There’s something about French weddings that pull at our heart strings, and luckily this couple shares the same feelings and decided to plan a destination wedding their guests will remember forever in Avignon, France. A timelessly elegant venue paired with refreshing chic white x green color palette, and every effortless detail captured by Saya Photography, this wedding is about to give you a romantic virtual escape!
Proposal Story
From the Bride: We met through a friend that I went to university with and dated for over five years. Last August, he proposed in our apartment. He had intended to propose in a spot in Eze, right outside of Nice. We had been going to France every summer since we started dating, but last year I wanted to explore a different country. So, I ruined his proposal plans! One night I randomly asked him why he loved me. It was a question I had never asked him before, and all of a sudden he felt it was the right moment to pop the question!
Wedding Planning Priorities
From the Couple, Alison + Con Way: Because most of our guests would be traveling to our wedding, our main priority was to find a venue that would be easily accessible via public transportation and be able to accommodate all of our guests at a reasonable price for them.
Our second priority was food. We both enjoy eating and generally find that food is what we remember most when we attend other weddings.
Wedding Venue and Decoration
Alison + Con Way: Our venue was a beautiful 16th century cloister in Avignon, France called Le Cloitre Saint Louis. We have many memories in Southern France, so we felt the region would be perfect. Additionally, it was France, we figured nothing could really go wrong with the food and wine!
Because Provence already had its own beauty, we wanted to keep the rest of the decorations simple. We limited our colors to white and green and used materials like burlap to complement the natural surrounding. For the reception tables, we went with long tables for our 130 or so guests, as we felt that would bring our guests closer together. Our centerpieces included basic white flowers and green leaves and candles in glass containers.
Most Memorable Moments
Alison + Con Way: One of our best memories on the wedding day was the wine for the main course. During one of our trips to France, we became friends with a couple in Bordeaux whose family owns the Chateau Saint Christophe vineyard in Saint-Emilion. They were so kind to give us a tour of Saint-Emlion and taught us a bit about the vineyards and wine in that region. The moment we knew we wanted to get married in France, we knew we had to serve reds from Chateau Saint Christophe. The vintage suited perfectly the veal we served for the main course.
Some other memorable moments included realizing that it was 5 a.m. and we were still up and hanging out with our friends and family (going back to why it was important for us that the venue could accommodate all of our guests) and when our pièce montée came out. The pièce montée was three times the size we had imagined and it just glowed with sparklers. It was quite a wow moment for us and our guests.
Advice For Others
Alison + Con Way: While the wedding day is to celebrate the bride and groom, one advice we have for other couples is to put the guests first. And yes, you can put your guests first AND be able to create something according to what you both like.
Your guests’ happiness and enjoyment at the wedding greatly changes the mood of your wedding as well as how memorable the wedding will be. We prioritized based on what we felt would be important for our guests and a month after the wedding, they are still telling us how much fun they had at our wedding. It is these memories that will last forever.
Thoughts from the photographer
Saya Photography: I remember our first rendez-vous with Alison and Con Way, after our engagement shoot we sat around a “Tropezienne” pie, to discuss about their wedding, their world and their love for France and its bakery! Alison and Con Way are both in love with life, traveling, meeting people and simple pleasures. I was super lucky to be their wedding photographer, and we want to bring you the beauty of Southern France through amazing photos!
About Saya Photography
With timeless and intimate images, Saya offers a complete wedding reportage of every detail of happiness: from your wedding dress to your guests’ lovely smiles. She devotes herself to fully discover you to grant to her images the true and unique identity in you.
Find the photographer – Saya Photography:
Other wedding vendors:
Venue : Le Cloitre Saint Louis | Wedding Planner: Instant de Prestige by Kieger | Wedding Dress: Saja Wedding
