Family and friends all pulled together to help this happy couple create their dream South of France wedding day...

Ellie and Alex met on the dating app Bumble in 2017. “My best friend signed me up and convinced me to go, as it was my first ever online date after the end of a long term relationship,” says Ellie. “Alex was incredibly funny and I was pleasantly surprised. We went to an outdoor music event in Tunbridge Wells and talked so much we missed dinner. So, the night ended with us having cheesy chips and a Dr Pepper from the kebab shop. We now do this every year on our anniversary!”

A Christmas proposal

“We have an advent calendar that you fill with your own presents,” says Ellie. “We alternate days, usually putting sweets or chocolate in each pocket for each other. It was lockdown, so there wasn't much Alex could plan. However, he was keen to pop the question after the ring arrived. He had ordered a trilogy sapphire and diamond ring and got it made. It was similar to one I had seen as a child in Tiffany's and absolutely loved! So, on 16th December 2020, Alex wrapped up a mini Mars bar with the engagement ring. I opened it and it fell out onto the floor, which was a massive surprise! Then he got down on one knee.”

Shopping for the dress

“My mum and I went to the Bromley store when she was trying to find a dress for her second wedding,” says Ellie. “I saw another bride trying on beautiful princess dresses and I knew, when I got married, I would go to wed2b. Later, I went to the Ashford store, as I live in Canterbury, looking for a princess ballgown style. I had my eye on Florian and Cambridge by Anna Sorrano and the girls in store were lovely. I tried both of those and a few other dresses, with a combination of veils and underskirts. They were so helpful. I took two of my bridesmaids and had my mum and sister on a video call, as they both live abroad. They were crying when I tried on Florian and all the other ladies in the changing room loved it too. It was a lovely moment!”

A beautiful ballgown

Ellie chose Florian, an elegant Mikado ballgown. “I loved the flattering corset-style top, and sweetheart neckline,” she says. "The off-the-shoulder straps also gave a nod to a Disney princess style. I liked that the train wasn’t too long too, as I was getting married abroad and didn't want the weight of a long train. The Mikado fabric felt weighty and made it sit beautifully. I especially loved the pockets and had several photos with the pockets - also great for my lipstick! This dress made me literally feel like a princess for the day. I also bought the full-length Filippa pearl veil to elevate the plain Mikado fabric. It all worked really well together.”

A South of France wedding

“We had a South of France wedding at the same church in France where my sister got married,” says Ellie. “It’s a beautiful 14th century church on top of a hill in a little village in the Lot valley. My parents live in the village and own a small chateau. So, we had the party afterwards in the garden and the dinner on long tables in a marquee. We had it here as it’s so special to us. It has been my home since they moved there in 2009.”

The big day

“All the bridesmaids and their partners stayed in the house with us,” says Ellie. “The boys got ready downstairs, while myself and the seven bridesmaids, two flower girls and two page boys and my parents got ready upstairs. The weather was hot, around 37⁰C on the day. I wanted to include both my dad and stepdad during the ceremony, so my stepdad walked me half way and gave me away to my dad who walked me the second part and gave me away to Alex.”

“I walked down the aisle to an instrumental version of ‘Love Me Like You Do’ by Ellie Goulding and my friend and colleague, who happens to also be a vicar, did the ceremony for us. This was so special. We had three hymns and the readings were two poems and a Bible reading. I wrote a poem called ‘Marriage Advice from the Dog’ which my mum read and it made everyone cry!”

The reception

“After the ceremony we had some photos with our photographer and all the guests walked down the village's cobbled streets to get back to the house,” says Ellie. “They were met with champagne with frozen raspberries in, as it was so hot! The meal was in a marquee in the courtyard and we had a friend do the catering. There were long thin tables, like a French dinner market (marché gourmand), and everyone sat along them and shared food and wine.”

“We had personalised rose gold and navy macarons for the amuse bouche, antipasti platters to start, confit du canard (duck legs) and potatoes and salad for the main. Our dessert was ‘pimp my cake’, a chocolate wedding cake with lots of fun additions like Smarties, marshmallows, cream and fruit.”

The personal touch

“Also, we were so close to a vineyard we were able to have our wine bottles personalised and printed with our name and wedding date,” says Ellie. “It was really unique. Our first dance song was ‘Better Together’ by Jack Johnson and we danced outside in the middle of all our guests with sparklers. It was magical!”

A DIY weekend

“We did everything ourselves on a budget of about £10,000,” says Ellie. “So, we had friends make the food, my sister did the cake and everyone helped decorate in the run up to the wedding. We did get the personalised wine bottles and handmade macarons to our theme of rose gold, navy and pink. The favours were personalised plastic party cups with our own design, name and date that people could use for the wedding and the day after.”

“In the evening, we had a DJ and fairy light garden party,” says Ellie. “The best part of our whole South of France wedding was having all the guests for the whole weekend. It felt really special and wasn't over too quickly. We had welcome drinks and canapés on the Friday evening in a local bar for everyone to get to know each other. Then the main event on the Saturday followed by a barbecue and pool party on the Sunday. At the end of the weekend the local village was coincidentally having a massive firework display, so we all went to watch that on picnic rugs overlooking the river. It was a magical end to the weekend.”

The best bits…

"The most memorable moments of the whole day were champagne with my bridesmaids and Alex sobbing at the end of the aisle (I had never seen him cry before!),” says Ellie. “The sparkler first dance was so much more beautiful than I expected. Lastly, I loved the fireworks on the Sunday evening with all our guests."

My top tips…

“DIY is brilliant fun and cheaper but you need so much help, so enlist as many people as you can,” says Ellie. “There's no need to spend money on things people won't remember. The best moments will probably surprise you, so just enjoy the day."

Ellie and Alex's Dream Team 

Photographer: David Rochas Photographe

South of France wedding venue: La Minoterie

Wedding dresses Ashford: wed2b

Hair: Nikki Treacy

Makeup: Milly Meyer

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