Wedding at Mas des Costes, Provence
Sophie & Nicolas in the Alpilles
The road to Orgon runs through flat farmland and then, without much warning, the Alpilles rise on the left. White limestone, low and bright, the kind of ridge that looks painted rather than built. A few minutes past that turn, a line of cypress trees marks the entrance to Mas des Costes.
I arrived early, the way I always do, to walk the property before anyone needed me. Seven hectares of pine forest, olive groves and lavender. The cicadas had already started. There is a particular quality to that sound in the Alpilles, dense and continuous, and it stays with you long after the day is over.
This is the story of Sophie and Nicolas’s wedding, and it is also the story of a place.
How this wedding in Provence found me
For years, Sophie’s father and I have worked the same red carpets at the Cannes Film Festival. Pascal Le Segretain is a photographer whose work I studied long before I ever stood beside him in a photographers’ pit. You learn a great deal watching someone like that work under pressure, in bad light, with ninety seconds and no second chance.
At some point he mentioned my name to his daughter. That is the whole anecdote, and it is enough. Photographing a colleague’s daughter’s wedding carries a weight that is difficult to explain. You are not being hired on a portfolio alone. You are being trusted by someone who knows exactly what the work involves, and who would notice everything you got wrong.
I am not sure I have ever been more careful with a camera.
Mas des Costes, a Provençal estate at the foot of the Alpilles
Mas des Costes sits in the countryside of Orgon, inside the Parc Naturel Régional des Alpilles, about seven minutes from the village of Eygalières and fifteen from Saint-Rémy-de-Provence. Gordes and the Luberon are half an hour away. It is one of the rare venues in this part of Provence that feels genuinely rural and still holds up to a large celebration.
The estate hosts up to 160 seated guests, and it is organised as a sequence of spaces rather than a single room, which is exactly what makes it work photographically.
The Jardin des Lavandes
The lavender garden is where most ceremonies happen. Rows of lavender, an avenue of cypress, and the Alpilles behind. In [month], the lavender was [describe state, in bloom / just cut]. Late afternoon light comes in low and sideways here, and it turns the whole field into something closer to a painting than a photograph.
The Terrasse des Oliviers
Cocktail hour moves to the olive terrace. Old trees, dappled shade, and enough room for guests to spread out without losing the group. Olive leaves scatter light in a way that is very flattering and very difficult to control, which is a good problem to have.
The courtyard, the pool and the barn
Dinner can be served in the paved courtyard, beside the pool, or under the nomad tent. The 160 square metre barn takes over at night for dancing, and there is a genuine advantage to a venue where the party has its own building. The music stays in the barn, the older guests keep talking outside in the courtyard, and both groups are happy.
The mas itself, around 600 square metres, includes bedrooms for the couple and close family. Sophie and her bridesmaids got ready in the main sitting room, where the shutters filter the morning light into something soft and directional. Marion Lhote handled hair and makeup, working quickly and quietly in a room that was steadily filling with people, which is its own kind of skill.
The day
[Two or three paragraphs on the day itself: the arrival of the guests, the ceremony, the vows, a specific moment you remember. Keep it concrete and cinematic, one small detail is worth more than three adjectives.]
What I remember most is the light after dinner. In Provence in [month], the sky holds a deep blue for a long time after the sun has gone, and the string lights in the courtyard came on while there was still colour in the sky. That overlap lasts about twenty minutes. It is the best light of the entire day and almost nobody thinks to plan for it.
Planning a wedding at Mas des Costes: notes for couples
A few practical observations, from the photographer’s side of the day.
Plan your couple portraits for the last hour before sunset. The olive groves and the pine forest at the back of the property are the strongest locations, and they only really open up when the sun is low. Twenty minutes is enough. You will not miss anything at the cocktail.
Consider a first look if your ceremony is late. With a ceremony after 5pm in high summer, the schedule compresses fast. Meeting beforehand buys back time and, in my experience, calms everyone down.
Use the whole estate. Couples often book Mas des Costes for the lavender garden and then never leave it. The cypress avenue, the courtyard at night and the pine forest are all worth ten minutes each.
Getting there. Avignon TGV is roughly 45 minutes by car, Aix-en-Provence TGV around 50, and Marseille Provence airport about 50 minutes. For international guests this matters, and it is one of the reasons the Alpilles work so well for a destination wedding in France. There is private parking on site.
Accommodation nearby. Eygalières, Saint-Rémy-de-Provence and Maussane-les-Alpilles all have good options within twenty minutes, which is useful when you are hosting a hundred guests who do not know the region.
Frequently asked questions
Where is Mas des Costes? In the countryside of Orgon, Bouches-du-Rhône, inside the Parc Naturel Régional des Alpilles, seven minutes from Eygalières and fifteen from Saint-Rémy-de-Provence.
How many guests can Mas des Costes host? Up to 160 seated for a wedding dinner, across the reception hall, the courtyard, the poolside and the nomad tent.
When is the best time of year for a wedding at Mas des Costes? Late June and early July for the lavender. September for the light and the temperature, which is my personal preference for photography. May and early June are quieter and cooler.
Do you travel from the French Riviera to Provence for weddings? Yes. Mas des Costes is around two hours from Cannes, and I photograph weddings across Provence, the Alpilles, the Luberon and the Riviera, as well as further afield in Italy and Ireland.
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I’m Terence, a wedding photographer based in Cannes, working across the French Riviera and throughout Provence, from the Alpilles and Eygalières to Saint-Rémy-de-Provence, the Luberon and beyond. If you’re planning a wedding at Mas des Costes, or anywhere in this part of France, I’d love to hear about your day. Every wedding is different, and I take the time to understand the two of you before we plan anything.
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Sophie & Nicolas | Wedding in Provence, at Le Mas des Costes
(© destination wedding photographer : Terence Baelen)