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Organising your wedding at Chateau de Robernier

Posted by Nick in Wedding music / in Lighting
Image showing front of Chateau de Robernier
Ceremony at Chateau de Robernier
Photographer: Darek Smietana

So, you’ve chosen to get married abroad and have your wedding in the South of France at the beautiful fairytale venue Chateau de Robernier. Great choice! At Wildfire DJs we’ve been fortunate to perform at this stunning location on many occasions and it never fails to be an incredible celebration. As with any wedding, there is a huge amount to organise though so let us share our experience to guide you through what you’ll need from a music, sound and lighting perspective.

Wedding Ceremony and Cocktails

For the majority of weddings at Chateau de Robernier the ceremony and cocktails will take place out at the front with the stunning Chateau façade as the backdrop on one side and the incredible view of the Provencal hills on the other.

For this part of the day you will need speakers and microphones. The speakers will provide some ambient music to set the mood and get everyone calm and relaxed for the big entrance as well as the all-important processional and recessional songs.

For anything up to 250 guests two speakers on stands will be perfect combined with wireless microphones so that your guests can hear your vows loud and clear and your entrance and exit songs have the right impact.

The same speakers can then be used for background music during your post ceremony cocktails or for your live musicians to plug into.

Dinner

Once the sun starts to set guests will normally move through into Chateau de Robernier’s beautiful Provençal courtyard. With the right lighting and decoration it is a truly magical space that will wow your guests. Festoon lights can be strung overhead to provide beautiful soft lighting while you eat or alternatively a whole ceiling of fairy lights can give a gorgeous outdoor effect.

We would also suggest placing uplighters (set on amber) around the walls of the courtyard to create a warm glow and really highlight the unique features of the Chateau walls. The same uplighters can also look stunning at the front of the Chateau so that guests can enjoy this space after dark.

If you have a unique logo created for your wedding, the high courtyard walls are the perfect place to show this off by using a projector (see image below)

As with the cocktail hour you will also need speakers for background music while your guests are dining. The dinner time is also typically when the speeches take place so you will need some amplification for these too. The same speakers and wireless, roaming microphones used during the ceremony are ample for an area of this size.

The beautiful old doorway from the tiny chapel into the courtyard provides a great place to make a grand entrance to dinner. With the right song on great speakers this will be a moment you remember forever (we can help you choose the right song too! Click here for some music inspiration).

Party

For the all important party your guest will move through to the ballroom where the dancing takes place. For this you’ll need another set of speakers (ideally 2 x 1000W units plus a sub-woofer for a great bassy sound).

For lighting we recommend as a minimum some uplighters around the walls of the ballroom (set on ultra violet) to give your party a more clubby feel. The room is not huge so there is no need to go full nightclub on the dancefloor lighting but ‘intelligent moving heads’ (units that move in time to the music and with each other) on totems will give a great effect, especially when paired with a smoke machine (used sparingly though – nobody wants that school disco effect at their wedding).

For the music you will need a professional, experienced wedding DJ who will build up the music hour by hour to set the right tone and keep guests of all ages and nationalities happy. Someone experienced and personable who will play open format and ensure the dance floor is rocking all night! Why not make it a DJ and saxophone duo for added theatre.  More music inspiration for this can be found here.  

A great feature of the layout at Chateau de Robernier is that the ballroom is right next to the courtyard. This means that guests who remain outside in the balmy evening can still enjoy the music from the dancefloor.

For some additional theatre why not throw in a confetti cannon! Setting this off during the first dance can provide you with THE Instagram moment or immediately after the first dance will signal that the party is really starting.

Wedding Day Extras

* A photo booth can be a really fun feature at a wedding creating moments that would otherwise not be captured and also giving your guests a personalised memento of the occasion. Using Wildfire DJs as your supplier will mean you will have photos right up until the last tune of the night. We would suggest installing it in the courtyard for maximum usage during dinner, in the ballroom during the party or for a quieter location in the Orangerie.

* It is also a good idea to install floodlighting in the car park and spotlights down the pathway through the gardens to ensure your guests can make it safely to their cars. Installing some further battery uplighters and/or fairy lights can show off some of the beautiful trees throughout the garden for an extra feature.

The next day Brunch or Pool Party

Chateau de Robernier is the perfect place to have a next day brunch or pool party and make the most of your time in this stunning venue. While lighting won’t be necessary for a daytime event, adding some music to entertain your guests is a must. In our experience whilst some couples set out with the intention of a crazy party, the pool parties tend to take on a much more relaxed vibe so there is no need for a huge sound system here, a pair of good quality speakers will give you what you need. There are likely to be a few sore heads and funny stories to reminisce from the day before so hiring a DJ will ensure you can gently and expertly raise the energy back while you take a swim, or chill by the pool.

We hope this helps you start your planning for music, sound and lighting! If you would like to discuss your event at Chateau de Robernier further we would love to hear from you.

Nick Boot, Founder

WILDFIRE DJS
www.wildfiredjs.com
@wildfire_djs