Illustrated Guest Portraits and a Champagne Tower at Château Fengari

A Zuhair Murad lace gown, dinner at one long table on the terrace and cake at sunset: Cheryl and Chee's summer wedding at a château…

By Anne-Sophie Boubals | Published 13 November 2026 | Last reviewed 4 November 2026 |

Illustrated Guest Portraits and a Champagne Tower at Château Fengari

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Cheryl and Chee are both from Malaysia and met in their first year at university in London, far from their families. "We really grew up together," Cheryl writes. After a proposal in Tuscany, they married in summer at Château Fengari in Clérac, an area covered by our guides to château wedding venues near Bordeaux and wedding venues in Nouvelle-Aquitaine.

Those closest to them travelled to France from London, Malaysia and Australia, and Cheryl and Chee wanted the day "to feel special for every guest". For them the food and drinks took in local Bordeaux touches such as canelés, alongside espresso martinis that were, in Cheryl's words, "a favourite with everyone". In an unexpected heatwave, fans and parasols were provided too.

Photography

Joanne Rabenarisoa

Venue

Château Fengari, 17270 Clérac

Region

Nouvelle-Aquitaine, France

Couple

Cheryl and Chee

Getting Ready

The bride, wearing a white feather-trimmed robe, stands by a window and looks at her wedding dress hanging on a wooden frame.

In black and white, the bride's ringed hand holds a lock of long wavy hair over a feather-trimmed satin robe.

A wedding gown hangs from a wooden frame in a warm hallway, with a long veil draped over a chair below it.

Black-and-white close-up of a woman's ear, neck and shoulder, with a long dangling earring and a beaded strap.

A woman with long dark hair sits on an upholstered chair in a white satin robe with feathered cuffs, touching her hair.

In black and white, a woman with long dark hair in a robe looks at her reflection in a standing mirror.

Ceremony

Guests with white parasols sit on chairs on a lawn facing a man in black by the steps of a grand pale stone château.

The bride and groom hold hands on a lawn, surrounded by pink flowers, with a guest nearby and a stone château behind.

The groom dips the bride in a kiss on a lawn as applauding guests watch near a pale stone château.

The bride in a long lace veil and gown faces the groom in a black suit on a lawn, among pink flowers before a stone château.

The bride raises her bouquet in the air as she walks beside the groom on a lawn, with guests behind them.

At 3:30pm, in bright afternoon sunshine, the ceremony began on the lawn directly in front of the château. Floral arrangements by Mrs Whiterose lined the aisle and framed the entrance to the house at different heights, the roses and hydrangeas kept loose rather than structured.

Cheryl and Chee kept the ceremony simple. Cheryl walked down the aisle with her father to Canon in D, one of their favourite pieces of music, played live on the harp. Seeing Chee waiting at the end of it, she writes, "is a moment I'll never forget."

Bridal Portraits

The bride in a strapless lace gown holds a pink bouquet in a bright arched hallway with a spiral staircase behind.

The bride, seen from above in a lace gown and long veil, holds a bouquet and rests a hand on a curved staircase banister.

The bride stands in a full-skirted strapless gown in a bright room with long curtains, a gilt mirror and a wooden floor.

The hem of a lace gown with small appliqué flowers trails over short grass beside a bare foot in a sandal.

Cheryl's first look, a Zuhair Murad gown with intricate lace detailing, was the kind of dress she had always known she wanted. Her hair and make-up stayed minimal and natural, with Chanel earrings and a Van Cleef & Arpels necklace and bracelet.

For her second look Cheryl went cleaner and simpler, changing into a Georges Hobeika gown with delicate floral appliqué and a detachable train. Chee wore a black tuxedo, custom made at a local tailor and, in Cheryl's words, "equally classic".

Couple Portraits

A bride in a long white gown and a groom in a black tuxedo stand on a lawn before a grand château with guests behind.

The bride in a long veil and gown and the groom in a black suit pose together on a curving wooden staircase.

The bride and groom stand hand in hand on a lawn, smiling at each other, with a grand château and distant guests behind.

The bride in a strapless white gown and the groom in a black suit walk hand in hand across a lawn.

The bride and groom kiss among white paper parasols held up around them on a sunny lawn, her bouquet of pale pink flowers between them.

The groom leans the bride back in a kiss on a lawn, her veil flowing, with flower pedestals and a chateau behind.

Cocktail Hour

Guests gather around white-clothed tables beneath parasols on a sunlit lawn, with a slate-roofed chateau behind.

The bride and groom hold champagne bottles beside a table of stacked glasses draped in pink, beneath festoon lights and a balcony.

Guests and staff stand among white scalloped parasols and small tables on a sunny lawn, with the chateau behind.

In black and white, the bride and groom smile at each other and raise glasses beside a stacked tower of champagne coupes.

Cocktails followed in the gardens, where a harpist played during cocktail hour. Alongside the music, a live illustrator created individual portraits of the guests as keepsakes.

Reception

The couple kiss at an outdoor dining table, seen through an open arched doorway, with guests seated beside them.

In black and white, the groom lifts the bride in an elegant room with a chandelier while guests look on.

The bride and groom cut a three-tier white cake topped with lit sparklers outdoors at dusk.

The couple sit at a long outdoor table with guests, glancing back through open arched doors; the bride's gown trails behind.

The bride and groom stand in an arched doorway with arms raised while guests clap and one films on a phone.

The bride and groom stand with their backs to the camera beside a long table where guests are seated outdoors.

Dinner was outdoors on the terrace overlooking the gardens, at one long table with natural cane-backed chairs, as the light gradually softened. Low arrangements of roses and hydrangeas ran along its length.

At around 9pm, as the sun set over the château and its grounds, Cheryl and Chee cut the cake by Noba Délices and poured the champagne tower.