Effortless Bohéme in the South of France

Photography by Giuseppe Marano for Jasmin & Christopher

Nestled between tumbling hills, an ancient village was transformed, playing host to visitors from afar; travelers brought together by a celebration defined by a spirit of bohémia

Hidden behind walls of crumbling stone, days stretched into nights as guests were treated to a whimsical escape. From nights on the lawn to breakfast picnics in forest clearings, Jasmin and Christopher’s wedding took place in a world of their own creation.

Vows were exchanged in a 12^th century church, where the aisle was strewn with flowers and guests spilled out onto the courtyard. By night, dinner was served indoors, a long-forgotten dwelling revitalized by a sea of candles and an evening of elation.

Throughout it all, guests returned to a central clearing, a space that looked over the undisturbed countryside, where stars lit the night through an undressed teepee that stretched into the French horizon…

Photography by LANE handpicked photographer Giuseppe Marano.

Our Story

Names / Jasmin and Christopher

Wedding Date / August 5, 2017

Guests / 80

How we met…

We met on a beautiful humid Sydney night at a small house party. We immediately locked onto each other and gravitated to this unsaid energy between us. Christopher got extremely nervous and I got shy. Chris actually sweated through his whole shirt in the first two minutes of us talking, we still laugh about that today. It was definitely love at first sight.

Our Engagement story…

We had just moved to Los Angeles from Sydney and always wanted a white Christmas in New York. Christopher surprised me by proposing in Central Park near the Boat House. There was a beautiful completely random string quartet playing under the bridge while he asked me to spend the rest of my life with him, it was pure magic. After we cried, kissed and hugged we went to the boathouse for celebratory champagne. A couple sitting beside us somehow found out that we just got engaged and the husband started to sing “When I fall in Love” by Nat King Cole. In a perfect New York moment, the whole restaurant broke out in song for us. It was as if we were in 90’s romantic comedy! We truly believe that great love should feel like a 90’s R&B song.

Marriage to us means…

A life long journey of undying support from both parties, lots of compromising, letting go of the ego (staying flexible) and truly loving your partner through all the ups and downs. We believe it’s incredibly important to support each other’s individual dreams while building shared meaning together.

The Details

Wedding Location

We rented a 12th century village in the South of France that housed our 80 guests for four days. We had our own little paradise disconnected from the rest of the world. It was just us and our international tribe celebrating our union. The village is called Castelnau des Fieumarcon. We can’t recommend it enough!

Theme & Style

Elegant with a touch of French bohemian chic.

Photography

Giuseppe Marano – An incredibly talented photographer; we wanted a photojournalist/candid vibe to our wedding photos, which was exactly what we got. We can’t recommend Giuseppee more! P.S he’s like a ninja behind the camera- never noticed him.

Fashion Notes

Wedding Rings

Our rings were custom made and were inspired by Harry Winston. I actually melted down all my precious gold from the past 27 years to make Chris’s engagement ring.

Hair & Makeup

Jessica Grumley did my hair and makeup and was my saving grace on the day. I woke up tired with a sore red eye but with her calming nature she took all of it away and turned me into a beautiful bride.

Headpieces & Veils

Find our handpicked edit of Headpiece and Veil designers from around the world on the Directory.

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Style Notes

Stationery & Invitations

We went digital (save the trees) and used an amazing site called Riley & Grey. It was simple, easy and perfect to keep everything organized.

Favors

Everyone got a welcome basket with AESOP lotion and sunscreen, a bottle of wine and local hand made chocolates. We got the cutest baskets from Original Marrakech that were hand stitched with “Merci” written on it.

Flowers & Bouquets

I went for a classic minimalistic style. Using only white flowers and greenery.

Ceremony & Reception Décor

We used a fantastic company called Options for all our decorations. When all the decorations arrived in two packed semi trucks it was like Christmas for me. We also used ChicTipi for the beautiful Tipi, which worked as a central gathering point for the entire four days.

Preparation

Our groomsmen and bridesmaids arrived two days before the wedding to help us prep the village. It was a monster job but so much fun with a glass of French wine in your hand. Christopher and Scott (his best man) handmade the ten commandments board- just brilliant!

Reception Notes

Cake

Simple white three-tiered cake that we actually cut on the Sunday night because everyone got carried away on the reception night and we totally forgot about the cake!!!

Wedding Songs

All I see is you, Active Child

Entertainment

Cinelli Brothers. They were a so much fun and became part of the family for those four days.

Food & Beverages

The wonderful Anneli Faiers from Castelnau des Fieumarcon catered our food for the whole weekend. She was incredible.

Special Details

Honeymoon

We went straight on our honeymoon to Morocco, Croatia and Paris travelling for six weeks.

Gift Registry

Rather than have a gift registry, we asked our guests to donate to our favorite charities.

Other special details

My bridesmaid Sahar hosted a women’s blessing ceremony a couple hours before the wedding. Having that time with my women tribe, listing to their wisdom and receiving all their love was extraordinary. I cried so much I blame the blessing ceremony for my puffy eyes in some of my wedding pictures.