Arranging a wedding in France * getting married in France * cheap wedding * arranging a wedding in France * planning a wedding on a low budget * French wines * budget accommodation * cheap car hire * discount ferry travel

So here I am arranging my daughter's wedding in France. I know a lot can happen in two years but these things have a way of creeping up on you when you think you have plenty of time. Planning any wedding is a mammoth task, but when you are getting married in France everything has to be right and in place or the bureaucracy will swallow you up and spit you out.

Start of article about getting married in France.

We already know that we are going to have in the region of 400 wedding guests and that a bit of cheese and pineapple on a stick, cocktail sausage and half a ham sandwich is out of the question. Oh no - any French meal especially a wedding reception dinner is going to be several courses long.

Each course will have to be accompanied by the right wine in keeping with what is being served with each course. Now I have been to a number of weddings lately in the UK and France, where the father of the bride obviously thought he could make some savings on the wine we were served. The food wasn't that great, but the wine ruined the meal.

I am no connoisseur and wine tasting is subjective, but I hate chemical wine (bought in any supermarket) that is massed produced and has acids added to it to quicken the process. I will look at ways to keep the cost of my daughter's wedding down but I must have good wine on the tables. I know where to buy a good wine that isn't going to cost me an arm and a leg and I plan on ordering it in now. It will cost me a bit more than buying a wine from the supermarket but it won't go to waste and it won't ruin the meal.

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If I am not going to skimp on the wines, I am certainly going to look at money saving ideas in other areas. In France, a civil ceremony is the only legally recognised service which is then followed by a religious blessing in church. My daughter and fiancé have decided to have the civil service in our local town, followed by the religious ceremony in our village and then the reception back in town again.

Our mayor has seen our little girl grow up and I think he would be disappointed if he didn't handle her wedding ceremony. It also seems to be a lot of driving around for everyone. What I am hoping is they will have both ceremonies in our village and the reception in the grounds of our house.

Organising a wedding in France.