I love that BridesKnowBest has so many readers from “across the pond.” We are so grateful for the truly international ideas our European readers send us. Our new friends from Chateau and Villa Weddings sent us information (and great eye candy!) from a multi-national couple’s celebration. I hope you will enjoy this real wedding story as much as I did!
Where else would a woman from Singapore and a man from Poland get married other than the French Alps? Might not sound like an obvious choice, but Jeanette and Peter had some good reasoning… If they got married in Poland there would be hundreds and hundreds of people that would need to be invited (and they wanted a smaller more intimate wedding) and they wanted to keep all future in-laws happy by choosing a neutral country. Both families love to ski and Peter and Jeanette had fallen in love with the French Alps…. So the French Alps won!
Jeanette is an interior designer and she knew exactly the type of atmosphere she wanted to create for their wedding. The venue choice was a charming, neo-classic style Palace with breathtaking views over Lake Annecy, nestled in the mountains in the heart of the French Alps. They chose to marry on December 30th but enjoyed this prime location for a whole week with their guests who had flown in from all over the world. 
They spent a lot of time enjoying the spectacular views and skiing, which unfortunately left one of the groomsmen with a broken arm – but still totally able to enjoy all the festivities.
Here are notes about this wedding from the wedding planners at Chateau and Villa weddings: “We had lots of fun organizing this four-day event for Jeanette and Peter. A gift basket with locally made chocolates and personalized water bottles awaited each guest as they arrived at the Palace from all around the globe. A special shuttle service was organized to bring guests from the local train station and Geneva international airport. After enjoying a welcome buffet at the Palace, guests were free to relax and discover the grounds of the Palace.
On the day of the wedding, after much pampering by professional hairdressers and make-up artists, Jeanette stole away with Peter, their photographers and videographers, to have some intimate photos taken before the ceremony which took place at 2pm within the Palace. One of Jeanette’s friends hand-made the beautiful aisle runner, making the ceremony that much more special.
Cocktails were served in the restaurant with a panoramic view over the lake before guests were invited to step outside to view a spectacular fire-eater show. 
Guests were then asked to create an archway by lining up opposite each other and holding lighted sparklers with their arms held high. The bride and groom ran under their guests’ sparkling archway to their wedding banquet.
The angled, U-shaped, rectangular table configuration blended perfectly with the contemporary style reception room. 
A troop of Brazilian Samba dancers dressed in beautiful bright costumes and ostrich feathers regaled guests with their lively music and dancing between each course and encouraged participation from the guests. The rest of the evening’s music was provided by a very popular wedding band.
We organized a private tour of the old city of Annecy for a group of 30 of their guests on the afternoon following the wedding with an English-speaking guide. Since the day after the wedding happened to fall on New Year’s Eve, Jeanette and Peter took advantage and had a New Year’s Eve buffet dinner in the restaurant to ring in the new year. Lots of red, orange and yellow balloons helped to create a party atmosphere. The dress code was black tie and everyone had to come wearing a Venetian mask. An oriental menu was served and between courses, guests were entertained by an oriental dancer, who brought accessories with her and dressed up some of the guests and had them dance with her. A Fabulous DJ then took over and kept everyone on the dance floor until the early hours of the morning.”
Now is that an international celebration or what???
Thank you Chateau and Villa Weddings for sharing this very special wedding with us. And much happiness to Jeanette and Peter!
Please share stories of your wedding so you can ignite the creativity of future Brides and Grooms. Email your story to us at info@BridesKnowBest.com.
Click here for more info on Chateau and Villa Weddings.
Thank you to Studio Cabrelli for these great pictures.
