Wedding at Domaine de Gressac – Julia + Ziad

At the heart of a wild ProvenceJulia and Ziad stopped time to celebrate their love. A three-day wedding organized between land and sea, creating memories they will cherish forever.

With the beautiful images of Pierre&Julie Films et Lika Banshoya, Julia and Ziad tell us more…

The initial meeting

It was a Sunday that looked rather unpromising, yet we each met up with a mutual friend, under the grey skies of October 16, 2016, in a café on the square of the man who said, "Happiness is sometimes hidden in the unknown." Victor Hugo couldn't have predicted it better.

It was instantaneous, at least for me Julia, while a doubt about the intentions of this mutual friend prevented me Ziad from giving in to the charm of this magnificent creature that I had just met. The hours passed at the pace of seconds and we parted without even exchanging numbers. But love at first sight was such that I could not bite my lip for long before realizing the obvious. I had to see her again.

So I embarked on an investigation of the highest order and enlisted the help of the greatest private detective of all time, Mark Zuckerberg, and his invention with its colossal resources. It was only a few hours later that I finally found her, ten days later that I was able to invite her to dinner, and five years later that I finally married her.

Provence wedding at Domaine de Gressac © Lika Banshoya

Provence wedding at Domaine de Gressac © Lika Banshoya

Provence wedding at Domaine de Gressac © Lika Banshoya

Provence wedding at Domaine de Gressac © Lika Banshoya

Marriage Proposal in Greece

First, let's set the scene: Amorgos, the island of the big blue, alone in the world after 6 hours of hiking to the north of the island to reach the chapel of Stavros and its breathtaking viewpoint overlooking the entire island.

After having faced some unsettling passages along cliffs and an attack by stray dogs, here we are in front of this magnificent landscape we had been hoping for.

Ziad, who by the way, hates any kind of photo/video pose, asks me to make a 360-degree video of him with the landscape. I jump at this unique proposition and grab my phone and start making what turns out to be the most beautiful holiday memory of our lives. This video that immortalizes Ziad on one knee, a ring in his hand and tears in his eyes.

This is the marriage proposal that should have happened but Ziad didn't have the ring yet and he didn't dare to do it.

The real proposal happened four months later, on December 22, 2019, by the Christmas tree on a Sunday afternoon. We were listening to music, I was reading, and he handed me a deck of cards that concealed Polaroid photos on which he had recounted our story. On the last Polaroid, he had written: "Will you marry me?" He was down on one knee, and we embraced. We both cried a lot, and I said yes.

Provence wedding at Domaine de Gressac © Lika Banshoya

Provence wedding at Domaine de Gressac © Lika Banshoya

Provence wedding at Domaine de Gressac © Lika Banshoya

The organization of the wedding at Domaine de Gressac

After the proposal in December 2019, it was time to start planning our wedding. Being very busy with our respective careers, we gave ourselves a year and a half to prepare. That was without taking into account a global pandemic and all that followed. The real wake-up call came when the first venue we had chosen informed us that they were unable to confirm our reservation due to all the anticipated postponements. It was therefore time to move on to the second venue.

The wedding venue in Occitan Provence

The priority was the location. Le Domaine de Gressac. It was probably the only positive point of the crisis that brought us to this majestic and magical place. More than 100 hectares of sumptuous nature maintained by a lovely couple. With a smile always on their lips, they went out of their way for us.

Wedding memory makers

And how good it feels when you meet Pierre&Julie Films et Lika Banshoya. As talented as they are adorable. Every drink with them was therapeutic and that's exactly what you need when you're planning a wedding. And suddenly, on the big day, they're friends behind the lens and not just videographers and a photographer.

Provence wedding at Domaine de Gressac © Lika Banshoya

Provence wedding at Domaine de Gressac © Lika Banshoya

Provence wedding at Domaine de Gressac © Lika Banshoya

Choosing the wedding dress

Some decisions were obvious, such as choosing my wedding dress which was made by my friend Nicolas Jebran to whom I gave carte blanche. I only saw a drawing of my dress before trying it on for the first time just 2 months before the wedding. It was a crazy bet but it was the best decision of my life. I trusted his genius and his way of sublimating the woman's body. I was so moved and so impatient to put it on the big day and for Ziad to see me with it.

Wedding decoration and coordination

We wanted to be involved in all aspects and stages of our wedding planning. However, we were even more keen to be able to enjoy the 3 days as best we could with our loved ones, leaving D-Day coordination to the ultra professional team of MC2 my love. Estelle and Alex took the reins of the wedding as if they had organized it from A to Z and the whole team was aware of the smallest details of the day's events and gave everything to make everything perfect. And the decoration that Estelle thought of and created, with the help of an expert florist, was just sublime, far beyond our expectations. We still have stars in our eyes.

The wedding caterer

The most complicated choice was the caterer. It was not easy to decide between 4 incredible tastings (advice: limit yourself to 4 max). But here too the key word was the human. We had decided to choose Pesto and RosemaryA team of talented people, but above all, people we immediately clicked with. People who inspired our confidence and with whom we were sure everything would go well. People who made us want to build and experience this adventure with them.

Provence wedding at Domaine de Gressac © Lika Banshoya

Provence wedding at Domaine de Gressac © Lika Banshoya

Provence wedding at Domaine de Gressac © Lika Banshoya

Provence wedding at Domaine de Gressac © Lika Banshoya

Their most moving memory

Our wedding lasted 3 days : the first in Marseille where we had the chance to be married by the Mayor Mr Payan followed by a reception in the childhood home near the sea. On Friday everyone had to go to the majestic Domaine de Gressac with a welcome dinner for very close ones and it was on Saturday that took place.

If I had to choose just one specific moment from this crazy day, it would be the moment we shared with Ziad during the cocktail where we did a little photo and video shoot with our beloved providers. This allowed us to laugh and spend time almost alone kissing, hugging, enjoying each other a little away from the guests, while having the possibility of seeing everyone in the background who was fully enjoying the aperitif cocktail. It was really magical and it was just after the ceremony and it allowed me to realize, ah yes I said yes, I am his wife, he is my husband, it's for life.
Julia

"It is undoubtedly the moment when I discover Julia arriving from afar in Dad's arms.
When everyone around me was talking about this famous moment, I thought I was immune to it. After all, finding Julia beautiful is part of my daily life.
And that's all the more why I was very surprised!
Looking more beautiful than ever, I could barely hold back my tears.
This moment will remain etched in my memory forever.”
Ziad

Provence wedding at Domaine de Gressac © Lika Banshoya

Provence wedding at Domaine de Gressac © Lika Banshoya

Advice from the newlyweds

• Know how to surround yourself of people who will be your rocks and coaches during the preparations, whether in your entourage or with your service providers. Organizing a wedding is, as we imagine, very stressful and we can quickly build up pressure. The service providers we chose were able to reassure us and be proactive so that this day would go as we dreamed.
• And especially, let go of the reins on D-Day and let yourself be carried away but also the day before the wedding!! Our wedding eve nothing went as planned, some of our service providers had COVID, the weather was not great so we had to set up a tent, we had to redo the table plans at midnight, the family did not go to the right cottage... I'll let you imagine the state we were in. So really anticipate as much as possible to be able to enjoy the evening before with those around you and be open-minded, nothing ever goes 100% as planned but that doesn't take away from the magic you're going to experience, the love you're going to receive, or the sense of celebration.