The Wedding Banquet

With audacity and poetry, Maelys Izzo takes us into his Provence to fashion notes. A sun-drenched wedding in Mediterranean accents. It is on the French Riviera at Pond Manor that the beautiful team from the South came together to bring this sunny inspiration to life.

With his images, Maelys Izzo gives us his inspirations…

How did the initiative for this shooting come about? 

“After a year 2020 during which I had the leisure to consume a lot of inspiring content and had less opportunity to  photographing all the beautiful weddings planned, I was overflowing with ideas and a desire to "treat myself" artistically! Last spring, I became absolutely a fan of the work, the universe and the collections of Jacquemus. Having grown up at the foot of the Garlaban and living in Aix-en-Provence, I was quickly fascinated  by his way of telling our South, our traditions and the Provençal sun. 

This “trend” around the South of France has been widely reinterpreted and seen on Instagram, Pinterest but ultimately, little applied to wedding scenography and that's what I wanted to propose. The idea of ​​planning several outfits for the bride and groom in the manner of a fashion series quickly came to mind to be able to decline this style on several types of outfits adapted for the civil wedding, the secular ceremony or the brunch. 

This is where " The Wedding Banquet " An editorial shoot around the Mediterranean with citrus and mimosa accents. From the singing accent of Marseille to the big Italian family celebrations. A good dose of fashion in the tradition and spontaneity of Provence.

French Riviera wedding at the Manoir de l’Etang

I love the idea ofa wedding in the garden of our childhood with the walls of the family home as a backdrop. The Pond Manor with its immense exteriors, its olive trees and its vines running along the facade offered this Provençal country house spirit while making you dream and having a little majestic side. Perfect for our guideline: tradition with a touch of luxury and avant-garde.

The shooting team

As mentioned above, I am a photographer and not a wedding planner, so logistics were a bit of a challenge as they are not my area of ​​expertise. So I was able to put myself in the shoes of a bride-to-be who wanted to organize her dream wedding at home (with the advantage, I admit, of already knowing the service providers). 

The whole team is therefore made up of service providers that I already knew, whose work I love. and that I wanted to see again on this shooting like a day among friends. 

Nebia of Nans House, Delphine Ruffini (MUAH) and I met a few years ago at the same wedding festival. Maison Nans is the perfect balance between generous but refined cuisine, sunny and modern. Delphine is a chameleon who sublimates both brides and professional models on editorial campaigns. 

It is always a great pleasure to work with Loïc de Formerly Flowers who was immediately enthusiastic about my somewhat ambitious requests (flower arches on the ground like a field of flowers in the garden and floral structure framing the banquet table). He was full of ideas and was able to create something even better than what I had imagined. 

Maloha decoration is a boutique in Bouc-bel-air, near my home, where I bought half of my apartment: I am a customer who loves what it offers and I am delighted that many terracotta-style nuggets from its new collection have come to dress our table. 

The colorful stationery is imagined and produced by Morgane Massiani, one of my best graphic designer friends, her specialty is illustration as shown in the lemon patterns perfect for the Mediterranean theme.

Jeanne Source et Manon Gontero are designers from the region (respectively from Luberon and Marseille) that I have been following for years and for whom I have had the chance to attend several fashion shows.

We also spent three weeks doing a lot of things on our own (painted shirts, some plates) and to collect decorative items from grandmothers in family cupboards: crystal glasses, vases, silverware, lace tablecloth. 

Some clay pots come from the unbeatable Poterie Ravel, based in Aubagne near my childhood village. 

The bridesmaids are all friends of the bride and they are multitaskers since they were essential to set the table, one of them sewed the fresh flowers on the veil 20 minutes before starting; Morgane who did the stationery, Chloé and Jenna who made the atmosphere and backstage videos also posed. 

In summary, even if this photoshoot is an inspiration shoot, we  We put a lot of soul and meaning into the details. 

The scenography 

The inspiration was: “A marriage that pleased Marcel Pagnol and Simon Porte Jacquemus” 

The ceremonial arch is an arch of flowers on the ground like a field of flowers under the Sainte-Victoire, a style that we see too rarely! The flowers are seasonal as if they had been gleaned or picked at the last minute in the garden. Behind, floats a simple white old sheet to frame and highlight the newlyweds  and remember the laundry drying at the back of the house. 

For the table (in beautiful solid wood from The Mismatched), blue and white striped ceramic and terracotta-hued terracotta blend together for a very sunny and festive accumulation. We wanted to keep a "homemade" and banquet look with generous dishes, lemons and artichokes as decoration and antique tableware. The table is topped with a wooden structure to accommodate a cascade of flowers that echoes the ceremonial arch.

Every outfit tells its story and his Provençal inspiration in his own way:

• Ceremonial dress is composed of a very simple Jeanne Source dress in a beautiful cut and in a quality fabric for the traditional side and we wanted to give the fashion side (not really realistic but which makes very beautiful visuals) through a veil embroidered with fresh carnations.  The groom wears this same carnation in his boutonniere with the stem exposed. 
• For the entrance of the bride and groom and party all night, the bride is wearing a combo that I love: A short backless dress (Jacquemus, the drap dress) and a long veil embroidered with pearls (which we find at Manon Gontero). 
• By the swimming pool, the bride and groom match with a white shirt where the wedding date has been painted, an idea that can be easily reproduced. To be worn during the preparations or during an engagement session for example. 
• The brunch outfit is an airy silk organza kimono from Manon Gontero, paired with a huge Bomba straw hat (Jacquemus) to protect yourself from the southern sun by the pool in style.

We also wanted to show two alternatives to the traditional bouquet : the basket filled with flowers or the bouquet wrapped in fabric in the spirit of returning from the market! 

A budgetary approach

The overall range on a basis of 100 guests is approximately 45K€

The breakdown by expense item based on 100 guests:

• Location – 10.000 euros for the weekend and 50 beds
• Caterer – 8.000 euros
• Flowers – From 1.800 euros 
• Photographer – From 2.500 euros 
• Long dresses between 2.800 and 5.000 euros made to measure 
• Makeup – Between 400 and 1000 euros 

Professional advice for future brides and grooms

Often, the bride and groom are advised to make a wedding scenography and style that suits them and is "timeless" for their tastes but we are obviously all influenced by current trends. Our advice would therefore be to follow the fashions that we like at leisure but do not limit ourselves to trends labeled "wedding" : Fashion or decoration can be applied to your wedding decoration and colors! Don't be afraid to make choices that you think "don't do enough wedding", it's you who decides what you want to show. 

Another tip for home weddings, which will surely become more and more numerous in the coming months: A wedding in the family home does not necessarily mean a “simple, rustic wedding”, listen to what pleases you and perhaps give a whole new twist to those corridors you have walked thousands of times and to those exteriors you know by heart. 

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Discover the work of the organizer

Maelys Izzo

Website > maelysizzo-photographe.com
IG > @maelysizzo
Pinterest > maelysizzo
FB > @maelysi

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The credits

Art direction and photography – Maelys Izzo
Venue - The Etang Manor
Caterer – Nans House
Flowers - Formerly Flower

Bride's outfit
Hair & Make up – Delphine Ruffini
Ceremony long dress tied in the back – Jeanne Source
Kimono – Manon Gontero
Short backless dress – The Drap dress Jacquemus
Shirt – Homemade
Bomba Hat Jacquemus
Alliances – Andon Jewelry

Model – Tamaia Rosi

Furniture – The Mismatched 
Table decoration – The Mismatched 
Maloha Home
Poterie Ravel
Announcements and stationery – Morgane Massiani

Backstage and real videos – Chloe Cioffi @chloecfi and @jenna.mzn

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TO BE CONTINUED…

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Our favorites on the shop
Our inspirations on our Pinterest

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A WORD FROM THE EDITOR

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