I heard for the first time yesterday someone complaining about all the sunshine we’ve been enjoying of late. NO! Just no! Remember ‘The Beast From the East’? Remember all that snow – in April?!? Let us be sunny and warm and enjoy it while you ruddy can, I say!
Of course sunshine is a little more guaranteed over in the glorious French countryside that it is here in England – usually anyway – which is partly why Francesca and Michael chose to tie the knot there on 2nd September last year at the incredible subterranean church of Eglise monolithe St Jeans in the Aubeterre-sur-Dronne region of France, followed by a reception at the beautiful Manoir de Longeveau. The couple planned their day with support from Kate Bouyer – of Marry me in France and that charming high-low hem gown was by a designer we love and adore for her commitment to ethical gown production, Sanyukta Shrestha.
“My designer of my dress was Sanyukta Shrestha. The store is called Behuli, it is located in Fulham. I had a bespoke gown made in the end, but the one I tried on that was close to it felt so comfortable and I could just walk around in it carefree. Michael and I had choreographed our first dance, so it was important I was going to have a natural, comfortable fitting fabric so I could move well!”
Images by Photography 34
The couple hired the wonderful Tony of Photography 34 – whose work we have taken great pleasure in sharing a number of time snow on Love My Dress.
“I could not speak more highly of Tony – he captured the day so beautifully. I would highly recommend him to others.”
“We have lots of friends and family, so we knew we wanted to find a place that would fit us all in to stay for a holiday. Good food, good wine & great music have always been part of our lives, so considering these three things were central to our planning. We are really relaxed, fun-loving people, so it was important to find somewhere that would echo this.
The bridesmaids looked absolutely fantastic in their beautiful beaded Needle and Thread gowns and L.K Bennett strappy high heel sandals.
“My first visit to the boutique went so well, I just knew Sanyukta understood exactly what I had in mind and that she would recreate it. I picked out the ‘Camellia’ gown from Behuli by Sanyukta Shrestha.”
“My dress was made from fairtrade- organic fabrics. Knowing I would be an eco-friendly gown just cemented the choice for me, as this was the last place I visited. I have always been very environmentally conscious, so being able to incorporate that into my wedding dress was great!”
The bride wore a pair of L.K.Bennett heels just like her maids.
“I also wore a ‘Felicity’ hat from sanyukta Shrestha. When I saw the hats – I knew it was for me! I love hats and adored the one I chose.”
“I was so pleased we kept it simple with the flowers (we only had calla lilies) – they really complimented the dress, rather from detracted. We used Les Fleurs de l’Or (based in France).”
This gorgeous couple met when they were just 17. I think that just about qualifies them to enter our Childhood Sweethearts category, right?
“We wanted to keep it really relaxed. So Michael just wore shirt, chinos, dicky bow and braces; all from ASOS, they were a real bargain!”
I adore the cute little Citroen 2 CVs that make a regular appearance throughout these images.
“My father accompanied me down the aisle to the sound of Billy Joel’s ‘Always a women to me’, played live on acoustic guitar.”
“We did the legal part in London (you can’t marry in France without a property). My brother, James Brady, did the ceremony. It was so beautiful – he wrote the whole thing himself and I had no idea what he was going to say.”
“We had two readings. One from our friend Conor Daly, who brought a religious aspect to the ceremony (my husband is Christian, but the ceremony was neutral). And Berit Rose, a childhood friend of mine, who adapted a reading to represent myself and Michael – ‘Love me when I’m old’.”
“My engagement ring was my Grandma’s and our wedding bands were from a jewellers in Knutsford called Midas.”
“The speeches! They are always my favourite part of any wedding. It’s so lovely to hear people’s heart-felt or funny stories about the bride and groom. It was also especially important for me to get up and talk about my grandma, who passed away a few years ago.”
The mother of the groom made the cake – no mean feat when you’re hundreds of miles from home!
“We choreographed our own dance to Hall and Oats ‘You make my dreams come true’. We just love to be the life and soul of a party, so it felt right to do something upbeat and fun!”
Words of Wedded Wisdom
“It’s your day, plan it your way! Everyone will have an opinion, but ultimately it’s your special day, so plan the wedding of your dreams! Also, involve friends and family as much as possible. Everyone loves to help and feel like they have been part of your big day.”
“And let’s just say, we definitely went over our wedding budget! We agreed that for every thing that took us over, we thought “what the hell”, we only do this once! No regrets!
What a fantastic day! You can see more ethical bridalwear from Sanyukta Shrestha here on Love My Dress – and you can enjoy more beautiful images from Tony at Photography34 here.
Love Annabel xx
Credits & Thanks
- Photographer - Photography 34
- Planner/Stylist/flowers - Marry me in France
- Venue - The subterranean church of Eglise monolithe St Jeans + Manoir de Longeveau
- Dress + Veil - Sanyukta Shrestha
- Shoes - L.K Bennett
- Groom - ASOS
- Bridesmaids - Needle and Thread + L.K Bennett shoes
- Transport - Citroen 2CV
- Catering Company - Chez Amis
- Entertainment - A jazz tiro hired via The Morris agency
- Rings - Midas
- Stationery - family friend
Annabel View all Annabel's articles
Founder of Love My Dress. Passionate Podcaster and Editor. Annabel lives in rural North Yorkshire with her husband and business partner Philip, their two daughters and menagerie of furry hounds. She loves photography, meditation, walking, being outdoors and star gazing. She is fierce when it comes to championing talent within the wedding industry and when she's not working on Love My Dress, she supports her husband Philip in the running of the family's sustainable flower farm and floral design business, Moonwind Flowers. In 2013, she became a published author.
