19 HOURS - A DAY IN THE LIFE OF A WEDDING PLANNER/CHEF
Driving between fields of sunflowers and stopping to capture this typical scene of a summer in Gers I arrive at the Castelnau des Fieumarcon wedding village just before 9.00 and Anneli had been up since 7.00 preparing breakfasts for the wedding guests who were staying at the village. This, following a very late night having catered for over 154 guests for the welcome dinner.
Today is Saturday - the wedding day. it is going to be hot and it is going to be long and it is going to be non-stop until around 22.30 after which point it will just be busy. There might be time then for Anneli to catch her breath. Maybe.
Anneli wears many hats
manager of the village and therefore of all the staff
chef
AND
wedding planner
….oh and this being the summer holidays, she also has her mum hat to wear.
With Nick and Abby as part of the planning team together with the kitchen team, the bar, waiting staff and the cleaners - the day is set in motion
The Castelnau des Fieumarcon is a unique venue. It is a fortified medieval village - extraordinary in itself - but it also covers a lot of land. To move and set up chairs, tables, bars from one terrace to another (there are 5 outdoor areas ……..6 if you include the courtyard around the church) in addition to a large function room…….well……..it takes time and good planning and a lot of steps! I can tell you from the weddings that I have photographed there you do a lot of walking. There is so much space but this is wonderful for the guests. Every corner is beautiful and the team go out of their way to accommodate the vision of their clients even if it means more work for them.
All is quiet in the kitchen. Breakfast is laid out. Preparation for lunch and dinner begins.
Greetings are exchanged as the staggered arrivals of the various staff begin to happen. Anneli chops. Anneli checks lists. Abby is walking the largest terrace to plan where the tables should be set up. Chairs stacked in rows of 4 are being carried towards where the ceremony will take place. Nick using the quad and the trailer to transport extra chairs.
Glasses are counted. Linen which has been misplaced is being searched for. Lists are checked. Telephone calls are made. Anneli plugs in two slow cookers and begins prepping her next task on the list.
Time moves. There is no urgency……..yet. The day unfolds at a measured pace.
I wander from the kitchen (where I prefer to stay as there is action happening here all day) to one terrace to another terrace to another terrace and listen to the staff communicate. French, English and Spanish. Larks swoop and shrilly cry between the church tower and banquet hall. They disappear into the horizon.
In the kitchen the clock is watched obsessively as the hours descend towards the time of the ceremony.
Static from radio communication can be heard as bars are stocked up, umbrellas are opened out to provide shade. The motion from bar to kitchen, storeroom to bar. Table cloths are thrown up into the air, land to shape the table and pegged into place as a breeze begins to stir their edges. Amy, the florist has brought the outside in as she arranges sunflowers for table decor.
Guests have questions or a need for something often and regularly.
The pressure begins in the kitchen in a race to match the movement of the minute hand. To get ahead is the ultimate goal. To be on time is the aim.
Once the ceremony is finished the kitchen has about an hour and a half before dinner service begins. Canapes are sent out on black slates - small and fresh delight for the mouths of hungry guests.
The table plan is studied - a chalk board of around 40x40cm is placed just before the kitchen door. - marking
the places of the vegetarian or vegan guests, making sure that the top table is defined clearly.
A slight added pressure. The bride is a wedding planner. She knows what goes on behind the scenes; she knows that sometimes things don’t go to plan. The team can afford no slips.
A child comes to see her mother who gently nudges the child closer whilst keeping her hands in the air to avoid contamination. It is a beautiful distraction. The child leaves. Her mother continues to chop and fry. Stir and simmer. Directions are called out to the other chefs. The list is consulted.
The light of the lowering sun fills the banquet hall and casts contrasted warm shadows.
A message arrives in the kitchen - the guests are beginning to leave the aperos terrace towards the dining area.
A slight breeze moves through the kitchen and movement becomes hurried. The serving staff swoop in and out hands hungry for a plate to deliver.
A plating production line is set in motion - 10 gloved hands work in perfect motion. The kitchen entrance begins to resemble a revolving door as the servers dash in and out. A double glance toward the chalk board to remind themselves of the placement for vegans and vegetarians. No mistakes are allowed.
Wine corks are pulled. The whites and rosé bottles sheen with condensation as the heat hits chilled glass. The bride and groom make a dramatic entrance. The crowd roars.
The 154 guests fed. Food is plated for the photographers - a wonderful couple based in London. They eat whilst looking through images; keeping an ear and eye open for any action they might want to capture.
The kitchen is now re-organised to plate desserts and begin the coffee makers. It is now 22.53. The bar is opened and the music starts. Diners drift in and out. Cocktails are made. The banquet hall is lit with muted bold colours from the disco lights. Kitchen staff get to sit down.
The golden light dipped into a deep blue. Diners evolve into dancers. The pathways are lit with candles. The night is balmy and loud with laughter and chirping cicadas. A successful day.
A last quick portrait of an incredible woman, sitting down for the first time since I arrived. Time - 23.50. My day was done. Not so for Anneli. A few more hours of work for her before she could drift towards her bed.
a little p.s. about this blog. This was a few days after I had received my first Fujifilm camera - an XT3. With a 23mm 1.4 and only shooting in JPEG (to see if what I’d read was true and as this was a personal project and not paid work) so began my love affair with Fuji.
p.p.s. I was impressed with the JPEG files but wished I’d switched to RAW for some of the evening shots. I also wished that I hadn’t accidentally put on Underwater WB for half of the shots. A lesson learned.
With
Catering - Anneli Faiers Plumb of http://www.delicieux.eu/
Wedding planners Anneli, Abby & Nick of https://laboutiqueevent.com
Venue - https://thecastelnau.com/
