GABBY & LUKE - THE MAJESTIC CHATEAU (a MARRY ME IN FRANCE wedding)

Hi Simon

We have just finished viewing (twice through!) the photos & video and are absolutely blown away.

What you have captured is truly magical and from the bottom of our hearts we thank you so much.

Many thanks 

The Huelins!

Weddings are about people not places. At least they are for me. Always have been, always will be.

Of course ‘where’ plays a part. A very big part and some places are more special than others…

One such place for me is ‘The Majestic Chateau’ in Dordogne, approx 1 hour from Bergerac and 1 hour 15 minutes from Bordeaux.

For me, the standout thing about this particular wedding venue is this: (see below)

At the heart of this 17 acre park is this 600m2 natural pool with Japanese style pavilion which is a stunning location for the drinks reception/cocktail hour and day after pool party/BBQ.

It even works in the rain…but I am getting ahead of myself here so let’s rewind and start back at the beginning…

Gabby & Luke’s wedding, planned by Kris from Marry Me In France, took place over 3 days at the ‘Majestic Chateau’ including:

Day 01 = Welcome Party

Day 02 = Wedding Day

Day 03 = Pool Party & BBQ

DAY 01 (The Gathering)

Actually, prior to gathering at La Piniere for the Welcome Party, we did a ceremony rehearsal.

Too many times, I have heard, “we don’t really need to and will work it out on the day”, AKA, a guaranteed recipe for disorganised chaos as no one knows when to walk in, what speed, the track runs out (or runs too long), stand? sit? cue desperate looks from every member of the bridal party and upon exit, where do we go? what’s happening with the confetti? because there’s a surprising amount of planning and execution required otherwise it is NOT organic or “natural'“, but as above, chaotic. Organic/natural/relaxed comes from the planning you do prior to ANYTHING actually happening and that includes the ceremony!

No such issues with this wedding. I’ve worked with Kris, Gabby & Luke’s dedicated planner from MMIF many times and between all of us, at 4pm, we hammered out how to best make this chapter of the day work on the following day, on site, in real time, 24 hours prior. We will find out later if it went without a hitch…

And then it was off to ‘The Gathering’!

The view from La Piniere can best be described as ‘vast’. The grazing boards by Chef Matt as always, were excellent. The sun shone, the wine flowed, but it was an early finish for all because tomorrow is Wedding Day, but before that, above are a few examples of Chef Matt’s food from today plus below, a selection of images of the Welcome Party.

A LITTLE MORE ABOUT THE VENUE…

Sleeps 30 on site (plenty of accom nearby) spread over 4 buildings set around an internal courtyard.

Looks amazing from both the ground and the air.

Has an enormous party barn for the evening (and should the weather be less than great on the wedding day).

A few images below will showcase the exterior stuff for now, (without the people that will come later and further down this post).

GABBY & LUKE’S WEDDING FILM

Since 2022, I stopped offering photography ‘only’ other than for; midweek, out of season, or short notice weddings, because over 90% of my clients were opting for ‘hybrid coverage’, ie, photo AND video, which is something I have been doing since 2010. As a creative, I am split between which I prefer; photo or video and the answer is “both’. So around the midpoint of 2022, I made the decision to only offer hybrid coverage going forward and for the last 2 years, the service I offer has been the better for that. I’ve never been the greatest at mathematics but in this instance if photo = 1 and video = 1, combining them into one service does not equal 2, but 2.5 as in the sum of the two components adds something to the other beyond each in isolation.

Below is Gabby & Luke’s Wedding Film. They also have a full real time ceremony edit plus a full speeches video, but neither are featured here as they are approx 30+ and 60+ minutes respectively.

BRIDE PREP

As an official Marry Me In France supplier, I am not at liberty to name or provide details of the suppliers other than MUA = L and on hair is A. A dynamic duo who I have worked with many times and one of the greatest things about these two is neither ever run over on time…which cannot be said for some others…

Gabby, her girls and the two mum’s, all got ready (HMU anyway) in the room featured. It might be called The Library. It has a lot of books so we’ll call it The Library.

Not a lot more to say about this chapter of the day other than it’s one of my favourite parts of the day as the timescale tends to be quite long and there are a lot of creative options which I hope I have demonstrated below.

TROUSSEAU

There’s a word we don’t hear so much these days but it’s a French word (appropriate) I believe that is a catch all term for the brides; dress, shoes, jewellery and other details.

I love capturing these because despite being technically just ‘stuff’, it’s important stuff that falls into the category of ‘supporting images’ that help tell the most cohesive story as I am all about PEOPLE PEOPLE PEOPLE, moments, the big picture, but also the tiniest detail.

THE BOYS

OK men really, but always call them ‘The Boys’. There’s generally a different atmosphere over in the boys room. It tends to be a bit more messy for a start, - stuff all over the place. And chaotic. And they don’t stop moving ie, there is virtually nothing static in there so you need to grab what you can, when you can before they are off for another round of beers. Or shots. Or beers and shots. And the air is thick with Bleu de Chanel.

THE BRIDE GET’S DRESSED

(Plus ‘The Reveal’)

To spare the bride’s modesty and in case you were wondering, no I am not in the room when she’s actually undressed (it’s not that kind of shoot), but instead, from the moment of zipping, buttoning or lacing up. Followed by shoes, jewellery, perfume, veil, makeup touch ups. The tension is building now, - we’re not far off from the ceremony… I’ve been here hundreds and hundreds of times. I consider it part of my job to help keep things calm and on track with a light touch and low-key manner.

And then it’s Dad’s time to actually play a part as he’s been hanging around for a while now later. And then the reveal to the girls. Cue more makeup touch ups.

HE WAITS, SHE ARRIVES

It’s a key moment, - the arrival of the bride. Like the first kiss or cutting of the cake, - one of those ‘events’ that it just one of the mini stories that is a part of the bigger story. This goes back to the rehearsal the day prior. Without that happening, the impact might not be what it could have been but with this one, it was about as high as could be expected and that was pretty high.

THE CEREMONY

The Ceremony is of course a key chapter of the wedding day. Arguably, it’s the centrepiece and without wishing to bang on about it, (but will) will be reflected in whether there was a rehearsal the day prior or not. And of course in this case, it went according to plan. The entrance of the bride’s mum Penny, plus Alice, Goldie & Theo to the first track went to plan as did the staggered entrance (8 seconds apart) of each bridesmaid and the exact lyric kicked in as Gabby and her father arrived at the top end of the aisle.

Ceremonies are a personal thing, whether conducted by a professional celebrant, family member or friend. In this case, the bride’s brother Alex. There is something extra special about having a ‘non-professional’ conduct the ceremony. Not to take away from what the pros do, but it’s more personal, because it’s just going to be. (But small print, without a rehearsal, ripe for ‘issues’).

Around 20 mins is the norm and at the time of writing this, I have not yet edited the full ceremony video, but that seemed like about the timescale for this one including 3 readings and a couple of songs.

CONFETTI

(“Uncle Bob, will you please remove yourself from the aisle”)

Confetti aisles/walks can be a bit hit & miss for us photographer/videographer types as we rely on the good will and good sense of each and every guest to not actually step out, never mind stand in the centre of the aisle between our cameras and our subjects.

It was a close run thing on this one and I almost had to ask a guest close to me to shout at him (as I never would myself) and your ‘friend’ here is having a designated MC calling the shots such as inviting folks to form the aisle but also to make sure they do not step into it and block the photographer/videographer.

DRINKS & CANAPES

Or drinks and snacks as one person recently referred to it and I guess that’s what canapés technically are, poshed up snacks. Again, courtesy of Chef Matt and his service team lead by Manon.

I have a ton of stuff to get through in this chapter of the day so please please please do not make this to short. Every now and again, a couple will take one of the two words from ‘Cocktail Hour’ too literally. I’d like to see the term changed to ‘Cocktail 2 Hours’ please and depending on the size of your wedding and what’s going on, 2.5 hours works better.

If you need a list of what I have to get through, it’s roughly this:

Candid coverage of guests, drinks and snacks = 30 minutes minimum, under 50 guests, and over 100 guests, 45 minutes is better. Running total; 30-45 minutes.

Drone photo and video = 15 minutes. Unless it’s raining and then we save 15 minutes, but assuming it’s not, running total, 45-60 minutes.

Family groups (6-10 groups, pre-planned with a list and designated gatherers) = 15 minutes (because it’s still like herding cats). Running total = 60-75 minutes.

Couple Session 01 = 15 minutes. Low-key, gentle direction, no peaking out from behind trees or other awkward sh*t, - that’s not my style and I’d never ask or get any couple to do anything that was not normal behaviour'. Running total = 75-90 minutes.

Tablescapes = 15 minutes. Running total 90-105 minutes.

Any set up if there is even a single speech before the starter/entree = 9 minutes. Running total = 99-114 minutes.

Drink 2 litres of water = 1 minute. Running total = 100-115 minutes which converted to hours and minutes = 1 hour 40 to 1 hour 55 minutes. With no contingency such as the ceremony ran over and doing the basics but perhaps not exploring my creativity fully.

My question to every couple that a week or so prior to their wedding, allows 60-90 minutes to this chapter of the day, is “what do you wish me to skip/cut from your coverage?”

No such questions here today.

COUPLE SESSION

I always recommend, if you can, that we plan for a split this into two parts; one during the drinks reception and a second after one of the courses of the meal with timing dependant on speeches and other factors such as sunset. Ideally, we’d compress the entire wedding day into ‘Golden Hour’ when the light is at its most beautiful but the reality is we have to use what we got, when we got it. Planning helps.

Nothing awkward, nothing any different really to a walk in a London Park on a Sunday afternoon…except you are dressed up as these two characters, The Bride and The Groom and have had a few shandies. But as all my couples say after the fact, “actually, you made that so easy for us”. So it should be. I’ve seen and heard what some others get up to…

SPEECHES & FOOD

Cue, MC Conan, AKA ‘The Sheriff’, FOB AKA ‘The Icelandic Horse’ (I didn’t ask), The Groom, The Bride, The Best Man, The MOH, Chef Matt, The Band (can’t say who), Theo and a white telephone. I didn’t ask about the white telephone either but kind of wish I had now.

HIS & HER ‘CAKES’ PLUS A TOWER OF CHEESE

Doesn’t really need any words does it, - it’s a French style of wedding ‘cake’ (arguably more a dessert than a cake and the cheese is more of a cake as that was cut and not just stabbed with a knife).

LA DISCOTHEQUE

Featuring guest DJ sets by:

Disco Potato

DJ TAPS AAAF

SLT&PPR (no vowels rqd)

Tricep

TBA

(More unanswered questions…)

DAY 03 POOL PARTY & BBQ

Il pleut.

OK it didn’t rain 100% of the time, only about 95% of but hey ho, better today than yesterday.

And as they say, rain did not stop play. Cornhole, Giant Connect Four were two such games as was ‘Who Dares Actually Go In The Pool’, initially won by celebrant and brother, Alex.

Sausages etc by Chef Matt.

FIN

And that’s it from me for this wedding. All in all, a great one as expected. Exceptional planning and execution combined with a dream team of suppliers, plus weather that mostly played ball, the first two days anyway.

If you were a guest at this wedding and would like access to the full gallery of images (those above are just my selection of highlights) then please ask Gabby & Luke to provide you with a link.

If you are couple looking for something extra-special in regard to the capture of your wedding, anywhere France, EU or UK, or even further afield, please use the contact form somewhere on this website and ping me your deets.