French Vineyard Wedding at Chateau Camplazens

Good morning lovelies, today we have for you a French vineyard wedding at Chateau Camplazens. You can’t get more French than a vineyard wedding and look at that beautiful sunshine (I’m sure we could all do with a bit of that right now!).

This traditional winery is set in the Languedoc region of the South of France. You can read more about this picturesque region here as part of our wanderlust series. We love the idea of celebrating with family and friends in such a beautiful region, we are sure the views impressed Joanne and Jim’s guests as well as their pretty wedding details.

We love Joanne’s lace back gown from Town & Country Bridal which was perfectly complimented by a sweet bouquet of blooms by Temps de Reve.

We will now pass you over to Arte De Vie who will be walking us through this French vineyard wedding…

“When your parents own a winery in the Languedoc region in the South of France and your fiancés line of work revolves around wine, meats, and cheeses, it makes for an easy destination decision on where to wed. Joanne and Jim knew that Chateau Camplazens would be the perfect place to take their vows. When their friends and family heard about the plans, it didn’t seem to deter anyone from attending the three day celebration despite the distance that some guests had to travel. They had around 70 guests in attendance from all over the world including the United States, Australia, and England.”

“Guests began arriving on Thursday just in time for the welcome party at the main house of the vineyard. The evening began with wine tours through the cellar room, and a tour of the vineyard. Guests were treated to a medley of tapas with a large charcuterie board, paté en croute, homemade terrine and an assortment of crudité. It’s safe to say that when the evening finally came to a close that no one left hungry or thirsty.”

“On Friday, everyone was invited to the Blue and White Party and a poolside dinner. The land around the Chateau was full of limestone, thyme, lavender, rosemary and wildflowers. One could sometimes catch any of these scents in the light breeze coming off of the Mediterranean Sea just on the other side of the mountain. As the night unfolded guests enjoyed dinner along with a live band and a couple of the guests serenading the group impromptu, including an opera singer. It all culminated with the bride dancing barefoot with her friends.”

“On Saturday guests began arriving in the late afternoon for a traditional French wedding celebration. The ceremony took place on the back terrace, officiated by the bride’s father. It was a sentimental ceremony full of special touches and readings by the couple’s friends. Adapted from a Yoruba tradition, guests participated in tasting vinegar, lemon, cayenne pepper and candy to represent the bitter, sour, hot and sweet parts of life and marriage. After the ceremony the bride and groom stole away to the rolling hills of the vineyard to have a few minutes to themselves while guests began to gather in the courtyard area for cocktails. It wasn’t your average cocktail hour though, as this one lasted about two and a half hours, true to France. Guests enjoyed champagne, wine, hor d’oeuvres, and a live band during the cocktail time.”

“When it was time to move down to the reception at the La Bergere, a horse and buggy trotted up to escort the bride and groom and the children, while the other guests followed behind. The La Bergere was originally used as a sheep shed where the sheep were sheltered at night. “La Bergere” translates as “Shepherdess.” It was eventually turned into a banquet room. Just outside the reception entrance was an olive tree. As guests arrived they were asked to write a few words of inspiration on a card for the couple, which was then hung on the tree.”

“The view from atop the hill was breathtaking. The whole French countryside was sprawling around the reception building. The perfectly curated rows of the vineyards could be seen below along the sloped landscape. Guests found their escort cards guiding them to wine themed tables such as Burgundy and Provence. With stone arched ceilings, and low alcoves, with windows that played peek-a-boo with the view outside, the building itself was reminiscent of a wine cellar or cave.”

“Guests enjoyed a five course meal complete with bottomless glasses of wine. A DJ and cancan girls rounded out the evening keeping everyone entertained throughout dinner and well into the early morning hours. There’s no telling how many bottles of wine were consumed during this eight hour celebration, but one thing was for sure, there was calm in knowing that the wine would not run out.”