Romantic wedding at Charmant chateau

romantic wedding at Charmant Chateau Happy Monday and whilst not officially, feels like the first day of Spring!  We have oodles of inspiration for you this week and we are starting off with a romantic wedding at Charmant Chateau by FWS Vendor Zen Film Works.

If you read my recent post on Chris from Zen Film Works, you will know that his work is one of my artistic crushes.  And his beautiful wedding film of today’s couple Krystal and Christian certainly doesn’t disappoint. Set at the magical Charmant Chateau, Krstyal and Christian with the help of wedding planners Marry Me in France, planned an intimate wedding filled with elegance and chic styling.

 

Krystal takes us through her big day: “Christian and I met the old fashioned way, over drinks at a popular Sydney bar. We realised we shared a common love for wining and dining and quickly made plans for a first date at a newly opened French restaurant.

When it came to choosing a wedding location, we both share a love of travel and wanted to celebrate our wedding somewhere unique with incredible food and wine. We were set on a small intimate celebration with our closest friends and family.

Charmant Chateau

Shortly after our engagement we decided to take some time off work and travel together. We spent 10 weeks exploring Egypt, France, Italy, Spain, the Caribbean and USA. We set aside some time to explore chateaus in France as potential wedding venues and fell in love the instant we laid eyes on Charmant Chateau. The magnificent gardens, beautiful interior and delightful vegetable patch won us over and we decided on the spot that we would return the following year with our friends and family.

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Family are very important to us and we knew we wanted them to have a role in our wedding. We both had brooches from our grandparents, which were a special addition to our day. We had family members do readings during the ceremony, and both Father’s prepared heartfelt speeches. Guests sat at long tables to enjoy dinner together in the garden.

Our style was classic and elegant, guests looked incredible in their Black-tie tuxedos and gowns, which suited the historical venue. We took a lot of inspiration from French Wedding Style, Style me Pretty, Hello May, Polka Dot Bride and of course Pinterest.

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Becky from Marry me in France helped coordinate our three day celebration. Becky recommended the best suppliers to use and we were thrilled with her suggestions.

Chris and his team  from Zen Film Works were a pleasure to work with. We knew from the Skype calls that we had made a great choice and we were delighted to meet Chris in person on the wedding day. He put our wedding jitters at ease and made us feel comfortable in front of the camera, even making our guests feel all warm and fuzzy. Chris knew exactly when to film to capture the best light, and allowed us privacy during special moments together. The film is incredible, better than we could have imagined. We’re so lucky to have these wonderful memories of our wedding day captured on film.

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If you are considering a wedding film we would say “Do it”. The return far outweighs the investment. Photographs are of course beautiful, but film captures your day in such a unique way that cannot be replicated. To have your own love story captured on film is truly special.

We had a three day wedding and celebrations started the previous evening with a champagne reception to welcome friends and family. Upon arrival, each guest received a welcome pack with a personal thank you letter, local wine, chocolate, and maps of the region. As guests retired for the evening rain began to fall and we crossed fingers and toes for clear weather.

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After waking to a very misty morning, the sun broke through the clouds and preparations began for the big day. Christian spent the morning in Aubeterre village with his mates, eating at a local café and enjoying a few drinks together. I spent the morning having hair and makeup done with our Mothers and Sisters over French champagne.

intimate wedding at Chateau

A bus brought guests to the venue and welcome refreshments were served while our talented guitarist played acoustic music. Guests were handed vintage handkerchiefs for their ‘happy tears’. My Dad walked me down the aisle to ‘Moon River’ while Christian stood proudly alongside his Best Men. The ceremony was heartfelt and incredibly moving, exactly as we hoped it would be.

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After the ceremony guests enjoyed food and champagne in the garden as we had photographs taken. We then surprised our guests by sharing our first dance on the balcony of the chateau to ‘Songbird’.

Dinner was served in the garden as the sun was setting. Guests feasted on local delights such as duck, baked camembert, crusted lamb and fresh vegetables. The local wines were delicious and perfectly complimented the meal. Our wedding favours were little parcels of tasty nougat. After dinner we moved inside for speeches and dancing.

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Speeches were delivered by our Father’s, the Best Men, and of course Christian. Guests laughed and cried and enjoyed the meaningful words shared by all. Afterwards we cut one of our many cakes at the dessert table and the party was kicked off with some traditional Lebanese dancing. Such a perfect way to end our fairytale wedding day.”

Any issues you had with planning a wedding in France/ abroad or in your domestic country:

The time difference was challenging at times, waiting for responses to emails taught us patience very early on. The language barrier was also tricky with some suppliers, especially when trying to decipher invoices, but we got there eventually.

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Any advice:

Definitely invest in a planner. Without the local knowledge we would have never found our suppliers. The planner also works behind the scenes on the day to ensure everything runs smoothly. Also invest in a good photographer, videographer and catering company. We were very happy with our choices and our guests had a great time.

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Wedding Vendors

Wedding Photographer:  Lydia Taylor Jones Photography  |  Wedding VideographerZen Film Works | Wedding PlannerMarry Me in France | Wedding Venue – Charmant Chateau | Wedding DressPronovias | Bridal Accessories – Givenchy  | Bridal Shoes – Givenchy | Florist – Fleurs de Famille | Hair and Makeup Artist – Jane Emerson Makeup | Grooms Outfit – Armani  | Grooms Shoes and accessories: Louis Vuitton | Caterer – Domaine des Vignes St Romain (Champagne Reception & Wedding Day) | Hog Roast:  Hog Hire (Recovery bbq) | Wedding Cake – Domaine des Vignes St Romain | Wedding Celebrant/OfficiantClaudia Bowden | Sound equipment for speeches and evening entertainment: Crystal Beats Disco
Snapshot of Romantic wedding at Charmant Chateau

Romantic wedding at Charmant Chateau Ideas

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