Today's real wedding is one of those ones that leave you feeling a glow!
Frederik & Karel are a Belgian couple, who married with a relaxed, three day celebration in a castle in France.
And it was all captured, so beautifully, by Kasia Bacq Photography.
With an idyllic orchard setting, simple DIY decor, an intimate, personalised atmosphere – and lots of dogs! – their day was the perfect celebration of them, their home, and their life together.
Edible decor was pinched from the surrounding apple trees, and ribbon and string lights were hung around the castle gardens for a homely, yet festive feel. A BBQ reception, and home-cooked eats over the weekend, added to the laid-back vibes.
And at the centre of it all, this smart, dapper, utterly loved-up pair…
Wedding Day Snapshot
Our Love Story
Frederik and I met each other at “De Gentse Feesten”. We were doing a friend a favor and agreed to work behind the bar. Frederik had to make the drinks and I had to give them to the people.
Pretty soon Frederik started making drinks for me and we were drinking more than we were working.
One drink lead to another and we were very drunk and left the workplace to party ourself. It was a very fun night.
Our wedding in three words? Relaxed, spacious, and elegant.
The Inspiration
We wanted a wedding spread over a whole weekend so everybody could be relaxed.
People arrived on Friday afternoon. Every family/person brought a home-made dish and everybody could enjoy that buffet.
On Saturday, we had the ceremony, the dinner, some games, some surprises, the opening dance and the party.
And on Sunday morning we had a big brunch with self-made protein pancakes.
We wanted a whole weekend so that everything could be at a relaxed and chilled pace.
Our theme was “A weekend in the countryside”. Outdoor, lots of dogs and sunlight. We used a lot of blue and white in the tents.
Our inspiration was our own home. A desolate, little and cosy house in the middle of the countryside. Everytime we enter our own home, we have the feeling we are on holiday.
The Venue
In August 2014 Frederik gave me a birthday surprise. He found a lovely and small castle just at the border with France, Chateau de Villette in Glaire.
We stayed there one night and were absolutely amazed by the surroundings.
A lovely castle, a very large orchard and a little forest at the end. It was everything we love about a holiday place. So we contacted the owners and asked their permission.
The Attire
Frederik’s friend (Amelia) and my friend (Frederik Spittael) chose our costumes.
I wanted a black suit with a black tie but my friend convinced me to wear a blue suit with a white shirt and a black tie. Luckily I listened because the outfit was gorgeous.
Frederik’s friend made a lot of effort to find a suit that matched my outfit without putting his style and personality in jeopardy! Both suits were perfect! It made me like wearing formal clothes.
The Flowers
We used white roses to match the blue and white colours in the big tent.
On the head table were 29 red roses Frederik bought for my birthday that was one day before the start of our wedding.
The Ceremony
The ceremony was done by two friends of mine from theater school. Two lovely and talented actresses who took their job very seriously and delivered a perfect afternoon. The ceremony was outside in the open tent.
Our Favourite Moments
– The ceremony: simple, outdoor, classy and respectful. I had a small mental breakdown just before it started because I realized how much I love Frederik and how lucky I am.
– All the dogs and children present! We had 10 dogs walking freely at the orchard. The children had a lot of fun with the dogs. It was a perfect combination.
– The “Nicki Minaj Parody” video: We laughed our asses off!
– The weather: it was sunny, there were no clouds for three full days. When the last guest left on Sunday afternoon it started storming. Frederik and I took a small moment to thank the weather gods!
The Photography
I chose to work with Kasia because I very much liked the pics she'd taken of another wedding. Her style is elegant and simple.
We met her at her apartment in Brussels and it felt good!
The Decor & Details
We did everything ourselves. With a lot of help from two very good friends who stayed a whole week at the castle to assist us.
We made namecards which all had a little maxim/saying on it to match the person’s personality. It was a fun game we held: the guests had to guess where they had to sit by finding the correct maxim/saying.
The decorating was simple, classy and light.
We made goodie bags for when the guests were going back home. In the bag was a self-made CD, some candy and also a fake dollar bill with pictures of our dogs and ourselves.
All things to make the drive back home a bit more enjoyable.
The Refreshments
We wanted a BBQ with a very large BBQ set to enhance the outdoor wedding effect. Flammazien was perfect for that.
The Honeymoon
Unfortunately, we didn’t go on a honeymoon as we didn’t have the money nor the time to do it. But in September, we went to Japan for four weeks and that felt like a lovely honeymoon to us! Japan is superb!
I recommend couples to go on a holiday because the wedding flies by so quickly. A honeymoon is a perfect way to stay a bit longer in your bubble!
The Fun & Games
Frederik and I had each two friends who gave a speech and we all started crying as it was very emotional and touching.
We decided not to do an first dance as we both are no dancers and have a completely different taste in music. However! One of our very good friends didn’t agree and she stood up and sang a very beautiful and matching song live without any musical accompaniment. It was: Help Me Lose My Mind by Disclosure.
I have to be honest that did song matched our relationship very well!
After that the two actresses showed us a self-made video. A parody on the song of Nicki Minaj: Pound The Alarm. Their title was: Gayfest Is On! We all laughed very hard and I was very touched as I am a huge Nicki fan. (I know it’s wrong but I like her anyway!)
Dimitri (Frederik’s brother) held some fun games with us. We had to wrestle eachother and do a lot of physical activity games to prove that we were a matching team! Luckily we succeeded.
I spent a lot of time finding the appropriate songs that we actually liked. The music during the three days was relaxed and meaningful.
The music on the dance party was fun and dancy. We rented our speakers at Lucassounds in Onkerzele. It was very simple: my laptop connected to six boxes.
Advice for Other Couples
– Plan your wedding exactly the way you want it and let no one influence you! It’s your day!
– A lot of stuff can be bought cheap and look very expensive with a bit of work!
– Take your time and start planning early! There is a lot of extra stuff that comes unnoticed.
– Enjoy it! It’s so much fun!
Doesn't it just look wonderful. I love the idea of a three-day celebration, it just makes for such a chilled out, memorable weekend.
Thanks so much to the lovely Kasia Bacq Photography, and of course, Frederik & Karel for sharing their intimate orchard wedding with us.
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