Jeri Ryan has been working in television since the late nineties and is known best for her role on Star Trek: Voyager and most recently for her role on Shark. She met chef Christophe Emé at a charity event and well, I suppose things went well. The couple’s wedding was a beautiful and relaxed affair for 120 of their nearest and dearest, in Loire Valley in France were Emé grew up. This wedding is amazing because it is natural and laid back yet completely sophisticated. If your interested in having a beautiful and organic wedding then by all means read on.

The Bride. Everything about the day was minimalist and fresh, Ryan’s look was no exception. She was stunning in her satin strapless a-line and lucky for us, this is an easy and affordable look to acquire. I found great options from J.Crew and Watters brides. I absolutely love this style because honestly this dress style can look amazing on all body types. The key to this silhouette is fabric and fit. You want to make sure that the fabric is a heavier weight, no flimsy chiffon or charmeuse, this will help with the perfect fit, I swear. Trips to the seamstress are a must, tugging on your dress constantly on your big day is not hot, trust me. To finish Ryan’s gown, you need a sash, recently more and more gowns are coming with sashes, but if your gown doesn’t a nice heavyweight satin ribbon will do, any color is acceptable. Ryan choose pewter sash wrapped around twice and attached with a stunning broach. Ryan’s hair and makeup seemed effortless, her hair was curled worn down, while her makeup was barely there and perfect. To get this look, only use foundation where needed to even out skin tone, a touch of chapstick, and some banging false eyelashes. I would go with individual lashes, which I think look the most natural, concentrated on the corners. Makeup Forever makes great lashes and at 15 bucks you can play around quite a bit to get it right.

The Maids. Ryan’s bridesmaids wore beautiful taupe-y silver gowns. I found quite a few gowns I thought captured the ease of Ryan’s girls, but a touch more fashion forward. I found great dresses from Priscilla of Boston, Bari Jay, J.Crew, and Jim Hjelm. All of the gowns are strapless, a-lines, with defined waistbands, a flattering look if you have all of your girls in the same dress. 

The Details. This wedding had some adorable details that made their wedding feel personal. Steal This Idea: After the ceremony, the guests were greeted with buckets of Champagne to start celebrating. I love how luxurious, yet informal this arrangement is. And Steal This Idea: Instead of seating cards the couple hung small chalkboards with olive branches attached to direct their guests to their table. And This One: The couple opted for classic turquoise Corniche as their getaway car, which has so much more character than a limo and probably cost about the same.

The Decor. This wedding is much different than most of the ones I have discussed. Steal this Idea: Use herbs instead of flowers. Ryan’s bouquet was made of French Lavender and roses, a stunning combo. The beautiful wood tables were lined with stunning pots filled with more lavender and various herbs. I love the smell of herbs almost better than flowers. Find beautiful cheap planters and fill them with thyme, rosemary, and mint, all of my favorites, line a rustic table with them and viola, centerpieces. The place settings should be kept as simple as possible, white china and simple unadorned stemware, think French countryside chic. Finish the look off with some super-simple tall candlestick holders, I found some nice ones at Ikea. Keep everything simple and easy. Plus, at the end of the party, guests could take the potted herbs as favors. See, I’m always thinking ;)

If you think an au naturale affair suits you then take some advice from a couple that did just that, Ryan and Emé had a beautiful wedding and really kept things simple and comfortable. The whole idea of this wedding is to let the natural setting shine through without masking it with millions of imported flowers.

Lauren