November 10, 2023
One of the most pivotal and exciting elements of planning a destination wedding in France is the selection of THE perfect venue. Today we are telling you more about our French venue find process and the commonalities that tie all the diverse locations we have in our books together.
Selecting a venue is more than just choosing a physical space; it’s about curating an experience. Each venue we have in our books holds a unique charm, yet surprisingly, they all share certain characteristics that we find quintessential to creating the perfect setting for our couples’ weddings in France.
Before we send a venues proposal out, we always have an in depth discussion with each couple to get a good understanding of the type of venue that would suit their style, that will enable them to create the vibe they are after, that suits their budget, and that their guests will talk about for years to come. Each proposal we send is bespoke, but the French wedding venues we select to include into our clients proposals all have a few common traits:
THEY HAVE A SOUL AND NATURAL BEAUTY
France is packed with beautiful venues, but unfortunately some old buildings may have lost many of their original features or charachter, while others may be surrounded by noisy highways or have views spoiled by modern constructions. We pay a lot of attention to the surroundings of the venues we short list for our weddings, and only select properties that have retained their character, that have a story to tell, that have beautiful grounds and gorgeous surrounding nature. These are the ones that will offer your guests the experience of France’s heritage and exceptional natural riches.
THEY ARE WELL LOCATED
As destination wedding guests often have a long journey to get to France, we always prefer to make the journey from the airport to the wedding location as short as possible (especially if we expect the guests to hire a car and drive themselves). Our destination wedding venues are, as much as possible, within 1 hour drive of the nearest aiport.
THEY HAVE THINGS TO DO AND SEE AROUND
Some of your guests, maybe all, may make a little holiday out of travelling for your wedding. Wouldn’t it be great if, aside of your wedding event, they could take that opportunity to discover the country: maybe go to a local market, wander around a pretty village, go to the beach, hire a boat,… So although there are some charming venues in the countryside with just land on the horizon for miles and miles, my suggestion would be to choose a venue with a range of activities around.
THEY ARE WELL MAINTAINED AND MANAGED
This is probably the most important of all. There are some gorgeous chateaux and venues out there that are unfortunately not so well maintained (they may look pretty on pictures but you may get there in the summer and find that the beautiful grass on which you wanted to have your ceremony is all burnt and sad looking), and some that are not well managed (lack of support in the planning, lack of responsiveness, potential mix ups between client requirements…). It is always hard to let a venue go because of such things, but trust me if there is another good option with a similar venue that is well maintained and well managed, that will save you lots of troubles further down the line!
So here goes, the 4 common traits all the wedding venues we shortlist for our demanding clients share.
We hope this was helpful. Should you need support sourcing your perfect wedding venue in France, do get in touch via our contact page!
