We got married there three weeks ago and frankly, it was the best wedding I've ever been to!
When the 'wedding planner' (yes, they exist, My very own Fronk) suggested that there was a French style country house in the hills behind Ballina, I instantly thought: oh god, some horrible pastiche build from Gyprock and cement made to look like stone. There would probably be an accordion propped up in the corner.
I couldn't have been more wrong. The house itself is beautifully constructed over many years and looks like it's grown out of the hilltop on which it sits. The planting is magnificent and in the style of a proper chateau garden around the most magnificent mature magnolia tree.
Inside the house the antiques are brilliantly curated with some wonderful pieces (and I know a bit about this stuff) and it's all put together with a savoir faire that makes feel both right for Provence but also Alstonville.
But you pick a wedding venue on how it makes you feel. Well from the moment we saw it, my wife and I had no interest in seeing anything else and on the day, it proved truly magical. Sharon and her husband Ron and son Sven made sure the place looked just perfect and guests arriving by bus from Byron gasped as they got out of the coach to see what the place looked like fully rigged for the day.
The final word goes to our international guests who came from London, San Francisco, Amsterdam, Brussells and even Wellington, who all said, independently of one another, that it was the most beautiful wedding, in the most beautiful place, they'd ever been to.
Sure, there's a bit of self congratulation in there about my own wedding, but we couldn't have done it without Deux Belettes and it's owners.
