THE WEDDING OF CAROLINE & ARNAUD

The meeting

We're from the same village, and knew each other from school, youth work, the patro, etc. We got together quite naturally in 2009.

On his 30th birthday in 2019, he proposed to me on a trip to Portugal!

With COVID, a lot of changes have taken place, but we've had two great days, the civil wedding in 2020 and the big party in 2022!

Photo credit: Yannick Hardy.

Venues and atmospheres for their weddings

2020 : We had our civil wedding at the town hall in Clermont (one of the most beautiful villages in Wallonia). Afterwards, we entertained our nearest and dearest at a local restaurant we particularly like - L'atelier 42.

2022: We fell in love with Château de Berlieren (a fortified farmhouse in the style of our region). The owners are adorable and we had carte blanche for the decoration and layout.

The most vivid memory of their beautiful day: "rWe wanted to bring together our two large families and our friends, and enjoy a day that was just like us!

Wedding inspirations

I'm a seamstress, and quite creative, so I already had a clear idea of what I wanted the mood of our wedding to be. I researched and prepared a large part of the decor from 2019. I wanted to prepare as much as possible myself and be able to choose all the details.

Anything I could do myself, I did. We rented a few items (tables, benches and a few black chairs) at the last minute from Options. The frames came from Cotton Bird France. I was very happy with my choices!

About the dress:

During a fitting of a destocking model (I wanted to make my own dress, but it's easier to see yourself in the models to make up your mind ;)), I had a soft spot for a dress whose model was far from what I was originally looking for.

The size was perfect; there was a stain on the train but it went away in the cleaning, I only had to touch up the length, I figured it was there for me. It's the one I wore in 2020.

For 2022, I still wanted to make my own outfit; I wanted something more special and more me. I opted for a 3-piece ensemble, pants - crop top - long jacket.

I selected the fabrics I liked, sewed them and offered the bow ties to our entire suite!

Choosing your wedding shoes

I'm indecisive by nature!

So being able to choose EVERYTHING was very difficult for me. From Belgium, I had no choice but to order online. a video appointment for personal advice and I've taken the plunge, everything is always very well explained 😉 !

I wanted a comfortable heel that wasn't too high, but still!

Thanks to the two weddings, my husband gave me two pairs of shoes 😉 ! Both of them SaloméOne is a closed platform with a chunky heel, the other is a classic criss-cross with a chunky heel! The colors were chosen with the season in mind.

I was enchanted by both, and I've been putting them off ever since.

Caroline's advice:

1. Take the time to choose your priorities from the outset ! Book what's most important to you first! The date wasn't (too) important to us. And with the COVID postponements, my aim was to keep ALL the suppliers we'd originally chosen; we chose an off-season date (February) and were lucky enough to be able to trust them despite our busy schedules.

2. Choose a theme and stick to it. Prepare a pinterest board (for example), see if all the ideas work together and stay focused. Everything is so possible these days that it's hard not to get lost!

3. Find trusted service providersIt makes life easier!

Above all: accept that on the big day, things may not go according to plan. It's normal, between the tight schedules, the surprises, the little incidents, you have to be able to adapt and let go! Still, it'll be great to enjoy your day to the full!