Our beautiful bride Cécile tells us stories about her beautiful wedding: how she met her husband, their story...

"We're both from Perpignan, although we left our region for work. It was unthinkable for us to get married somewhere else. So we planned our wedding from a distance for 2 years, and thanks to our parents on the spot, we managed to pull it off!"

Photo credit: Nicolas Giganto

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The meeting

"We met at a mutual friend's house; he was my best friend's older brother's best friend. A week after we exchanged numbers, he asked me to go water-skiing. I said yes (a little reluctantly, because it really wasn't my thing). It was a real ordeal, I couldn't stay on my board, so after half an hour I'd had enough and swam back to the pontoon where I could get out of the water. He was waiting for me there, held out his hand and in a very fluid movement we kissed."

"As for the request, he waited 6 years to make it. We were on vacation in San Francisco, we came back from a very tiring day exploring the city and he told me we could go for a picnic on the beach, overlooking the Pacific. I was really exhausted, so I told him I didn't really feel like it, given the day we'd had. But he insisted that we should at least go for a meal. I ended up choosing a restaurant and when he said I could maybe dress up a bit (to go out) I told him he wasn't going to propose that night (killjoy all the way)... And I was wrong, at dessert time, on a rooftop terrace overlooking San Francisco, he proposed... And I said yes (of course I regretted being a bit grumpy and not helping him with whatever he was proposing). "

Location and inspiration

Location:

"We had our wedding ceremony and reception at Château Las Collas in Thuir. It's a room full of character, in the middle of vineyards, with a view of the Canigou and a beautiful tree outside in front of which we had the ceremony."

Their wedding inspirations:

"In terms of wedding inspiration, we wanted quite soft colors, in pastel tones. I spent a lot of time on Pinterest and I had my eye on vases in turquoise/tiffany blue with powder pink flowers as centerpieces. My florist was very helpful and managed to come up with exactly what I was looking for. We then bought lanterns and decorations in our colors on the internet, and made the rest (including the hearts on stakes to put in the aisle for the secular ceremony)."

Their most vivid memory:

 "What stood out for us at the wedding was the general atmosphere. We'd brought together all the people we love, and they showed us that they loved us too, with lots of surprises. Our parents had contacted all the guests behind our backs to get everyone at the town hall to start singing "Tout l'amour que j'ai pour toi" (much to the mayor's dismay). It was magical. Our secular ceremony was the highlight; my dad and his friend organized it and it was just perfect!"

bridal shoes advice
bridal shoes advice

Dress and shoes

Outfit: 

As for the outfit, I hesitated for a long time but ended up taking two dresses: a short one for the town hall and a long one for the secular ceremony. Surprise guaranteed!

Shoes:

For the shoes, I didn't need to go through the creative process. I was going to do it, but the outlet of your site contained the pair of my dreams, these fully sequined pumps with a 12cm heel and in my size! I was a little afraid of the heel height at first, but with a little practice I had no problem, and they're really very comfortable, I can't recommend them enough!"

bridal shoes advice
bridal shoes advice
bridal shoes advice

Cécile's advice:

"You have to be well surrounded and dare to delegate a few tasks (even if it's hard and you want to control everything). Service providers are also very important, so don't hesitate to get the facts before signing a contract, and look for reviews from brides and grooms who have used them."

And last but not least, her favourite suppliers are :

Nicolas Gigantophotographer in Céret. The guests couldn't stop talking about him, because he has an exceptional human touch and makes people feel at ease, and what's more, his photos are superb.

The florist who went out of her way to find the colors we wanted is Sisters Flowers in Ille sur Têt. She knows how to get into the bride and groom's heads and is full of great ideas.

For the catering we took " La Deveze" . They are a family-run business, very attentive to the needs of the bride and groom, and made our wedding meal a real feast.

bridal shoes advice