Sweet Gypsophila And Pretty Hydrangea For A Rustic French Countryside Wedding

Good morning lovely people, I do have a sweet wedding to kick start today, from a very talented photographer and all-round lovely lady – Debs Ivelja.

Debs was chosen to photograph the wedding of Jen and Ben, who tied the knot on 18 August 2012 at Les Côtes d’Armor in Brittany, France, a beautiful rural area where Ben and his family are from. The wedding service was carried out in the Chapelle de Lannéven, a tiny, picturesque chapel and listed building only 30 seconds’ walk from Ben’s family’s dairy farm and the reception was held at the Manoir de la Noë Verte, a gorgeous, discreetly grandiose venue that went well with the rustic elegance aesthetic of the couple's wedding.

Love My Dress Wedding Blog – Photography Copy right (c) 2013, Debs Ivelja

"I grew up in a lovely part of South-West London (near Surrey), which is pretty urban. As soon as Ben took me to visit the wonderful place where he grew up in rural Brittany, I was bowled over by the beauty of the Breton countryside.

You don’t need to add anything to it, the flowers and green spaces speak for themselves and I remember thinking how wonderful it must have been to have lived as a child in this kind of place! I also remember driving past the chapel on that very first visit and thinking to myself 'what an amazing place to get married!!' – haha! – little did I know that seven years later, I would really be getting married there!"

"The natural beauty of the setting inspired us to go for rustic elegance and understated charm wherever possible in our wedding, letting carefully thought-out yet understated details do the talking: old stone chapel and manor, beautiful rural flowers, etc. We even grew our own cosmos for the bouquets on the tables on a section of the farm land! Neither of us like superficial or overtly modern styling, so we wanted to highlight a cottagey type of relaxed, natural beauty. So the inspiration for our day came quite naturally really.

We didn’t have a “theme” as such (people would ask me that quite regularly), just a vision really of how we wanted the day to feel. I wanted all the English guests to get a taste of the place!" 

"I only had one bridesmaid; my best friend Hannah. I wanted to keep it simple and unfussy like the venues, and the chapel was quite small so a big bridal party would’ve looked out of place.  Hannah’s outfit was one she already owned in a beautiful emerald green colour that really suited her (I’d seen her wearing it for a work do!) from Dorothy Perkins a while back. It also had deep V necklines front and back, which matched my dress. I didn’t see the need to buy a specific and different bridesmaid dress and shoes when she already owned something so perfect in green, my favourite colour.

 We did all the flower arrangements ourselves! Intense but worth it! I liked the understated prettiness of the gyp and the rustic field flowers feel of the Cosmos. And that was it!"

"We had a cool car (an old Peugot in a gorgeous sea green colour) that we happened to drive past one day! We’d been having trouble finding an old car in the area we were getting married, so when we saw it, Ben promptly jumped out of the car and left a note on the windscreen!

A couple of phone calls later, and we became Claude, the owners, first ever paying wedding customers! (Claude had used his car for family & friends’ weddings prior to ours)."

"The walled garden full of hydrangeas at our reception venue, the Manoir de la Noë Verte, sold the venue to us both instantly when we visited it for the first time! It was just the right, cosy size! And the lady who runs the venue, Marie-Valérie, is really friendly and super professional!"

 

"We met when I (Jen) came to France on my year abroad in 2005 as part of my degree. I studied French and English at uni, and had to spend the third year in France. I rolled up in Angers (NW France, in the Pays de la Loire region) and met Ben through mutual French friends that I made whilst staying in a French university halls of residence. He was also a student at the time, so we met a few times at various soirées organised by our friends before we finally got together."

"Then ensued quite a few years of long-distance relationships (I went back to the UK to finish my degree, then we lived together for a year in Angers, and then I lived on my own in Paris for 3 years gaining professional experience while Ben finished off his studies and apprenticeship in Brittany). It was a real test of our relationship and commitment to each other, and we finally moved in together again in 2010 when I decided to join him in Brittany.

We bought our first house quickly afterwards, and we completed on it on Ben’s birthday (6 May 2011). Ben proposed whilst standing in our completely empty kitchen as we were standing on the threshold of this new chapter of our lives – it was very romantic and intimate. No champagne or overtly ostentatious gestures. Just him, me, this empty place, and a heartfelt question… it was truly perfect.

We married on 18 August 2012 (so 15 months engagement)."

 

"My dress was designed for me by Tara Deva, a small independent dressmakers in Rennes, Brittany where we currently live (about 2 hrs drive from where we got married).  I had a hard time finding a dress to suit my petite frame. I went to a lot of shops in the UK and France and must’ve tried on at least 40 dresses, but nothing matched what I wanted (V neck, short sleeves, no bling but some elegant lace).

It became pretty depressing as time wore on to be honest! Most of the stuff in the shops was bustier and rhinestones, which I really didn’t want ☹ When we went to the tiny Tara Deva boutique in Rennes and I started talking to Sonia, the girl there, I immediately noticed the difference: she actually had a clear understanding of body shapes, experience as a seamstress, and wasn’t just trying to sell me an off-the-peg dress.

She was also willing to substitute materials if the initial quote was too much, and she was just so smiley and lovely! All their creations are bespoke at very reasonable prices, so after a short discussion and the trying on of 4 different dresses all at once (to get the best bits from each one!) I had a pencil sketch of my dress in one hand, and a big grin on my face! I dress shopped with my mum and auntie, who came over from the UK and our appointment ended in a big group hug, with a tear or two!"

"I wore a pair of plain and simple bridal shoes in ivory.  My lovely mum and dad bought me a stunning pearl drop earring and matching necklace set, which they got from our local independent jewellers but apart from that I didn't wear any other accessories, bar some gypsophilia in my hair to match my bouquet – I wanted it to echo the rustic theme."

"I got the vintage looking suitcase for the cards from TK Maxx and did the letters with DécoPatch myself ☺ I sourced the frames for the wedding photos I displayed (grandparents and parents from both sides) from charity shops and the hydrangeas in the chapel and on the pew ends from the family garden.

To be honest, I didn’t really have to add much in terms of decorating and styling our venue, because the locations were both so beautiful in their own right! I did buy some cream table lamps from next too and a Mr and Mrs sign from our local garden centre, together with the heart in cream-coloured flowers."

 

"Our photographer was Debs Ivelja.  I can’t recommend the lovely Debs highly enough. She has a calming, smiley and gentle disposition that is difficult to explain and that makes you instantly like her – you have to meet her in person to really get it! And as soon as you meet her, you realise that she’s exactly the sort of person you want around on your big day!

The photos are really beautiful, and she captured so many wonderful moments for us! It was absolutely boiling on our big day too (30 degrees I think!) but Debs worked so hard despite the heat! Everyone commented on how amazing she was: discreet yet absolutely everywhere, getting shots from all angles at the same time! Another really brilliant thing about Debs is her flexibility! Organising an international wedding is complicated, and she was really cool about our initial reservation, ready to Skype to discuss things, etc. and provisionally hold the date for me while I worked out the finances!

I really felt like I met a friend in Debs, she seemed so at home when she stayed for the weekend of the wedding in France with our friends and family – and it was just wonderful to know that I didn’t have to fret about the photos in any way, shape or form!"

"I didn’t know anything about Ben’s suit, it was a total surprise! I wasn’t even allowed to know where he bought it from! He organised to go to the exact same designer as me, Tara Deva and coordinated matching waistcoats and ties for himself, my dad and his best man all without my knowledge! It was a lovely surprise to discover it on the day!"

"We had two readings of the same poem, one in English and the other was a translation into French. We worked hard to make our ceremony bilingual in every way, even getting a wonderful bilingual Anglican priest to travel from Dinard to do our ceremony. I work in translation, so it was important to me to translate the reading and include everyone.
 

I chose the poem (initially in English) and adapted it slightly to make it more personal, because it represented a sort of country ideal that both Ben and I share and hope to make reality ☺

Adapted from 'The Future by Emma Salmon;

In the future, I can see Jen and Ben,
In a house with a garden filled with hens.
I see dinner parties surrounded by friends,
And a vegetable patch they love to tend.

I see cosy nights in front of the fire,
And a nice comfy bed for when they feel tired.
I see their kitchen as the heart of their home,
And a Victorian bath brimming with foam.

I see muddy wellies by the front door,
And kids eating cookies and asking for more.
I see nights in the garden out under the stars,
And shelves full of mismatched local jam jars.

I see family picnics outside with a dog,
And a little blue shed containing the logs.
I see them at a window watching the snow,
And reading the papers and learning to grow.

I see pictures of family in quirky frames,
And letters on kids' doors spelling out names.
I see laughter, pain, kisses and tears,
And helping each other confront certain fears.

I see here before us best friends and lovers,
Mutual confidants and significant others.
I see a wonderful future for both of you,
And it's cloaked in love until life’s adieux.'"

"We had a really cool three-piece jazz band (one of the players was a mate of Ben’s brothers) during the cocktail reception held outside before dinner, and they were wicked, creating just the right ambiance.

For the evening, we were advised to have a DJ rather than a live band, because the acoustics (low ceilings) inside the manor house made the latter pretty much impossible (too loud and therefore too tiring). We went with the venue’s recommendation after meeting him, and he did a really brilliant job! It’s not easy catering to two different crowds (French and English), so he did a sterling job cos the dance-floor was packed all night!"

"We used jam jars collected and stuck with lace were the table vases, glass yogurt pots collected and tied with raffia were the candle holders."

"All the food was all provided by the venue – and it was DELISH! True to the French reputation."

Words of Wedded Wisdom…

"I did a wedding mood board using photos I got from blogs and the like – I think it’s pretty much Pinterest, but I didn’t use it (good old PowerPoint was fine for me!) I found that really helped to give my ideas shape and define a vision of how I wanted to style the day.

If people offer help and you need it, take it! People love being involved and it can take some of the stress off of you. And involve the groom – Ben was really efficient at all his jobs!

Get a schedule of what you need to do and when, and cross things off as you progress! Very empowering!

Don’t scrimp on the choice of photographer – those photos will follow you forever and beyond, being passed down to future generations!

I loved all of our wedding!  I was pretty touched by Ben’s heartfelt speech, but I also loved the walking down the aisle moment! I wasn’t nervous in the slightest, just happy to be getting the show on the road and seeing Benji at the other end. It was also VERY cool to have all our cherished family and friends in one place."

Such a lovely laid back celebration – fuss free and relaxed – just how the couple wanted it.

Thank you so much Debs Ivelja for sharing these lovely photographs, and congratulations to you Jen and Ben for your beautiful French celebration. I wish you many years of happy marriage.

I'd love to hear from other readers planning a wedding in France. You can see more weddings in France here.

With much love,

Annabel

Photographer – Debs Ivelja
Venue + catering – The Chapelle de Lannéven + Manoir de la Noë Verte, France
Wedding Dress – Tara Deva
Veil/Headpiece – fresh gypsophila
Bride's accessories – gift from parents
Groom's Attire – Tara Deva
Bridesmaids – Dorothy Perkins
Flowers – The bride and groom
Cake – Sweetiepies Boutique Bakery
Transport – Vintage Peugot
Entertainment – Jazz band
Favours – Chocolates via Bliss Weddings Market