Tell us a little about yourselves!
I’m a model in Los Angeles, and my husband is a creative director for a menswear brand. We live in San Clemente in Orange County, CA and have been together for 5 years.
Why did you decide to get married where you did?
Growing up, my husband and I imagined a giant wedding for ourselves with 200+ guests at some immense venue, but that dream became less attractive to us as we got older. At 30, my daydreams played images of a tucked away, cozy wedding with the people that mattered most to me somewhere far, far away. My grandmother was French, and I spent a lot of time in France over the years; I appreciated the cyclical gesture of returning for my wedding.
How many guests did you have?
We had 34.
What was your budget?
We didn’t really have a budget - we spent around 10K for the venue for the week, another 8-10K on catering and food for the week, probably another 10K on misc items/travel costs/clothing/dress/veil/car rentals/alcohol/guest gifts/venue classes/etc!
Tell us about your outfits.
I found my Office Seven Shop dress by chance on Etsy from a designer in Ukraine. The cost of the dress at the time was a little under $300 (for a fully handmade dress), so I was definitely wary about what would show up in the mail. Two months later, I received the most well-crafted and constructed dress I’d ever seen. Her talent is unbelievable. I never looked at another dress.
Originally, I didn’t want a veil – I couldn’t find one that seemed to match the style of my dress as it was kind of giving a 'French Chamber Maid' vibe haha. When I found the one from Kamperett via Pinterest, I couldn’t picture my dress without it. I got these very sweet ballet flats to go with the outfit, but my husband and I ended up barefoot 5 minutes in anyway.
Eli wanted a simple linen white suit and I truly don’t think he or I could elaborate much more on that, hahaha!
What was the most important aspect for you, in terms of planning your wedding?
The most important aspect was finding a venue where our guests could enjoy a slow and simple week far away from the rest of the world. It felt like we were all living in a micro-universe with no TV’s and the world’s worst Wi-Fi. We all took cooking classes, did wine tastings, swam, walked around with geese and chickens and peacocks, and went horseback riding through the countryside. We would stay up well past 2 AM every morning dancing or chatting with music blaring outside because there were simply no neighbors around to wake up. I wanted our guests to enjoy that freedom for a week and take home some very unique memories.
Were there any elements that were important for you to incorporate?
My mom and I love antiquing so we really enjoyed bringing in vintage elements. We vacuum-packed around 10 antique lace tablecloths and we used these beautiful french postcards from the 20’s-40’s to make the place cards for our guests.
Any tips for couples getting married?
My sister had good advice for us – on your wedding day (or wedding week), stop planning, stop fixing, stop fixating on details, and stop over-analyzing. You’ve done all you can do to throw a great party. Make peace with what doesn’t go right or turn out the way you pictured in your head, and just melt and enjoy the fruits of your labor!
Are there any vendors that you would like to tell us a little more about?
My florist La Plume Fleur was like a fever dream I had – I don’t know how we ended up with such an incredible artist. I picked the first name I saw on Google and emailed her. She set up everything in the pouring rain (it rained all morning) and provided way more than we had even asked for.
My photographer, Carlos Ferreira, had been my dream wedding photographer for years but I knew it wouldn’t work out as I assumed I would get married in the US and couldn’t afford to fly a photographer out from Spain. When France became a reality, I basically booked my venue around his schedule! His documentary style of capturing moments was all I’d ever wanted. You can put your mind back into a moment, but you can never fully put yourself back into it, but his photos have gotten me extremely close.
Photographer : Carlos Ferreira @nousnousphoto | Ceremony + Location : Château de Bouthonvilliers @chateaubouthonvilliers | Flora : La Plume Fleur @laplumefleurparis | Catering + Beverages : Château de Bouthonvilliers @chateaubouthonvilliers | Stationery : AEC Creative Co @aeccreativeco | Envelopes : Margaux Paperie @margauxpaperie | Calligraphy : Sarah Joy Scribe @sarahjoyscribe | Stamps : Flourish Fine Writing @flourishfinewriting | Wax Seals : La Pomme Et La Pipe Press @lapommeetlapipe | Hair : Extensions from Rhue @rhuehairextensions | Place Cards : by the Bride from antique French postcards | Wedding Dress : Office Seven Shop @office.seven | Suit : Wax London @waxlondonclothing | Engagement Ring : East West Gem Co. @eastwestgemco | Wedding Rings : Antiques | Shoes : Vintage Park Shoes @vintageparkshoes | Hair Bow : Kamperett @kamperett
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