Natalie & Pierre

Natalie & Pierre

Where are you both from?

Natalie is a Financial Adviser from Cornwall, approx. 20 minutes away from Pentillie. Pierre is a Market Development Lead for Tax and Account at Thompson Reuters from Toulouse. They both met and live in Dubai together.

Ceremony and reception location:

Underneath a marquee attached to Pentillie Castle’s Loggia, which was also used for the wedding breakfast and reception.

How did you choose your venue?

I (Natalie) and my mum started looking at the end of December 2017. Pentillie was the first place we visited and then we visited one other venue. We booked Pentillie the day after; it was perfect venue. (The Frenchie wanted a ‘Chateau’ so Pentillie ticked that off’)

How did your proposal happen (who, when and where)?

Pierre proposed on our trip to Petra and took me by surprise at the top of a beautiful view. This was on 30th November 2017

In 3 words, how did you picture your wedding at the beginning?

Elegant, Intimate and Fun

Often the aspect that makes a wedding original to the couple is the detail/theme – tell us about the special details of the day and how you implemented them (colours, theme decorations, centre pieces, favours, photo booths, DIY etc)

We have 3 loves in life (apart from the love for each other). These are: FOOD, WINE & TRAVEL. Being based in Dubai has allowed us to travel to many different countries and explore the world. Travel theme was used at our wedding, with Luggage suitcase favours with Cornish fudge inside, a vintage table plan of the world with luggage tags with our favourite places we have visited for table name and the table names were in post card styles. We also had a globe for the guest to write on and the card drop I made from vintage suitcase, which finished it off. My husband took a very ‘active’ part in choosing the food and wine for the day and it was delicious. For our centre piece I ordered wine decanters and had them engraved with our names, venue and wedding date on. This was finished off with a garland around the decanters with foliage and wine corks that we collected over the years. I also made table name stands/photo stands from our champagne corks and decorated them with bows and flowers. The theme came off very well for us.

Were you inspired by anyone on social media? Pinterest/Instagram etc?

Not really – I stay away from all this, as I wanted it to be our own day and incorporate what we like. I did use Pinterest a little for inspirations to make things like the table name stands.

Please give a brief account of your wedding planning story i.e. priorities, highs & lows, challenges etc

Initially the wedding was meant to be very small and only for 20-25 people. We were then going to have a ‘party’ in France for all our friends. This soon changed when my now husband realised how much organisation is involved. So, we decided to make this the main event and invite everyone we wanted there. We had 75 people in the end so it was still not too big and it felt intimate. Our main priority was to enjoy the time with our family and friends and for everyone to remember the day. We decided early on to make it a 3-day affair. This allowed us on the first night to have an intimate dinner with 16 guest staying at Pentillie, the second night we had a gathering at St Mellion Golf Club with all our guest that travelled from near and far (over 10 countries were present at the wedding). Then we had the main event – the Wedding. This was perfect – it allowed everyone to enjoy the beautiful setting of Pentillie, and it did not feel rushed. I really can’t remember any lows – everything went smoothly for us and I didn’t turn into a ‘Bridezilla’. It was more challenging that I lived abroad, but with the amazing assistance from Lisa (at Pentillie) and my parents, this made it very smooth for me.

What food did you choose for your day, wedding breakfast and evening buffet and why?

As mentioned, this was Very important for Pierre and I being food lovers. We worked with the chef at Pentillie and chose a lovely 3-course menu (with choices) for our guests. Including English and French elements. For the evening we kept it quite light, we had cheeses, pasties and our delicious wedding cake.

What was your favourite part of the day?

Everything. But if I have to pinpoint one thing, it would be the guest surprise for our first dance. They have not stopped talking about it and saying it the best first dance they have ever seen.

How did you feel as you walked down the aisle / saw each other on the day?

Very happy and actually relaxed. The groom might have had a few tears which was very sweet!

What was the most important investment for you? i.e food, photography, dress?

Very hard to say as every part of the wedding contributed to our perfect day. I would probably say videographer and Photographer so we have the memories. Noah Werth and his team were amazing. Also, our dance lessons – we started lessons 9 months before the wedding and this was a big investment of time; practising, choreographing the dance and music arrangement. But 100% worth it.

What song did you have for your first dance and why?

We started the first dance off with ‘Stand By Me’…. However the music stopped and to everyone surprise we went into a Argentina Tango, followed by some more music such as, Sexual Healing – Marvin Gay, Gangman Stlye, Indian music and finishing off to a Jive to Happy – Pharrell Williams

What are your top tips for other couples?

Enjoy all the planning, preparation and especially the day. Many Brides I have spoken to were so stressed doing this and did not enjoy their day, which is such a shame. It will all go by so quick, so embrace it all and make sure you have fun. The minor details really do not fret over; no one will notice or care. Main thing for you and your guests is to have good food, plenty of drink and have fun and laughter!

Watch Natalie & Pierre’s incredible wedding video by Noah Werth:

Suppliers:

Photographer: Noah Werth

Bride’s Dress: Sophia Tolli designer, The Bridal House of Cornwall, Truro

Bride’s Shoes: Pink by Paradox London

Groom’s Outfit: Tailor made in Dubai, along with the Grooms and Father of the Bride

Flowers: St Mellion Flowers

Caterer: Pentillie Castle

Music: Classical Strings – String Quartet for the Ceremony and canapés. Steve Dott Sings for the evening.

Cake: Edible Essence

Transport: Darren Taxi’s

Our wedding coordinator Chrissie would be delighted to show you around Pentillie! To book your private viewing, please call 01579 350044 or email  weddings@pentillie.co.uk.