A Country Style Wedding
The boho-chic wedding, country wedding or rustic wedding can all be summed up in French with the word champêtre. And I had the priviledge to be the wedding photographer instead of the florist for this wedding in the French Alps-Maritime.
Despite the bride and groom having had previous marriages, the modern style in a natural environment was the perfect theme for a new beginning. What better way to theme a wedding than by going with a loose garden floral affair but elegant for all invited.
The bride wore a simple white knee-length dress and beautiful blue shoes…something blue? The groom wore a blue suit with a vest in a printed floral pattern. Floral patterns repeated themselves throughout with the couple’s request that guests attend in simple but elegant floral prints.
The civil ceremony is always the first step for couples and takes place in the town hall with the mayor presiding wearing his large blue white and red sash; worn by all the mayors in the country for special occasions. Vows exchanged and recording of the union was written in the livret de famille. There family and friends witness the marriage and celebrate this first legal act of a wedding.
Once the lavender petals were thrown and people mingled in the town square, many began to part for the church part of the wedding. Here the bride and groom chose a rustic church with mountains as its backdrop. The blue skies above and the warm sun enhanced the overall feel of a day in the countryside. It couldn’t have been a better setting. Chairs awaited guests and music serenaded the bride and groom as they said their vows outdoors under this canopy of mother nature.
The brides’ female witnesses or ‘bridesmaids’ wore long simple dresses and carried a simple wildflower bouquet along with their round woven straw purses that gave a simple detail to the rural feel of the wedding. The bride and her attendants also wore flower crowns creating a feeling of naturalness and ease. Nothing was over done or over produced.
Children, grandchildren, and all kinds of friends from the couple’s life experiences looked on as intimate statements and poetic songs were performed by adult children and friends. Surrounded by an ambiance of tradition, new beginning and nature, this wedding was the definition of un mariage champêtre.
