A Multi-Cultural Wedding
at A Renaissance Château
By RACHEL KAPLAN
PARIS—This August Ooh la la! France Wedding Planner had both the pleasure and the honor to organize its first major multicultural wedding for 145 guests from as far away as Australia, Hong Kong and Southern India .Our Francophile couple—he an Anglo-Indian from Australia, she a Korean-American from Atlanta—had fallen in love on the Champs-Elysées and knew they wanted to have their wedding in France, the country they knew and loved so much.
They asked Ooh la la! France Wedding Planner to find an elegant yet rustic château with lodging and amenities for 150 guests of all ages, that would accommodate three days of festivities starting with a Korean-Indian wedding on a Friday, followed by a Western-style wedding ceremony and reception on Saturday, and an elegant Sunday brunch.
It was our good fortune that we knew the ONLY property close to Paris that would accommodate all of our couple’s wishes, and then some. When it became clear that there was no Korean or Indian caterer in Paris to handle a wedding banquet with tasty and authentic dishes, the food and beverage team at the château took on the challenge with great results.
We not only managed to find a henna artist in Paris to do the hands and feet of our lovely bride as well as the hands of her bridal party. Better yet, the same artist traveled out to the château to also do henna for the guests during the cocktail hour. By sticking to lavish buffet service and signature cocktails -one of which was made with the Korean liqueur “soju”-dinner service went smoothly, and was punctuated by wonderful speeches made by the couple’s friends and enhanced by two volunteer emcees. Disco dancing followed until 2 am.
The following day, as everyone rested our floral design brigade returned to create a magnificent reception decor of white, gray and green–white blossoms, green ivy and white netting. Each table’s centerpiece featured a guidebook from a different country, and a map of the world directed each guest to the right table–there were 12 tables of eight plus a long bridal table.
Following the outdoor ceremony–marked by blue skies and warm August weather–and punctuated by 80s Top Ten hits–our guests spread onto the elegant stone terrace for more signature cocktails made with organic French champagne–and an hors d’oeuvres buffet that offered a wide range of tastes, including from Georgia and Australia. Following dinner, our guests rushed out to see a magnificent fire works display launched by the castle’s moat–a spectacle that was truly unforgettable especially when set to Sting’s music.
Naturally the guests enjoyed the champagne fountain and the lavish dessert buffet, as well as the exquisite all-white wedding cake that followed the fireworks show. Between the all-night photo booth, the DJ’s music selection of over 100 song titles, and the tireless company, the party went until the wee hours of the morning, and could have gone on much longer!
The next day, there was a copious post-wedding breakfast before the guests set off for Paris and our bridal couple to Santorini, where they went to recuperate after all the festivities. Here is an excerpt of their thank you letter followup:
“Rachel makes everything happen. Our wedding was atypical, cultural, and complicated – something no planner has done yet in France, except now Rachel. We say that with confidence as it was four different weddings over the span of three days[…] There were a lot of moving parts with lots of individuals involved, and Rachel orchestrated all the pieces. It was a relief to have her taking care of everything so we could focus on celebrating our big day(s!). The guests had a great time and it was truly memorable. Our family and friends are still raving about it!”