How to start planning a wedding in France

Planning a destination wedding in France is one of the most exciting journeys you can embark on — but before you start contacting venues and vendors, it’s worth taking a moment to pause, align, and lay the right foundations.

Here are the key things to think about before you begin planning your French wedding, so you can move forward with clarity, confidence, and joy.

💍1. Start With an Honest Conversation: Define Your 5 Ws

Before you browse venues or dream up color palettes, take time to sit down together and talk through the five essential questions that will shape everything to come:

• Who: Who do you want to celebrate with? Sketch a rough guest list — even a ballpark number helps. A wedding for 40 guests feels entirely different from one for 140, and affects every aspect from venue size to catering costs.

• When: Do you have a specific date in mind, or simply a general season? Being flexible on timing can open doors to more venues and better rates, especially in high-demand regions like Provence or the Riviera. Being flexible on the year might allow you to spend a little more by spreading costs of the wedding.

• Where: Is there a specific region or atmosphere that draws you in — vineyards, seaside, château gardens — or are you open to your planner’s recommendations? Do you want to make sure your guests don't have to fly two planes and a train to get there?

• How: What kind of celebration do you envision? A symbolic outdoor ceremony, a chic Paris soirée, or a multi-day countryside experience? Think also of how you want the planning expereince to feel: how involved or hands off do you want to be?

• How much: How much do you want (and are able) to spend on the full experience?

Why it matters:These conversations aren’t just logistical — they help define your priorities and flexibility. You might have a fixed budget but be open about location. Or perhaps the region is non-negotiable, but you’re flexible with the date or guest count.Knowing which factors are most important — and where you can adapt — will make every decision afterward more aligned and less stressful.

When it comes to budget, clarity is essential. Decide early on who will contribute and how much — whether it’s just the two of you or if family members will help. This ensures everyone is on the same page before you make any commitments.

Think of this as setting your compass before the journey begins — it’s not about perfection, but direction.

🌿2. Define the Guest Experience and Celebration Style

Before diving into logistics, think about how you want the celebration to feel. Is it an elegant long weekend with relaxed meals and wine tastings? A one-day event full of glamour and dancing? Or a small, heartfelt celebration focused on intimacy and connection?

Why it matters:Your guest count and event structure influence your venue choices, budget, and design approach.

Ask yourselves:

• How many guests will realistically attend?

• Do we want a multi-day celebration or a single event?

• Should the experience feel formal, relaxed, or somewhere in between?

France offers a setting for every atmosphere — grand château soirées, rustic Provençal dinners, modern vineyard celebrations, or stylish Parisian fêtes.

💶 3. Set a Realistic Budget (and Understand French Pricing)

France offers exceptional quality — from cuisine and wine to service and aesthetics — but costs may differ from what you expect.

Key considerations:

• Venues: Many rent for multiple days or require exclusive use.

• Catering: Expect roughly 25–35% of your budget for fine French dining and service.

• Planner: Luxury planners typically charge a flat fee or a percentage of the total budget.

At Bonjour Weddings, for example, budgets usually start around €1,500 per guest, with most couples spending between €2,000 and €3,000 per guest for a fully serviced, multi-day event.

Setting a budget early — and understanding how it breaks down — allows your planner to allocate resources strategically while maintaining a luxurious experience.

📍 4. Choose Your Region Before You Choose Your Venue

Each region of France tells a different story. Before falling in love with a single venue, consider which setting resonates most with you.

Regional highlights:

• Provence & Riviera: Golden light, olive groves, lavender, and vineyards.

• Paris & Île-de-France: Chic urban elegance and grand historic estates.

• Loire Valley: Fairytale castles and manicured gardens.

• Southwest France: Gastronomic countryside charm.

• Haute-Savoie & the Alps: Lakeside views and mountain serenity.

Think beyond looks — consider accessibility for guests, local vendor availability, and weather during your preferred season.

🕊 5. Understand the Legal vs. Symbolic Ceremony

Many couples don’t realize that legally marrying in France requires at least one partner to reside in the commune for 40 days before the wedding — a logistical hurdle for most destination couples.

The solution: Have a symbolic ceremony in France and complete the legal paperwork at home before or after.

Symbolic ceremonies allow for complete freedom — blending traditions, languages, and cultures in a way that feels deeply personal and authentic.

💌 6. Bring a Planner Onboard Before Contacting Vendors

It’s tempting to start emailing venues and photographers right away — but having a local planner in place first will save you enormous time, stress, and potential missteps.

A bilingual French planner will:

• Recommend vetted venues that fit your vision and budget.

• Handle communication and contracts across time zones.

• Prevent costly misunderstandings.

• Curate a team of trusted vendors who work seamlessly together.

The best venues and suppliers in France are often booked 12–18 months in advance — and many work exclusively through experienced planners.

✨ Final Thought

Planning a destination wedding in France should feel inspired, not overwhelming. By starting with honest conversations, defining your priorities, and partnering with an experienced planner early, you’ll build the framework for a celebration that feels effortless, meaningful, and beautifully French.

At Bonjour Weddings, we guide couples from those first planning questions all the way through to their multi-day celebration. If you’re just beginning to dream about your wedding in France, we’d love to help you start in the right direction. Get in touch to begin planning your French wedding →

Getting Married in Lourmarin: A Hidden Gem in the Heart of Provence

I've just come back from a full week spent in Lourmarin with lovely clients getting married in Provence next year. Here ar my thoughts about why I think Lourmarin is the perfect core around which to organize your wedding events in the South of France.

-Célia

Tucked between vineyards, olive groves, and lavender fields, Lourmarin is one of Provence’s most enchanting villages — and one of its best-kept wedding secrets. With its honey-colored stone, winding streets, and artistic soul, this Luberon gem offers couples the perfect balance of authentic

French charm and refined elegance. For those dreaming of a destination wedding in Provence that feels both cinematic and deeply personal, Lourmarin might just be the one.

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The Timeless Charm of Lourmarin

Named one of Les Plus Beaux Villages de France, Lourmarin captures the essence of Provençal beauty without the crowds of more famous destinations. It’s the kind of place where café terraces overflow with conversation, the air hums with the scent of rosemary, and every golden hour feels painted just for you.

Unlike some polished resort towns, Lourmarin’s magic lies in its effortless authenticity. The light shifts over its Renaissance château, olive trees frame its courtyards, and art galleries and boutiques breathe life into its narrow streets. It’s no wonder writers, artists, and now couples from around the world are drawn here.

Lourmarin is Provence at its most poetic — intimate, sun-drenched, and full of soul.

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Why Lourmarin Is Perfect for a Destination Wedding

1. A Setting That Feels Alive

Lourmarin embodies the natural elegance of Provence — soft hills, cypress trees, and fields that seem to change color with every hour of sunlight. This living landscape provides a timeless canvas for any wedding design, from rustic-chic to modern minimalism.

2. A Hidden Gem With Easy Access

Despite its peaceful atmosphere, Lourmarin is perfectly located between Aix-en-Provence and Avignon, with easy access to both the Marseille and Avignon airports. Guests can enjoy the charm of the Luberon while still being close to the region’s major cultural and travel hubs.

3. The Ideal Multi-Day Destination

With its charming hotels, vineyard estates, and small-town rhythm, Lourmarin is ideal for multi-day weddings — a welcome dinner in the village square, a poolside brunch among olive trees, and a candlelit celebration that lingers long into the night.

4. The Best Seasons to Marry

Spring and early autumn (May–June, September–October) are perfect for weddings here. These months offer mild weather, golden light, and fragrant blooms without the intense summer heat of July and August.

If you’re beginning to picture your own celebration in the golden light of Provence, we’d love to help you bring it to life. At Bonjour Weddings, we specialize in creating elegant, heartfelt destination weddings throughout France — designed to reflect your story in every detail. Start planning your Provence wedding →

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Dream Wedding Venues Around Lourmarin

The beauty of Lourmarin lies in its variety. Whether you envision an intimate elopement or a full weekend celebration, the area offers venues for every style:

• Elegant Provençal Estates – Surrounded by vineyards and olive groves, these stone mas combine rustic authenticity with refined comfort.

• Historic Châteaux – A touch of grandeur for couples seeking a timeless backdrop with sweeping views of the Luberon.

• Contemporary Villas – Minimalist architecture and infinity pools overlooking the countryside for a sleek, modern celebration.

• Boutique Hotels & Village Courtyards – Ideal for smaller weddings, pre-wedding dinners, or relaxed welcome gatherings under the stars.

Each venue tells its own story — textured walls, fragrant gardens, flickering candlelight — all part of the Provençal poetry that makes Lourmarin so irresistible.

Our recommendations:

A rehearsal dinner at Le Galinier or Le Bacheto on Day 1 followed by activities in the area and a relaxed welcome dinner in heart the village with music and lots of food on Day 2.

Day 3 and day 4 with the wedding day and farewell event at a privatized venue like Chateau de Sannes, Capelongue or Domaine de Fontenille.

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Designing a Wedding That Feels Like Lourmarin

If texture, movement, and unique details define the design trends for 2026, Lourmarin is their perfect home. The village naturally embodies these principles — from tactile materials to spaces that flow seamlessly from day to night.

• Colors: Muted neutrals, soft ochres, sage green, and lavender tones that mirror the landscape.

• Textures: Woven linens, rustic ceramics, aged stone, and raw silk — all elements that invite touch and connection.

• Florals: Local, seasonal blooms — olive branches, garden roses, jasmine, and wild herbs — composed in artful, organic arrangements.

• Lighting: Strings of warm bulbs, flickering candles, and natural firelight to create a sense of intimacy and motion.

• Interesting Shapes: For couples who prefer subtlety over literal movement, sculptural floral structures, curved tables, or arched installations bring rhythm and visual depth to the scene.

Design in Lourmarin is never forced — it feels like an extension of the landscape itself.

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Local Experiences for You and Your Guests

A wedding in Lourmarin is more than a single day — it’s an immersive experience. Couples often turn their celebrations into mini-holidays, where guests can discover the beauty and rhythm of Provence.

• Before the Wedding: Wine tastings in the vineyards, strolls through the weekly market, or a sunset welcome dinner on a terrace.

• During the Celebration: Al fresco dining, live acoustic music, and local cuisine — think slow-cooked lamb, Provençal vegetables, and rosé from nearby estates.

• After the Wedding: Lavender field photo sessions, day trips to nearby villages like Bonnieux or Roussillon, or relaxed brunches with a private chef.

At Bonjour Weddings, we curate multi-day wedding experiences that blend elegance, hospitality, and the ease of Provençal living.

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Planning Your Lourmarin Wedding: Practical Notes

• Ceremonies: Most couples hold a symbolic ceremony in France and complete legal paperwork at home.

• Accommodation: Boutique hotels, villas, and charming B&Bs abound — best reserved early, especially in summer.

• Transportation: Many couples provide private shuttles or car services for guests traveling between venues.

• Vendors: Local artisans and creative professionals thrive here, but working with a bilingual wedding planner ensures everything flows seamlessly.

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The Bonjour Weddings Approach

At Bonjour Weddings, we design destination weddings that feel alive — full of texture, warmth, and meaning. Having spent years living and working in the French countryside, I bring both insider knowledge and an artist’s eye to every detail.

In Lourmarin, that means creating weddings that reflect the essence of Provence: slow mornings, sunlit laughter, and elegant soirées under starlit skies. Every wedding is designed to feel effortless yet unforgettable — a seamless blend of modern refinement and timeless French romance.

If Lourmarin feels like your kind of magic, let’s start imagining your celebration together.

Get in touch with us

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Lourmarin: Where Art and Romance Meet

A wedding in Lourmarin isn’t just about beauty — it’s about feeling. The cicadas, the scent of lavender, the sound of clinking glasses in the courtyard — it’s all part of the story. Here, art and nature coexist, history breathes quietly through the stone walls, and love stories unfold at their own graceful pace.

Whether you’re planning an intimate elopement or a weekend-long celebration, Lourmarin offers the perfect blend of Provençal authenticity and understated luxury — a setting where every detail comes alive in the golden light of the South of France.

Wedding Design Trends for 2026: Texture, Movement & Unique Details Take Center Stage

As we look ahead to 2026, wedding design continues to evolve into something more personal, more tactile, and infinitely more expressive. Forget the cookie-cutter Pinterest weddings of the past decade—this new era is all about feeling the celebration, not just seeing it. From sensorial surfaces to kinetic installations and deeply individual design choices, couples in 2026 are curating immersive experiences that reflect who they are in the most artistic ways. The three defining pillars of the coming year? Texture, movement, and unique detail.

1. Texture as a Visual and Tactile Statement

Gone are the days of flat, one-dimensional palettes. In 2026, texture is not just a supporting element—it’s the star.

• Velvet & Suede Touches: Expect to see plush velvets in lounge furniture, napkin wraps, and even wedding attire. Suede accents are appearing in stationery, escort cards, and ribbon details.

• Layered Fabrics: Layering sheer organza over linen, embroidered tulle over rustic cotton, and fringe on top of velvet adds dimension to tablescapes and ceremony backdrops.

• Raw Edges & Earthy Elements: Imperfect finishes are being celebrated—from torn-edge stationery to raw silk runners and clay pottery replacing polished ceramics.

• Floral Textures: Petal-heavy blooms like ranunculus, garden roses, scabiosa, and dried elements like lunaria and amaranthus are being mixed to create layered, tactile arrangements.

Pro Tip: Encourage guests to interact with design elements—whether it’s by feeling a velvet-covered menu, or exploring textural installations that double as photo backdrops.

2. Movement: The New Elegance

2026 couples want their weddings to breathe—to have life and flow, both literally and metaphorically. Movement is the elegant disruptor of static traditions.

• Kinetic Installations: Think hanging florals that gently sway in the breeze, rotating chandeliers of paper cranes, or cascading ribbons that flutter above the dance floor.

• Flowing Fabrics: Billowing drapes, suspended linens, and streaming textiles in outdoor settings will add visual drama and softness at once.

• Interactive Ceremony Spaces: No more sitting in perfect rows. Ceremonies are being designed in the round, or with serpentine aisles and moving parts—like flower petals released from above.

• Dynamic Lighting: Light is becoming part of the choreography. Think slow-moving projections that mimic water or clouds, programmable LED installations that shift with the music, or candlelight that moves with the wind.

• Interesting Shapes as an Alternative: If literal movement feels like too bold a choice, you can still capture a sense of flow by integrating interesting shapes into the décor. Whether organic curves or sharp geometrics, sculptural forms add rhythm and visual intrigue to your scenography. Arched floral installations, asymmetric ceremony backdrops, undulating tablescapes, and uniquely shaped signage or menus can all suggest movement—without anything actually moving.

Inspiration: The goal is to create motion that feels organic and emotionally resonant—not distracting. Think ballet, not Broadway.

3. Unique Details That Tell a Story

Personalization has long been a wedding buzzword, but in 2026, it deepens into something more curated and culturally rich.

• Cultural & Regional Layers: Whether it’s Provençal motifs for a French destination wedding or textile nods to a couple’s heritage, subtle cultural details are woven into the aesthetic fabric rather than being placed on top of it.

• Unexpected Pairings: Mixing antique and modern, rustic and polished, surreal and traditional. For example: Louis XVI chairs paired with modern acrylic tables, or classic monograms reinterpreted in abstract line art.

• Custom Keepsakes: Forget generic favors. Guests receive pressed-flower paperweights, handwritten letters sealed with wax, or scents created just for the event.

• Hyper-Personal Stationery: Illustrated maps, collaged menus, layered cards with different textures—stationery becomes a tactile storytelling element.

• Statement Ceremony Backdrops: Instead of standard arches, think artist-created structures: sculptural walls, floral clouds, or installations made from meaningful objects or quotes.

Idea: Couples are even collaborating with artists to create one-of-a-kind décor or ceremony elements that reflect their personal love story.

4. Destination Weddings in France: A Living Canvas for Design Trends

Nowhere does the 2026 design philosophy come to life more fully than in a destination wedding in France. The country’s diversity makes it the perfect stage for a creative, dynamic, modern wedding with depth and refined detail.

• A Timeline That Moves: Whether you're watching the light shift on Parisian rooftops, the breeze ripple through vineyard rows in Bordeaux, or fountains dance in the garden of a Loire Valley castle, France creates its own poetry of a wedding flow. Couples are leaning into this, designing timelines that follow the rhythm of the day—ceremonies at golden hour, candlelit dinners that blend seamlessly into open-air parties.

• Details With Soul: French artisanship—calligraphy, floral design, linen weaving, perfumery—adds a level of authenticity and depth impossible to replicate elsewhere. 2026 couples are embracing handmade, intentional elements that celebrate where they are just as much as why they’re there.

• Cultural Touchpoints: Incorporating regional cuisine, historic settings, and even local wedding customs (like sabrage or vin d’honneur) adds narrative layers that elevate the event far beyond visual beauty.

Curious about planning your destination wedding in France? Explore our guide to luxury wedding planning in France, where you'll find tips, inspiration, and expert advice for creating a celebration rooted in beauty, intention, and ease.

Honorable Mentions: What Else is On the Horizon?

• Micro-Motion Florals: Designers are beginning to incorporate technology that allows installations to subtly move—floral clouds that drift, mechanical petals that open with sound.

• Scent Design: Curated scent experiences tied to each wedding “moment” (the ceremony, cocktail hour, dinner) are on the rise.

• Sustainability by Design: Eco-conscious design is integrated—not spotlighted—with reusable structures, seasonal blooms, local artisans, and thoughtful materials.

Final Thought: A Wedding You Can Feel

The unifying theme of 2026? Weddings that awaken the senses. Through textured surfaces, flowing elements, and personalized, meaningful design, the modern wedding becomes less of a spectacle and more of an emotional landscape. It’s not about being trendy—it’s about being felt. Whether guests remember the softness of the velvet napkins, the gentle rustle of the ceremony canopy, or the fragrance of wild jasmine as they danced under the stars, the wedding of 2026 lingers in memory because it connected on a human, sensory level.

Ready to bring your vision to life in one of the most romantic countries on Earth? Our expertise lies in creating weddings that are as seamless as they are spectacular—from château celebrations to seaside soirées. Let’s create something unforgettable, together.