised there was something special between them.

“After a year of laughing at Luke’s Dad jokes, we finally went on our first date in 2019 and the rest is history,” Smiles Lottie

Aisle Style

Lottie walked down the aisle in an elegant silky gown from Whistles.

“I tried on around 15 different dresses before going back to the second dress I had seen. This dress was perfect for our relaxed destination wedding and I was lucky to be able to find the dress of my dreams off-the-shelf at Whistles. I had it altered, which made it one of a kind.” Lottie says, “It was simple and classic, but still had the wow factor and I felt comfortable and elegant all day.”

Luke and the groomsmen looked dapper in stone-coloured linen suits teamed with crisp white shirts, tan braces and tan loafers.

The bridesmaids stepped out in green gowns, the shade complementing their countryside setting.

Set the scene

Marrying at the couple’s French country home in Cordes Sur-Ciel, this destination wedding had a relaxed, bohemian vibe.

The couple tell us, “The beauty of having the wedding at our home in France meant we had creative license to do whatever we wanted. The groom and groomsmen came into the ceremony on a tractor, all of our signage was made from wood we found and the attire was relaxed across the wedding party. Our colours were lavender, soft greens and neutrals that fitted perfectly with the setting.”

The bridal bouquet and buttonholes we created using fresh flowers in white and pastel shades. The rest of the wedding flowers were a mixture of dried pampas grass, gypsophila and lavender. The wedding breakfast tables were decorated with fresh lavender, picked by the couple – which worked perfectly for peak summer in the South of France.

The couple hired a wedding planner to take care of setting everything up and organising their 60 guests on the wedding day, allowing Lottie and Luke to take a step back and enjoy every moment.

Time to party

Guests were treated to a menu of delicious sharing platters. A rotisserie was added to the theatre of the trestle table dining. Lottie and Luke chose lots of their favourite dishes for everyone to tuck into. Dinner was washed down with wine from a local vineyard.

In the evening, everyone had a glimpse into Lottie’s Abba-themed hen party, with dancing, fancy-dress and props from the Abba-themed boat cruise making an appearance at the wedding reception.

One of the best ideas the couple had was buying a handheld video camera.

“Before leaving the UK for France, Luke bought a handheld camera. On the day we asked friends and family to pass it around and the footage was unbelievable – it had us in stitches. It does make you feel like you’re being transported back into the 90s with the quality, but such wonderful memories were captured.”

Cherished moments

When asked what their favourite moments were Luke and Lottie told us, “The whole day was just amazing – everything just fell into place. All the stress you go through in the lead-up almost feels silly. Some things may not happen, but it doesn’t matter. For us, the main thing we loved was having our wedding day in a place that was so personal and special to us, and being able to accommodate and share the time with our close friends and family was a dream come true.”

The Details

Photographer: Alexandra Palombi
Wedding ceremony venue: The Couple’s French home in Cordes Sur-Ciel
Wedding dress: Whistles ‘Lina Satin’ dress, designed and altered by Design & Alter
Flowers: My Wedding Flowers
Stationery: Handmade by the bride & groom and Fabulous Things
Shoes: Monsoon
Veil: Blossom and Bluebird
Accessories: Etsy
Makeup: MUA, Deb Stewart
Cake: Homemade by the groom’s mother
Menswear: Suits Supply
Band: London Calling
Catering: Shayne Tough
Wedding Planner: Hannah Nicole
Celebrant: Loire Valley Celebrant