Ethereal Wedding at Château de Bonneval

We are jumping into a world of wonder and romance today with this ethereal wedding at Château de Bonneval. The concept for the shoot was to combine the ethereal feel of the historic Château de Bonneval, but also to lean into the more wild feel it offers to.

Samantha from Best Events Co, shares with us more about the shoot: “We worked with our floral designer to create stunning floral installations, all of which were foam-free to embrace that more wild feel. The gown and bridal look worked as a nod to the Châteaux’s elegant and classic interiors. It was important to find a true-life couple and Laure & Romain were perfect.

We started the day with preparation shots and Laure wore a delicate lace boudoir robe with natural makeup and relaxed hair. The look was completed with blush stilettos by Bella Belle. Photographer Daria Lorman chose pale backdrops for this part of the day and the patina of the painted doors and the antique salon chairs complemented this perfectly.

Flat lays were set out on an antique silver tray with filigree detailing and a delicate veil with petals and stems from the florist. We made sure to play with the natural light from the floor-to-ceiling windows to illuminate the stationery, engagement ring and other fine details that we included in the flat lays.

We decided to set up two tablescapes, with the idea of showcasing how beautiful a rain plan indoor wedding could be at a venue like this, as well as a more traditional outdoor setting. The interior setup was created with a formal fee, set up in the dining room of the chateau with Italian gilt chargers, white porcelain, gold cutlery and crystal glassware. A large central floral arrangement with peonies, orchids, and other tonal flowers by Jenny from Fairy Fleur was beautifully reflected on an old mirrored centerpiece on a polished oval dining table with a beautiful patina from years of use by the ancestral family. Upholstered medallion chairs with arms in muted tones completed the scene.

The second tablescape was set up in the courtyard, nestled under the overhang of the chateau taking full advantage of the stunning and unique architecture at the château. We opted for a more modern look here and used a wooden rectangular table with cross-back chairs and a wrought iron suspended frame which was decorated with branches, flowers in the same rich colors and narrow velvet ribbon. Cream candles in brass candleholders and chunky burgundy candles complimented the design. The gold chargers were used with white crockery and we used more modern glasses with a gold rim. We sourced hexagonal placard cookies from Sweet Life in Cannes instead of the more traditional paper option.

To finish off this set up we added a dessert table which included the re-use of the centerpiece from our indoor setup. We tied the scene together with a deep fuchsia Dacquoise gateau from a local patisserie, a cream semi-naked wedding cake with a burgundy ribbon and a bonbon jar of macarons in pale and deep pink decorated with a deep pink narrow velvet bow.

Our model Laure was dressed in a beautiful layered wedding gown from La Mariee Capricieuse in the palest of pinks with delicate embroidery and jeweled spaghetti straps that moved beautifully when she walked. This was teamed with the Bella Belle shoes with pale pink satin bows around the ankles. The makeup for the first bridal look was discreet with nude lips and highlighted cheeks. Alexia Bigaud-Morin, our hair and makeup artist put the model’s hair into a half-up, half-down style and attached a delicate gold wire crown from Della Bella Gioielli and gold and crystal earrings.

Romain, our male model, was dressed in a mid-blue modern three piece suit from L’Apieceur Paris with a burgundy linen bow tie and pocket square from Le Coq en Pap’. The final touch was a tonal buttonhole.

For our ceremony set up we chose to focus on the beautiful chapel that is located in the Château. We had created a stunning elopement set up in the intimate chapel with oversized asymmetrical flower columns and candles.

Later in the afternoon, the shoot moved out into the grounds of the venue. The weather had been challenging in the morning but by the afternoon the conditions were perfect for some outdoor shots and there was just the right amount of wind to really show off the stunning veil we had been sent by Sash and Veil.

As a finale, ground flares were used in white, pink and purple which drifted around the couple and the smoke reflected the colour palette we had chosen. ”