Questions
Questions, answered plainly
Direct answers on budgets, timing, privacy and destinations: the questions families ask before they write to the house.
How much does a wedding by Madame Wedding Design cost?
The house's celebrations begin at a production budget of €250,000, and range to €1,000,000 and beyond.
The production budget is one envelope, planned at the start and held to the line by the house. The house's fee is separate: a flat fee, set by the scale of each production and agreed together.
How far in advance should we book a wedding planner?
Twelve to eighteen months ahead. A full production averages eighteen months.
The finest private estates close their calendars a year or more ahead, and the house accepts a limited number of weddings each year. If your date is closer, write anyway: a season sometimes holds an opening.
Do you plan weddings for couples living abroad?
Yes. Most of the families the house works with live in the United States, many of them in Texas, and marry in Tuscany, Provence, Paris, Burgundy or Portugal.
The house runs the whole production across borders: venue negotiation, artisan direction and guest logistics from several continents, so that the distance is never felt.
How do you handle privacy and NDAs?
Non-disclosure agreements are standard for every member of the team and every supplier, venues are closed to the public, and press is handled on the family's terms.
Guest lists travel on need-to-know documents, photography rights remain with the family, and nothing is published unless, and exactly how, they wish. The practices are set out on Privacy & Discretion.
What does a €1 million wedding involve?
Usually a multi-day private celebration: an estate closed for the week, around eighteen months of production, and artisans chosen by name.
It also involves what nobody sees: complete guest logistics for a hundred people or more, security and privacy protocols, weather plans held in reserve, and a production team on the ground for every hour.
How many events does a multi-day wedding include?
Often between four and ten, over two to four days.
A recent production in Tuscany held ten events over four days for two Texan families: a welcome party, an evening for the groom, a bridal luncheon, the rehearsal dinner and the wedding among them. Each event is written as a chapter with its own setting.
Which destinations do you serve?
The house produces worldwide. Recent weddings concentrate in Tuscany, Provence, Paris, Burgundy and Portugal.
The work is gathered on Weddings, and Greece is on the drawing table.