The setting of the dual-cultural wedding

Suypriya, Philipp and their family and friends

When I first met Supriya and Philipp, I fully expected to be researching traditions to create their dual-cultural wedding in Provence, France. However, apart from Supriya and her family’s stunning outfits, their ceremony felt familiar to me. They enjoyed the warmth and humour that is the life-blood of my ceremonies, plus a few special extras thrown in!

You see, Supriya’s and Philipp’s families are from Malaysia and Germany. They explained to me that they would incorporate their traditions over the whole weekend. So the day before the wedding they’d exchanged garlands and – well, I wasn’t there so I can’t tell you what else they got up to! What I can describe is how we honoured their love for each other. And what a fabulous place it was in which they did it!

Domaine Le Clos D’Hullias

Their wedding weekend was at Domaine le Clos D’Hullias in Saint-Christol de Rodières, Provence. It’s a beautiful domaine which feels like a hamlet of ancient stone houses. They’re artfully refurbished with cool Provençal inspired décor inside and the scent of lavender across the terraces. And the views are stunning!

wedding domain in provence on a hillside

Domain Le Clos d’Hullias

Supriya and Philipp chose to have their ceremony under the shelter of a tree in the garden. The florists had transformed this shady arbour into a magical scene of floating white gauze starred with blossom-filled baubles. When I say “shady”, I have to admit not everyone was in the shade! But as you can see from the photos, everyone was welcome to move to a shady spot if they wanted to!

Children in shsade at the dual-cultural ceremony in France

The children were happy to sit in the shade!

The Bridal Party

I love to comment on what my bride is wearing when recalling the ceremony, and this is no exception! Supriya and her wedding party looked stunning! She and her daughter, Layla wore traditional Indian Lenghas, whilst Supriya’s mum opted for a Punjabi suit, and all looked fabulous. Layla was the one wearing white, the picture of daughterly innocence walking ahead of her mum down the aisle!

Girl in a white sari and veil walks down a sunny wedding aisle in Provence

Layla walks ahead of her mum

Supriya herself wore a gown of intricately embroidered peach enhanced with a shimmering crescendo of silver sequins. (In other words, “she looked lovely!”) Her arms were, well I can only find the word “bedecked”! Supriya wore gold and peach bangles half way from her wrist to her elbow. On her head she wore an elaborate headdress, and delicately embroidered veil which reached the floor. She wore a gold necklace, lightened – like the other jewellery – by clear stones (I don’t think they were diamonds!)

A son escorts his mum who wears trasditional Indian clothes in peach

Zack escorts his mum down the aisle

Zack walked his mum down the aisle. Like Philipp, he wore a peach button-hole to mirror the bridal flowers and dress. The men also wore very jaunty Panama hats, for which, given the strength of the  afternoon sun, they were grateful!

The Dual-Cultural Wedding Ceremony

So what made this wedding “dual-cultural”? The bridal outfits certainly gave everything a uniquely Indian feel. Apart from that, the traditional elements were reserved for the day/s before the wedding. However, we did have readings in German from Philipp’s mum and a friend. There were six readings, meaning that children and mums, as well as friends, could take active parts in the ceremony.

A chair with a wooden heart and list of readings and readers

The leaflet listing the readers and readings was extensive

A Wedding Quiz!

Did you know that having a fun quiz within the ceremony is becoming increasingly popular? I spoke to family members and friends before the ceremony. This gave me snippets of information – serious and cheeky – for the script. Where the surprise anecdotes really came in was in the  quiz we held after the vows. It was informal with Supriya and Philipp vying to see who could recognise themselves from the stories I’d been given.

Supriya and Philipp enjoying their wedding quiz

A Wine Box Ceremony

French culture made an appearance towards the end of the ceremony when our couple sealed their vows inside a wine box. There was also a bottle of wine (obv!) to drink. The most rewarding of this may be reading the good wishes from guests as Supriya and Philipp toast each other on their first wedding anniversary.

A wine box for a dual-cultural wedding in Provence

Supriya and Philipp’s pretty wine box

The Vows

Supriya and Philipp decided to write their own vows. You may be surprised to hear that not everybody does this, as some may feel they’re just not up to it. Philipp did have misgivings about his ability to express himself fully to Supriya in public. However, after our private online chat about it “the boy done good” on the day! They both took the opportunity to reflect on the two years they’d spent together, before making promises for the future. Beautiful.

A bride in peach smiles as her husband reads his vows in their dula- cultural wedding

Supriya appreciating the vows Philipp gave her.

After the Ceremony

Supriya and Philipp followed tradition by exchanging a very public kiss, then having confetti as they made their exit. An additional “dual cultural” aspect of the ceremony happened once it was over. Our lovely couple raced each other as they cut out an enormous heart printed onto textile. This is a German tradition, the cutting made tricky by using nail scissors (I think that Philipp won!) Either way, he carried Supriya through the heart, as tradition dictates, without any “unlucky” stumbles!

The bride is carried through a textile heart in Clos d'hullias dual-cultural wedding ceremony

Philipp fulfilling a German wedding tradition!

And so my part in this wonderful wedding weekend was complete. I had time to admire the views from the domain (stunning) as well as appreciate the efforts made by all the suppliers to create this perfect setting. From the beautiful displays created by the florist to the food created by the traiteur and the professionalism of the DJ (who had my back throughout the ceremony) once more I felt blessed to be working in such a positive industry on such a happy day.

Groom and wife embrace before their dual-cultural wedding dinner

The perfect end to a perfect afternoon! https://amandine-carrique.com/

Please click here for feedback from happy couples (including Supriya and Philipp!) Please get in touch if you’d like to chat over your French wedding plans with me!

With thanks to

Domaine du Clos d’Hullias, music https://www.britishdjinfrance.com/  Photographer https://amandine-carrique.com/