Planning A Wedding In France {Shopping For The Groom}

HAPPY NEW YEAR! This is my first post of 2018 so can I just say happy new year to everyone! I hope there were some magical proposals over the festive season and we have a few new future brides joining us. Just to fill you in, I’m Lou, I am a RMW ‘real bride’ getting married in France this summer. I also happen to live in France and run my own destination wedding planning and styling company called French Bague-ette. I’ve been writing for RMW every month since I got engaged last June.

SHOPPING FOR THE GROOM

So this post is less about us brides and more about the important men in our lives! With my dress already sorted it was time to think about what my fiancé, Olivier, and his ushers will wear on our big day. The January sales were on so we jumped on a plane from Biarritz to London - we knew the choice would be much greater in London and we could squeeze in some quality pub time with friends!

SETTING THE WEDDING DRESS CODE

It’s really important to think about what dress code is right for your wedding venue and the mood you want before you start shopping! You may even want to add some guidance for guests on your wedding invitation. Our reception venue is an understated beach side restaurant with a lawn right up to the beach. The setting is breathtaking but it’s not exactly a formal place! We want people to feel comfortable on the day, to be able to wander onto the beach if they fancy, not too hot in a three piece suit, no stilettos stuck in the lawn or hats blown off by the sea breezes! So we chose ‘Chic Beach Wedding Vibes’ as our dress code and we kept this in mind when shopping for Olivier's outfit.

WHERE TO SHOP FOR THE GROOM

For those looking for bespoke tailored suits you may want to try Savile Row but our first port of call was Jermyn Street off Piccadilly. If you don’t know Jermyn street, this is a total gem and well worth a look for ideas even if you don’t end up buying there (some of the shops can be quite pricey.) It’s a hub of ‘Gentleman’s shops’ that traditionally sell shirts, suits, hats, shoes, shaving brushes and colognes. Full of history, tradition and listed buildings, if your future hubby isn’t the biggest fan of shopping, it’s a great place to get them in the mood as these are all ‘shops for men!’ We got a great deal on 4 shirts, toyed with the idea of having a bespoke waistcoat made, drooled over some very expensive cufflinks and then decided to see what the high street had to offer. Although you want to look your best on the wedding day, don’t overlook the high street for your outfit and value for money, there are super brands which might have what you want at a fraction of the price. Reiss and Massimo Dutti are great places to start, and even Zara Man where we got six sets of braces for the ushers! By this point we also had Olivier’s shirts, trousers and waistcoat sorted, and all before lunch!

THE FINAL TOUCHES - BOW TIES

On a previous trip to London we had earmarked two fab little artisanal bow tie brands that we wanted to visit, 40 Colori and Le Colonel Moutarde both on Cheshire Street in East London. By rotten luck they were both closed but we’re going back to visit in March and I wanted to share them with you anyway because I think they are well worth checking out! Although we still have a few bits to get, we are feeling good about what the boys will be wearing and we are happy with the more casual beach vibe that we have gone for.

WEDDING RINGS

After all that mens shopping it was time for my treat! We met with Lauren Rowden from Ellie Air Jewellery to talk about our wedding rings. I had been stalking the brand’s Instagram for months and couldn’t miss the opportunity! I guess I’m not the only one to discover this, but I had found that certain wedding bands that I had been trying on could totally change the look of my engagement ring so I wanted to get it right! Lauren met us in a cafe with a shiny box of treasures and guided us through her fabulous designs and options. I am totally in love with each and every piece from the ‘Firma’ collection so we went for something along those lines and commissioned the rings on the spot. I simply cannot wait to get those rings on our fingers! (Not before the wedding day of course!) Obviously our wedding rings are very special pieces that we hope to wear for the rest of our lives so it was wonderful to be part of the design process and know that we are supporting small designer/maker craftsmanship. If you are looking for your wedding bands we couldn’t recommend this enough!

I hope there are some helpful tips in there for you all and please do follow me on Instagram for wedding inspiration, planning and styling @french_bague_ette Lou x