Une belle vie

Anna Krahn married Jonathan Fantham at Château de la Mogère in Montpellier, France, on Thursday, June 5, 2014

Our beginnings Jono and I met as colleagues in 2010. A year later, we both found ourselves in Poland, so decided to meet up. We started dating and immediately knew it was meant to be. He popped the question on Valentine’s Day 2012 when we were tramping around Lake Waikaremoana. We’d just reached Panekiri Bluff when Jono suggested we take a self-timed photo. Next thing I knew he was on one knee – the whole proposal was caught on film. Viva la France Having lived in France for nearly a year, getting married was a chance to share Montpellier – our new home – with our families, who travelled from New Zealand and the UK. Château de la Mogère, with its courtyards, manicured gardens and 18th-century architecture lent a quintessentially French vibe. Our wedding style We embraced a whimsical forest garden party theme, decorating the château’s grounds with a floral arch and silver pails bursting with blossoms. Coincidentally, the property worked harmoniously with our mint, peach and lavender colour palette better than we ever could have planned – its pastel green shutters were identical to the shade of the bridesmaid dresses and the garden was bright with purple flowers. My dream dress Choosing my dress was one of the easiest decisions I made. Designed by San Patrick Barcelona, it featured a sweetheart neckline with lace-capped sleeves and a fishtail skirt. I accessorised with an Italian tulle veil, making the look elegant but not overdone – it was exactly what I wanted. Taking the cake We couldn’t decide between a traditional wedding cake or a French croquembouche, so decided to have both. Jono’s mum made a sumptuously boozy fruit cake, had it decorated professionally in Gisborne and brought it all the way with her to France! It followed a buffet meal of rotisserie lamb and guinea fowl, and was the perfect way to complement the array of macarons and French sweets we served for dessert. Something special We personalised our vows by incorporating references to both our roots: a sand-combining ritual symbolised Jono growing up on the Kiwi beach, while a handfasting ceremony (an ancient Pagan custom) acknowledged my English heritage. My advice for brides to be When choosing vendors, always try and get references from other brides. For us, this yielded the best professionals – a sales pitch can only tell you so much.