Ivory Satin and Golden Plane Trees at La Bastide de Laurence, Provence

Nastya sat barefoot on a daybed, her ivory satin robe catching the light from half-open shutters above terracotta tile flooring. Anastasia Landtwing kept the beauty direction restrained: clear skin, softly defined brows, the faintest rose on the lips. Her hair was drawn into a low architectural chignon. Down the hall, Ivan stood in a black tuxedo with satin peak lapels, reading a letter by the window.

Guests took their seats on bentwood chairs along a gravel path inside a circular clipped hedge. The altar featured tall arrangements of white oriental lilies and dark green dried grasses. Un Mariage En Provence conducted the symbolic rite, and as Ivan placed the ring, the afternoon light fell directly across them both. A bridesmaid in pale blue stood to one side.

Nastya's column dress in liquid ivory satin by Divine Atelier moved with the quiet authority that only bias-cut fabric achieves. She posed against a weathered stone classical sculpture in the garden, then leaned against an interior wall beside a gold-framed oil painting. Pearl drop earrings and a slim silk-satin sash completed the look.

Irena Balashko took Ivan and Nastya into the estate's tree-lined garden as the sky shifted from flat blue to pale peach. Ivan wore his chalk-grey wool suit with a cream silk tie. In one frame the bridal bouquet obscured both their faces entirely. The light was almost gone and perfectly golden all at once.

Dinner moved outdoors beneath the plane trees, long ecru tables set with stacked plates, wine glasses, and cut-crystal tumblers. Guests gathered poolside during the aperitif, champagne flutes in hand, the July heat softened by shade. Candlelight multiplied as the evening deepened. Nastya kicked off her shoes for the first dance, and the raspberry cake, an oval covered entirely in fresh berries with a piped cream scallop edge, was cut against a backdrop of illuminated lily arrangements.

Options Aix-en-Provence supplied blush pink linen tables with draped runners, white ceramic plates, and silver-handled cutlery. Fine Stems built centrepieces low: cream amaryllis, blush dahlias, deep burgundy sanguisorba, and fennel fronds alongside dark green bowls holding white orchids and purple allium globes. Nastya's bouquet was all white sweet peas and oriental lilies with trailing golden grasses. Ivory envelopes embossed with a bientot in script lettering sat beside polished platinum bands on a cream linen surface.

The bastide reads beautifully in summer. Two adjoined sections, one in exposed stone with iron-framed glass doors, the other in rendered cream plaster, frame the courtyard where most of the day unfolded. By evening, the rectangular pool reflected the bar table and candlelight, and the old plane tree at the entrance stood silhouetted against the last light.