Venue & Location Highlights
The Domaine is located in the small town of Saint-Thomas-en-Royans, which has 2 boulangeries within walking distance. Saint-Jean-en-Royans, a larger town 4 km to the south is where you can find a large grocery store with laundromat, additional restaurants, and boulangeries.
Popular rideshare apps in the area include Bolt and Uber. There is a bus along the road between the Royans, although it is infrequent.
Weather
We expect daytime highs of 20-25 °C (68-77 °F) with pleasant but possibly cooler evenings, and lows at night between 10-15 °C (50-59 °F).
Rain and occasional afternoon thunderstorms are possible, so pack an umbrella. Sunrise is around 7h15, sunset around 19h45.
Packing Essentials
- Bring light shirts or dresses for daytime, plus a sweater for cooler evenings.
- Swimsuit (there’s a pool onsite!).
- Your own conditioner (gel/shampoo and towels are provided).
- European plug adapter
- Sunglasses and sunscreen.
- Umbrella or lightweight waterproof layer.
Practical Tips
- Electricity: France uses European style plugs with 230V/50Hz. Make sure any electrical equipment you bring is compatible with this.
- Cash: No need to carry Euros. Almost all establishments will accept card or phone wallets. We don’t usually carry cash with us.
- Cell phone connectivity: Consider using e-SIMs for better rates than daily roaming with U.S. carriers. Wi-Fi will be available onsite.
Wedding Dress Code
Please dress “Garden Party Chic/Semi-Formal”. For women that means long summer dresses, and for men that means lightweight suits or dress shirts with pants. As for shoes, we recommend block heels or flats for women, and dress shoes for men. The terrain around the ceremony will be gravel and grass.
Our wedding colors are sapphire blue, blush pink, and watermelon pink, with secondary accents of white and eucalyptus green.
French Cultural Basics
- Greetings & Salutations: Always say “Bonjour” when entering any establishment; “Au revoir,” or “Bonne journée,” when leaving. This is a big part of politeness in French and important to do when going into any shops, even if you feel like you’re saying it to no one.
- Tipping: Not expected — service is included. Please don’t bring US tipping habits.
- Water: Ask for “une carafe d’eau” — tap water is free; bottled water is charged.
- Dining Pace: No rush at restaurants — feel free to linger. You may have to hail down your waiter or go directly to the cash register if you are ready to go.
- Time: Like in this document, all time is shown in 24h format. Some common times to memorize are 16h = 4 PM, 20h = 8 PM and 0h = midnight.
Food & Drink Recommendations
- Emilee loves adding a little peach syrup to her beer. Syrups are common in France and you can add them to beer or drink with water, which is a common drink for kids. You can ask for this as a “Bière à la pêche” or a “Sirop à l’eau” for kids. Common flavors are peach, grenadine, and mint.
- We both recommend that you get the Prix Fixe Menus when it makes sense. Most restaurants will have these daily and often in combination for un entree, un plat, and un desert. They are usually pretty good value for money.
- Reinier loves a “café noisette” after lunch which is an espresso with a dollop of steamed milk (in italian known as caffè macchiato).
- Reinier recommends trying Steak Tartare (Tartare de boeuf). Rare steak usually served with onions, capers, parsley or chive, salt, pepper, Worcestershire sauce, and other seasoning.
- Our favorite local cheeses are Beaufort, Tomme, and St. Marcellin.