THE QUERCY LOCAL • 9
IN THE HEART OF THE CAHORS VINES YOU’LL FIND
RESTAURANT
CAFÉ
ATELIER
Restaurant serving fresh, seasonal food, all ‘fait maison’. Our café with a selection of teas, coffee and homemade cakes every day. Pottery painting atelier - come and paint your very own masterpiece. LE CAILLAU, 46700 VIRE SUR LOT - OPEN EVERY DAY EXCEPT TUESDAYS TEL:05 65 23 78 04 | WWW.LECAILLAU.COM | FACEBOOK.COM/LECAILLAU
Quercy ad Sept 2014.indd 1
23/07/2014 12:54
I ask them to complete a short questionnaire, where they tell me a little about themselves and what they are looking for, the overall feel of the day (relaxed, opulent, rustic, traditional, homely, natural, flamboyant, understated..), the type of venue they are interested in and the services they think they will require. Following a free consultation, where we either meet in person, via Skype or talk on the phone, I am then able to put together a quote for my fee. This is a fixed fee based on the number of services required, the logistical complexity of the wedding and the amount of time I estimate the event will take to plan. It is also important in our early conversations to make the client aware of the local marriage laws, which state that it is only possible to have a ‘legal’ wedding ceremony in France if you have lived in the country for more than 40 days (and can provide proof or residence, by means of a utility bill) or have parents who already have a house here. As the majority of my clients don’t fall into this category, they tend to do the legal part of the ceremony in their country of residence before coming out, which they follow with a symbolic ceremony (religious or non-religious) at the venue of their choice over here.
A religious blessing in a place of worship can also be possible (these are slightly more difficult to organise, as there are certain criteria that need to be met), but only after the legal wedding has taken place. For those who can legally get married here, they need to know that the legal part of the ceremony can only take place in the town hall (Mairie in French) nearest to either their, or their parents’ principal place of residence. Again, this can be followed by either a religious or nonreligious ceremony. If the client has yet to secure a venue, I offer a venue search, as it is imperative that one be in place before signing a contract for any of the other wedding planning services. If they are able to come and have a look at the venues in person, great, if not, I hand-pick the ones that I feel would be best suited to their needs and present them in as much detail as possible, so that they are able to make their selection from afar. At-Home weddings and events, big birthday parties in particular, are also very popular. Again, before signing any contract, I like to go and visit the property in question with a view to assessing suitability for the size of event planned, rainy day options, parking,
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The Quercy Local • May-June 2015