10 tips for your wedding day!
Want to save time on this particularly busy day? Enjoy your guests as much as possible? Avoid stressing yourself even more when you already have a high adrenaline level?
Here are a few points to think about, so you can spend your wedding day with serenity!
1. Plan your couple’s photos before the ceremony
It used to be a tradition not to see the bride before the ceremony. It is true that it is a very emotional moment in your ceremony, but it is a time that you may want to live only together, in complete privacy. To do this, why not create a ‘discovery’ moment of the other, alone with your photographer, and then take the three of you to our magnificent gardens of the Château de Vullierens for a couple’s photo session. This can be done in the late morning or early afternoon, so that you can also enjoy your aperitif and your guests. We will open the Orangeraie to you, take you through corners that may have been unknown until then and you will be able to discover the beauty of the natural elements that we will have exclusively reserved for you.
The meeting of the bride and groom in front of our building (Photo : Quentin Décaillet)
In front of the Orangeraie (Photo : Tlook)
The bridle path in winter
Wheat fields in July (Photo : Et la tête Alouette)
With irises in springtime (Photo : Jessica Amber)
2. Getting ready in due time
A wrinkled dress, what’s worse when you get to Portes des Iris? You can bring it to us the day before, put it in one of our preparation rooms and make sure it’s perfect on D-Day!
If your couple’s photos are taken before the ceremony, put on your gown/suit for the appointed time. Make sure you have comfortable shoes for that part (especially if you plan to take your photos in our gardens!), even if you have to take your heels for the photos. A small touch-up will be required upon your return.
If you want to be ready just before the ceremony starts, plan to get dressed 30 minutes before the beginning of the ceremony. Don’t get ready too quickly; dresses can be warm, and suits can be even warmer in certain seasons.
The bride getting ready in Diana room (Photo : Christelle Naville)
The bride getting ready in Diana room(Photo : Tlook)
Preparation in Eloïse room (Photo : Tlook)
3. Make sure you have a dedicated driver
The ceremony is an extremely meaningful moment. Nothing can be left to chance. The choice of music has been made, but have you thought about trying out the entrance to the hall with music? Your witnesses, your parents, are they ready for the procession? We also suggest that you organize a rehearsal of your ceremony (at least of the entrance, crucial moments such as the exchange of your vows or your wedding rings), so that all the main people are relaxed and feel ready for the most important moment.
It’s a good idea to appoint a ‘music director’, who can give the top starts of the different songs. The coordinator of Portes des Iris will be there to manage the procession, so that traditions are respected (who on whose arm, on whose side, the bride should not be seen before her entrance, etc…) and to avoid the frequent omissions (the bridal bouquet still in the vase, the handkerchief to wipe away a few tears, the daddy’s boutonniere…).
Entrance of the bride with her brother in Apollo’s room (Photo : Christelle Naville)
Waiting to discover her lovely… in Athena room – dedicated to ceremonies.(Photo : Gerel photo)
4. Plan a guard of honor, it makes it easier to take a group picture!
Once you have said I do, ask your guests to wait for you on the Terrace by making an announcement at the end of the ceremony, and rather than being scattered all over the Garden, forming a guard of honor for your. Your maid and groom of honor and our coordinator can help you by indicating the spaces to be used, handing out soap bubbles or a glass of Champagne to toast right away, once you have passed through the hedge. You don’t have any idea how to brighten up the hedge of honour? We’ll give you some here.
In order to be able to photograph all of you together, tell your photographer to take a group photo from our Dorianna room on the 1st floor, either with the fountain in the background or our terraces.
The arrival of the bride and groom on the Terrasse des Iris
A heart-shape of guests, the photographer takes a picture from Dorianna room… (Photo : Christelle Naville)
Courtyard side, outside the Apollo Ceremonial room (Photo : Tlook)
5. Eat enough and stay hydrated!
For the bride and groom, the key is to eat well at breakfast and to plan a snack before the ceremony so that you don’t go on an empty stomach in the afternoon. You may eat very little during the aperitif, but you will have to hold on! The trick is to ask the caterer or, even better, one of your witnesses, to bring you a drink and some food throughout the aperitif!
Cheers with the girls! (Photo : Tlook)
Drink a lot! Bottled water is essential throughout the day…
Lovers’ snack set aside by the caterer or your witness
Light classic lunch in our Eloise room with the people who came along with you in advance!
6. Pamper your guests, they will reward you well…
The necessary beauty and well-being in the Ladies’ bathroom!
Little extras: a hand-made fan for an outdoor ceremony, heel protectors for the ladies to hand out at the reception desk (different sizes are available), a few appropriate items in the toilets… these little extras sometimes make all the difference.
Flower decorations at the end of the evening are also very pleasant for some people, think of offering them!
Heel guards are available in different sizes
7. Time to eat!
It’s not enough to decide on a time for dinner, you also have to keep to the timing and above all manage to get all your guests to sit down to dinner… The precious help of your table majors will be very useful. They are the ones who will be there to communicate with your caterer and the Portes des Iris coordinator to make sure that the schedule is adequate, that you don’t want to extend the aperitif a little bit (especially if the weather is nice and the guests are happy to enjoy our terraces) or that the guests who are not invited to dinner are already almost all gone.
If the voice is not enough, your DJ can provide a microphone to make an announcement or maybe a traditional bell could be useful 😉
Our secret weapon for attracting attention: the bell! Efficient, and it’s a wink to our old farm 😉
8. The arrival of the bride and groom
It’s high time to make your entrance, everyone has found their place, the guests are waiting for you impatiently. At Portes des Iris, we have two stairways leading up to the dining room that allow for a very original entrance: the groom on one side, the bride on the other, and the DJ turns on the music you’ve chosen, and you take the stage! Another possibility: use the door on the left side of our fireplace for a surprising entrance!
For the coordination of this moment, it is important that your major and/or the coordinator of Portes des Iris be able to communicate with the DJ, and yourself, to make sure everyone is ready. Meanwhile, guests spontaneously get up, dance, and even fly their towels: anything can happen, it’s your moment of glory!
Before starting the much awaited meal, this is also the moment, if you feel like it, to speak up, thank the people around you for the organization and start the banquet!
Speeches by the bride and groom before they sit at the table, after the royal entrance. (Photo : Gerel photo)
Entrance of the bride and groom to the rhythm of the music (Photo : Christelle Naville)
9. And what to do with the children?
The famous ‘Candy Bar’ may be a solution for some people, but these days attentive parents are not always keen on so many sweets… Ipads or video games? Why not, but how about having some entertainers to unload your guests and let them enjoy the party as well? At Portes des Iris, we have a list of babysitters or entertainers who come with a whole range of games, crafts, costumes and take care of the little ones until the end of the night.
Our Eloise and Diana rooms can be transformed into playrooms or a nursery if needed. Children love to give presents and what better way to keep them occupied during the evening with creative activities?
A television is available in one of the preparation rooms!
In case of good weather, they can also organise outside activities
Why not place giant games on the Terrace? They will be a success with young and old alike ;-)(Photo : Christelle Naville)
10. Think about yourself!
This day, your day, is going to fly by at breakneck speed. Make the most of every moment, find moments together and above all don’t forget that it’s yours and that it must reflect your image 😉
Our preparation rooms can also be used for a one-to-one moment. Why not stop there after the ceremony, before receiving congratulations from all your guests?
Change your outfit/shoes during the evening? It’s a good excuse to get together and take a breather, just the two of you, while the party is in full swing.
Take the time! (Photo : Tlook)
Love is in the grass
Love is in the lights
Love is all around you!