How Much Does a Destination Wedding in the French Countryside Cost?
In 2024, we celebrated our wedding at Domaine Du Clos D’Hullias. This charming countryside village was transformed into a stunning wedding venue with two swimming pools and onsite accommodation for 29 pax in the South of France. Managed by its owner, Domaine Du Clos D’Hullias is a popular wedding venue for international couples. According to its owner, more than half of all weddings at the venue are by international couples.
We fell in love with the venue when we first saw it on Airbnb. We also loved that it could accommodate 29 of our guests in different houses (with private kitchens and bathrooms).
Here is the full cost breakdown of our wedding in May 2024.
Wedding Cost Breakdown: South of France
Wedding Overview
| Guests | 23 guests + bride & groom |
| Cost | Approx. US$28,000 |
| Wedding | Symbolic |
| Location | Domaine Du Clos D’Hullias |
| Duration | 3 days (from Friday, 12 PM to Sunday, 4 PM) |
| Region | South of France, near Aiguèze |
| Country | France |
| Wedding Planner | We did not use a wedding planner |
| When | May 2024 |
Wedding Cost Breakdown
Before we break down the costs of our wedding, here are a few more important details about the syle of our wedding.
Our son was born just a few months before our wedding, so we decided not to have a traditional wedding with all the bells and whistles. Organizing every little detail of a traditional wedding would have been too time-consuming, and we were married already anyway.
So instead of planning a full-fledged wedding, we decided to have a more casual micro-wedding (or elopement) with a smaller group of friends.
Here is the wedding cost breakdown:
| Item | Cost (USD) |
|---|---|
| Wedding Venue (23 guests, 2 nights/3 days) | $11,500 |
| Catering Offsite restaurant for the welcome dinner, onsite catering on D-Day and a wedding brunch on the day-after | $6,000 |
| Alcoholic Drinks (wine, champagne, liquor) | $600 |
| DJ during wedding | $1,800 |
| Tables, Chairs, Lights | $500 |
| Photographer | $2,000 |
| Singer | $3,000 |
| Florals and decor | $400 |
| Wine Tasting (external activity before the welcome dinner) | $200 |
| Wedding Attire (bride and groom) | $1000 |
| Gifts for guests, games, print-outs | $500 |
| Wedding Cake | $500 |
| Total | $28,000 |
Wedding Cost Inclusions and Exclusions
There are probably a few smaller items that we are missing, but US$28k should be 90% accurate.
Overall, we were extremely happy with our small-scale wedding. What mattered most to us was that our friends had a good time and that we would create unforgettable memories together with them. The wedding venue we picked was perfect, as all of our guests stayed with us on-site.
We also liked that the wedding venue was close to one of France’s most beautiful villages, Aiguèze, where we organized a wine tasting and welcome dinner on the first night.
Things we did not like so much were the support from the wedding venue owner. He was very hands-off during our stay and we sometimes could not find or reach him. As he was our only point of contact, we wished he had given us an easier way to get in touch with him. On D-Day, we had tons of questions (from the WiFi passport to power plugs, etc.), and not having the owner available at short notice created unnecessary delays for us.
Also not included in the cost above are the costs we incurred for visiting the venue before selecting it. We live in Asia, and visited the venue two years before our wedding date. We also did not include the travel costs in 2024, as we spent a holiday in the South of France.
In hindsight, recording a video of the venue during our visit would have been helpful. We had so many questions as we got closer to our wedding date, and since the owner was not very responsive, having a video would have saved us a lot of time during the planning.
Also not included are wedding rings or a celebrant, as we “officially” tied the knot during our civil wedding the year before.
More Destination Wedding Cost Breakdowns
While the costs of a destination wedding can add up quickly, the result is an unforgettable event for you and your guests. To help you better budget for your destination wedding, check out our collection of wedding cost breakdowns here.
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