We arrived in Paris on a glorious Friday lunch time for a weekend of wedding anniversary celebrations . It was the perfect late summer afternoon, that you couldn't plan if you tried.

​While we waited to check into our hotel, we headed for a lunch at Cafe de L'epoque, just next to my favourite shoe shop on Rue Jean-Jacques Rousseau. 
We stopped by the cutest flower markets on the way to pick up some flowers for the weekend... you see I must have flowers, always and always. Plus my husband hinted that the hotel he had booked deserved to have flowers...

Cafe de L'epoque is the sweetest spot for lunch. The weather was lovely enough to take a table outside but the interior is so cute we couldn't resist taking a cosy table indoors to take in the perfect parisienne vibes the restaurant has going on. 
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I sat there surrounded by  flowers and shoes and couldn't have felt happier. 

I ordered my favourite french onion soup which I totally recommend, and we shared the most amazing homemade lemon meringue pie. So amazing I totally regretted agreeing to share it!  

For the longest time there had always been two hotels in Paris that id been desperate to stay at, The Plaza Athenee (which my fiance proposed at, and which is a forever favourite) and the Ritz, Paris. To me Parisian hotels do it like no other. They are in my experience, always the most fabulous, elegant and beautiful in the world. 

Coat isZara, Bag is Louis Vuitton, Ballet flats are Chanel 

After visiting in January for a Birthday afternoon tea, its position on my bucket list was firmly cemented. So I was delighted when my husband surprised me with a weekend THE most beautiful suite for our 5th wedding anniversary. ​After all, have you ever really experienced Paris if you haven't stayed at The Ritz? 

There is something about those majestic blue corridors that make Ritz Paris unlike any other hotel iv been to.  Its traditional, grand style certainly set it apart. And how about those Dahlias! 

We were shown to our suite and my jaw may have hit the floor. To say it was fabulous might be the understatement of the century. My husband know's my taste exactly and really outdid himself here. To me, totally worth the small fortune it cost him to stay in such a decadent suite. 

And there were more surprises. Roses, Champagne, Petit fours and cake from my favourite patisserie in Paris.  And not to mention the most amazing surprise from handbag brand of choice... Chanel 

As I mentioned earlier, my husband took me shopping at my favourite shoe shop... Louboutin. Id been looking for a pair of nude strappy sandals for a while now so when I saw the most gorgeous pair they had to be mine. 

All of the interior details were impeccable. The bedroom was literally fit for a princess, and I fully lived my best princess life and indulged all of my parisienne fantasy's. 

The gold detailing, the sparkling chandeliers and the sumptuous brocade fabrics were just to die for.  

I don't think that a weekend could be any more perfectly planned for me. But then again, its not every day you celebrate your 5th Wedding anniversary is it?

If you've enjoyed a peak into my weekend in Paris, check back for part 2 later this week

Belle 
Xx

I wanted to share with you some tips for creating the most stress free and memorable wedding morning possible, drawn from my own experience. It should be one of the most memorable morning of your life so here are some ways to make the most of it! 


1. Try and do as much prep the night before. Set out your toiletries, cosmetics, lingerie and dress so its all ready for the next day. This way you'll know if anything is missing and that everything you need is in one place. 

​2 Eat a light breakfast and hydrate - Of course this is total common sense but you'll be surprised by how busy you'll be for the whole day so start the day off right 

​3. Play your favourite music - This may be a soundtrack from a movie or a playlist that you love. Whatever makes you feel happy and sets the tone for the day

4. Keep your space organised and free of clutter. Make sure you only have only the essential people around you and the space isn't a free for all.  You don't want to be distracted from your schedule and have any un necessary drama

5. Create a lasting fragrance memory by layering Fragrance. Your wedding scent will become something the evokes memories for years to come so choose something you love and layer so that it lasts. Try and wear the same perfume for any special wedding planning occasions... menu tastings, dress fittings, bridal showers as it will all build into lifelong memories in one fragrance

6. Make your environment special. Have flowers in your suite/ room. Burn your most luxurious candles (Perhaps in the same scent as your fragrance wardrobe?). Buy a beautiful dressing gown to wear while getting ready. Luxuriate in the moment. 

​7. Have champagne on ice ready for a glass of champagne with your bridal party before you walk the isle.  Take a moment to compose yourself and steady any last minute nerves

​​8. Present your bridesmaids with any gifts you may have bought for them as a  thank you. It will really start to feel like a celebration at this point and whats more creates a great photo opportunity for your photographer to catch.

9. Send a handwritten note or card to your husband to be telling him how excited you are to see him and become his wife 

10. Have your photographer take a couple of (very tasteful) shots of you in bridal lingerie that you can give to your husband on either your honeymoon or first wedding anniversary

Belle
​Xx

So the final part of of Our Wedding in Provence is here (for Part 1 and 2 here) and I really hope you've enjoyed following along as much as iv enjoyed a trip down memory lane sharing it with you. 

I think my favourite part of the day (which as everyone will tell you, goes by in seconds) was after the ceremony and cocktails. Tony and I snook off with our photographer for some wedding portraits just as golden hour started to hit. Id read lots of comments on line and heard many options on this, mainly saying not to do it and to instead spend the time with guests but for me this was one of the best decisions we made.
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It gave us some much appreciated alone time together in what is a whirlwind of a day. It really helped that our wedding photographer Ian was very discrete, and really made us feel comfortable. He was also hilarious which was a lovely and very welcome bonus.  Now not only do we have the memories of our stolen time together but we have the most beautiful portraits that will stay with us forever. ​

And the best thing about it was that it felt like a lovely and magical moment together reflecting on such a special day. ​

The Chateau was surrounded by the most gorgeous grounds perfect for some beautiful images and I loved that we were able to create some really provincial inspired shots that I'll cherish forever. 

After our stolen moment we joined that rest of the guests for Dinner in the courtyard. The tables were mildly inspired by my favourite movie Marie Antionette. Very delicate, feminine and patisserie inspired. 

We tried to add in as many thoughtful touches as we could. Fans for guests to keep them cool when it was hot, pashminas for the ladies for when the sun went down. I found that Etsy was a fantastic website for sourcing unique and original gifts and accessories for the wedding  
For My bridesmaid, along with the gifts I gave to them in the earlier post, I gave them  love heartnecklaces from Tiffany. 

We dressed the fountain in the courtyard with floating floral arrangements, rose petals and candles. 

We made our own escort cards using dried lavender purchased on a previous trip to Provence. 

In keeping with French tradition, we were presented with our wedding cake and its one my favourite memory's to date with its twinkling sparkler glittering away as it made its way towards us. Our wedding cake's were made by Laduree, and the main cake was aptly names the Marie Antoinette cake... which as Iv mentioned was a big inspiration of the wedding. We also had a traditional french cake called a croquembouche which is a tower of choux pastry puffs piled into a cone and bound with threads of caramel flavoured with Orange Blossom, Rose along with a macaron tower and the most beautiful individual petit fours 

We found that Laduree candles were such a good candle to burn as they come in patisserie fragrances... making them perfect for the desert table. For guest favours, we gave individual box's of macarons to take away.  

After our first dance, we were treated to a performance from one of our friends which was another highlight of the evening and so lovely to incorporate our friends into our wedding. 

We finished the evening with a sparkler send off against the backdrop of the chateau and it was the perfect way to finish the most perfect day. 

Thank you so much for following along, let me know if you enjoyed these posts in the comments below

Belle 
Xx

My Dress - Vera Wang 
Shoes - Christian Louboutin
Jewellery - Jenny Packham
Bridal lingerie - Agent Provocateur
Venue - Chateau de Massillan
Photographer - Ian holmes 
Cinematographer - MG Image
Flowers - Atouts Fleurs