Francesca & Ishmael

There are just so many gorgeous things in this morning's wedding - I don't even know where to begin. So I'm going to let the images from the lovely Maryanne Weddings Photography do the talking. I always love to read that couples have found their photographer via RMW and Francesca and Ishmael did just that. Maryanne has had some absolute belters featured on right here so it's no wonder this stylish pair fell for her romantic but natural style. Enjoy this one beauties, it's a dream of a wedding day...

The French Proposal

Francesca The Bride: Having got engaged in Paris after being caught in the French air strike and my fiancé pulling out all the stops including the Versace hotel, Moulin Rouge, champagne and the Eiffel Tower France seemed the obvious choice. We picked the first venue we visited in France it had the wow factor and more importantly we could have lots of guest staying on site.

The Fashion

When I first started to look for wedding dresses I fell in love with Anna Campbell loved the romantic style and detailing. However to get a bespoke dress you needed to go to Australia. Therefore I put Anna Campbell to bed and moved on with my search I found several others which were all beautiful but not Anna. Luckily a year before we got married Anna stated to do off the hanger versions of her dresses which meant I could get my perfect dress very easily. The process was seamless and really felt like a princess on the day. Suit shopping for Ishmael was painless which came at a surprise. He wanted something that was stand out and a different. We found the perfect one at Vivienne Westwood and he looked bloody gorgeous in it. Bridesmaids dresses wore from Etsy and all of them looked amazing however in hindsight, I think I should have let them pick their own dresses, as it's important how they feel on the day. Skyla my flower girl wore a dress from Monsoon.

The French Venue

The wedding Chateau la Durantie was blank canvas and there are different options to suit your day. We decided on a outdoor ceremony followed by the wedding breakfast in the marquee which was lovely. We decided on golds and pinks for wedding colours, which just complimented the venue. Our florist was a true star. Lisa really understood my vision and truly made the most beautiful flowers. We communicated via Skype and email and Lisa just showed up on the day and made a truly spectacular wedding. Many hours were spend on Rock My Wedding and Pinterest for inspiration and this really helped.

The Ceremony

I can honestly say the ceremony was one of my favourite moments in the day and I really didn’t think about it all too much before. It just felt so amazing - like it was just me and Ishmael, making this huge promise to each other. But then with all the people you care about next to you supporting and believing in you. A truly special moment.

The Reception

Our wedding breakfast was a salmon terrine followed by a glazed baby rack of lamp with seasonal vegetable and a trio of desserts. This was enjoyed with wine, which had been beautifully selected by Ishmael's Tio Jose in Spain. We had a live band on the night which really got the party started and our good friend Chris DJ into the early hour in the morning.

The Photography & Videography

Choosing our photographer was easy after seeing a wedding on Rock My Wedding that the talented Mary Anne had shot. We both knew that this is who we wanted to capture our day. Mary Anne is a miracle worker she managed to bring back some of the most amazing memories and also capture some beautiful moments. It's true about how important a good wedding photographer as these pictures will tell our story for many years to come. Chris from Zen in France videoed our whole day and boy did he do a good job a videographer is a must.

Our Family & Friends

We are very luckily to have such amazing family and friends who without their help and support we could not of had the best wedding weekend we could of hoped for. Especially our parents and families from Spain and South Africa who made the weekend go out with a bang. We could not of done it with out the help from all the bridesmaids who helped with all the planning and organising and our honorary wedding weekend planner Emily who I don’t think realises how amazing she really was.

Advice

The only advice is this - it's really going to be the best day of your life I promise, so be organised and enjoy it!