Four Couture Looks and Fireworks at Chateau Challain

Kira prepared inside Chateau Challain, beginning with a three-piece look by Rara Couture.

The outfit combined a pearl-embroidered corset with a fitted beaded skirt and tiered tulle overskirt. She was photographed being laced into the corset in front of a carved mirror, and putting on her earrings in a red-walled bedroom.

Her pear-shaped engagement ring, designed by Steve, was photographed against the pearl embroidery of the corset.

Maryna Paris Makeup created Kira's hair and makeup.

The other bridal looks were prepared elsewhere in the château. A clothes rail in one of the panelled salons held the pieces she would wear later, while her Pallas Couture ceremony gown and veil were photographed against carved wall panelling.

Two pairs of bridal shoes were placed beneath the gown, including white satin Manolo Blahniks.

Kira and Steve married outside on the lawn directly in front of Chateau Challain.

Guests were seated on either side of a white aisle through the formal gardens, with the château façade filling the background.

At the end of the aisle, a draped ceremony arch was surrounded by large white and green floral arrangements. Additional flowers were positioned in silver urns on mirrored plinths along the ceremony setting.

Kira changed into Pallas Couture's Heiress gown for the ceremony. The dress featured custom pearl embroidery and was worn with lace gloves and a long veil.

She carried a white bouquet of roses and orchids with long trailing strands.

During the ceremony, pink and white colour smoke was released beside the floral arch and rose behind the seated guests.

The summer weather remained mild, with cloud cover and a breeze during the outdoor ceremony rather than strong heat.

Kira's four bridal looks were photographed in different parts of Chateau Challain across the weekend.

In the Rara Couture three-piece, Leo and Nick photographed her inside the château's bedrooms and salons. She was photographed on a canopy bed, against a red velvet sofa and beside tall windows, with the tiered tulle overskirt spread across the parquet floors.

For the ceremony portraits, Kira wore the Pallas Couture Heiress gown with its pearl embroidery, lace gloves and long veil. These photographs moved into the château's Gothic hall, onto the stone entrance steps and outside onto the lawn.

Later, Kira changed into Milla Nova's Marella look: a hand-embellished couture corset covered with crystals and paired with a bespoke silk skirt designed for dancing.

The Milla Nova corsets were made in the atelier over several months.

A second Milla Nova look, Atolla, completed Kira's four-outfit wardrobe across the two-day celebration.

Kira and Steve's portraits used both the château interiors and the outdoor ceremony setting.

After the ceremony, they were photographed together in front of the draped floral arch, with the white and green flowers and Chateau Challain behind them.

Another series moved onto the château's stone entrance steps, where they were photographed beneath Kira's long veil.

Inside, Leo and Nick used one of the pale pink salons for additional portraits.

The different settings allowed the couple's photographs to include both the scale of the château exterior and the smaller details of its interiors without leaving the property.

Dinner was served outside on the lawn at Chateau Challain.

Long white tables were arranged around a black-and-white chequerboard dance floor. Crystal chandeliers were suspended above the reception, while silver candelabras and low arrangements of white and pale blush flowers ran along the tables.

White roses, blush peonies and white anthuriums were used in the dinner arrangements.

The wedding cake was designed as a long, low cake rather than a traditional tiered structure. Cream swags were piped along its sides.

During the cake cutting, Kira and Steve took silver bowls filled with raspberries and poured the fruit along the top of the cake. Individual portions were then served with raspberries.

For dancing, Kira changed into the crystal-covered Milla Nova Marella corset and bespoke silk skirt.

Live music continued through the celebration. Violinists performed for guests, while a harpist played during both days of the wedding weekend.

After dark, Kira and Steve walked along a lit garden path as fireworks were launched above Chateau Challain.

The wedding palette stayed predominantly white, green and pale blush.

Mister Brett Events created the flowers for the ceremony and reception.

Around the ceremony, white and green flowers were arranged in large silver urns positioned on mirrored plinths. The main ceremony arch combined draped fabric with flowers banked on both sides.

Kira's bouquet was made from white roses and orchids, with long trailing strands extending below the main arrangement.

At dinner, white roses, blush peonies and white anthuriums were arranged in low bowls between tall silver candelabras. The lower flower arrangements kept the tables open across the centre while the candelabras added height.

The bridesmaids wore pink, continuing the softer blush colour used in the reception flowers.

Paige Cartledge created the stationery using deckle-edged cards finished with wax seals.

The cake followed the same pale palette, with piped cream decoration before Kira and Steve added fresh raspberries during the cake cutting.

Fashion provided considerably more embellishment than the table design. Kira's Rara Couture look used pearl embroidery and beading; the Pallas Couture gown added further pearl embroidery and lace gloves; and the Milla Nova Marella corset was covered in hand-applied crystals.

Boodles jewellery was worn with each of Kira's four looks.

Chateau Challain is a Neo-Gothic château in Maine-et-Loire, approximately 50 minutes by car from Nantes, and one of the wedding venues in the Loire Valley we feature.

The estate covers 72 acres of gardens, woodland and a lake.

Architect René Hodé designed the château, which was built between 1847 and 1854 for Louise-Ida Le Roy de La Potherie and her husband, François Albert de La Rochefoucauld. Its scale later earned it the nickname the “Petit Chambord” of Anjou.

Inside, the château retains spiral staircases, hand-painted ceilings and Neo-Gothic wood panelling dating from the 19th century.

Kira used several of those rooms for her preparations and portraits, including a red-walled bedroom, panelled salons, a pale pink salon, the Gothic hall and a spiral staircase.

Outside, the formal front gardens were used for both the ceremony and reception. The ceremony aisle was positioned so guests faced the château, while dinner tables and the chequerboard dance floor occupied the lawn later in the day.

The grounds also include woodland and a lake, with the château visible in reflection across the water.

Chateau Challain is one of the castle wedding venues in France that host one wedding at a time. Twenty-one suites can accommodate 50 guests on site, allowing part of a destination-wedding group to stay at the château during a multi-day celebration.

For Kira and Steve, that meant the welcome party and wedding day could both take place at the same estate, with the château interiors, front gardens and grounds used for different parts of the two-day celebration.