The top 5 beach wedding venues on the French Riviera - Tuesday 15 May 2012
With its beautiful scenery, delicious Mediterranean food and abundance of fine wine, it is no wonder that the Côte d’Azur is one of the best places in the world to get married. In particular, beach weddings are extremely popular in the French Riviera, thanks to the stunning coastline that is found there. Many of the fantastic beaches in Saint Tropez, Cannes, Antibes and Monaco offer the perfect venue for a dream destination wedding.
Here we suggest our top 5 beaches in the South of France to have a beach wedding.
1. La Mandala, Cannes
If you want to get married on the beach in Cannes, La Mandala Plage is the perfect wedding venue choice. Set on a stunning sandy beach in the heart of the French Riviera, La Mandala beach club can offer brides and grooms a super-stylish place to have an unforgettable wedding in the South of France. It is possible to rent out the private beach for exclusive use for your wedding all year round, even during the high season. There is an area of chic wooden decking on the sand which is perfect for a beach wedding reception. The meal can either take place in the open air, or in case of bad weather it is possible to cover the whole terrace. La Mandala can cater for weddings of up to 150 people on the decking, but if you want a larger beach wedding, they can put extra tables on the sand. The venue is able to help you organise all the furniture and decorations, including funky lounge fittings for a contemporary-feeling wedding.
The wedding menus at La Mandala start at around 80 Euros per person, for a three course dinner with cocktails, canapés, wine and coffee all included. The style of the food focuses around quality French cuisine, with suggestions such as foie gras, lobster, duck and scallops being proposed for weddings. If you want a more modern beach wedding, the team can offer a sushi bar, a cocktail bar or a standing canapé menu instead of a formal seated wedding reception.
2. Pearl Beach, Saint Tropez
Pearl Beach is a lovely place to hold your dream beach wedding on the French Riviera. The spacious design and layout of the beach club make it very well suited to hosting a wedding reception. Situated in the centre of Saint Tropez, this beautiful beach has a cool and sophisticated vibe, with teak decking, interesting carved wood and water features throughout. There is a slightly Oriental feeling to the wedding venue, making it perfect for an exotic beach wedding. Pearl Beach can be fully privatised for events of up to 150 people inside or 300 people outside. The team are adept at organising events, and can help to tailor-make your perfect Cote d’Azur wedding.
3. Les Belles Rives Beach, Juan les Pins
This beautiful hotel and private beach by the Cap d’Antibes is one of the best wedding venues in the South of France for getting married by the sea. The venue has a wonderfully nostalgic feel to it, having been a popular destination with the glamorous French Riviera socialites in the 1920s and 1930s. Scott Fitzgerald and his wife Zelda used to be frequent visitors to the Belles Rives beach when Juan les Pins was the hub of the European jazz movement. The hotel has retained its vintage feel, and offers brides and grooms the opportunity to have a classic French Riviera wedding.
Wedding receptions at the Belles Rives hotel and beach take place right by the water’s edge, on a man-made terrace extending out into the crystal clear Mediterranean Sea. The beach terrace can hold up to 300 people for a wedding, but it is best suited to smaller groups of 100-150 wedding guests. The terrace can be covered in case of bad weather by a tent, which allows for weddings of up to 100 people.
The Belles Rives beach has a range of wedding packages, which start from 140 Euros per person in price. They are able to adapt the options depending on your preferred beach wedding style. The packages usually include a champagne reception with a selection of canapés, a main dish, a cheese board, a wedding cake, wine, water and coffee. Furniture and wedding table decorations are also included in the fixed price.
4. L’Écrin Beach, Cannes
L’Écrin Plage private beach in Cannes is an excellent place for a Côte d’Azur wedding. It is tucked away at the quiet end of the town, giving it a relaxed and private feel for a lovely beach wedding. The beach has three different areas that can be used for weddings- the covered main restaurant; the outdoor terrace which also be covered over as an extension of the restaurant area; and the funky lounge bar, which is positioned on a chilled out wooden decking area. The restaurant and terrace together can cater for a wedding of up to 200 seated guests. The lounge bar is the perfect place to have the wedding drinks before the meal. The wedding menus consist of excellently presented Fusion-Provencal dishes, made using the freshest of ingredients. L’Ecrin can also put together a tailor-made buffet or a canapé menu depending on your wedding preferences.
5. Akwaba Beach, Cavaliere, near Le Lavandou
If you are looking for a venue to have a relaxed beach wedding on the French Riviera, Akwaba Plage might be just the beach for you. Situated in the picture perfect bay of Pramousquier, the beach provides a beautiful outdoor setting to get married. The whole beach can be privatised for weddings, allowing your guests to celebrate your wedding in the seclusion of this stunning Côte d’Azur bay. The beach restaurant offers a variety of wedding menus, including buffets, traditional dishes, Provencal specialities or exotic food.
