Each week during lockdown our General Manager, Sarp Gogebakan, has been live on Instagram for Let’s Talk Weddings – a series of interviews with Château de Bouffémont vendors offering inspiration and useful tips on weddings and events.
We’ve had an exciting week here at the château with the easing of lockdown restrictions, including a surprise marriage proposal in the gardens! Still no events for the moment, but we will be continuing our series until at least the end of May, so stay tuned.
Last week we had the pleasure of speaking to Julie Lemaçon from the Grand Chemin Traiteur catering firm. With a background in hospitality and wedding planning, Julie joined Grand Chemin Traiteur last year as head of wedding catering.
SG: Hi Julie, thanks for joining us today. We’re very excited to talk about food for the first time in these interviews! Perhaps you could start by telling us how far ahead you need to book your caterer?
Book early!
JM: Yes of course, well, the earlier the better! If you want to be absolutely sure that the caterer you want will be available for your wedding you need to make your decision one year ahead of your wedding date. This then gives you plenty of time for all the planning.
SG: Great, so could you walk us through the process up to and including the big day?
Communication is key
JM: Well, the whole process starts with a phone call and throughout the planning period we spend a lot of time speaking to the bride and groom to make sure we give them exactly what they want. We prepare the quote, then we meet with the couple before the fun part – the food tasting to choose the menu! On the day their contact person is the Head Waiter so we make sure they have personally spoken to the couple before the wedding. On the day we arrive at least four hours before the event to set up and of course we stay right until the end.
SG: In terms of customization, what specific arrangements can you make?
Just ask
JM: Our initial menu proposal is based on the seasonal produce from our farm but we can then customize pretty much everything: dishes from different countries, menus adapted to dietary requirements (vegan, gluten-free, allergies), the schedule for serving the food, the style of the waiting staff’s clothing and of course the pièce de la résistance – the wedding cake! The important thing is that if you want something you just ask us and we’ll do everything we can to make it happen.
SG: What are your two top tips for brides and grooms?
Trust yourselves and enjoy the day
JM: My first tip would be to listen to yourselves and what you want and not to other people. I think it’s really important to trust yourselves, this will be your first and last wedding so it’s the one opportunity to have everything the way you like it.
My second tip is to simply enjoy the day. All the hard work has been done before, choosing the vendors, discussing the details, making decisions, so on the day don’t worry about the organization, leave that to the professionals and make the most of your family and friends.
SG: Anything you’d like to add?
Back stronger
JM: Yes, for couples currently organizing or reorganizing their wedding for 2021 I would just like to say that next year is going to be a fantastic year for weddings. Grand Chemin Traiteur like lots of vendors are using this time to develop new concepts, new products, new designs so we will be back stronger and better than ever!
Keep in touch at @chateaubouffemont
