LAURA & JONNY - No. 3 THE CHATEAU
THE BBQ
Not only did this wedding take place at No. 3 The Chateau, it was a ‘3’ for me also.
As in the third in a chain of 3 weddings over around 1 full decade…
It started back in the UK with Alexis & Simon’s wedding.
Next up was Simon’s brothers wedding to Katy who was a bridesmaid at this, Laura & Jonny’s wedding.
It was a new venue to me (and one that is fairly recent to weddings itself) and up in the heart of the Cognac region.
The day prior kicked off with a ‘welcome party’ BBQ and I can’t really stress enough just how important it is to do this properly.
Some couples elect for a local restaurant or other public space and it rarely works as well as it should, especially from a visual perspective.
Others have the BBQ, but it’s cooked in a kitchen and maybe some burgers are finished on a BBQ around the back out of sight.
No no no no no. That is not a BBQ, - it’s just BBQ food and if it’s served indoors for no reason… What’s the point?!
At Laura & Jonny’s wedding it was done right. Planned by Josh from Josh Tully Management with catering by The Forks and hosted as an integral part of the entire 3 day event by L&J, as above, it was done just right.
The very essence of a BBQ is that it is done outdoors and the culinary side is a bit of theatre, or as above, it’s just BBQ food.
The pics below should demonstrate exactly what I mean…
THE VENUE
No. 3 The Chateau is situated in South West France.
The village of Salles-d’Angles to be precise in the Cognac region of Nouvelle-Aquitaine.
Below are a few of my pics of the place from the ground and the air.
PREP
At every wedding, prior to the ceremony, the couple (and everyone else) obviously get ready.
When your profession is hairdressing (both the bride and the groom) of course you bring your own team.
THE CEREMONY
Conducted by celebrant Lisa Lister, Laura & Jonny’s wedding ceremony took place in front of the chateau.
Amazing floristry by Mrs Whiterose.
DRINKS RECEPTION / COCKTAIL HOUR / VIN D’HONNEUR
It doesn’t really need any explanation does it?!
Champagne, canapes and some live music, on this occasion, the latter provided by Link Lewis on piano keyboard.
THE WEDDING BREAKFAST
Newly installed, this was one of the first (I think the second?) wedding to use this space for the wedding meal and speeches.
I’m a big fan of lighting. In fact, it’s lighting that can make or break weddings, especially visually and is probably the single most underrated aspect of any wedding…
Natural + artificial, quantity AND quality and the timing/time of day is utterly critical.
For instance, with this spectacular lighting set up below, had the call to table been 5pm in June as it so often (mistakenly) is, everyone would have simply sat in merciless blazing sunshine for 3+ hours and would have then been inside dancing by 8.30/9pm and even at that time, the sun would have been blazing away for another hour or so…
This was done RIGHT.
The only thing we didn’t get was any kind of golden hour or sunset as it clouded up, but that is something we do not have any control over.
TIME TO DANCE
Link Lewis was back on with the music, but this time combining his sax skills with a DJ set.
Great wedding, great people, great planning and execution.
If you were a guest at Laura & Jonny’s wedding, you can access their full gallery by clicking here.
