Le Château de Vaugrenier

Wedding Day

Wedding

Reception

Our Wedding

Schedule of Events on June 6th

2:30 PM: Civil union at the Villeneuve-Loubet Mairie (Town Hall). All guests invited! Photos to follow in garden next to the Mairie.&nbsp; 5 PM: Ceremony at the Château de Vaugrenier 6 PM: Cocktail hour in the&nbsp;Château garden 7:30 PM:&nbsp;Multi-course dinner&nbsp;and dessert in the&nbsp;Château garden or inside 11:30 PM until approx. 4 AM: Dancing inside the Château!&nbsp; We will arrange a shuttle service to transport guests from the hotels to the Mairie and&nbsp;Château&nbsp;and back on the big day.&nbsp; Attire is semi-formal.

Addresses

Mairie de Villeneuve-Loubet Village: Place de Verdun, 06270 Villeneuve-Loubet (Hotel de Ville is written above entrance)Château de Vaugrenier: Allée Comtesse Elisabeth de Vanssay, 06270 Villeneuve-Loubet

RSVP

Please RSVP&nbsp;here:&nbsp; <a href="https://andrewandmargaux.anrsvp.com/" target="_blank">https://andrewandmargaux.anrsvp.com/</a>

Our Story

Accommodations

Where to Stay

Hotels: We have several hotel recommendations in the area that are all easily accessible directly by bus from the airport. There are two primary areas that we recommend so that you can have different vibes. The first is the inland: think rolling hills and old French towns connected by all of the modern amenities that you would expect. The second is the beach option: beautiful Mediterranean coast, beach-vibe hotels and restaurant options.&nbsp; <a href="https://www.perlariviera.fr/en">Perla Riviera Hotel</a> The wedding party and immediate family are staying at the&nbsp;Perla Riviera Hotel, located inland in Villeneuve-Loubet. It has a restaurant, pool, and wine bar, and is a short walk to the Polygone Riviera outdoor shopping mall (many restaurants there, movie theater, shops, small supermarket, etc). The medieval-style&nbsp;town of St. Paul de Vence is just a short 10 minute&nbsp;bus ride away.&nbsp;For those that are interested, we will have a brunch the day after the wedding at the Perla. You can reserve a room online through various booking websites, but we recommend contacting them directly to get the best rates. contact@perlariviera.fr +33 4 93 20 97 58 The bust stop for the Perla on line 400 is either Les Hameaux du Soleil, or La Grange Rimade.&nbsp;&nbsp; Other inland options, most within ~10 minutes of each other along the same bus route, that you could consider: - <a href="http://www.labastidegourmande.fr/en/">Hôtel La bastide Gourmande</a> (line 400, stop: Les Campons)- <a href="https://www.hotel-marc-hely.com/en/">Hôtel Marc-Hely</a> (line 400, stop: Les Campons) - <a href="http://www.lesvergersdesaintpaul.com/en/">Hôtel Les Vergers de Saint Paul</a>(line 400, stop: Les Fumerates) - <a href="https://www.hotel-bb.com/en/hotel/villeneuve-loubet-village">B&B Hotel</a> Villeneuve-Loubet Village&nbsp;(the budget option, line 500, stop: Villeneuve Village, 15 min walk to hotel) For those who prefer the seaside, here are some hotels and apartments that are in Cagnes sur mer and all close to each other. They are 10–15 minute walk from the main bus lines to go to Nice, Cannes, Saint-Paul-de-Vence, Vence and Grasse, and 15-20 minutes from the Cros-de-Cagnes train station. - <a href="http://aeva.cagnes-sur-mer.hotelescotedazur.com/en/">Aeva Hotel & Apartments</a> - <a href="http://en.levalduchesse.com/">Hotel le&nbsp;Val Duchesse</a>&nbsp; - <a href="http://www.villa-des-oliviers.fr/">La Villa des Oliviers</a>&nbsp; You are free to choose the hotel or accommodation you want outside of those just mentioned but remember to stay close to these if you plan to take advantage of the shuttle system. Please let us know which hotel that you choose so that we can plan accordingly with the shuttle.

Travel & Accommodations

Photos

Wedding Party

Q + A

Registry

We understand that one of the biggest determining factors for your attendance will be the cost of flights. Andy has found from his experiences that a "good deal" for a roundtrip itinerary between Arizona and Nice is anything below about $900-1000 USD. This can be a lot to pay for a wedding, so&nbsp;we appreciate all of you for even considering to join us!&nbsp; We recommend looking&nbsp;for flights about 3–6 months before the travel dates if possible (but if you procrastinated, fear not! Andy has booked Arizona-Nice flights just a few weeks in advance several times without going bankrupt). Here are some useful search engines:&nbsp; <a href="http://www.kiwi.com">www.kiwi.com</a> <a href="http://www.skyscanner.com" target="_blank">www.skyscanner.com </a>Kiwi.com in particular offers a good travel guarantee, where if you have a delayed or canceled flight, they will help you to rebook or will reimburse you the cost of your missed flights. Margaux and Andy have (unfortunately) had to put their "travel guarantee" to the test a few times and found that they do follow through. Airlines that&nbsp;offer a good balance between comfort and price for the trans-Atlantic flight include (but not limited to): Delta, United, American, Lufthansa, Air France, Air Canada, British Airways, and Swiss Air.&nbsp; Tip: You might get better&nbsp;flight rates by&nbsp;booking a round-trip to a major European city, then booking a separate round trip itinerary to get you from that city to Nice. For example, book round trip to and from Paris, then book separate round trip flights from Paris to Nice (just make sure you are flying in and out of the same airports, obviously). Intra-Europe flights are typically very inexpensive, by American standards. However, note that if you book separate itineraries and experience a delayed or canceled flight, you may have to absorb the cost of the other itinerary of you can no longer make the flights.&nbsp;

Flying to Nice from the United States

We are currently searching for a hotel block near the venue. Please check back later. 

By&nbsp;Bus (cheapest, &lt; ~5 euros): All of the hotels that we have recommended are conveniently&nbsp;accessible by bus directly from the airport. The only exception&nbsp;is the BnB hotel (the budget choice), which is a ~15 minute walk from the nearest bus stop. We will update this section soon with a details of the bus route, where to catch the bus at the airport, &nbsp;which stop will get you closest to your hotel, and the most convenient ways to purchase bus tickets.By Uber - You will of course need internet on your phone (the wifi in the Nice airport is not reliable, so don’t count on it).&nbsp; - Price should be somewhere between 10 and 30 euro.&nbsp; By Cabs - Probably the most expensive option.&nbsp; - Some may accept US dollars, but not all.&nbsp;

Getting from the airport to your hotel

We will have a shuttle on the wedding day that can do pick-ups and drop-offs at the main hotels listed above. &nbsp;The shuttle will take you to the Villeneuve-Loubet Mairie for the civil ceremony, to the Château for the ceremony and reception, and back to your hotel at the end of the night. For those that don’t wish to stay for the entirety of the dancing, we will looking into having early and late options for the return shuttles. Please let us know if you have a strong preference and please also let us know which hotel you choose so that we can plan the shuttle services accordingly.&nbsp;

We will provide details on the shuttle later once we have the booking finalized.&nbsp;&nbsp; If you choose to drive, there is parking available near the Mairie and at the Château.

Transportation on the day of the wedding

We recommend downloading some transportation apps ahead of time. Free Wifi availability around town is spotty. The Nice airport has free wifi, but it doesn't always work.&nbsp; Maps.me is a useful mapping application for your phone that allows you to completely download regional maps ahead of time so that you can use them with the GPS on your phone even while in airplane mode.&nbsp; Moovit is useful for finding transportation options.&nbsp; The Lignes d'Azur app can be used to find local bus and tram routes (but it doesn't always work very consistently, so beware).&nbsp;&nbsp; The SNCF app can be used to check train schedules and to purchase tickets ahead of time.&nbsp;

Travel Applications for your smartphone

Travel

Things to Do

What to expect at a French Wedding

What to expect on the day of the wedding

American and French wedding ceremonies and receptions have many similarities. However there are some key differences to be aware of.&nbsp;The signing of the marriage license must occur at the local mairie&nbsp;(town hall) where the bride-to-be is living. It is common to do this just before going to the ceremony, and everyone is invited to come and watch! This will be the first moment that the bride and groom see each other in their wedding attire, so it is certainly a big moment.&nbsp;Everyone that wishes to attend can squeeze into the room at the mairie to watch when the bride and groom, with their chosen temoins&nbsp;(witnesses), sign the marriage documents to make things official.&nbsp;Be prepared for a long evening and night of celebration! The cocktail hour and dinner typically take upwards of 4 hours, with cake cutting not even occurring until around 11 pm or midnight. The dinner usually comes in four separate courses:&nbsp;entrée (starter), plat principal (main course), fromage (cheese), and finally&nbsp;dessert. Following the dessert and cake cutting, dancing commonly goes until the early hours of the morning (3 or 4 am). Make sure to pace yourself!&nbsp;

Advice for your stay in France

Key Phrases

It will be quite useful to know a few key phrases: Hello:&nbsp;Bonjour Goodbye:&nbsp;Au revoir Please: S'il vous plait (seal voo play) Thank you, thank you very much: Merci, Merci beaucoup Sorry or&nbsp;excuse me: Pardon;&nbsp;excusez-moi Bathroom: Les toilettes (Où&nbsp;sont les toilettes?)

French etiquette 

Here are a few general tips for making the most of your interactions in France. These are all things that I wish that I had known before going.&nbsp; Tipping:&nbsp;In general, you aren't expected to tip anywhere, unless you feel as though you've received some really exceptional service. At the end of a nice dinner, you might choose to leave a couple of euro on the table if you were very happy with the service. But otherwise, do not feel compelled! It is a hard habit to break after leaving the US, but don't feel guilty about it if you don't tip much or at all in France.&nbsp; Saying hello/goodbye when entering any place of business or public transportation:&nbsp;It is customary to greet the owner of a business or the driver of a bus with a&nbsp;"bonjour" as soon as you enter. Likewise, when you leave you should always say goodbye with an "au revoir." Failing to do to so is considered rude.&nbsp;Voices down!:&nbsp;In general, the&nbsp;acceptable indoor speaking volume in France is lower than in the US. Be mindful of those around you and try not to stand out too much! If you're speaking loudly or shouting at dinner, you might get some looks.&nbsp; Asking for the check: In the US, the servers are very attentive to your table at a restaurant and are expected to come after the meal and offer you the bill. This is not the case in France. In fact, if the server offered the bill to a French person, they might find this rude because&nbsp;it gives the impression that the server is trying to rush them out of the restaurant! The French like to take a long time at dinner, as it is a key time for socialization. Thus, when you are ready to pay, you will have to get your server's attention and ask for your bill, (the bill is called the addition, or&nbsp;l'addition). The easiest phrase is "l'addition, s'il vous plait." Alternatively, you can try the somewhat universal hand gesture of miming a signature onto your other hand.&nbsp; Business hours: Most non-food-related businesses will close for 1 hour or so during lunch. Conversely, most restaurants will close for a few hours in between lunch and dinner. Most will not open again for dinner again until around 7 PM.&nbsp;

Currency

How to pay?

Most places will accept credit and debit cards, although we recommend that you check with your financial institutions about foreign transaction fees. On the other hand, it will still be useful to have some cash on hand, especially for smaller purchases, such as for a coffee and a croissant at the local boulangerie. The airport will have currency exchange booths that you can use. Alternatively, it is probably simpler (and perhaps cheaper, depending on your foreign transaction fees) to simply use your US debit card at an ATM to withdraw some cash. There is an ATM in both airport terminals.&nbsp;If you are paying with a credit/debit card at a store, sometimes the payment machine will ask if you want to pay in euros or convert the payment to USD.&nbsp;Always choose to pay in euros.&nbsp;If you don't, not only will you get charged a mediocre rate to convert to your home currency, you’re charged a percentage for the privilege.&nbsp;

Conversion, taxes, and tipping

The euro is currently worth slightly more than the US dollar, but for the sake of conveniently converting the prices in your head, you could just assume that they are more-or-less equivalent.&nbsp;

One of the nice things about sales in Europe is that sales tax is always included in the price! This makes purchasing with cash much easier, because things are usually prices at very nice, round numbers (e.g. rounded to the nearest euro, or nearest 50 centimes).&nbsp;

Tipping is generally not required or even expected. If you feel as though you've received some really exceptional service, you could consider leaving a few percent tip on the table (e.g. a few euro for a nice dinner). But don't feel guilty if you don't leave a tip. It is ok! The restaurant servers and bartenders&nbsp;are paid full wages for their work , unlike in the US.&nbsp;

Using your smartphone

Internet

Wifi availability around town is spotty. The Nice airport has free wifi, but it doesn't always work.&nbsp;Keep your phone in airplane mode unless you know you want to use your service plan. One good option is to get a personal, pocket wifi hotspot. Here are a few options:&nbsp; <a href="https://www.travel-wifi.com/en/pocket-wifi-nice" target="_blank">https://www.travel-wifi.com/en/pocket-wifi-nice </a><a href="https://www.my-webspot.com/" target="_blank">https://www.my-webspot.com/ </a><a href="https://www.tepwireless.com/wifi/france/" target="_blank">https://www.tepwireless.com/wifi/france/ </a><a href="http://www.skyroam.com/" target="_blank">http://www.skyroam.com/ </a>You might see some wifi hotpots around town&nbsp;that are labeled as "Free Wifi." Don't be fooled. "Free" is the name of a company. You will have to pay if you want to use that wifi.&nbsp;

Transportation apps for smartphone:

Maps.me is a useful mapping application for your phone that allows you to completely download regional maps ahead of time so that you can use them with the GPS on your phone even while in airplane mode.&nbsp; Moovit is useful for finding transportation options. &nbsp; The Lignes d'Azur app can be used to find local bus and tram routes.&nbsp; The SNCF app can be used to check train schedules and to purchase tickets ahead of time.&nbsp;

Information for American Guests

Version française de ce site

Cliquez ici:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.mariages.net/web/margaux-et-andrew">Version française</a>

Andrew & Margaux

Andrew & Margaux

A&M

Wedding Day

Wedding

Reception