A Jewish fairytale wedding shoot in France

Statement styling and decorative details collide in this wedding shoot, which draws on Jewish traditions and historical figures for inspiration

Charlotte Ricard of bespoke event planning company La Fête details the key components of this styled shoot.

Colour

The starting point for planning this shoot was the colour. We knew that we wanted to incorporate shades of purple, from dark to light, without being a completely monochromatic shoot. As time went on, we chose to focus on white as a dominant shade, with lilac for the bridesmaids’ outfits, gold accents and green, through our use of foliage.

Overall style and inspiration

Once the colour palette was set, we began to think of the style of shoot we wanted to create. Because of our French heritage, we have always been immensely inspired by our country’s history and after seeing a piece of lilac Toile de Jouy fabric, we were set on a regal theme, with Louis XVI and Napoleonic inspirations.

Venue

We began researching châteaus in France and came across Château Challain. Immediately we knew that this fairytale castle needed to be the backdrop to our project. As well as the château itself, we had access to the grounds, which was perfect to stage our ceremony. Château Challain’s team were truly instrumental in making our vision come to life.

Bride, bridesmaid, groomsmen and groom outfits

When it came to outfits, we wanted our bride and groom to be conservative yet unique, with the detail of our bride’s Katya Katya gown heavily inspired by the Victorian period, for a regal yet understated elegance.

We chose for our groom to be in a traditional white jacket, paired with a black embellished kippah with silver thread.

The bridesmaids brought the lilac touches we originally wanted in their embellished Motee Maid dresses, while the groomsmen contrasted in their navy blue and bright blue suits.

Accessories and jewellery

In keeping with tradition, we chose not to adorn our bride with jewellery for the ceremony. As for the bridesmaids, the only jewellery was simple hoop earrings and embellished hair accessories. After the ceremony, we added a pair of simple diamond disc earrings to our bride, which were discreet enough to not compete with her high lace collar.

Hair and make-up

We opted for a half up-do for our bride, with soft, glamourous waves falling onto her shoulders for a natural yet coiffed feel.

For her make-up, we wanted to mark her beautiful eyes with a copper-toned smoky colour and plenty of mascara. Eva from Eva Beauty Art made sure to give our bride a flawless matte complexion, finishing it off with a neutral pinky brown lipstick.

As for the bridesmaids, the make-up was naturally elegant and fresh, complemented by a softly waved bob with a headband and an elegant up-do with an embellished comb.

Stationery

Our stationery by De Winton Paper Co. combined both nature in the delicate floral border and the majesty of the venue, with a bespoke watercolour illustration of Château Challain. It was also key for us to include a ketubah in our photo shoot, which followed the floral and romantic theme of the day.

Cake

In keeping with our overall theme, Dealicious Gateaux created for a three-tiered dove grey and white cake with piped lace detailing and cascading sugar flowers. We especially love the floral and elegant shape of the two bottom tiers.

Table setting

In order to not have a fully white table, which could look relatively stark in such regal surroundings, we opted to accent it with gold and greenery from the flower displays. The setting also included snow white ostrich feathers hanging from the chandeliers, as a unique touch.

Flowers

The flowers supplied by Mister Brett Events at Château Challain were an integral part of this shoot. We opted to stick with a palette of white and green, including peonies, hydrangeas and roses. 

Get the look:

Planning/styling: Charlotte Ricard at La Fête
Photography: Divine Day Photography
Videography: Reel Love Films
Venue, tableware and furniture: Château de Challan
Stationery: De Winton Paper Co
Flowers: Mister Brett Events
Make-up and hair: Eva Beauty Art
Cake: Dealicious Gateaux
Bridal dresses: Katya Katya
Bridal shoes: Manolo Blahnik
Tuxedo jacket: Oliver Brown
Bridesmaids' dresses: Motee Maids
Bridal jewellery: Astley Clarke
Smashed It! pouch: Smashing the Glass
Confetti: Shropshire Petals
Models: Georgia Dispenza, Oliver Fernandez, Charlotte Godfrey, Clementine Wood, Christopher Pym and Sergio Vitorino