French Chateau Garden Party
Have you ever wondered what it would take to design and execute a beautiful French-inspired wedding, but in good ole midwest Michigan? I will tell you now, it’s very possible! When we started curating this intimate French Chateau Garden Party design, we had SO many ideas flood our minds, but what we wanted most was something unique. Thoughtful. Intentional. A design that would be true inspiration for our viewers and audience.
With the beautiful day falling on a midwest spring day, we weren’t quite sure what to expect with weather – it could’ve been a perfect sunny day or gloomy rainfall in the 30s. In any weather event, we wanted the details to fit all aesthetics nature granted us, and that is one of the reasons we chose Venue3Two as our location. The estate has an inviting, homey sense to it – both outside and inside. It matched our vision perfectly.
As the tablescape was one of the biggest priorities – as that’s where most of the time would be spent as guests – we put a lot of emphasis on the overall feel. We chose a heavy greenery foliage structure over the tablescape to engage earthy tones, create massive texture, and to draw out a romantic ambiance. We imagined the foliage to be a main focal point and so we had it styled in a whimsical way to match the gardeny vibe. We wanted the large amount of greenery to be complemented with colorful spring florals. Florals that danced freely in the foliage, but not lost among it. Cass and Jean Floral Co surpassed our expectations! The colors varied from pink, peach, white, and small pops of yellow. We intentionally chose pink to be the main color, but we chose to add this in the details instead of the focal points. Adding it sprinkled throughout the details is the best way to showcase the lead color as it keeps the guests wanting more instead of feeling overwhelmed by one color. The small details included napkins, the cake hue, stationery, champagne, candles, etc.
In addition to the foliage structure above the tablescape, Cass and Jean Flower Co also provided the most stunning ethereal floral compotes on top of the cheesecloth runners adding more dimension, texture, volume, and color to the centerpiece. She will ALWAYS outdo herself. This truly completed the garden party style we were envisioning! Flowers galore! It was like you were truly walking through a garden at a private French Chateau and came across the dreamiest picnic table you could have ever imagined! To truly complete the centerpiece, we added dried grapefruit scattered between the compotes and a French baguette at the end of the table.
The place setting is always a favorite of ours to design as it adds more texture and truly tells the style you are executing, and AAYS Event Rentals had the most beautiful selections to choose from. We chose silver as our accent metal as silver will always be a subtle and timeless touch, and we implemented it through the plates, flatware, and lettering on the paper goods. The plates we chose for the tablescape had a beautifully detailed silver rim with the tiniest divots giving a vintage French approach and was elevated by a matching saucer and tea cup. We chose vintage silver flatware with a rich, antique body and brought a pop of color with the light pink polyester napkin draping off the table. The countryside French wooden crossback chairs completed the look. We were swooning over the most stunning paper goods created by The Honeybee Creative. The gray font tied in so well with the silver metal accents.
The Honeybee Creative also created one of the loveliest invitation suites I’ve ever seen. It was delicate in every way – the handmade cotton paper, roughed edges, the soft scripted font, the muted colors, vintage stamps – it was PERFECT. The flatlay was styled by Becoming Designs Events.
Everyone loves a statement cake, right? Violet Flour Bakes might just be one of the greatest cake designers in Michigan! The three-tiered cake with minimal texture and subtle pink hues was nothing short of beautiful. The inside of the cake was just as lovely as the outside. We chose a simple sweet pea stem to complete the look. We intentionally chose a sweet pea flower, because what’s more spring than the most dainty, independent April flower?
Complementing the cake and adding to the French theme, Simply Sweet Confections created a beautiful macaron tower with shades of ivory and a beige with the most DELICIOUS almond flavor macaron bites. My oh my were these the best macarons I’ve ever tasted! To finish the dessert spread, we added pink champagne, muted mauve taper candles by the one and only Floral Society, and cheesecloth runners to add texture and build off the delicate, soft aesthetic we were going for!
We wanted to include something special and unique to this day and the couple, so we decided we just HAD to rent a vintage car to pull the aesthetic together. We rented a vintage white Volkswagen Beetle with a convertible top from Matilda 70 and it was the perfect addition! This added a fun element to the day while staying true to the antique feel of the French theme.
Brock and Lexi were the gorgeous couple behind the details of the design concept. Their relationship was perfectly displayed throughout the details. They are a beautiful mix of classy-elegance and lighthearted-fun. They have such poise that made them fit right in with the surrounding decor. Just as the design had an old-world feel, Brock and Lexi display this in their relationship – they were high school sweethearts!
No design would be complete without the smallest of details, right down to the buttons on a dress. When we pictured a French Chateau aesthetic, we envisioned a bride and groom joyfully frolicking through the gardens. This couldn’t be complete without a large fluffy dress to spin around in! Dearly Loved Bridal had the perfect dress that all brides dream about. It was a light and fluffy tulle ballgown with a romantic and simplistic bodice. We gifted the bride with STUNNING bridal gloves as a nod to old European traditions. The jewelry was all by Ali Christine Bridal who makes all bridal jewelry by hand. The earrings had antique jewels with romantic pearls added in for an overall timeless piece of jewelry. If you are looking for jewelry for your big day, she is your gal!
CRC Bridal Beauty was our wonderful hair stylist and Girl on the Glow traveled a few hours because we HAD to have the talented Katie do our girl, Lexi’s, makeup! Both styles were simple and romantic, and heavy on the blush, of course! They did a phenomenal job!
The groom was BEYOND excited to pair his loafers with his timeless black Express tux. A black tux will quite literally NEVER go out of style. His one contribution (kidding, sort of) to the European style, was tying in a bit of European fashion with his sockless loafers! Together, Lexi and Brock made an absolutely stunning couple!
Our piece of advice to brides when they are choosing the direction of style for the wedding is to choose something that inspires them. Something that makes their heart skip a beat in excitement, yet makes them feel calm and safe. To be inspired by something or someone is such a gift and makes it easier for the details to tell your story.
