I’ve postponed my wedding due to Covid-19 – now what?

Our hearts go out to all of the couples who have made the decision to postpone their destination wedding in France because of Covid-19. Many couples have the weight of changing their date, and all of the work that represents, solely on their shoulders. This can add to the stress of an already stressful situation!

You might not have thought about having a full-service wedding planner as part of your vendor team because you planned to do much of the work yourself, and perhaps for budgetary reasons. It’s true that we’re best known for our Full Wedding Planning services, however we do offer a variety of Partial Planning services depending on your needs. We also are happy to announce a new offer, in response to the couples who have had to postpone their date.

Here’s a quick recap of our Partial Wedding Planning services:

Planning Support
Hourly packages (1/3/5 hours) which provides access our expertise in wedding planning. We discuss your planning concerns and offer best practices and vendor recommendations. Our hourly planning support can also be used to conduct research, request and review quotes and manage vendor communication. From 300€ per hour.

Month-of Coordination
This service starts 30 days out from your wedding date and allows you to hand off the project to an experienced coordinator. We review the schedule of the day – or help you create one – and double check all of the vendors and services that have been booked. On the wedding day, a team of coordinators will be on site to oversee that all goes according to plan, freeing you up to be fully present with your friends and family. From 3500€.

New! Postponed Wedding Support
This service is for any couple who has postponed to a later date, whether it’s a Fall 2020 wedding or a 2021 wedding. We provide support and guidance as you update your vendors due to the date change, help put into place any vendors not yet contracted or find replacements for any who are not available on the new date, set the logistics plan and orchestrate the on-site coordination so you can fully enjoy your day. Contact us for more information!

How to plan a wedding in the uncertain times of Covid-19

Many countries around the world are more than a month into confinement, and it seems that it’s having the desired effect of flattening the curve. We can be cautiously optimistic but the reality is that it will still be a little while before things are “back to normal”.

We’re still facing a lot of uncertainty, but couples who make it through confinement are coming out even stronger. And if the trend we’re seeing in China holds true for the rest of the world, 2021 is shaping up to be a particularly busy year for weddings.

We’ve shared some advice on postponing your wedding and while some couples have opted to shift their date to later in 2020 or even 2021, there are still some couples who are holding out hope that they will be able to maintain their late summer wedding as planned.

We wanted to share some additional advice on planning your wedding amidst the ongoing crisis. Our recommendations come from having 14 years of wedding planning to our credit, but since every situation is unique, only you can know the right decision for your celebration.

Holding out hope for a 2020 wedding

We completely understand if you’re holding out hope for your original 2020 date. Many countries are expecting encouraging news in May, which will give more visibility on when businesses will be able to open to the public, and when international travel will be allowed.

The advice we’re giving to couples in this situation is to set a deadline of at least 2 months out in order to give yourself (and your planner) enough time to get the rest of the planning finalized, and your guests enough time to arrange their travel.

Postponing to a 2021 wedding

If you’ve made the decision to postpone your wedding to 2021, you’ve likely already made a majority of the design and vendor decisions. Most vendors are applying deposits to the new date and are not charging change fees. However, if you’ve already set the design but decide to go in a completely new direction, there may be a cost for the extra work. Along with shoring up the new date with your previously booked venue and vendors, you’ll also want to get any other remaining vendors secured for the new date.

Planning for a 2021 wedding

The majority of our postponed weddings are being shifted to 2021, mostly into May and June. So if you have your heart set on a weekend wedding in Spring/Summer 2021, we encourage you to get the planning started as soon as possible.

The first step of planning your wedding is getting the venue and date set. With the expected swell of couples for 2021 and the current international travel restrictions, we’re encouraging couples to think a bit differently about venue search and selection. In-person visits may not be possible in the immediate term, so consider doing a virtual/video tour with your top picks to get a feel for the spaces before booking.

If planning site visits is an essential part of your wedding planning experience, this will likely push your decision date out. In order to increase your chances of booking in your preferred month we recommend considering a weekday wedding. As celebrated event designer David Beahm noted in a recent Harper’s Bazaar article, “Perhaps Wednesday weddings are going to be the new thing for a while, and there’s nothing wrong with that.”

Weekend, Wednesday or any other day of the week, we offer different levels of support depending on your planning needs. We would love to hear about your vision for your day and see how we can help with your plans!

 

Clouds and Romance Inspiration Shoot at Château de Vaux le Vicomte

Vaux-le-Vicomte is a XVIIth century château built by the architect of Louis the XIV, Louis Le Vau, with traditional French gardens designed by André Le Nôtre and interiors by Charles Le Brun. It was built for Louis XIV’s finance minister, Nicolas Fouquet and served as a model for the Château de Versailles. The main ballroom, as wide as it is high (18m or 60 feet high), is a unique oval shape, with a black and white tiled floor and a painting on the ceiling that depicts a beautiful blue sky with white clouds.

With all these elements together in a room, our inspiration was quickly found. Madame Artisan Fleuriste worked with a base of astilbes to create a textured romantic cloud, into which she incorporated roses in varying shades of pink. The floral arrangement was set atop modern see-through gold stands, as if it were floating above the table.

We layered different fabrics, mixing the colors and the texture of the linens to recreate the complexity of the sky painted above. Texture and color continued in the tableware selection, with scallopped charger plates and smoky blue cutlery for contrast. Gold accents kept the design elevated and château-worthy, and dashes of dark burgundy in the florals added a special dramatic touch. We brought in black and white medallion chairs and tall black taper candles to tie in the gorgeous flooring.

We used the same accent colors for the invitation suite: Crimson Letters pulled in a black envelope to contrast with her beautiful handtorn white paper inside. She drew gold leaf motifs and added strokes of light pink watercolor in the same shade as our roses.

Type A Society brought their A-game for the bridal styling. The most fashion-forward of the looks was a Said Kobeissy gown. The dress was the perfect mix of modern fashion and romance: the intricate design of flowers and sparkle fit so well with the ballgown skirt on top. The second look, by Chana Marelus, was beautiful and ethereal; our model bride looked like she could fly away with the light breeze coming through the château’s French windows. The third look, also by Chana Marelus, was a sparkly gown that reflected the light beautifully with a train worthy of a princess.

The talented Harold James ensured that our models were looking fresh and cool, despite the record-breaking heat wave.

 

Vendors :

Styling & Production: Fête in France & Fête Event Planning | Photo & Video: Mon Soleil (Marissa & Devin) | Hair & Makeup: Harold James | Venue: Vaux-le-Vicomte & @valerielafourcade_vlvevents | Wardrobe stylist: Type A Society | Florals: Madame Artisan Fleuriste | Rentals & tableware: Maison Options | Table linen: Nuage Designs | Table runner : Daucus Tinctura  | Paper goods : Crimson Letters | Tableware – bread plates: Canigueral Mesas con Esencia | Macarons: Ladurée | Ring boxes: Voeu du Cœur | Models: Lynn & Fred Via Mademoiselle Agency | Dresses 1: Said Kobeissy | Dress 2 & 3: Chana Marelus

 

          

Should I postpone my wedding? Your wedding and the COVID-19 emergency

Updated on April 14, 2020

Greetings from (continued) confinement in France! I am riding out the lockdown in the countryside of Brittany, grateful to be in a house with a lawn as opposed to my Parisian apartment.

We’re going through a scary and uncertain time and there’s unfortunately very little we can control right now, but there is a lot of information we can gather to arm ourselves as best possible once the situation gets a bit clearer.

The news cycle is spinning so fast that it’s not easy to make heads or tails of what to do. At this point we’re looking at each of our upcoming weddings and evaluating on a case-by-case basis. We’re here providing support to all of our couples, collecting as much information as we can and updating as the situation changes.

If you’ve been planning your own wedding and have been in direct contact with your vendors, I wanted to share some advice on how we’ve gone about things:

1. Review your venue and vendor’s postponement and force majeure policy as stated in their contract. Review your wedding insurance policy (if you have one). *It’s not entirely clear on how insurers are viewing the pandemic, and it may not fall under force majeure, so it’s always best to contact them directly to clarify.

2. Reach out to your venue and vendors to understand what adjustments are being made to their policy in light of the COVID-19 emergency. If you have a wedding planner, they are here to help facilitate these discussions. Here at Fête in France, our standard contract has a penalty clause in the event of a change in date or venue, however given the extraordinary circumstances we are waiving any change fees.

Once you’ve collected the above information:

3. If your wedding is between now and early July, you are likely in decision-making mode vs. wait-and-see mode. Time is of the essence, especially if any guests will be travelling, so you may choose to send out communication to your guests without yet having a date rescheduled. That said, if at all possible, have your new date set before communicating with guests – it will save you a step down the line and will be appreciated by any guests who need to rebook travel!

4. If your wedding is in mid-July or later, we recommend waiting until mid-May to understand how the situation evolves and reassessing then. If you still feel strongly about postponing, the same advice applies: if possible have your new date set before communicating with guests.

We know this is a stressful moment and it can be difficult to keep emotions at bay. The people surrounding you – your fiancé(e), your wedding party, your family and your key wedding vendors – are here to support you and guide you, and can’t wait to be part of your wedding, whenever it may be.

What wedding planning services do you need?

If you’re in the beginning stages of research for your wedding, you may be wondering what wedding planning services you need. Here at Fête in France we break out our services into two categories: Full Planning services and Partial Planning services.

Full Planning services

Are you looking for an experienced professional to help you navigate the entire wedding planning process, from start to finish? Then Full Planning services are for you. These services generally include venue search and booking assistance, but may also start after your venue and date have been set.

With Full Planning services, you benefit from our expert insight from day 1 to the big day. Our Full Planning services allow you to be the executive decision maker, ensuring that the wedding is a true reflection of who you are as a couple, and our role is to project manage, keeping an eye on timelines, budgets and the overall cohesiveness of the events.

We break out Full Planning services into three phases: Design, Planning & Vendor Management, Event Coordination

We start the Design phase by discussing in detail the ambiance and atmosphere you’d like to create for your day. We also review any inspiration images you have already collected, and add additional ideas to round out the initial design. We rely not only on your wedding inspiration images, but also your interests and hobbies, family heritage, and any other element to make the event as personal as possible. We also discuss the flow of the day, to ensure that your experience on the day is as seamless as possible.

Once the design direction has been set, we shift into the Planning & Vendor Management phase. In addition to providing general advice and best practices, an important part our role is to streamline the time-consuming tasks of research and vendor communication. We offer curated suggestions based on the design direction and conduct all additional research needed to unearth the hidden gems to make your wedding a memorable experience.

The final phase is Event Coordination which means that we’ve made it to the big day! Our team of coordinators are on site to oversee vendor deliveries and setup, and ensure that all goes according to our carefully constructed logistics plan. Having a well-thought-out schedule is one of Fête in France’s strengths, and clients and vendors alike appreciate how on point our timings are. A solid and well-communicated plan is also essential because the more you plan for upstream, the more space it creates to tackle the inevitable unforseen situations that pop up during an event.

Partial Planning services

Not all couples need or have the budget for Full Planning services, so we also offer a selection of Partial Planning services. Below are a few of our most popular Partial Planning offers:

Venue Search: Accompany you through the venue search and selection process, including a scouting trip of 2-3 days to visit short-listed venues.

Planning Support: Hourly packages (1/3/5 hours) which provides access our expertise in wedding planning. We discuss your planning concerns and offer best practices and vendor recommendations. Our hourly planning support can also be used to conduct research, request and review quotes and manage vendor communication.

Month-of Coordination: This service starts 30 days out from your wedding date and allows you to hand off the project to an experienced coordinator. We review the schedule of the day – or help you create one – and double check all of the vendors and services that have been booked. On the wedding day, a team of coordinators will be on site to oversee that all goes according to plan, freeing you up to be fully present with your friends and family.

What planning services do you need?

Contact us for an initial consultation to tell us about your vision for your day!

Springtime Intimate Wedding in Paris

We love organizing beautiful weddings in Paris! Last May, we welcomed M & J and their guests for some fun intimate festivities in the French capital. The bride knew right away that she wanted to get married in this classic Parisian mansion. The ceremony took place in the back garden, showcasing an opulent flower arch. The overall decor was a blend of romantic pinks and gold, and modern touches, with black and white accents that we used in the signage, tableware and favors (luggage tags!). The dinner was in a big ballroom with traditional gold moldings on the wall and romantic lighting.

Guests transitioned from the dinner to dancing with sparklers, and were surprised to arrive in vaulted cellars for dancing. The wedding cake was a Ladurée macaroon tower displayed in a gradient of pinks.

Before the wedding, the couple went on a portrait  session with Audrey from Le Secret d’Audrey  for some breathtaking photos in the city.

Planning & design: @feteinfrance / Flowers:  @floraisonparis / Venue: @maisondespolytechniciens / Photographer: @audreyparisphoto / Videographer: @zenfilworks / Bride’s hair and makeup: @missmai / Bridesmaids’ hair and makeup: Bonnie Chou / Macaroon tower: @maisonladuree / Rentals : @maison_options

 

Haute Couture Destination Wedding in Paris: The Rehearsal Dinner


The Friday evening was a rehearsal dinner at the upscale brasserie, Monsieur Bleu, privatized by the groom and his family for the occasion. 

Given the name of the restaurant guests were asked to come dressed with a touch of blue.  The restaurant has a fabulous location just across the Seine from the Eiffel Tower so we integrated the tower motif into the decor like this custom-made seating chart and personalized menus.


Of course, fashion also played an integral part in the evening with both the bride and groom in their best midnight blue.

The bride sparkled in a fabulous Prada skirt with a fun ponytail styled by Harold James.

The song I, I Follow by Lykke Li is special to the couple and is the song they had chosen for first dance at the wedding reception. However, as a surprise for the bride, we helped the groom create a custom neon sign with the lyrics which we placed over the mantle as the focal point of the evening.

Guests were welcomed on the terrace with champagne & canapés via a blue carpet (of course!)

For dinner guests were treated to a gourmet meal and many toasts by friends and family.

Next post will cover the actual wedding day and what a celebration that was!

Photography: @clairemorrisphotography | Styling and Planning: @feteinfrance & @fete_event_planning | Cinematography: @zenfilmworks | Bridal Hair & Makeup: @haroldjamesparis | Florist: @soly.flor  | Reception Venue: @hotelsalomonderothschild | Bride attire: @prada | Headpiece: @prada  | Paper goods & Calligraphy: @studiofrenchblue & @studiopression | Customized signs: @maison_options | Venue & Catering: @monsieur_bleu

Haute Couture Destination Wedding in Paris: Part 1

This past April we had the pleasure to organize a fabulous fashion-infused destination wedding weekend in Paris.

The couple & their closest friends and family settled into the warm and welcoming accommodations at Le Crillon which became the gathering point for the wedding preparations & festivities throughout the 3 days of events.

Photography is a passion of the bride so on the first evening the couple scheduled a photo shoot around the city of Paris prior to their welcome event with the talented team of Claire Morris Photography & Zen Filmworks.  The bride absolutely sparkled in her Oscar de la Renta top and skirt.

The welcome event was a cocktail party hosted on a private yacht where guests all came dressed with a touch of sparkle.

The fashion-theme started that evening not only with the guests attire but also with the fashion illustrator that sketched guests as they cruised the Seine.

 

Stay tuned for more high fashion from the reahearsal dinner events in our next post!

Photography: @clairemorrisphotography | Styling and Planning: @feteinfrance & @fete_event_planning | Cinematography: @zenfilmworks | Bridal Hair & Makeup: @haroldjamesparis | Florist: @madameartisanfleuriste | Getting Ready Venue: @rwcrillon | Reception Venue: @hotelsalomonderothschild | Bridal gown: @reemacrawedding | Headpiece: @prada | Shoes: @renecaovilla | Paper goods & Calligraphy: @studiofrenchblue | Rentals: @maison_options | Catering: @kaspia_receptions | Bridesmaid HMU: @trinejuel  @laurebaruch @bonniechou110 | Band: @inspirationlivemusic |

A lavish French château wedding

We love to flex our creative muscles and collaborate with other wedding professionals from time to time. When the opportunity came up to design an editorial shoot at the beautiful Château de Villette we jumped at the chance. This spectacular property, nicknamed Le Petit Versailles, is located a short drive from Paris. It’s a château we have long-admired for its perfectly symmetrical 17th century proportions, stately décor, and formal jardin à la française designed by André Le Nôtre, the same landscape architect responsible for the gardens at Versailles.

With the talented team of the Komans behind the photo and video lenses we had our departure point for the shoot!

The interiors of the château are as impressive as you’d expect, but we decided to use the orangerie which had beautiful light during the day and offered a neutral canvas for our table set up. The orangerie was full of lemon trees being stored for the winter and those deep green leaves and citrus colors ultimately inspired our design.

With a backdrop of the clean stone we wanted to infuse a pop of color and warmer texture so we had a velvet tablecloth custom made of the event in a dark green to set off the soft citrus hues of yellows, oranges and pinks artfully arranged by Floraison. With then accented the table with fresh white linen napkins, blue Porto plates, and green and blue glassware provided by Maison Options. In lieu of traditional paper the talented Joy of Studio French Blue personalized alabaster coasters in gold calligraphy at each place setting.

Sweet Creations Cakes integrated the emerald green perfectly into the cake design with a stunning modern geode design.

Fresh colors were peppered throughout the design and we had fun styling all the brightly-hued ring boxes from Voeu du Coeur, the green stationery by Studio French and the accessories by Lindsay Marie Design.

We hope you enjoy this little tour of our emerald-hued fête recently featured on the Front Page of Style Me Pretty!

Photography and Cinematography: @thekomans | Styling and Planning: @feteinfrance | Hair & Makeup: @avabelleluxury | Florist: @floraisonparis | Venue: @chateau_de_villette | Bridal shop for Inbal Dror dress: @metal_flaque | Long-sleeve dress: @inbaldror | Paper goods & Calligraphy: @studiofrenchblue | Rentals: @maison_options | Ring boxes: @voeu_du_coeur | Cake: @sweet_creations_cakes | Scans: @richardphotolab | Accessories: @lindsaymariedesign | Dress: @galialahav | Dress: @musat.official

Chateau de Villette, France from Koman Studio on Vimeo.

Wedluxe Trend Report Cover Feature

Doing an inspiration shoot in the desert was a major departure for us. Our regular scene is elegant Parisian mansions and romantic French châteaux! The launch of our satellite office in Dubai and sister brand Fête Event Planning was the perfect excuse to do something different. So we dove right in and explored new colors, textures, and ambiances. We were delighted when news came that the inspiration shoot would appear on Wedluxe. But we were over the moon when we discovered that the feature was the front cover of the Wedluxe Global Trend Report!

The main sources of inspiration was the intricate motif of the Iranian Mosque in Dubai. The gorgeous palette of colors was the perfect spark to get our creative minds working.

The paper goods elements were original creations by Studio French Blue. The unique calligraphy style used a back-leaning slant to mimic arabic script.

We created a cosy seating area by framing the space with bougainvillea plants. The woven rug and cushions in tones of blue anchored the setup. Accents in brass and orange gave a bit of pop and shine.

Dubai has incredible resources when it comes to having things custom made. We decided to design a dress that would be flowy and beautiful in the desert breeze.

Thank you to the incredible team of creative partners who helped bring the vision to life!

Event Design: Fête in France | Photography: Ken Tan | Florals: Florette | Hair stylist: Merita Orrensuo | Makeup artist: Lina Molsa | Paper goods & Calligraphy: Studio French Blue | Rentals: Mint Event Rentals | Model: Bareface | Crown headpiece: Dorramarra | Gown: Anne Mulvihill