Angela & Stéphane {A Fairytale in France}

I was lucky enough to have been a guest at this wedding and I am honored to be able to be the first to feature it! I can’t say enough great things about their character and kindness. From the moment I met them both, I just knew they were the type of friends that anyone would wish to have on their side. When I found out that they had recently spent a year cycling the world together I knew they were crazy, and it made me love them even more. You don’t want to miss their incredible engagement story below!

Their wedding was nothing short of a French Fairytale, with guest traveling from all over the world for their countryside nuptials in Nantes, France. Angela is from the UK, while Stéphane is Polish & French, and they live in Germany! What spoke volumes to me was meeting all of their wonderful friends and family. They have such an amazing group of people who surround them with love and support, this wedding weekend was nothing short of awesome.

They wanted a vintage travel theme and to incorporate bicycles, as cycling is Stef’s first true love!

{The Bride’s Vision}

I really wanted a relaxed wedding with lots of DIY & personal touches. I love anything vintage and polka dots! My top picks were the blue curiosa rose, featured in my bouquet, and hand-made bunting; they were my two wedding items picked out from the start. The rest of the wedding fell into place as the wedding drew closer. We knew we wanted bikes to be a feature (see engagement story) and we were lucky enough that one of my close friends is an amazing designer who took care of invites and stationary, bringing in our personal story. My colours were also adapted as time went by and other parts of the wedding came together. The most important personal touch was having our friends and family so involved – our invites were designed by a friend, as was one of our cakes, and a second cake baked by Stef’s sister. The bunting was made by Stef’s mum! The majority of our decorations were gifted or made by friends and I am so happy to have had their input as such a big part of our day. The members of the wedding party wrote our ceremony, the most precious gift we could have imagined!

Photography by Stephane Le Ludec & Yohann Nédélec

{Best Moment}

This is an impossible question but probably the moment we entered our reception. It was the first time I got a real look at the complete set up and all our closest friends and family were there, some we hadn’t seen for years. It was amazing to have everyone together and we probably will never get that opportunity again!

In weird way, my favourite memory is the late change of plan when my 2 year old niece/flower girl decided she couldn’t face walking the aisle with anyone but me and got upset (behind the scenes, thankfully) as the Bridesmaids were already walking the aisle. I decided there was no one I’d rather have give me away and let her lead the way!

{Tradition}

Sharing bread, salt, and wine or vodka is an old Polish tradition. At the start of the wedding reception, the parents of the bride and groom greet the newly married couple with lightly salted bread and a shot of vodka. With the bread, the parents hope that their children will never hunger or be in need. With the salt, they are reminding the couple that their life may be difficult at times, and they must learn to cope with life’s struggles. With the vodka, they are hoping that the couple will never thirst and wish that they have a life of good health, good cheer, and share the company of many good friends. The parents then kiss the newly married couple as a sign of welcome, unity and love.

{Their Engagement Story}

After much deliberation, my boyfriend and I decided to take a leap into something new and adventurous – we quit our jobs, gave up our apartment and decided to cycle over 10.000km from Europe to New Zealand. Before we left everyone said we would get engaged at the end. The prospect of 24/7 with my boyfriend, no escape, whist being challenged mentally & physically most days along the way… I was under no illusions and knew we would most likely come home either engaged or separated. Nevertheless, I could never have guessed what kind of proposal I was going to get!

Three months into the trip we entered the toughest part, Central Asia, facing challenges like never before: a culture so different to any we had so far experienced, remote and deserted lands and a rather special diet. After an exceptionally tough day in Southern Uzbekistan, which ended with someone breaking into our room in the middle of the night, we set off again, exhausted, nervous and not particularly thrilled about the prospect of having to tackle another day of remote and dry mountains in blazing heat. By midday the temperature had reached 50°C and we realised we were completely lost, with not a soul in sight. Delirious with fear and exhaustion, I totally lost it and broke down in tears. I couldn’t see how we would get out of this situation, I felt stuck and helpless and just wanted to go home.

At this moment, which I now consider one the low points of my cycling career, Stéphane turned to me and started rambling about wanting to protect me and take me somewhere where I would feel safe. Then I heard the words “I want you to be my wife”… I was dumbfounded. Did he really just say that? Did he just propose to me, in one of the most unromantic places on earth, while I’m covered in sweat and dust and probably smell worse than a wet dog? After about five minutes, Stéphane asked the question again and I realised that I still hadn’t answered him. A snotty and teary “Yes” later, we were engaged and made our way as best we could through to the next village, where we could ask for directions. The thought of now having a wedding to plan is probably what kept those peddles turning during tough days for the following 8 months of the trip!