Getting married in Provence rhythms with romance, laid-back open-air celebrations, cold rosé wine, and loud ksksks cicada songs.
Weddings in Provence distinguish with their thoughtful simplicity and almost effortless elegance. If you are looking for chic and glamour, it is better to head to Paris or Cote d’Azur, because Provence is made for more casual and relaxed weddings.
Best season to get married in Provence
Summers are typically very hot here, this is why the ideal period for a wedding in Provence is May, June, and September.
When you plan your wedding in Provence, instead of having a B plan in case of the rain, you should anticipate a mistral, a very strong Provencal wind that can easily ruin your décor and make dining outdoors impossible.
Transportation
The absolute majority of Provencal wedding venues are impossible to access without a private vehicle. It is hence absolutely essential for you to organise transportation for your guests.
It is crucial to book transportation to get to the venue and back to their hotel or nearest b&b because it is highly unlikely you will find any uber or taxi in Provence. If you can provide accommodation to all your guests, it is even better, but it is not always possible, especially, if you have a medium to long guest list.
Depending on where your guests are traveling from, they are likely to arrive to Marseille or Nice, this is why it is strongly recommended to select a venue that would be no longer than 1 hour-1h30 driving distance away from these cities. There are very few direct international flights to Marseille or Nice (the majority stopover in Paris). Sometimes, it makes sense to advise your guests to take a train from Paris, instead of taking a flight.
Most of the time, they would want to visit Paris anyway, and in that case, you might choose a venue that is located further from the airport. The decision should be made based on the guest number, the guest provenance, and the duration of the event.
Wedding weekend in Provence
Planning a wedding weekend in Provence might seem to be a great idea (and it is), but there are several points to be taken into consideration.
First, you need to anticipate accommodation and catering for the whole duration of your stay. You will need to serve your guests pre-wedding dinner, breakfast, lunch, wedding dinner, and the day-after brunch, and maybe even dinner, if you decide to have a full 3-day event. Very quickly you come with very important figures, especially if your venue has an exclusive catering company on-site.
To save costs a little bit you can ask your bridal party to take care of the pre-wedding barbeque and the day after breakfast. If they have all the necessary tools to do it, I am sure they will be pleased to help you.
Alternatively, pick a venue with affordable or non-exclusive catering to get the best deal.
It is also crucial to anticipate how will you entertain your guest during your stay. For bigger crowds, I’d recommend having a DJ for all three days and an unlimited supply of drinks. Having a swimming pool is essential too.
Wedding venue types in Provence
Most commonly, weddings in Provence are celebrated in ancient farmhouses, traditional provencal mansions, and castles.
If you are dreaming about a French vineyard wedding, Provence is a destination to consider.
Avoid hotels if your budget is not unlimited and if you want to have privacy and outdoor celebration till the early morning.
Privately-run venues will offer you more flexibility, but you will most likely hate communicating with them. Why? They take ages to respond, often speak very poor English, and have never heard about customer service.
I got married in Provence too, and I was going crazy when two weeks before the wedding day, the venue manager was not responding to emails and wasn’t picking up the phone… It ended up good, but you can imagine the stress level.
Need help with planning your wedding in Provence?
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To save your precious time and protect you from unnecessary stress and planning-related frustration, I will take care of your wedding planning from A to Z.
Venue search, design, production, logistics, on the day coordination, I will take the headache away from your wedding planning, and will guide you step-by-step, so that you can concentrate on what matters most to you!
Let’s grab a coffee together and see how we can create something magical! Drop me a line via this booking form and I will get back to you within 24 hours!
