Happy Monday lovelies, boy do we have a treat for you to start your week as today we have a Pinterest worthy wedding at Chateau Rigaud for you to feast your eyes on.
Emma and Simon’s fine art inspired wedding takes us to the wonderful Bordeaux region of France and features so many wonderful little touches that you’ll definitely want your Pinterest boards at the ready. We’re talking a Pronovias gown, Louboutin shoes, a champagne bath (oh yes you heard us correctly!) and so much more. The cherry on top has to be that every moment was captured by fine art photographer Julie Michaelsen Photography who will be guiding us through today’s wedding…
Julie – “Emma & Simon who live in Hong Kong were married at Chateau Rigaud in Bordeaux! Having met in London through work, they moved to Hong Kong together but it was important to them to marry in Europe so that grandparents, family and friends were able to attend. Their four day wedding took place at Chateau Rigaud because it reminded them of their first holiday in South Africa’s wine land region and being French wine aficionados, the location and venue was perfection!”
From the bride…
“We wanted something rustic and romantic with a relaxed feel. The Château is a feature in itself so there wasn’t a huge need for styling but the Rigaud staff added some beautiful touches such as vintage chalkboard and mirrored signs, foliage around the old chandeliers in the wedding barn, old wheelbarrows filled with Champagne bottles. It looked beautiful and was perfect for the venue and location. The venue is known for its excellent food and they certainly did not disappoint; the food and wine was a real highlight for us. The bar staff later created amazing mojitos for guests which were very refreshing on such a warm night. We knew that guests were staying in hotels and were unlikely to want to take things home with them so we had a relatively small, vanilla sponge cake that was eaten throughout the night.”
“A destination wedding meant we got to spend more time with family and friends. Chateau Rigaud is known for their incredible food and wine and the fabulous staff organise amazing wedding weekends. We hired the beautiful château for four nights and loved every bit of it, from the welcome cake and Champagne on arrival to canoeing on the Dordogne to our wedding day and wonderful post wedding BBQ on the lawns of the Château.”
“I can’t recommend the ladies at Teokath enough – their service far exceeded anything else I’d experienced in Hong Kong and London. Kelly made us feel so relaxed and nothing was a problem for her; she actually ended up picking the dress out for me! As we were getting married outside, I didn’t want anything too big. I love lace and liked the feminine shape of the dress while the long train made it feel bridal.”
“My cousin Laura was originally going to be a bridesmaid but had a baby boy, Toby, just weeks before the wedding so couldn’t come to France. The earrings were her way of being part of our big day. Simon’s uncle, a priest, flew over from New Zealand to bless the wedding, which included a lovely ritual to symbolise the joining of two families.”
“We did traditional vows, however our priest (Simon’s uncle) told a wonderful, heartfelt story about his parents’ marriage and the love they had for each other, specifically the support his mother gave to his father all through their lives together. He also invited both of our parents to put a hand on our respective shoulders to symbolise the coming together of our two families and our parents’ commitment to support us in our marriage.
The ceremony reading was ‘Blessing of the Hands’
These are the hands that will countless times wipe the tears from your eyes; tears of sorrow, and tears of joy.
These are the hands that will tenderly hold your children.
These are the hands that will help you to hold your family as one.
These are the hands that will give you strength when you need it.
And lastly, these are the hands that even when wrinkled and aged, will still be reaching for yours, still giving you the same unspoken tenderness with just a touch.”
“Our beautiful white and gold invitations were from an Australian company called Little Peach Co. We used Chateau Rigaud’s resident staff to do the wonderful blackboard menu and seating plan as well as the signs for our flip-flops and mojito bar and I did the place cards myself using plain cards and a gold pen.”
“The couple’s first dance was to Billy Joel’s ‘Just the way you are’. It’s an old classic and we liked the fact that people old and young would all be familiar with it. It also represents how we feel about each other. Obviously, the ceremony was very important to us, but the best part was when the formalities were over and we could just relax and have fun on the dance-floor with friends and family.”
Congratulations Emma & Simon from everyone here at French Wedding Style!
Are you planning your very own Bordeaux wedding? If so we hope you find our guide to your destination wedding in Bordeaux helpful.
Pinterest Worthy Wedding at Chateau Rigaud Snapshot
Wedding Vendors
Venue: Chateau Rigaud | Photographer: Julie Michaelsen Photography | Brides Dress: Teokath | Brides Dress: Pronovias | Bride’s Ring: Steven Stone | Bridesmaids Dress: Ghost | Hair and Make Up: Laura Cawte | Shoes: Christian Louboutin | Accessories: Carat London | Florist: Flowers in the Vines | Grooms Outfit: King’s Tailor in Hong Kong | Stationery: Little Peach Co. | Entertainment: The Dukes of Havoc
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