Jess & Tim
Photography by Darek Smietana
Venue
The choice of venue for their wedding was simple for Jesse and Tim - her family home; Chateau de Lartigolle.
Chateau de Lartigolle is an 18th Century Castle set in the rolling hills of South West France. It has been owned and runs as an event venue by Jesse's parents, Chris and Emma, and their business partner, Nick, for the past 14 years. They have hosted hundreds of weddings and events over the years but this was, without a doubt, the most personal they have ever organised!
Bridal Party Styling
The bride, her maid of honour, and her bridesmaids and flower girls were all styled by Creative Director, Rebecca Elderfield, who has known Jesse since she was a baby.
The bride wore a stunning, original Amanda Wakeley bronze, lace gown and her hair was dressed with an exquisite handmade, bespoke piece of jewellery; designed and crafted by Gillian Million
The maid of honour, Jesse’s sister Georgia, wore a cream lace dress from Bash. The bridesmaids all wore vintage cream tea-dresses, finished with bohemian hair garlands and simple, laced thong sandals.
The bridal party hair was designed and styled by the fabulous Annie Salmon and the makeup was done by the very talented Virginie Lipse both of whom often style brides at Lartigolle.
Grooms Party
The Groom, best man and ushers all wore dark blue suits and fresh white shirts with relaxed suede loafers and, of course, the regulation dark sunglasses. Tim, the Groom, very sweetly provided his whole team with hand monogrammed pocket squares.
Colour Scheme and Decor
Emma, Jesse’s ‘funny mummy’, and Lartigolle’s in-house stylist, orchestrated the entire weekend.
"Jesse wanted to create a whimsical and enchanting feel - something totally relaxed and unstructured; celebrating her childhood here."
"The only real theme, as such, was to incorporate the use of peacock feathers - peacocks are a favourite of Jesse and Tim - and had been used in different forms on the wedding stationery.”
The tables were dressed in vintage blue and white china with peacock feather decorations on crisp white linen. The delicate flower arrangements were presented in antique blue and green glass and cut glass vases - interspersed with sparkling glass candelabras. Antique gold mirrors were jotted around the courtyard setting, reflecting candlelight and, as the sun went down, garlands of festoon lights filled the courtyard with a romantic warm glow.
The bride’s father, Chris, designed and built market style stalls for the reception. He also created the beautiful rustic table frames that were decorated with greenery garlands interspersed with tiny sparkling lights. Putting them together, with help from some very great friends on the morning of the big day, was a labour of love.
Flowers
Jesse wanted the flowers to look wild, natural and meadowy with nothing formal or indeed too ‘weddingy’. Emma chose a very simple palette of whites, greens, blues and yellows to tie in with the ‘peacock’ feather theme. Emma and her floral assistant, Cecile, led a huge group of family and friends who all worked together, in the cave of the chateau, to create the arrangements for the day. This was a very wonderful part of the weekend with everybody mucking in - the wine flowed and the arrangements blossomed!
Ceremony
The ceremony took place in the front pasture of the chateau - one of Jesse’s childhood ‘playgrounds’ - by the wonderful Moira Stephen who is a regular for weddings at the chateau.
Jesse walked down the aisle with Chris, to an Ed Sheeran song; played and sung by her cousin Cameron - a very magical and emotional moment; a total surprise for Jesse. The groom’s father Richard and sister Frances both read beautiful pieces during the ceremony.
Entertainment
During the reception, the guests were entertained by a local bluegrass band, Tildon Krautz who were the perfect choice for a hot summer’s day. After supper, guests were treated to a DJ set from an old family friend, Andy Cato (Groove Armada) and additional sets late into the night from more family friends, Abi and Ru and from two of Jesse’s bridesmaids, Tatiana and Nadia.
Food & Drink
The food was chosen to be in keeping with the relaxed feel of the day. Everything was created by the in-house chefs, Zoe and Nawal at Chateau de Lartigolle.
There were no formal canapés during the reception. Instead, guests were treated to a wide array of different treats served from four market stalls; freshly griddled beef satay brochettes, Bayonne ham carved off the bone served with a spicy tomato coulee on toast; oysters from Arcachon, bulots and crevettes; and an organic vegetable and local goats cheese selection. As well as champagne cocktails, wine and beer, there was even a gin bar serving a variety of gins from around the world.
Guests then dined on rotisserie chickens, chorizo potatoes, (Jesse’s favourite), and seasonal salads and the meal was finished with a parade of Lartigolle fruit meringues served on antique glass cake stands.
Photographer
Darek Smietana was chosen to take the photographs. He's a real favourite at Lartigolle and a great friend of the owners. His work is extraordinary and his ability to capture the true essence of such an important day is very personal and unparalleled.
The Team
The most important element of the entire weekend was the love and dedication that the fantastic Chateau de Lartigolle team showed for Jesse and Tim on their special day. The service was overwhelmingly professional and extremely personal - no mean feat given the added pressure that they were producing an event for their bosses’ daughter! They are not just a team but the Lartigolle family.
