A boho wedding in the French vineyards…

 

Back in September, I headed across the pond to the south of France to photograph not one, but two weddings!

Laura and Rowan who own Le Moulin de Chazotte, an incredible venue hidden in the French vineyards, very kindly recommended me to some of their couples who were on the lookout for a wedding photographer. Originally due to take place back in 2020, there was a two year delay for both Samantha & Alain, and Phoebe & Callum due to the dreaded covid. Two years later than planned meant some celebrating was certainly overdue!

I arrived in France on the Thursday night, ready to meet Samantha and Alain the next morning for their engagement shoot. Preparations were well underway, and the venue was just as beautiful as I remember.

Before we knew it the wedding day was finally upon us. Samantha and Alain live in Canada, and most of their family and friends had travelled hundreds, if not thousands of miles to celebrate with them on their wedding day!

Samantha wore an incredibly beautiful boho wedding dress, with dried flowers in her hair. She took everyone’s breath away when she walked down the aisle. Her and Alain had done a secret first look just before the ceremony which was such a gorgeous moment to capture.

The guests were all treated to an array of food stations during the reception, including freshly prepared oysters, dried meats, and plenty of drinks to enjoy in the sunshine!

After a fantastic meal and some brilliant speeches (albeit one was entirely in French so I did my best to laugh in the right places!!), it was surely time to cut the cake? But that’s not the tradition in France! Samantha and Alain instead had an almighty croquembouche which, if you don’t know already, is an enormous tower of profiteroles! And instead of delicately slicing it, as is tradition in the UK, Alain took a full swing at the tower with a huge knife! Or one might even call it a sword! Amazing.

The sun went down over the vineyards, and although it got a little chilly, it meant everyone was up dancing to keep warm! I drove away into the night still listening to the sounds of the party.

As both weddings happened to fall within a week of each other, it meant I had some time in between for a little holiday! Harry and I were staying nearby, and made the most of a few days away in the sun. We had some epic day trips to La Rochelle, Ile de Re, Royan and Cognac. We also enjoyed many, many crepes.

Soon it was time for Phoebe & Callum’s big day, and with all the excitement of the first wedding, it was safe to say I knew this wedding was going to be epic! Stay tuned for part deux!