Amandine is a French wedding planner who started her agency Perfect As Planned based in Bordeaux, in the southwest of France. She specializes in destination weddings, helping couples from around the world create their perfect celebration in the beautiful Bordeaux region. I met her at this beautiful Chateau Wedding in France.

We had a conversation about her approach to wedding planning.

“I plan mostly destination weddings for couples coming from all over the world to the Bordeaux region,” she explains. Her services are flexible and tailored to each couple’s needs and budget.

Amandine offers several service tiers:

• Full planning: Complete wedding planning from start to finish
• Decoration services: Creating beautiful wedding aesthetics
• Coordination services: Taking over the planning work a month or two before the wedding to reduce stress for the couple
• Custom packages: Helping with specific vendors or elements as needed

“It’s whatever the bride and groom need,” Amandine says. “I’m very flexible.”

Why Choose Bordeaux for Your Destination Wedding?

According to Amandine, the South West of France has many attractions that make it an ideal wedding destination:

Diverse and Beautiful Venues:

• Beautiful castles and chateaux
• Wineries with stunning views
• Beach locations
• Ranch-style settings
• Modern and traditional options

“We have all sorts of locations, so it’s a lot of diversity,” Amandine shares.

Exceptional Food and Wine:

• Delicious local cuisine, ie. duck and oysters
• World-famous Bordeaux wines
• Local ingredients that are both high-quality and budget-friendly

Perfect Weather:
“During wedding season, we usually have good weather. It’s not too hot, not too cold.”

Local Talent:
“We have a lot of great wedding vendors in this region!” Of course she knows the best local vendors.

Her Approach to Wedding Planning

When a couple first contacts Amandine, she starts by setting up a video call (for international clients) or an in-person meeting (for local couples).

“I just want to know everything about your wedding. What you’re wanting in terms of food, location, etc., and then also what your overall budget is.”

Amandine prides herself on being transparent with couples about what’s realistic for their budget:

“I will keep it very real with you by letting you know what you can expect with this budget. I don’t have a minimum budget I work with, but I will give real expectations of what you can have with your overall desired budget.”

She shares an example of a budget-conscious bride who kept costs low by:

• Doing her own hair and makeup
• Having a friend DJ instead of hiring a professional
• Creating your own playlists for dinner and other portions of the celebration

“If you’re able to have people in your surroundings taking on a few of those jobs, and you’re okay with not having a super fancy chateau, super fancy everything, then anything is doable, honestly,” Amandine explains.

For luxury weddings, Amandine has extensive experience working with couples who have unlimited budgets. She tailors recommendations based on the couple’s specific preferences:

“I’ve worked with couples that don’t have a limited budget. They just tell me, ‘This is what we want. We will sign once we find the right vendor, the right chateau.’ It really depends on the couple’s taste.”

Her Favorite Weddings: Building strong connections with her couples

When asked about her favorite weddings, Amandine mentions that she builds strong connections with couples she works with.

“I build a strong connection with pretty much every bride and groom that I work with because I’m with them for a year, sometimes more, doing meetings, planning their event.”

What makes a wedding truly special for Amandine is the connection with both the couple and their families. “My favorite weddings in general are when the family is also super friendly. They come to me and say, ‘Wow, this is beautiful. You did great.’ It always makes me feel so lucky to do the job I do.”

About Amandine’s Background and Journey

Amandine has an international background that has shaped her approach to wedding planning:

• Born and raised in France until age nine
• Lived in Mexico for three years
• Moved to the United States, where she completed middle school, high school, and university
• Studied hospitality and event management
• Returned to France after university and worked in the Paris region
• Relocated to Bordeaux during the COVID pandemic
• Completed a wedding planning course during the pandemic when events were shut down
• Decided to focus on private events, particularly weddings
• Recently expanded her business by adding another wedding planner, Mika, to her team

“Those two cultures definitely shaped me a lot because I grew up in those places,” Amandine says of her time in Mexico and the United States.

Her Creative Vision

Amandine continues to grow her business and seek new creative opportunities. She has “about 100 Pinterest boards of decor ideas” and is excited to incorporate new design concepts into future weddings.

She also looks forward to working with couples from diverse cultural backgrounds:

“I like to work with lots of different cultures. I get couples that come from all over the world to get married in the southwest of France. Discovering new cultures that I don’t even know about is something that I want to do.”

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Whether you’re planning a more budget-friendly celebration or a luxury affair, Amandine brings passion, flexibility, and cultural understanding to create unforgettable destination weddings in the beautiful Bordeaux region.

If you’re planning a wedding in Bordeaux, get in touch with her here. I can highly recommend her!