Magali and Milos’ wedding at the Château de Varennes is absolutely heavenly. The venue is breathtaking with historic accommodations, church and celebration spaces all located on the perfectly manicured grounds which was important to the couple who had this to say: “You can plan each detail in advance and try to anticipate everything, but in the end it’s really the guests who will create the atmosphere and make the wedding special and unique!” I agree one-hundred-percent and you can see the couple joyfully glowing in the love of all their family and friend in these gorgeous images by Stephen Liberge Photography. Of course you’ll also see lovely details like the peach-inspired florals by Un été à la campagne and vintage brass accented tablescapes all planned by Wedding Factory. Enjoy!
What made the wedding special and unique?
Guests! You can plan each detail in advance and try to anticipate everything, but in the end it’s really the guests who will create the atmosphere and make the wedding special and unique! It is also why we choose the Château de Varennes to celebrate our special day: the beautiful setting which is isolated with everything on site (accommodation, church, rooms) so allowed us to bring our little world together and spend a whole weekend with our loved ones. We had more than 30 nationalities at our wedding! We had friends from our home city of Geneva, which is famous for being very cosmopolitan, Serbian family from the groom, and Swiss/Brazilian relatives from my side. It was a crazy mix that resulted in a lot of fun encounters! No matter where you are from, everyone speaks the same language when it comes to partying!
Tell us about the gown and where/how you found it!
First, I’ve made the mistake of looking on the internet too much to get inspiration and ended up being focused on an Australian designer dress which was impossible to find in Europe. After having done all the process to order it, when it finally arrived I realized that it didn’t fit me well at all (!!). I then started to do what I should have done from the beginning: trying several styles of dresses in wedding boutiques, which is how I found my beautiful Monique L’hullier dress from their Bliss collection. What I really liked about the dress was that it was very comfortable, flattering color (powder) and the fact that it had a removable tulle train which allowed me to have two dress styles in one: one with more volume for the ceremony and a close-fitting one for dinner and dancing.
What were some touches added to make the wedding personal?
We tried to customize some elements by adding small personal touches and adapting the style to our personality. The invitation and the menu were entirely custom made (we chose the font, paper, size and I drew the logo). We also prepared some favor gifts for our guests: dancing shoes (Brazilian flip flops) with the wedding logo and some little bottles of the traditional alcohol of Serbia, « rakija » specially made by the groom’s grandfather who was unable to make it to the wedding. The DJ was a friend who knew most of the guests and played all the best music to make them dance until dawn. Special mention to the 15 minutes of traditional Serbian music to get the party started; it really set the tone for the whole evening!
What was the most memorable part of the day?
The most memorable part of the day was definitely the walk to the church. I grabbed my father’s arm and we were both very emotional. Then when I arrived at the church to see the smiling faces of the people I love the most, before joining my future husband with his eyes shining. It was an unforgettable moment which was, at the same time, a bit of a blur because of all the emotions I felt.
Tell us how you met and became engaged.
Milos and I met about 8 years ago at the end of our studies at university, during a barbecue organized by a mutual friend. For our first rendezvous, before going to the restaurant, he invited me to admire a beautiful view from a bench overlooking the Lac Leman in Geneva. Usually very talkative and confident, he was a bit shy when it came to making the first step. His tactic was to drop his plastic bottle onto the floor and when he picked it up, he would sit a little closer to me. A silly technique that we laugh about now. The day of the proposal, we were supposed to go to a restaurant but he suggested to go back to “our bench”, since we hadn’t been back there since our first date. Once seated, he dropped his bottle voluntarily again, except that when he got up this time, he knelt with an amazing ring in his hand!! It was just a wonderful surprise that he had prepared for months with the help of our parents and friends.
Photographer: Stephen Liberge Photography // Wedding Design & Planning: Wedding Factory // Day Of Coordination: NKT Events // Flowers: Un été à la campagne // Venue: Château de Varennes // Videography: Something Wedding // Hair: Bulles d’Hair // Makeup: Annette Thorton // Caterer: Kook’In Traiteur // Cake: Cakes in the City // 2nd Shooter: Stephany Mora