The last two years have given us many obstacles to overcome. From changing wedding dates to unavailable vendors and even closed borders! But as professional wedding planners, we have learned how to handle it all! In fact, we even replanned a whole wedding last October – in just six days!
The wedding was initially supposed to take place in May 2020 in a Castle in French Burgundy. Due to the pandemic, we moved it to October 2022. Unfortunately, France changed their rules six days before the wedding, and only events with less than 30 guests were allowed. At the time, Switzerland still allowed events, so we immediately contacted the state to see if we could move the wedding. After a few phone calls, we decided to move the wedding to Neuchâtel, Switzerland instead of postponing it again.
Almost every detail had to be planned and designed all over again. Over the next six days, we worked close to 100 hours to get it done! Today, I’m sharing how we were able to move the wedding in such a short time period and why having a wedding planner is so important!
Moving The Wedding to Neuchâtel
One of the first steps was finding a new venue. Initially, everything was to take place in a French Chateau, but our options were limited once we found a new city. We managed to book the cloister next to the church, which was a stunning venue. However, it wasn’t a very practical space, so we had to order food and drinks to be brought in. We also had to find a new church and priest. We were able to use the same decor from the initial design for the church, which allowed us to focus on the reception.
A few weeks before the wedding, we had looked at Hotel DuPeyrou as a backup venue “just in case”. Fortunately, it was still available! This hotel is one of the most beautiful spaces in Neuchâtel, with incredible lake views. It was built in the 18th century and has been incredibly preserved over the years. It was a beautiful backdrop for this classic wedding.
And while it was a beautiful space, it was quite hard to create a new layout and design. The original wedding was to take place in a glasshouse, with an open floor plan and a mix of tables. But with the new space, we had to use three different rooms and find a way to connect them so guests could mingle with one another. The space also had a different feel, with ornate gold walls and large crystal chandeliers. Saying that it’s a big change is an understatement!
A New Design
One of the largest changes was the final design. Initially, we had a big floral suspension on top of the dance floor as the focal point. The centerpieces were simple, with small arrangements and candles. However, once we arrived at Hotel DuPeyrou, we could not change the table arrangements and instead had to design around dozens of small round tables.
Luckily, we had an incredible florist! Adeline from Jaune Pivoine was so wonderful to work with. We canceled the initial order and worked with a wholesaler in Geneva to order all new flowers. Adeline created magic and easily adapted the entire design vision for this new space. We could reuse some of the initial designs while adjusting for the new spaces. If you’re looking for a florist in France, hire Adeline! She is the best!
An Incredible Team of Vendors
One of the essential parts of being a wedding planner is having great connections and relationships with other vendors and suppliers. Because we have worked with so many incredible other companies, we were able to use our connections to re-plan this wedding in just six days. It’s not just about the initial vendors you book – but even those you have to hire last minute!
The photographer and the hair and makeup artist team were all based in Paris. They were not supposed to travel to Switzerland because of the covid restrictions, but we found a loophole, and they came by car! I’m not going into more details, but let’s just say it wasn’t a walk in the park to get to Neuchâtel! But we all worked together to make sure this wedding took place, no matter what.
Moving a Wedding From France to Neuchâtel, Switzerland
Not only was I the wedding planner, but it was my best friend’s wedding, so I was the Maid of Honor! Thanks to my amazing team, I was able to re-plan this wedding and still enjoy being a Maid of Honor. With all of the changes, the groom forgot to have his tuxedo pants hemmed, so I was busy hemming his pants while he was getting ready!
As I got my hair and makeup done, the team made sure everything was getting set up. It would not have been possible without them and their hard work.
There were so many changes and updates, but everyone worked together to make it perfect. Hiring a professional wedding planner to plan and execute your wedding is an essential piece of your wedding team. We work hard to make your day unforgettable, whether we have one year to plan it or just six days! Whether you are planning a wedding here in Geneva, or anywhere in Europe, reach out today!
Vendors:
Photo: Celine Chan
Flowers: Jaune Pivoine
Makeup and Hair: Modern Bride Paris
Venue: Hotel DuPeyrou
Wedding Dress: Pronovias
Bridal Jewelry: Bucherer
Bridal Shoes: Jimmy Choo
Rental: Options
Calligraphy: Edwige Radomski
