I + A
An Intimate Destination Wedding on Île de Ré
Saint-Martin-de-Ré, France
Chapter I
The island they already loved
Twenty-three guests, a ceremony with the sea right behind them, dinner on the harbour of Saint-Martin-de-Ré and a dance floor they left at 2am. Isobel and Angus planned their intimate destination wedding in France from England, in six months, without visiting the island once beforehand.
WORDS Mélanie Grassy · PHOTOGRAPHY Nicolas Bellon
The proposal, Isobel tells us:
“Angus proposed on the ramparts outside Saint-Martin, a year before our wedding. It was the first night of our family holiday.”
The island was never one option among others. “We have always wanted to get married in France, and Île de Ré is our favourite place. We have so many happy memories here, and we wanted to share our love for the island with our closest friends and family.”
“We know the island well, so it was easy to picture how it would all work together. In the end, it was even more perfect than I could imagine.”
Chapter II
Planning from England
From a distance, without a single visit:
“At first we were a bit worried. Our French isn’t good enough to organise any suppliers, and we don’t have the connections we have at home.” What tipped the scales, in Isobel’s words: “Finding Mélanie!”
“As soon as we met her we knew we were in safe hands. She understood exactly what we wanted from the day, and she has great contacts across the island.”
The whole wedding was planned in about six months, from England, with no trip to the island in between. “I let Mélanie use her trusted suppliers and just trusted the process. All I had to do was make a Pinterest board with the kinds of things I liked, and sign off the design brief.”
What made the distance manageable were the small things as much as the big ones: “the right music at the right time, the table laid beautifully without needing to ask, a pot to put my bouquet in.” And the flowers: “beyond perfect, and a total surprise. Having them turn up as a perfect vision of what I liked took away all the stress.”
“They felt like a gift.”
Planning your wedding on Île de Ré from abroad?
I take care of everything on the island, in English, so you can enjoy the build-up from home.
Chapter III
Twenty-three guests, no first dance
A lighter format, chosen on purpose:
A short guest list, a photographer from the ceremony to the cocktail, no grand entrance, no first dance. “We wanted to do something that actually felt like us. A little bit different, a little bit adventurous and very memorable. We wanted it to be the most incredible weekend for everyone invited, because they made the effort to come all this way.”
Did they miss the traditions? “It was exactly what we wanted. We have been to lots of weddings over the past few years, and the traditional format never felt like us.”
“It took away the stress. With a small guest list we got to have a proper conversation with everyone. The day felt like ours, spent with only our favourite people.”
Chapter IV
The morning, the dress
Getting ready, in two houses in Saint-Martin:
No hotel suite, no hair and make-up team on a schedule. “In the girls’ house it was a frenzy of ironing dresses, curling hair and getting make-up just right. A few of the girls went to the market in Saint-Martin for bread and cheese, and we had a picky lunch as we got ready. It was the perfect morning, until we realised we had twenty minutes left and we were not ready at all!”
The dress had to work by the sea and on a harbour. “I wanted a simple, elegant style that didn’t feel too much by the sea, but I had also dreamt of a glorious wedding dress since I was little. Something both grand and understated. It took a few goes, but I found one locally in the end.”
Angus and his best man made a day of it: tailor-made suits in London, “a lovely day out, albeit in the middle of a heatwave.”
Chapter V
A ceremony by the sea
An oyster shack by the sea, Île de Ré
The ceremony, led by Isobel’s brother:
An oyster shack by the sea, the water right behind the couple, a flower arch and straw parasols facing the bay. “We couldn’t have dreamt of a more perfect setting. Right by the sea, perfect weather, simple yet beautiful.”
“Having my brother run the ceremony meant it was emotional but not too serious. Everyone had a laugh, and it set the day off perfectly.”
Chapter VI
Married at home first
A town hall wedding in England
The legal side, the question every British couple asks me:
It doesn’t happen here. “We did the legal bit at home a few weeks before, a very low-key town hall affair with our parents and siblings. With the paperwork out of the way, we could run the ceremony exactly how we wanted it, and not how we legally had to.”
That is how the British couples I work with usually do it: the civil formalities in the UK, then a symbolic ceremony on the island, written and led their way.
Chapter VII
Guests from England
Saint-Martin-de-Ré
The weekend, for everyone who came:
“Our family drove down and stayed a full week; they turned it into a big holiday. Our friends flew from Stansted, and the total journey was only a couple of hours. Everyone had Airbnbs in Saint-Martin, so we could all meet on the harbour for breakfast and dinner.”
“They absolutely loved the island. They visited a few of our favourite spots by bicycle and got the true Île de Ré experience.”
Then came the walk to dinner. “Walking with the whole party through the harbour, with every restaurant full of people cheering for us along the way, was the most surreal experience.”
Chapter VIII
Dinner on the harbour
A restaurant on the harbour, Saint-Martin-de-Ré
The evening, on the corner of the harbour:
“The restaurant is tucked out of the way, so even though our group wasn’t big enough to hire the whole venue, it felt very private. We were treated very well, the food and drinks were delicious, and the evening took a turn after dinner when the DJ started playing.”
“Need I say more?
We left at 2am with sore feet.”
Chapter IX
Isobel’s advice
Advice for couples abroad
For couples far from home, dreaming of the island:
“The whole process was just so easy. We ended up with the most perfect day in the world, yet all I had to do was essentially pick the colours and say yes and no to things. It was the most iconic day, one we will be talking about forever.”
Would she change anything? “I forgot to put my earrings in! Aside from that, I wouldn’t change a thing.”
“Just do it. You won’t regret it.”
A word from Mélanie
I have organised more than 200 weddings on the island, and this one stays with me for what it didn’t have: no timetable to defend, no production to run, just twenty-three people who crossed the Channel to be together by the sea.
As an English-speaking wedding planner on Île de Ré since 2010, I plan and design weddings for couples who live abroad: the right venue, trusted local suppliers, a design that feels like you, and a day I run from start to finish so you can simply be there.
Everything happens in English, mostly by video call, with one visit to the island if you wish. If an intimate wedding by the sea is what you picture, let’s talk.
At a glance
The couple · Isobel and Angus, from England
The date · 4 September 2026
The guests · 23 adults, family and close friends
The ceremony · symbolic, at an oyster shack by the sea, led by Isobel’s brother
The reception · cocktail, dinner and DJ in a restaurant on the harbour of Saint-Martin-de-Ré
The planning · about six months, from England, no visit before the wedding week
The legal side · a town hall wedding in England a few weeks earlier
The suppliers
Wedding planning & design: MG Events | Photography: Nicolas Bellon
Ceremony: an oyster shack by the sea | Dinner & evening: La Baleine Bleue
Flowers: L’Adélie Catesse | DJ: Joachim
Guest favours: donkey-milk soaps handcrafted on Île de Ré
Getting married on Île de Ré from the UK: your questions
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A French civil wedding requires a residence link that visiting couples rarely have. Couples from the UK do the civil formalities at home, then hold a symbolic ceremony or vow renewal on the island, written and led the way they choose, as Isobel and Angus did.
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There is no minimum. I organise destination weddings from around 20 guests to 200. Below 50, restaurants on the harbours and intimate venues by the sea work beautifully and keep the day relaxed.
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Yes. The island is made for intimate celebrations: a ceremony with a sea view, on a private terrace or in a garden right by the water, dinner in a harbour restaurant, guests staying in Saint-Martin within walking distance. Ceremonies on the beach itself are not permitted on the island, but many venues sit at the water’s edge. From an elopement for two to around 30 guests, I plan and coordinate everything in English, so you only have to arrive.
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Six to twelve months is comfortable. Isobel and Angus planned in six months with no visit at all; most couples come once, to see the venue and meet me. Everything else is done by video call, mood board and design brief.
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Flights to La Rochelle from London Stansted take about an hour and a half; the airport is 30 minutes from the island by taxi. Saint-Martin-de-Ré has plenty of rentals within walking distance of the harbour, so guests can stay together without a shuttle.
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It is one of the best: warm sea, soft light, quieter villages than in August, and restaurants and suppliers still fully open. Isobel and Angus married on 4 September in perfect weather.