From Wedding planner to Bride: A Pastel Dream in Normandy Castle
Tucked away in the beautiful countryside of Normandy, France, Château de Courtomer is a stunning example of 18th-century design and style. It sits in the middle of large, carefully designed gardens, offering a magnificent view of luxury and elegance. The chateau hosts intimate weddings every year, for those who are dreaming of having their wedding in a stunning French castle.
Crafting Her Dream: Summer Nicole’s Journey from Planner to Bride
As a wedding planner and florist, Summer Nicole spends most of her time happily making other couple’s wedding dreams true. Over the years, She has seen many different color palettes, styles, & themes. When it came time to plan her own wedding, she wanted her special day to be an intimate and unique experience. She envisioned somewhere historic with a beautiful landscape and antique furnishings. Summer ultimately chose a spring date at a Normandy chateau in the beautiful countryside of France.
Romantic Pastel Color Palette
Summer chose a color palette of pale spring, including varieties of lavender, blush, peach, and ivory, because she wanted her wedding to reflect the softness and beauty of the spring season. These colors brought elegance and romance to her special day, perfectly matching the beauty of Château de Courtomer.
A Surprised Proposal
Michael would always tease Summer throughout their entire relationship and say “If I asked you to marry me right now, would you say yes?”. He was always bluffing. One day, they were hiking in Red Rock Canyon National Park in Nevada when he asked the same question. Summer replied “I don’t believe you” and walked away. He yelled, “Wait come back!!”. When she turned around, he was on one knee with a little black box.
Summer’s Dream Dress
For her dress, the bride selected a Pronovias A-line gown crafted from organza with delicate flower appliqués, accompanied by a cathedral-length veil. She chose this dress for its blend of simplicity and intricate detail, which she felt embodied her personal style while also fitting seamlessly into the elegant and historic backdrop of the château.
The couple shares a passion for oysters and northern France has some of the best oysters in the world. During cocktail hour guests enjoyed an oyster and shrimp raw bar, pork belly bao buns, duck empanadas, lamb lollipops, bacon-wrapped scallops, & brie tartlets. Dinner shortly arrived after including escargot in mushrooms caps, large prawns, filet mignon, garlic whipped potatoes and truffle gravy. Guests were greeted with coffee, wedding cake and a macaron tower in the dancing area (with a lot of French champagne).
Pastel Wedding Floral Scheme
The designer/bride wanted the wedding to have soft pastel colors like those found in wildflower fields and on climbing roses at the chateau. The florist designed a rounded garden-style arbor with an organic aisle meadow. The reception tables were adorned with similar styled compote arrangements and brass candle stick holders with mixed blush and lavender candles.
Memorable Moments
The couple’s favourite moment was their first look in front of an ancient & tall tree before the ceremony began. They decided to see each other from several feet away instead of the traditional “tap on the shoulder”. That way they could take in a full-length view of one another.
The Wedding Planner’s Special Touch
The bride DIY’d most of their stationary, including the signature drinks sign from a copy of the iconic painting “La Camargo Dancing” by Nicolas Lancret in 1730. She photoshopped a Mojito and an Old Fashion into the hands of the dancers for a modern twist! Each guest room had a custom newspaper that had the itinerary of the wedding weekend along with things to do and quizzes about the couple.
Fin.
