Organised by Sarah at Perfect Little Wedding, we knew James and Jen’s special dream day at Maison d’Été would be a joy to photograph and video.  The venue is simply stunning – an old 17th century Hamlet (modernised) with its own Chapel, pool side dining and gorgeous views over the Périgord countryside. It’s those views that James fell in love with when they came to visit – he knew it was the perfect location for their special day, shared with close family and friends.

Today the weather was great and the welcome from Sharon, the venue’s owner was, as usual, warm and inviting.

The couple had enjoyed a few days holiday in the region before their wedding. All good except when Jen cut her foot badly whilst swimming in the Dordogne river, putting at risk her bridal walk down the aisle to the ceremony area. More on that later.

Jen’s hair and make up was done by Nancy from Elevation Make up based here in SW France. 

Having your hair & make up done by a professional rather than doing your own is a great idea. It’s your time to be pampered and have them create photo-ready perfection which lasts all day as you see here in Jen’s photos.

While the girls were getting ready, we took photos of Jen’s dress, her bridesmaids and that of their gorgeous daughter Savannah.

Gifts were exchanged over a glass of bubbly, and friend and bridesmaid Sarah presented Jen with a handmade ‘memory photo book’ which was a moving moment between the girls.

Beautiful pastel flowers, basket of rose petals, ceremony arch and decor were hand-delivered by Moraig & Mark from Fleuribelle. Their bespoke arrangements come from flowers grown at their own sustainable, eco-friendly farm near Sarlat.

James and his groomsmen were clearly really good friends and very good humoured. Having a bit more free time before getting ready, they had a fairly leisurely morning, playing sports and even recreating a version of the volleyball scene from Top Gun which made for a fun ‘extras’ clip to their highlight video. See the video here at 10mins 13 seconds https://youtu.be/IE0nHo0m7gc)

There’s a few advantages to hiring a combined team to do both your photo and video as we did here – consistency of style/look, streamlined communication, easy process on the day plus it’s often more cost effective.

Jen and the girls were now ready. First a few moments with mum Loraine, sister Christina, bridesmaid Sarah and daughter Savannah. Time to step out and take the steps down to the ceremony area. A sharp intake of breath was audible as Jen presented herself to dad John, just prior to the ceremony.  

Thankfully Jen’s foot had healed enough to not cause any great problem walking to the ceremony area.  Plus her desire to walk in bare feet to feel grounded and connected to the earth avoided any painful shoes.

Greg, a good friend of Jen’s was celebrant for the day and Tristan, award winning wedding singer, played live guitar for Jen’s entrance, with a rendition of Holocene by Bon Iver. The ceremony was full of emotion and love, and stealing the limelight their daughter, Savannah.

A confetti throw, cocktails and live music made for a lovely afternoon, with time for a few family and friends group photos.

For the wedding breakfast, what possibly beats dinner, wine and sunshine by the pool? Well-crafted speeches by dad John and brother Sam were both sweet and funny. All the guests smiled, laughed and at times were fighting back tears as emotions ran high. Even more so as both Jen and James delivered very personal speeches to one another, and each thanking their guests for making the trip so special.

James and Jen had told us before the wedding that they just wanted their families and friends to have a great time and to appreciate as they did, this beautiful location. They definitely achieved their goal. 

The weather helped create some amazing golden hour couple’s photos with the sun low in the sky and contrasting dreamy light and shadows. 

Croquembouche – a delicious tower of cream profiteroles held together by crispy caramel – was served.  We used the drone as well as cameras to capture the couple’s first dance with candle lighting ceremony. Next dancing by the pool to more of Tristan’s live music this time with a party vibe.  A truly memorable day.