a guided venue search programme - june 2026 - founding cohort

Find your venue,

calm and confident.

A programme I guide you through personally — the framework I use with

my own couples, in the right order, with me alongside you on a live Q&A

each week.

A NOTE FROM LAURA

The question I hear most, just under the surface, is: What am I missing that I don't even know I'm missing? Couples who feel calm and confident about their venue choice aren't further along, or somehow doing less worrying than you are. They've simply done it in the right order, with a framework - and someone to ask.

The Guided Venue Search Programme is everything I've learned - thirty years in weddings and events across the UK and France, fourteen years running French Wedding Company near Bordeaux, over three hundred venues visited- structured into a programme I guide you through personally. You move through it in your own time. I'm with you throughout.

Laura

The PROGRAMME

The framework I use with my own couples,

opened up and guided through.

Five modules, in the right order. A weekly hour with me on Zoom. The Venue Comparison Workbook with budget calculator and guest management - the same documents I use day to day. You move at a pace that works for you, and I'm there each week to talk it through.

130+

WEDDINGS

PLANNED IN FRANCE

300+

FRENCH VENUES

VISITED & ASSESSED

30+

YEARS IN

WEDDINGS & EVENTS

14+ yrs

RUNNING FRENCH WEDDING COMPANY

2 chateaux

MANAGED & RUN AS WEDDING VENUES

10+ venues

CONSULTED ON FOR OPENING

HOW IT WORKS

In the right order - that's the whole point.

From securing your place to your first weekly Q&A. No checklist of fifty things; four steps that take you to a venue you've chosen with clarity.

Step 01

Secure your place

Join the June 2026 founding cohort while places remain - you're in straight away. Twenty five places only, so a weekly call works properly.

Step 02

Find your framework

We begin with Module 1. It sets your vision and your true belief - the questions to answer before another listing is opened.

Step 03

Move through the programme

You work through the modules in your own time. I'm with you throughout - and we meet on the live Q&A each week.

Step 04

Ask me anything

Bring a venue, a contract clause, a half formed worry. The Q&A is where the framework meets your search.

wHO IT'S FOR

Honest about who this is — and isn't — for.

Two short lists. I will be honest with you. Even if it's not what you want to hear - and that begins here. If you sit in the first list and not the second, we're probably a good match.

This is for you if...

+

You're planning a wedding in France, and you'd like to choose your own venue - well, and with confidence

+

You've started looking and the more you see, the less certain you feel. Overwhelm is the word that keeps coming up.

+

You'd rather understand the process than be handed a list of properties.

+

You want a clear pathway and a person at the end of it who'll answer your questions honestly.

It's probably not for you if...

-

You'd like a planner to take the whole search off your hands.

-

You've already signed a contract for your venue and are looking back

-

You're planning your wedding outside France - you're welcome to join, the process is much the same, but the detailed specifics on law and contracts may differ where you are looking.

WHAT'S INSIDE

Five modules in the right order, one weekly call with me, planning workbook and tools.

MODULE 1

Vision & framework

Where most couples start with a search bar, we start with you. The brief that holds up under pressure, in the right order.

module 2

Venue types in France

Chateaux, domaines, hameaux, villas. How French venues actually work, their categories and packages - where each kind suits a different sort of celebration and where to find them.

module 3

Research, the right way

How to read a property the way I read one. Working with the Venue Comparison and budget tool so a shortlist becomes obvious rather than overwhelming.

MODULE 4

Visits & worst case scenarios

How to plan a viewing trip that earns its keep, what to look for and the questions you didn't know to ask.

module 5

Booking & the contract

French contract law, insurance, deposits, terms and cancellations. How to sign with confidence - and when to seek professional advice.

BONUS LESSONs

Common mistakes, extra questions and more...

Bonus lessons covering extras like common mistakes couples make and other information that's useful to know or consider before making your final choice.

+

*COMING SOON* THE programme will also include

AI tools to support your search - and live, worked examples.

Practical AI tools created thoughtfully to work alongside the framework - to draft enquiries, compare listings thoroughly, and pressure test a shortlist without losing the human judgement at the centre.

Single payment · workbook and AI yours to keep.

THE OUTCOME

Here's what one couple achieved.

I have set my detailed search framework,

I have created my initial venue list,

I have my venue shortlist,

I have visits organised.

Jason Humphreys

2025 programme cohort

Laura Southgate Wedding Planning Consultant

YOUR GUIDE

I'm Laura. I've spent thirty years in weddings and events - and I know exactly where the venue search gets hard.

I started in five-star hospitality in London, then moved to France and have been running French Wedding Company near Bordeaux for fourteen years. I also planned my own wedding here - so I've sat on both sides of the table.

In that time I've visited over three hundred French venues, worked with over a hundred couples, and watched the same patterns play out again and again. The couples who find this the hardest aren't the ones who've done the least research. They're often the ones who've done the most - but without a framework to make sense of what they're seeing.

The Guided Venue Search programme is the framework I wish every couple had at the start. I built it so the structure is yours to keep, and I'm on the Q&A each week so I'm still in the room when you need me.

Laura

from couples

What couples say.

If you want to get married in France, this is the program you need to take.

jason humphreys

2025 programme cohort

We were so overwhelmed just starting to look at properties we quickly gave up - we just didn't know where to begin. Speaking with you and having you break down the process for us has been invaluable. We understand our options and feel much more confident starting the search with you.

craig & luke

wedding in september 2025

Your one email to me is the most helpful - and the nicest - I have had since starting the venue search back in December when we got engaged. It can indeed be so daunting, having never done this before and not know what to expect.

MARIA VELLA

VENUE SEARCH SeRVICE INITIAL ENQUIRY

Knowledge from a person living in the country, knowing what to look out for with venues, suppliers, general wedding info — is invaluable.

DOLORES O'REILLY

2025 PROGRAMME COHORT

key dates - june 2026 founding cohort

The cohort, in the diary.

A small 2026 founding cohort - twenty five places only, so the weekly calls work properly. When they're taken, the programme closes until September.

programme opens

NOW OPEN

Welcome Module unlocks immediately - begin at your own pace. Module 1 unlocks two days later. Next modules unlock on a weekly basis.

welcome call

Personal 1:1 call with Laura

Tell me where you're starting from, what you're hoping for, and get set up for the programme. It usually takes around 15 minutes.

weekly live q&A

Thursdays 8pm CET thereafter

With me - every week through your search.

2026 FOUNDING COHORT

25 places only

Then closed and waitlist opens for September.

PROGRAMME ACCESS

Three months

From the day you join.

investment

One price. Everything in.

Access to the full programme, the weekly live Q&A with me, membership to

a closed group community, and the working documents you'll keep using

long after you've signed for your venue.

Guided Venue search

2026 FOUNDING COHORT - 25 PLACES ONLY

147

single payment

750€

PRICE FOR 1:1 VENUE SEARCH WITH ACCOMPANIED SITE VISITS

includes

~ Five modules with multiple lessons + bonus lessons

~ Live weekly group Q&A - with me

~ Closed, group community page for discussions, questions and sharing experiences and ideas

~ Digital companion workbook with venue comparison and guest management sheets

~ Two part budget planner and real costs reference table

~ AI tools to support but not dehumanise the process

~ Three months access to the full programme

Already completed What Your Wedding in France Will Actually Cost? You're ahead - Module 1
builds directly on that budget work.

When the 25 places are taken the programme closes until September

A GENTLE POINT OF ENTRY


Not ready yet? Seven Days of Clarity is free.

One short email a day for seven days. Each takes two minutes to read. Not a checklist, not a sales pitch - seven quiet reframes that tend to make the bigger decisions feel more natural.

You're not too late. You're not missing anything. This is a calm way in.

7

DAYS

OF CLARITY

  • SEVEN EMAILS

  • TWO MINUTES EACH

  • NOTHING MORE

questions

Worth knowing before you join.

If something else is on your mind, write to me directly at [email protected] - I read every message personally.

Do I work through this alone, or are you actually involved?

I am genuinely involved. It's a guided programme - you move through the modules in your own time, and we meet on a live Q&A every week with the rest of the group. I am not available 24/7, but I am present, responding to questions via the community page and at the Q&A. It is not a chatbot, a forum or something you download and figure out alone. I use real examples to make the points where necessary.

How long does the programme take?

The programme is divided into five modules. A new module opens each week. Once you have all the modules they are available for you to continue to access for another 2 months. You work through at your own pace. There's no rush. Most couples work through in four to six weeks but some take longer and keep coming to the Q&A and community page to ask questions whilst they are searching or visiting.

Do you find the venue for me?

No, and that's the point. The programme is for couples who'd like to choose their own venue with a clear framework without feeling confused or overwhelmed. If you'd rather hand the search over to me entirely, that is my 1:1 full Venue Search Service - please ask if interested.

Why are places limited?

Because the weekly Q&A only works if I know the room. the founding cohort is capped at 25 so every couple gets proper attention on the call. When those places are taken, the programme closes until September.

What tools will I be using?

The Guided Venue Search is delivered by short video lessons by me with an accompanying workbook for you to keep long beyond you have found your venue. The workbook is the foundation of your wedding planning. The workbook includes real figures and examples to help you complete your personal budget planner, venue comparison sheets and guest management sheets - the same documents I use day to day when searching for venues and planning a wedding. They are yours to keep and adapt. We are also adding AI tools to make the process easier for you without losing the human element or personalisation.

What happens after I secure my place?

You will be sent a confirmation and welcome email with information on how to get set up and organise your 1:1 call with me. Access is immediate and the Welcome Module will be waiting. The first module drops 2 days later. Next modules unlock on a weekly basis.

What is the closed, community page?

This is our private community page, solely for members. This is a safe space where couples can chat, share experiences and ideas with each other. It is here that they can ask me questions and it is where the weekly Q&A session will be held live. I will also post regular thoughts, feedback and useful tips and links to help you through the process.

What format is the Guided Venue Search delivered in?

Each module is made up of short video presentations by me. Each is a few minutes long and you have access 24/7. All tools required for each lesson are also available on the platform to download and keep. The lessons can be replayed as often as you need. There is a progress bar so you can keep track of the presentations you have watched. The weekly Q&A is delivered live online. There may be further Q&A sessions added on specific topics if the need arises, using case studies from the group.

What happens if I miss the live Q&A?

The live Q&A will be at 8pm CET on Thursdays. If you can make it live it is always best as you can submit your questions and share your experiences with others. I understand however that things come up so the Q&A will be recorded and shared in the community page.

Is there a trial period? Can I get a refund if I don't complete the programme?

There is no trial period, and I don't offer refunds. The access to the platform, modules, workbook and community is registered to you when you buy — whether you work through them is up to you. If you'd like to ask anything before you decide, please do email me first. Or for a taster try our Appetiser programme - What your wedding in France will actually cost.

I have a question before I buy. Can I contact you?

Of course. Email [email protected] — I read every message.

FWC GUIDED PLANNINg

©Laura Southgate EI trading as French Wedding Company.

All rights reserved 2026