Country wedding in Belgium – Mélanie + Guillaume

Through the wedding of Mélanie and Guillaume, we forget the grayness and we only keep in mind their complicity lulled by a sweet obviousness. A poetic, simple and joyful atmosphere. A couple of young parents just cute united by a sincere love. Impossible to resist these lovers all in naturalness!

Divinely accompanied by David Latour, Mélanie and Guillaume share with us today the story of their history and the lovely memories of a special day… Thanks to them and to David :)

The encounter…

G: “We met 9 years ago, when we went back to university. Me in medicine and Mélanie in biology. We regularly crossed paths at the science faculty… and at student parties. We gradually got closer; we spent hours together in the evenings, after class.

Then one of those evenings went on until breakfast. Our academic results that year didn't exactly make our parents very proud. Nevertheless, we moved in together the following year, without telling our parents. We haven't been apart since."

The marriage proposal

G: “We were together for 3 years, 6 years before our marriage and 4 years before the birth of our little boy Jean.

I like to keep a certain form of secrecy around this moment, chosen at a pivotal moment in our history. I wanted my proposal to be simple and devoid of the superfluous, far from the “flowery” clichés that can play on a loop in the heads of future fiancés…”

Country wedding in Belgium

M: “We wanted a friendly place in a rural setting. We both grew up in the countryside, it was therefore important to find this setting for our wedding.

Our choice fell on the “Clos of the Conciergerie”in Guignies, a small village near Tournai in Belgium. The place immediately seduced us, a large red brick building planted in the middle of a park of old trees, crossed by a small stream. All less than three kilometers from the church where we were going to get married.”

Organizing a wedding in Belgium

M: “Not having a very big budget and wanting our wedding to be unique and reflect us, we did a lot of things ourselves. We wanted a retro, vintage, festive and friendly theme. We also wanted to use raw, natural materials and color!

The first step was the announcement. We were inspired by old-school layouts and graphics found on the internet. We spent days formatting it (using the free software Inkscape), looking for fonts (www.dafont.com) and illustrations. We also made all the stationery: place cards, table plan, table numbers, small explanatory signs for the guestbook. I also made all the pennants that decorated the room.

We asked the guests to wear a floral touch, so we couldn't skip the flowers in the decoration. We called on a florist friend, Fabrice Delbecq in Tournai, who created all the arrangements for our wedding: my bouquet and that of the granddaughters of honor, the buttonholes, the centerpieces and the decoration of the church. Everything was superb and in keeping with our theme and colors.

To the wedding car, we asked Delphine, a friend of Guillaume, to lend us her superb Volkswagen: a vintage black Beetle. Delphine decorated it with two bunches of balloons of all colors, like “Up!” (the Pixar animated film)

To the dress, I called on a stylist working in Brussels, Marie-Catherine le Hodey. Having a precise idea of ​​the model that I liked (and the budget), she offered me different sketches. After several meetings, fittings and alterations, my dress was made. I am very happy to have been able to actively participate in the creation of my dress and to have met Marie-Catherine.

Guillaume's three-piece suit was made by Cafe Costume in Brussels. Although offering half measure, he had the opportunity to personalize his three-piece down to the smallest details. Guillaume had a lot of fun choosing the materials, colors, buttons, etc. His outfit was completed with a liberty bow tie sewn by a young designer from Lille, The colonel. We also chose flowery bow ties for the little boys in the procession, the witnesses and our fathers. For the children of honor, I wanted them to have colorful clothes that they could wear again. So I went to very well-known brands: Vertbaudet, Zara and H&M.

A successful wedding is about beautiful memories but also beautiful images! Interested in photography, Guillaume knew what he wanted in terms of rendering and style. The work of David Latour We liked him a lot and so we brought him across France to come to Belgium.”

The Wedding Day

G: “A magnificent spring day : fresh, rays of sunshine blossoming with the clouds, beautiful pastel colors offered by the trees and the budding flowers. A delicately romantic setting. We each got ready on our own according to the very precise schedule we had defined. Mélanie was going to town to her hairdresser, I took care of the florist and last-minute details…

Once ready, we left accompanied by David, our photographer for a first photo shoot, before the ceremony. It was at this moment that I discovered Mélanie's dress: a wonderful souvenir! We took the time for the photos, taken in places identified the day before with David. It was great to do this before the ceremony. Indeed, we were able to appropriate our roles of married and tame our suits.

M: “The presence of our families and friends, the looks and smiles exchanged during the ceremony made this moment unforgettable and full of emotions. Especially the look of our son, both amused and intrigued… The church was packed, we did not expect to receive so many people and congratulations! At the end of the celebration, the guests made their way to the reception venue for the wine of honor and the meal.

The afternoon was punctuated by lovely surprises: our parents' speech, surprises from friends and our witnesses in the form of songs and video montages, etc. Our guests really enjoyed the day, with a special mention for our opening dance on Sing Sing Sing by Benny Goodman and for the dessert buffet!

An anecdote

G: “We don’t have a specific anecdote… But we have managed to make many references to our families and friends, more or less directly. Some examples… The church; the one where my parents got married and where I was baptized. But also the one where my grandparents got married and where they are buried. It’s not fair "a" Church, it is a place where my family has experienced strong moments. Same with certain places chosen for photo shoots, which echo my family's past. Another example, the musical choices during the meal and the evening, we chose a "typical" song for each of our friends (who immediately made the connection between the music and an important moment spent with them).”

M: “A great meeting, our photographer David, with whom we keep in touch.”

What if I had to do it again?

M: “Yes! A real pleasure to enjoy such a day surrounded by the people we love!”
G: “Yes! Too bad this day is flying by, we barely have time to turn around and it’s already over…”

Advice from the newlyweds

M: “Let yourself be carried away on this beautiful day for enjoy it to the fullest. Do not lose sight of the fact that this is our marriage and that we won't be able to please everyone."
G: “Having taken some dance classes, to make one custom costume. Not starting the evening too early, so it ended a little earlier than expected. I wish this day would never end…”

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Wedding addresses in Belgium

Location: www.closdelaconciergerie.com
Caterer: www.latruitedargent.be

Flowers: Delbecq Florist, Rue Piquet 23, 7500 Tournai, 069 23 41 48,  info@fleuristedelbecq.be

Bride's outfit: www.mariecatherinelehodey.be/
Groom's attire: www.cafecostume.com and Colonel Mustard
Hair & Make up: www.createurbruno.be

Orchestra: Néchin church choir and the “Si par foi” choir

Photographer : David Latour

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TO BE CONTINUED…

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A WORD FROM THE EDITOR

Congratulations to Mélanie and Guillaume for this beautiful wedding. We wish them a lifetime of happiness!
And thanks to David Latour for submitting this report!

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