Looking for a spicy challenge? Try the “Masterchef” cooking workshop.

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The spacious kitchens and halls of Portes des Iris are ideal for gourmet activities and cooking classes for 20 people or more.

To complete your seminar, for an original lunch break, as part of your “green” conference or simply to invite your clients in a different way, the culinary workshop remains a must in the field of Team Building.

This symbolically strong activity appeals to all the senses, strengthens the bonds and unites a whole team that suddenly finds itself led by one and the same objective: to savor the present moment and to enjoy the final result together.

The Masterchef challenge proposed by Parfum d’Epices will take your employees into a gustatory competition during which creativity, group cohesion and speed will be the keys to guaranteed success! A new experience and an unforgettable memory that they will refer to for a long time.

After a welcome drink and a presentation of the challenge, the participants will adjust hats and aprons ( customisable with the effigy of your organisation) and cook for an hour or more, led by Chef Jérôme Binder of the Lausanne-based company Parfum d’épices.

The prepared dishes are then served to the apprentice cooks who have become guests again, either as a cocktail reception or a banquet of their choice. As always at Portes des Iris, everything can be made to measure, do not hesitate to contact us directly for proposals adapted to your desires and objectives.

Passionate about the culinary arts, travels and subtle flavours, Jerôme likes to take you to a world where healthy and gourmet cuisine rubs shoulders with originality and audacity, while revealing great sensitivity. Graduated from EHL, then embarked on a career in finance, he decided 6 years ago to live his dream and let his passion for the pleasures of the table speak for itself. He then decided to go on the marvelous adventure of Parfum d’Epices, where he welcomes individuals and companies in order to pass on a little of his knowledge and, above all, to share some good and beautiful moments with them.

Born to be Swiss or how to revisit Swiss traditions in team building mode!

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Portes des Iris, the old historical farmhouse, opens its doors to you for this local and original theme organized by our partner une-bonne-idee.ch.

Challenge your colleagues or clients on their knowledge of Swiss traditions and surprise them with patriotic, often little-known activities.

 

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Introduce your guests from elsewhere to the folklore activities of our different regions.

Grass skiing, crossbow shooting, flag throwing, Talerschwingen or blind tasting of local products?

A whole range of fun activities “made in Switzerland” accessible to all and in all weathers and which will surprise even the most local!

 

 

Then, prolong the “Swiss” spirit by thematizing your evening in one of our rooms! Continue the initiation with the bell ringers announcing the aperitif time and the yodellers who will charm your guests.

What about the menu? Why not opt for fondue trees or mountain röstis? With a chocolate fountain for dessert and a creative cocktail from a local distillery!

No doubt about it, you’re in Switzerland!

 

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November 2019, Sophie Bertorelli

The new Doors….. of Portes des Iris!

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The former farmhouse of the Domaine du Château de Vullierens, renovated into an exceptional event venue, innovates and renews itself as usual with exclusivity and taste!

Doors entirely carved with the flagship flowers of its Gardens, you will have imagined the IRIS, were custom-made by the renowned sculptor Etienne Krähenbühl, who was given carte blanche by Portes des Iris. They elegantly decorate the reception rooms on the ground floor: Iris and its Bar as well as the Eloise Room.

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“The idea of using the IRIS was an obvious choice, since Vullierens houses the most modern collection in Europe,” says the Vaudois artist, who is a regular visitor to the gardens where several of his installations are beautifully integrated. “The difficulty lay in the fact that it was a question of capturing the delicacy and ephemeral nature of this flower in a hard material: aluminium, while preserving the dreamlike motif that these plants gave me.”

Many steps were necessary to finalise the project. Fresh flowers were delicately placed in a modelling clay and then a silicone impression followed by a resin mould was made. The Gilles Petit foundry in Fleurier then created a sand mould to cast the aluminium. The plates were then assembled and installed on structures by a renowned carpenter’s workshop in the region, which had also carried out the renovations to the magnificent 16th century farmhouse framework.

“Passionate about art and sculpture, I am delighted to have been able to collaborate with one of my favourite artists in this original artistic project that embellishes Portes des Iris and offers guests a sublime setting”, underlines the Châtelain.

Sophie Bertorelli, January 2020

Vincent & Laetitia’s wedding at Portes des Iris

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The great summer wedding season has come to an end and we are busy creating unforgettable days for our bride and groom of 2020. Our thoughts go out to all the beautiful weddings that have taken place at Portes des Iris over the past 21 years.

We contacted again some couples who celebrated their union in the old farm of the Castle and they entrusted us with memories of their Big Day.

Discover their experience!

Laetitia and Vincent were married at Portes des Iris on Saturday, June 15, 2019 . The groom arrived mid-morning to install the last decorations and prepare the reception room. The big question hovering over the preparations that day was: “Can we have the ceremony on the Terrace or is it wiser to install it in Athena room?”. We were on the phone every half hour with Cointrin to get a live update on the rainfall and finally decided, at around 2pm, to set up the ceremony outside. It was barely an hour later that the first guests were welcomed with refreshments on the Iris Terrace, warmed by a few rays of shy sunshine. The day was launched and the following hours were touching with sincerity and sharing. Discover the testimony and the day of union of our two lovebirds!

 

 

First of all, what is the first thing that comes to mind when you think back to Portes des Iris? Do you remember how you discovered us?

“So, it obviously makes me think of D-Day and I remember every little moment that made it such a great day! Laetitia had already heard about the place, I had not. When we started to visit other estates, I remember her saying all the time “I’m waiting to see Portes des Iris to make my mind up”. It was as if there was no point in visiting other places, and that we were destined for the Iris. When I arrived at the site, I could only agree with her. We were both under the charm and nothing could change that anymore…”.

On your first visit to Portes des Iris, what struck you?
“For me, it is above all the Dorianna room  ! This immense space with that rustic wood/stone look and atmospheric lighting”.”
What are the reasons that made you decide to choose Portes des Iris to celebrate your Grand Day?
“It’s simply the most beautiful place we’ve ever been.”
What about that big day? What was the most significant moment of your D-Day?
“Everything was a big hit. A little extra for the ceremony on the Iris Terrace, magic!” 
What imprint did the place have on this beautiful day?
“We’ve had so much feedback from guests saying that the place was beautiful and that we had chosen well. No wonder!”
Any anecdote to share?
“Luck with the weather will remain one of the highlights! The hailstorm 15 min after the end of the ceremony, we can say that the weather gods were with us. And it was well repeated to us several times in the evening and afterwards”.

For once a little anecdote from the coordinators present on the day 🙂

15 minutes before the end of the ceremony, the wind begins to rise, we see the clouds approaching more and more threatening. The sky becomes black and the temperature cools down very quickly. We begin to hope that the ceremony will end before the storm. Relief! As soon as the last notes are made, we invite the guests to form a hedge of honor inside the Building to welcome the bride and groom dry in the room for the aperitif. During this time we are busy with the estate’s intendant to put in all the decorations, then to fold up the sunshades that are flying away. It starts to rain when we stack the chairs and we finish to bring in the last furniture under the hail. We are soaked to the bone but happy with the timing which could not have been more perfect!

What would be your recommendation to future brides and grooms? 

” To make the couple photos before the ceremony and not during the cocktail. It was a last minute decision we made and we think it was a very good idea, because we could spend more time with our guests (compared to other weddings where we hardly saw the bride and groom before dinner…)”.

A huge THANK YOU to Laetitia and Vincent for their trust and kindness! It was a pleasure to accompany them throughout their day and we can’t help smiling as we read the words they took the time to write to us. All the happiness to them!
December 2019, Léa Margot

A&Y’s wedding at Portes des Iris

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The great wedding season has finally begun, all sails out! Busy creating unforgettable days for our bride and groom of 2020, we have a thought for all the beautiful weddings that have taken place at Portes des Iris over the past 21 years.

We have contacted some of the couples who celebrated their union at the former farm of the Castle and they entrusted us with memories of their Big Day. Discover their experience!

 

It was Corinne who accompanied Yaiza and Alex for the preparations of their wedding and for their day of union.

Here is what she tells us about her experience with these two lovebirds:

“There are times when it feels TILT!

There are clients at Portes des Iris with whom bonds are forged from the first moments of encounter. This is definitely what happened with Yaiza!

On her first visit, her eyes were already shining when she discovered our Iris Terrace. That’s where she wanted to celebrate her secular ceremony, that’s where she wanted to say yes to Alex, the man of her life, and arrive on her dad’s arm on the central aisle in the eyes of all her guests!

She already knew very well what she wanted, she had worked in marketing, the events had no more secrets for her, and that’s surely also why the agreement between us was so good right away.

One of our privileged caterer, Cinq Sens, delighted the guests at a superb Garden Party. Mélazic entertained young and old with their colorful cupcakes, and Les Ateliers de Lili took care of the little blonde heads (there were about twenty of them), so that the parents too could have a good time!

And the party went on until the end of the night. Everybody was even able to go home safely since buses were planned to go to the North of Vaud until 04h00 in the morning!

Alex and Yaiza trusted us; they were able to enjoy their day entirely, delegating to our wedding planning team. It is with great pleasure that we met them on several occasions afterwards at the estate, such as during the aperitif that we organize for our bride and groom every 5 years, and also during a lunch in our gardens where they were having a family photo session… when we discovered Vullierens, it’s hard to part with it!”.

Corinne Salvisberg Perrone, Event Manager

 

First of all, what is the first thing that comes to your mind when you think back to Portes des Iris?

“It’s really the beauty of the place, without any hesitation!” 

Do you remember how you discovered us?  

“I confess I don’t remember how I discovered this place but I remember very well thinking to myself, ‘One day I’ll get married there!’ “

 

On your first visit to Portes des Iris, what struck you?

“Many things. We loved the space there was, we could really organize the wedding we wanted in both situations (rain or shine). And we really liked the fact that we didn’t have to add any decorations, the rooms, the walls are beautiful as they are. The welcome Corinne gave us also played a role in our decision”.

 

What are the reasons that made you decide to choose Portes des Iris to celebrate your Grand Day?

“Apart from the beauty of the place, it was mostly a question of logistics for different reasons. Firstly, with my husband, we always wanted an outdoor garden party style wedding. But having many guests and living in a country like ours where the weather is uncertain, we needed a place big enough to enjoy indoors, with all our guests, in case of bad weather. Secondly, Portes des Iris is ideally located, more or less in the center of the French speaking part of Switzerland, each coming from one end of the lake, it was ideal for our guests”.



Did you call upon the help of one of Portes des Iris coordinators during the preparation of your wedding? What was your experience with her and what influence did this assistance have on your preparations?

“Corinne gave us a lot of advice throughout the preparation of our wedding. She shared with us all her contacts and gave us the benefit of her experience in relation to the place. Having said that, being myself in the business of event planning, I organized most of our wedding, it was a little pleasure for me”.


What about that big day? What was the most significant moment of your D-Day?

“It’s an extremely difficult question, the whole day was just perfect! But I could mention a few of them;

– My entrance with my Dad; the pride of sharing this moment with him and the emotion of discovering all our guests present for our D-Day and of course my husband at the end of the alley!

– At the end of the dinner, all our guests stood up to sing a song that my sister-in-law had written for us, a very emotional moment!

– The garden which was at its apotheosis with absolutely perfect weather! The decor was idyllic!

 

– I could name a thousand more of these incredible moments! For example, our caterer CINQ SENS – absolutely FANTASTIC!!!”

 

What imprint did the place have on this beautiful day?

“It’s inexplicable! All our guests were amazed by the place and the gardens which were sublime. They’re still talking about our caterer too!”

 

 

Any anecdote to share?

“None of them come to mind, but I can say that the whole team at Portes des Iris is fantastic. They do an outstanding job and leave no details uncovered.”

 

What would be your recommendation to future brides and grooms?

“My two recommendations for future brides and grooms are, without hesitation: to make the most of every moment because the day goes by far too fast! Especially when there are many guests, the time to say hello to everyone after the ceremony and the aperitif is already over!
And to discuss well beforehand with the photographer! In the “stress” of the day and in the middle of so many guests, we forgot to take some important pictures on this D-day. For my part, I don’t have any photo alone with my mom. This is probably my only regret…”

 

Many thanks to Yaiza and Alex for sharing their wedding day with us!

Thank you for their trust and for their different visits after their wedding.

By the way, we are already looking forward to the next one!

October 2019, Léa Margot

Un mariage de rêve en 2020, challenge relevé avec brio pour Sophie et Dimitri!

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Quand on parle de challenge, le choix du terme est pesé et mesuré! Car oui, organiser son mariage en 2020 vous a demandé à tous de puiser à l’intérieur de vous, au fond de vos coeurs, de vous soutenir à deux, d’y croire encore et encore, de se relever et de ne jamais se décourager, de garder foi dans ce jour tant attendu, parce que votre force réside bel et bien dans votre amour.

Mais au final, ne trouvez-vous pas qu’il s’agit là des clés d’un mariage réussi sur le long terme? Nous pourrions dire que l’exercice vous aura certainement profité en beaucoup de points.

Revenons à présent au défi relevé par vous, mariés de 2020, qui, loin de vous douter des méandres que nous réservait l’année à venir, avez décidé en 2019 de franchir le cap et d’arrêter fermement la date de votre mariage. C’est décidé, l’année 2020 sera la vôtre!

Puis, vient le mois de mars avec toute les incertitudes, la peur, le confinement, les difficultés pour joindre les prestataires, les rendez-vous de préparation en vidéo, les boutiques de robes de mariées fermées, les essayages impossibles, les dégustations improbables…. le plancher se dérobe et la peur vous envahit. Que faire? Devrions-nous tout annuler? Tout reporter ou y croire coûte que coûte car nous fonctionnons comme cela? Prendre des risques ou sécuriser le tout pour plus de sérénité?

 

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Pic by alexdim.com

C’est tout autant de questionnements qui ont traversé Sophie et Dimitri. Nous les avons rencontrés au mois de septembre 2019, alors qu’ils étaient à la recherche du lieu idéal pour leur Grand Jour. C’est donc la date du 6 juin qu’ils ont décidé d’arrêter pour célébrer leur union avec 200 de leurs proches. Mais voilà, pour eux tout s’effondre le 14 mars et leur projet avance dans le flou, le stress et la peur. Plus de voyage de noce, plus d’enterrement de vie jeune fille / garçon, plus d’essayages,  plus de préparatifs, l’incertitude gagne… nos invités viendront-ils? Les mesures seront-elles levées? Autant de questions, de discussions avec eux.

Après plusieurs échanges écrits et oraux, ils ont décidé de continuer et d’y croire de tout leur coeur et nous leur avons proposé de déplacer leur mariage à une date plus sûre.

C’est donc le 4 septembre 2020 que Sophie et Dimitri se marieront aux Portes des Iris, avec leur 200 invités et sous un soleil éclatant.

C’est un retour sur ce mariage de rêve et sur ce couple hors du commun par leur bonté, leur douceur, leur force et leur gentillesse, que nous vous proposons ici:

 

Pic by alexdim.com

Sophie et Dimitri, leur mariage le 4 septembre 2020

Vous avez choisi de vous marier chez nous, mais quel en a été le déclencheur pour vous décider?

Le déclencheur number 1 a été le cadre. En arrivant dans cette magnifique ancienne ferme, et surtout en sortant sur la terrasse, nous avons été émerveillés par l’immense espace et la beauté de la nature qui entoure ce lieu magique. Et puis très vite, en discutant avec Sophie, nous nous sommes sentis entièrement en confiance. Nous avons compris à ce moment-là que nous serions soutenus de manière très professionnelle et bienveillante tout au long de l’organisation de notre mariage, tout en ayant une entière liberté dans nos choix.
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Pic by alexdim.com

Votre mariage devait avoir lieu le 6 juin 2020 et a dû être reporté au vu de la situation liée au COVID à cette période. Comment décriveriez-vous les différentes phases par lesquelles vous êtes passés tous deux?

La première phase a été celle de l’action: il-faut-tout-de-suite-reporter! Mais elle n’a pas duré longtemps, car très vite, nous avons dû faire face à la deuxième phase, à savoir celle de l’incertitude. En effet, beaucoup de questions se sont posées, notamment celle de trouver une nouvelle date (toujours en 2020? ou en 2021? Printemps? Eté? Automne? Hiver?), sachant que beaucoup de dates étaient déjà réservées. Il a s’agissait ensuite de s’assurer que tous les prestataires étaient libres à la même date. S’ajoutaient à ces difficultés les différents avis de notre entourage concernant le report du mariage, et tout l’émotionnel qui s’y rattache. Cette phase était clairement la plus lourde. Ensuite est venue la phase de l’acceptation: accepter que nous devons aller de l’avant, recommencer certaines choses au niveau de l’organisation, etc. La dernière phase était la meilleure, celle de la réjouissance. Malheureusement, elle n’est arrivée que très tardivement car nous étions à nouveau dans une période incertaine au niveau du COVID. Mais elle fut très intense!

Pic by alexdim.com

Avez-vous ressenti suffisamment de soutien et de flexibilité de la part de notre équipe? A-t-on réussi à vous accompagner avec souplesse vers une solution alternative?

Tout à fait. Je dirais qu’il y a eu quelques jours un peu compliqués suite à l’annonce du semi confinement en mars. En effet, nous étions tous chamboulés, tant les mariés que l’équipe des Portes des Iris. L’optique d’un report engendrait beaucoup d’émotionnel, mais aussi un grand nombre de conséquences objectives pour tout le monde. Cependant, nous avons très vite trouvé une solution, ensemble. Nous avons énormément apprécié la disponibilité et l’écoute de l’équipe. Nous avons pu communiquer dans le calme et nous nous sommes sentis entièrement soutenus, jusqu’au bout.
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Pic by alexdim.com

Quels ont été vos besoins durant cette période, vos attentes envers Portes des Iris? 

Nous avions besoin d’être entendus et soutenus. Le report du mariage impliquait que certains de nos invités, notamment des membres de nos familles respectives, ne seraient probablement pas présents à la nouvelle date. Cela repoussait aussi certains de nos projets de vie qui nous tenaient particulièrement à coeur. Il s’agissait donc d’une décision difficile à prendre. L’équipe des Portes des Iris a su entendre nos peines et nos besoins et nous aider à trouver les meilleures solutions, le plus rapidement possible. La chaleur humaine des membres de l’équipe nous a aussi beaucoup aidés à traverser cette épreuve!

Pic by alexdim.com

Finalement, vous avez pu célébrer votre union comme il se devait le 4 septembre 2020, entourés de 180 de vos proches, c’est une belle revanche sur la vie! Est ce que vous souhaiteriez partager un message pour les futurs mariés de 2021

Continuez d’y croire, mais n’arrêtez pas de vivre pour autant!
“Continuez d’y croire”: je me suis mise beaucoup de pression concernant notre mariage, car je m’étais imaginée beaucoup de choses et je voulais qu’elles soient exactement comme je les avais imaginées. La situation liée au COVID m’a appris à lâcher prise et à faire confiance à la vie. Au final, nous avons eu la plus belle journée qui soit pour notre mariage, alors qu’il a fait un temps affreux à la date originale!
“Mais n’arrêtez pas de vivre pour autant!”: pour moi, le mariage est beaucoup plus qu’une fête, c’est réellement une étape dans ma vie de couple et dans ma vie en général. Mais si cette étape doit être repoussée, cela ne veut pas dire que tout le reste doit l’être aussi!
Enfin, mon dernier conseil est de tout faire pour être sur la même longueur d’ondes dans le couple dans une situation challenging comme celle d’un report de mariage. Ecoutez un peu vos proches, mais surtout, écoutez-vous! Vous seuls savez vraiment ce que votre coeur souhaite!
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Pic by alexdim.com

 

Aurore de Comarmond, Novembre 2020