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Wedding Impending? Congratulations!
You said ‘Yes’ and the champagne has flowed!
The excitement of the engagement still a buzz, now comes the time for big decisions! Large wedding or small? Great Aunt Mary and mum’s friends from university plus 243 other guests? Or a small, intimate gathering of your closest friends and relatives? A big wedding is a blast – the atmosphere great, the food too, and you think you will get a chance to talk to all the people you haven’t seen for ages. In fact, the day passes in a blur and you don’t get the opportunity to talk to half the people you wanted to – photography takes up so much of the day! But it’s still amazing!
But, how about the alternative? Have a great celebration party for all and sundry (or not!) and have an intimate wedding with those closest to you. Choose a truly romantic setting in a French 14th century Priory with the best of French food, wonderful wines, a heated pool, a mediaeval tower with a divine bedroom at the top of the spiral staircase and a candle filled garden with firepits and rugs to sit on round the fire. Rustic with a dash of elegance, English antiques mixed with French chic.
A Wedding Abroad
Choosing to have a wedding abroad can, if you don’t speak the language, be more difficult than you imagined. For the bride and groom, trying to find a florist who gets your taste, the caterer who understands what you want and the hair stylist who can manage ten people and you before two o’clock, as well as finding a wedding photographer who speaks your language and your budget in a different language can be a trial! This is where Paula, your host at Le Prieuré, steps in to help.
Where to start? - The Wedding Ceremony!
A civil ceremony is a must if you plan to have the celebration of your marriage in a country in which you aren’t resident. So the first thing to book is the ceremony in your own country. It’s often considered a formality, just a signing of the papers by couples, perhaps the best man and a bridesmaid as witnesses. The ‘real’ wedding being in the country of your choice. Then comes the fun, deciding where you would like to stay and take those nearest and dearest with you.
A Wedding at Le Prieuré, Pressigny in South West France
We love weddings and wedding planning at The Priory. With years of experience as an event organiser, Paula will act as your wedding planner to make your perfect day.
Accommodation for Wedding Guests
The medieval Priory and Tower will accommodate twenty one between the two houses and there is more accommodation available locally, which we are happy to help you find.
Transport to and from The Priory
Transport by train from Paris is a doddle on the TGV to Poitiers, just an hour and twenty minutes. Flights from Stansted to Poitiers with Ryanair take the same time. And ‘Taxi Frank’ and his wife Audry will transport you in taxi or mini bus to the house in thirty minutes from the airport and slightly longer from the centre of town.
Arrival
The flower filled house awaits your arrival, with four poster beds, half testers, embroidered silk drapes and toile de joue in the different bedrooms. Arrive to afternoon tea in the garden, with fizz from the Loire in antique champagne glasses, on tables dressed with vintage embroidered cloths, beautiful napkins and gorgeous floral china.
Catering for you and your Wedding Guests
Chef Brad, whose credits include working on the Royal Yacht Brittania, at Admiralty House and Buckingham Palace, will cater for you and your guests and provide your culinary desires! He can provide a delicious meal on your first night, on a long candlelit table in front of the house.
He will prepare a wedding breakfast that will be a meal that will remain in everyone’s memories for years. (The Wedding Breakfast is main meal of the wedding day, for those not used to the British terminology!) He will make the wedding cake of your choice – French, English, American, we can help you choose and offer suggestions!
We can cater your entire stay, or just for the main meals – the choice is yours. The atmosphere is wonderful, the staff there to look after you with discretion but with fun. This is, after all, a party!
The Planning
The careful planning that has been undertaken through the many emails and conversations in the proceeding months and the great attention to detail we love to give, will make your wedding day truly memorable.
The gardeners will have been in to ensure the borders are looking their best, the housekeepers have shone everything to perfection, and from the delicious breakfast served in the garden in the morning, to the floral decorations and the table layouts, the rustic chairs and the ‘order of the day’ cards, the welcome signage, the rustic French galvanised bins for keeping the fizz cold, the beer bar for the boys (and girls!), and the bunting in the garden, we do everything possible to make the day your dream come true.
Of course, there are many more things to consider – who will officiate, an official celebrant, or a close friend or member of the family? Where will you say your wedding vows? What will be the order of the day? Would you like a vintage car to bring you into the gates of the Priory, or horses? Would you like a Piper? Would you like entertainment? Paula will help you with all the planning and help make the choices easy!
The Music
Here, we are in a village with elderly neighbours so we have music in the tower garden until 10.30pm. If you would like a dance with a parquet dance floor, we reserve the old barn across the road, lay the dance floor and book the band and you can boogie away until midnight.
The Cost
Within the cost of having a wedding at The Priory, your hostess, Paula, is your wedding planner and will work with you in the months preceding your wedding. She will book all the services you would like, help with menus, and with all the other details you will wish to plan, working to your budget.
You have the use of the chairs and tables, the china, glassware and silverware as well as vintage embroidered linen on the tables. The barn will be booked in case of inclement weather and you will have the use of the parquet dance floor. The cost of having a wedding at Le Prieuré is available upon request, from Paula.
If you would like to find out more about having a wedding at The Priory, please contact Paula at pauladormer@uniquelyfrench.com.
