Rain. That’s the biggest weather concern an Irish bride usually has ahead of her wedding day, but with getting married in France in July – that went out the window. With average temperatures of 27C in Charente in July, and highs of 35C not unheard of, dressing for the hot weather was a major consideration when we looked at our wedding attire. However, hubby always wanted black tie, so we went with a ‘Bohemian Black Tie’ dress code to give guests a bit of scope, but tuxes were still the order of the day. In the end, it was 26C and overcast, which was perfect!

Getting ready:

As we were staying in the Chateau where the reception was held, us ladies had our own turret to get ready in! I bought our dressing gowns, which were light and airy, from Etsy. Carolyn Clinton from the Art of  Hair in Navan, Co Meath flew over to join us, along with Virginie Maquilleuse for make up.

My own bridal outfit

My dress was by Don O’Neill’s Theia brand, which I got in Folkster in Temple Bar, Dublin. Their bridal offering has since moved to Kilkenny. I knew I wanted a simple sheath style dress given the weather in France, and luckily I only had to visit a few shops before I found the one! Sheath styles are somewhat unforgiving though – so Spanx were out and crunches were in! I just had the dress taken up and added a vintage-style belt.

Bridal Accessories: 

The favourite part of my whole outfit though was the fabulous halo style veil. I had never seen anything like it before and still haven’t come across something similar since. It basically sat on the crown of my head but had a whole in the middle.

I wore my late grandmother’s pearl earrings, and iridescent Nine West bejewelled pumps (I also got the matching flats for dancing!) and skipped a handbag, for the day that was in in it!

Flowers:

After the drinks reception, I changed from my veil into a more comfortable floral crown, matching the flower girls. My bouquet was a simple green and white waterfall one, the bridesmaids carried posies and the buttonholes were simple white roses, all by local (and English-speaking) florist Stephanie Gauthier. You can see the rest of her fabulous creations for the wedding in my decor post.

Getting married in France guide: Chateau de Puyrigaud

What the bridesmaids wore:

Our lovely bridesmaids all wore the Ghost Sylvia dress in burgundy, purchased from Harvey Nichols in Dundrum Town Centre. They reported that it was a comfy choice for the day. They wore their own sandals and then changed into flip flops for dancing. These bejewlled clutches were one of the best bargains of the wedding, along with the brass headbands, came from Penneys.

Our junior bridesmaids (who were in fact taller than me and the bridesmaids) wore simple tulle dresses from Littlewoods with burgundy ribbons from Arubanesque in the Powerscourt Centre (now sadly closed). Michael the ringbearer wore a linen suit from Marks and Spencers.

The groom and other guests:

Himself went for a classic tux from Moss Bros, with velour dickie bow by Tom Ford and patent brogues from Hugo Boss and Tisserand cufflinks. My mom also wore a gold Jenny Packham dress with ASOS headband instead of a hat!