My Riviera Wedding

Built in the early 1900s, the Villa Kérylos is a perfect reconstruction of the type of house inhabited by the Greek noblemen on the island of Délos during the second century BC. Passed down from generation to generation of a wealthy family, today, the Villa Kérylos, open to the public, is owned by the French Institute and is managed by the same cultural organisation as the Villa Ephrussi de Rothschild from which it is located only 20 minutes by foot or 5 minutes bar car.

The villa’s Greek replica décor and furnishings are done in an extremely tasteful way without falling into the trap of being kitsch or ostentatious. The Greek architecture is at the same time extremely romantic and majestic, really making one feel like they have travelled to a different place and time. The subtle lighting inside the villa creates a warm, golden glow as it is reflected off the wood and marble.

Situated literally on the water’s edge with the Beaulieu-sur-Mer shore only a few metres below and overlooking Saint-Jean-Cap-Ferrat, the property has a stunning terrace which can be used for a seated dinner or cocktail reception with light music. In case of bad weather, dining can take place in 1 of the 3 different interior spaces; the Péristyle, an open top court-yard room with marble columns and Greek frescos, the Triklinos, a traditional Greek dining room and the Andron, a living room space with marble covered walls. The Villa Kérylos accepts groups of up to 150 maximum so is a suitable venue for small to medium-sized wedding celebrations. The exclusive use fee is, in my opinion keeping in mind the quality and uniqueness of the venue, extremely reasonable making the venue accessible to more modest budgets.

Due to the fact that there are several neighbouring properties, loud music must imperatively end by 02.00 and 03.00 at the very latest if a late license is obtained from the town council and must be contained to inside the property (not on the terrace). Because the Villa Kérylos is open daily to the public, wedding celebrations may begin from 19.00 from September to June and from 20.00 in July and August.

As with the Villa Ephrussi de Rothschild, the Villa Kérylos prefer only to work with certain tried and tested suppliers for catering, décor and entertainment. Similarly to the Villa Ephrussi de Rothschild, the venue does not stipulate that nearly weds work with any wedding planner in particular as this is such a personal choice. It is important that the wedding planner visits the property and is fully aware of all the constraints involved with setting up a wedding amongst such fragile, rare artefacts.

The Villa Kérylos also oblige the presence of security guards at any event where the venue is hired for exclusive use. The venue does not have a great deal of parking, so what many couples do is organise transportation in the form of shuttle busses or a mini tourist train going to and from another car park or the main guest hotel. Please note that this venue does not offer any accommodation, for nearby hotels, you can visit the Beaulieu sur Mer tourist information website.

To find out about availability and prices, you can contact the sales manager at the Villa Kérylos (who happens to be the same as the Villa Ephrussi de Rothschild), Raphaelle Tricard. You can reach Raphaelle by telephone on +33 (0)4 93 01 45 90 or by email on receptions@villa-ephrussi.com. For more information and photographs you can check out the Villa Kérylos website.