Kristina and Amir, from London, travelled to the French Riviera to celebrate their intimate destination wedding at the Hotel de la Chèvre d'Or. Kristina had visited the hotel years previously but remembered it for its stunning views and beautiful mountainside gardens. When Amir asked where she wanted to celebrate their day, there was only one place in her mind. Captured by the ever talented Annie Gozard, if you're considering a wedding in France, you have to check this one out!

HOW THEY MET

We met when a mutual friend who brought me to play an extra on the set of Amir's short movie The Stranger. After that, we started spending more and more time together. We went for a few holidays abroad and very early on we both realized how perfectly compatible we were. After dating for two year we moved in together and Amir popped the question in the most romantic setting of Jardin du Luxembourg in Paris. He went down on one knee even though the park was full of people enjoying the sunshine over lunch- it was our third anniversary on that day.

DESTINATION DECISION

We always knew we didn't want to wait after we got engaged to be married, so we started planning straight away. (As luck would have it, I even managed to get my Valentino wedding dress in Paris the very next day after the proposal!) We both wanted a very small, intimate wedding and therefore decided to only invite our closest family and friends. We knew we didn't particularly want to get married in London where we live, but rather somewhere more picturesque, romantic and sunny. Amir asked me if there was anywhere in particular I'd like to get married. Trying to think of a magical setting wasn't difficult- there was only one place in my mind: the gardens of the Hotel de la Chevre d'Or in Eze. I had visited here by chance with my mum a long time previously. I remembered Eze as breathtakingly beautiful and peaceful- I'd never seen a place quite like it. We picked the private gardens of the hotel Chevre d'Or for our wedding because they had all the details of how we imagined our wedding day to be. Intimate, with room for just a few guests in a beautiful setting surrounded by trees and flowers, close to the sea with sunny and warm weather. To make the ceremony area a bit more personal, we hired a florist to design a flower arch as our ceremony backdrop. We married with the smell of roses and lilies, listening to the the nearby waterfall- it was exactly as we pictured it! The venue was also suitable as it was close enough to London to fly our guests over. The nearby area of Eze village is a lovely quiet little place on top of a hill, with beautiful views, lots of smaller hotels where our guests could stay and lovely family run restaurants where we had lots of tasty meals in the days before and after our wedding.

CHALLENGES AND BEST DECISIONS

The biggest challenge we faced was probably time, as we got engaged in March and got married in August, which doesn't leave a whole lot of time to organize all the little details, but thanks to the help of the hotel staff we managed to tie it all together at the end, without too much stress involved. The best decision I made was probably to wear a shorter wedding dress, very delicate and summery, rather than traditional one as it was perfect for the relaxed setting of the garden. I also was glad I wore flat shoes, as the grass in the garden had been watered that morning which would have made it very difficult to walk in heels (or with a long dress and train). We would definitely recommend the Hotel de la Chèvre d'Or to anyone who wants a smaller wedding, where sunny weather is almost guaranteed. We didn't even need a wedding planner, as the hotel helped us in every way possible and gave us contacts to various suppliers who all spoke English. As everyone was local, there were no delays or problems of any kind on the day.

What made our special day even more memorable was the presence of our photographer Annie Gozard and her incredible eye for detail as she snapped photos without us even noticing she was present. She did an amazing job on the day and we felt like she was part of our close knit group of family and friends as her photos came out beautifully. The images feel very intimate and show our true personalities, as she made us feel very relaxed and comfortable. We are delighted by the results: vibrant and full of life with a soft matte finish which gives them a romantic touch. The last photo especially, shot in the hotel bar, is absolutely breathtaking and we decided to blow it up onto a canvas to put in our bedroom as we felt it truly represents our love for each other. For a photographer to capture a special moment like this is a sign of a true talent.

Photography: Bride's Dress: Bride's Shoes: Bride's Jewellery: Bridesmaid Dress: Bridesmaid's Jewellery: Groom's Suit: Groom's Shoes: Groomsmen Suit: Groomsmen Shoes: Flowers: Annie Gozard | Ceremony & Reception: otel de la Chèvre d'Or | Valentino Red Collection | Dior | Dior | Esprit | Swarowski | Tom Ford | Lanvin | Burberry | Lanvin | Miss Rose | Hair/Makeup: Provided by otel de la Chèvre d'Or H