Sonia Bravard, WP Wedding Planner Founder

“A wedding that reflects your own personality, your couple” 

It is more than trendy nowadays for French people to celebrate their wedding outside of France. Even though the choice is wide, Mauritius remains one of their favorite destinations. But then again, organizing a wedding thousands of kilometers from France can be complicated for those who have no contacts on site. This is why many couples opt for a hotel offering a “wedding package”. Well, what would you say if we told you that today you can benefit from the services of a “wedding planner” whose specialty is wedding planning in Mauritius and, icing on the cake, is based in France? Look no more: Concierge Hotels exclusive partner, WP Wedding Planner, offers its services to couples wishing to marry in Mauritius. Sonia Bravard, founder of WP Wedding Planner, tells us a bit more about the different steps to follow for the organization of a wedding abroad.

Sonia Bravard, tell us a bit about you? And above all, tell us about WP Wedding Planner ...

I am the founder and director of WP Wedding Planner. I’m a business school graduate. I studied in the fields of marketing and communications in England and France. I then worked in a company for ten years where I learnt about the organization of events. I organized numerous professional events such as seminars, conferences and exhibitions, amongst others. Three years ago, I decided to set up my own business and focus on weddings, both in France and abroad. I chose Mauritius as it is a dream destination, one of the most popular with brides and grooms. As I already had many contacts there, everything was quickly established. I organize weddings in Mauritius for French people, amongst other nationalities. I recently organized the wedding of an English couple.

What kind of services do you offer?

Above all, I do not propose a prepared, standardized “wedding package”! I organize for my clients a customized wedding, a wedding that reflects their personality, their couple. And I take care of everything from A to Z: airfare, accommodations, wedding ceremony, reception, activities... Everything! Until now, the majority of those who opted for an overseas wedding used to fly to the destination on their own. But now, more and more couples have a small group coming over for the wedding and a few even have big parties. I have organized a wedding including 50 guests. I adapt my services according to the client's request. I do not offer the same services for a wedding where only the couple is involved and one where there will be 50 guests. The latter will require more organization and more services (decoration, animation, etc.). For example, for the wedding of 50 guests, I travelled to Mauritius with a suitcase full of decorations, in addition to everything already planned on site! However, even if the organization will definitely not be the same, what’s a given is the fact that it will be a personalized event.

And do you travel to Mauritius for the wedding?

The couple decides whether they want me on site or not. For a wedding with the couple only, I usually don’t go on site. I manage everything from France and onsite teams take over. When it comes to a slightly larger group - from twenty guests onwards - I prefer to be on site. And while this benefit is at their expense, the couple usually prefers to have me on site to supervise everything, especially if there are a lot of things planned for the wedding. Anyway, I surrounded myself with suppliers I completely trust. They know how to manage everything regardless of my presence. Whether for makeup, decoration, photos or administrative procedures for civil weddings, you name it, they know how to do it to perfection.

Where to begin when organizing a wedding abroad?

Same as for a wedding in France, it all begins with the choice of the date. Since they often combine wedding and honeymoon, the bride and groom have constraints as to when they can take their vacation or when their family and friends are available. I advise them on the best time of year to get married in Mauritius. I usually recommend the periods March/April and October/November when it's not too hot. I also recommend that the wedding be on a week day rather than the weekend because - the majority of the weddings I organized in Mauritius were celebrated on the beach - during the week it is less crowded. I also favor the end of the day for the ceremony so that afterwards they can have beautiful pictures at sunset on the beach.

And when should they contact you?

Between nine to three months before the date chosen for the wedding. Organizing a wedding in three months is feasible. Especially if it is only the couple. But if you plan to have 50 guests, it is better to go about it earlier.

Once the date is chosen, what are the different steps in organizing a wedding abroad?

I need the number of guests, the wedding style they want and of course their budget. Depending on these parameters, I will work on a proposal. I usually start with the accommodation, and then the venue for the reception. Most couples opt for a ceremony on the beach but for the reception, the choices vary. Some choose a reception on the beach - half of the weddings are actually in the hotel where they are staying - while others prefer to do it on an estate or inland so that, among other things, the party can go on until the wee hours of the morning without disturbing anyone. Once the two locations are selected, we can discuss decor and menu. We will also have exchanges about the type of bouquet that the bride wants. We also plan makeup and hair trials on site a few days before the wedding. It also happened that the bride had her trials in France, pictures were taken and sent to Mauritius to the hair and makeup team with which we work. If the couple doesn’t have any family or friends coming to the wedding, we have a witness service to offer them. My role ends the day after the wedding. If within three days after the wedding the couple is still in Mauritius, they receive their photo album. Otherwise it is delivered to them in France. And two to three weeks after the wedding, the couple receives its family booklet from the French embassy. I also take care of all the paperwork.

Precisely, tell us about administrative procedures. Are they complicated?

They are in fact relatively simple. The couple only needs to mail me the necessary documents three months before the wedding: a copy of their passport and identity card, proof of address and the birth certificate of each of the fiancés. The administrative procedures are done in three steps: Firstly, these documents need to be sent to the French Embassy for the constitution of a file, three months before the wedding. Secondly; the day before the wedding, the bride and groom go to the embassy and the Bureau of Civil Status in Port Louis - the capital of Mauritius - in order to establish a certificate of non-resident. And thirdly, they go to the Civil Status Office in the locality where they will get married to meet the celebrant and finalize their file. If they have a special request to do, they do so at that time. I must say that what’s special also about a wedding in Mauritius, is this possibility of celebrating a civil wedding where one wishes while in France, a civil wedding can only be done at the municipality.

Why a couple wishing to get married in Mauritius should use your services rather than entrust the organization of his marriage to the event planner of the hotel where he will reside?

A hotel or travel agency will offer the customer a standardized “wedding package”. I offer a customized service from the very beginning. My help starts with the choice of their accommodation. It is I also who will propose the ideal location according to the wishes of the couple and their budget. I recommend not only hotels, but also villas and guesthouses. The offer is wide. So far, I have not organized the same wedding twice. My service is one of proximity since I am based in France. Customers can meet up with me in person to express their wishes. My fees depend on the services the customer asks for.

What about your partnership with Concierge Hotels?

It is a partnership that is just beginning but was for me an obvious one since we have the same target and the same desire to provide quality and proximity services to our customers. Being based in France, WP Wedding Planner is close to the client and through an extensive network in Mauritius, we are close to the providers. If the client is based in Paris, we will meet. I recently organized the wedding of a couple based in Paris and we met every month until the wedding. Otherwise, exchanges will be on the phone or by email. Through this partnership, Concierge Hotels customers will have access to our services to organize the wedding of their dreams in the turquoise waters of the Indian Ocean.