Protectus’ help was enlisted to provide executive services for a celebrity wedding in the south of France during the summer.
We were tasked with delivering full scale security to the clients and their guests during their stay in France, while maintaining strict privacy procedures to protect the exclusive media rights of the wedding.
Protectus conducted a security assessment at the location in advance of the event to identify any areas of concern and ensure appropriate measures were put in place to manage the arrangements and provide detailed feedback to the clients.
The security team was deployed at the venue several days before the nuptials to secure the area. A 24/7 watch was implemented and manned throughout the task duration to maintain a sterile environment.
Vendors and contractors were monitored throughout the set-up of the event. This period was crucial to avoid the opportunity for any security breach, denying paparazzi the chance to set up and lay dormant until the main event or to leak any early details of the location.
Two days before the wedding, a guest welcome dinner was held with the entire party relocating to an island one kilometre from the mainland. An eight-man team was tasked, with part of the team advancing to the island, to conduct a security sweep and lock down the venue. The remainder of the team secured the two hotel jetties. This was to support and aid the event management company, who had control of transporting the guests safely to the island. The night was a huge success, aided by the smooth transitions from tender to venue and back, owing to the teamwork of everyone involved.
The day before the wedding was set aside for the photoshoot and rehearsal. This was an excellent dry run for the security team and everyone involved. We knew the internal space was sterile, and additional operatives were used to cover perimeters internally and externally. The venue was contained with every area covered from view.
To govern guests’ movements, an administration area was set up at the venue entrance. All guests were required to sign non-disclosure agreements and mobile devices were collected.
On the day of the wedding, a full sweep of the venue was conducted prior to guests’ arrival to ensure the absence of any surveillance, be it technical or physical. Having rehearsed the day prior, the guests were admitted to the ceremony with little difficulty. As with all good weddings, the late arrival of the bride bought its own drama; however, with the flexibility and adaptation of the Protectus team, the proceedings ran seamlessly and continued into the early hours. The final role for the security team was the safe return of all guests to their accommodation. Another job well done.