Hanbok and a Claw Machine at Château de Nainville-les-Roches
H. & J.'s spring wedding at Château de Nainville-les-Roches near Paris: mothers in Korean hanbok, a Ladurée favour cart and a night-market claw machine.
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H. & J. met during the Covid lockdown and married in spring with 50 guests at Château de Nainville-les-Roches, one of the château wedding venues near Paris.
There were no bridesmaids. Instead, the couple's mothers had a prominent place in the wedding and both wore traditional Korean hanbok.
Paris wedding photographer Aude Lucas photographed the wedding, with planning by a Paris wedding planner.
In the evening, a claw machine recalled the Asian night markets familiar to many of their guests.
Getting Ready
© Aude Lucas
© Aude Lucas
© Aude Lucas
© Aude Lucas
© Aude Lucas
© Aude LucasPhoto: Aude Lucas
Before seeing each other on the wedding day, H. & J. each received a gift box from the other.
The bride's box contained a handwritten letter, a print of one of the first photographs they had taken together during lockdown and a pair of Chanel earrings. She wore the earrings for the wedding.
The groom received a note and a lily-of-the-valley brooch. The flower has a personal meaning for the couple, and he wore the brooch on his lapel throughout the day.
He prepared in a room covered in red floral wallpaper and wore a black double-breasted tuxedo with a bow tie.
The bride prepared separately in one of Château de Nainville-les-Roches' panelled salons. Her gown was photographed hanging in front of a tall window before she dressed.
Ceremony
© Aude Lucas
© Aude Lucas
© Aude Lucas
© Aude Lucas
© Aude Lucas
© Aude LucasPhoto: Aude Lucas
H. & J. married outside in front of the main façade of Château de Nainville-les-Roches, one of the wedding venues in Île-de-France just outside Paris.
A gravel aisle ran through rows of wooden chairs towards two large Medici vases on tall white plinths, filled with white, blue and pale yellow flowers, which formed the backdrop for the vows.
Blue hydrangeas and white roses were placed along the aisle itself.
As a tribute to the couple's Korean heritage, the groom's mother wore a blue hanbok and the bride's mother a pink one.
The bride walked down the aisle in her veil, while the groom stepped forward to meet her.
Bridal Portraits
© Aude Lucas
© Aude Lucas
© Aude Lucas
© Aude Lucas
© Aude Lucas
© Aude LucasPhoto: Aude Lucas
The bride's ceremony gown had a full princess silhouette with a lace-up corset back.
Sculpted fabric roses formed the shoulder straps and continued down her upper arms. She wore the gown with a long veil edged in lace.
Her bouquet was made from white calla lilies and roses.
Aude Lucas photographed the bridal look inside several of the château's rooms. In a damask-panelled salon with a gilded cornice, the gown's train was spread across the parquet floor beneath a brass chandelier.
Other portraits used a green marble fireplace and the château's tall windows.
The veil was used prominently in the portraits, including photographs where it was arranged around the bride and others taken through the veil itself.
For the evening, she changed into a fitted second dress embroidered with small pearl details and added matching long gloves.
Couple Portraits
© Aude Lucas
© Aude Lucas
© Aude Lucas
© Aude Lucas
© Aude Lucas
© Aude LucasPhoto: Aude Lucas
Inside the château, Aude Lucas photographed H. & J. on the black-and-white chequerboard floor at the foot of the staircase, beside the stone columns of the hall and on the upper landing beneath a crystal chandelier.
They were also photographed at an open château window overlooking the formal gardens.
Outside, the couple returned to the ceremony setting for portraits at the head of the aisle, with the château façade behind them.
Cocktail Hour
© Aude Lucas
© Aude Lucas
© Aude LucasPhoto: Aude Lucas
Cocktails were served behind the château in the formal French gardens.
The couple chose three drinks for the wedding cocktail menu. The groom's was a pistachio espresso martini, while the bride chose a lavender French 75. A non-alcoholic blueberry and mint spritz completed the menu.
The drinks were listed on a silver-framed menu beside a champagne bucket and arrangements of blue and white flowers.
A wooden trough of tomatoes, peppers and lavender stood on a white-clothed table in the garden.
On a round table on the lawn stood a white postcard stand, beside another blue-and-white floral arrangement.
Reception
© Aude Lucas
© Aude Lucas
© Aude Lucas
© Aude Lucas
© Aude Lucas
© Aude LucasPhoto: Aude Lucas
Dinner was served inside the château's main salon.
Long tables ran through the white-and-gold room, set with blue cut-glass goblets, gold cutlery, pale yellow napkins and low floral arrangements. Tall white candles were placed between the flowers.
H. & J. sat at their own table in front of a white marble fireplace. Flowers were arranged across and around the fireplace behind them.
One of the evening's entertainment pieces was a claw machine filled with plush toys. Many of the guests share Asian roots, and the machine referenced the claw games found at Asian night markets.
The couple also shared a two-tier white wedding cake and poured champagne into a tower of coupes.
Design and Details
© Aude Lucas
© Aude Lucas
© Aude Lucas
© Aude Lucas
© Aude Lucas
© Aude LucasPhoto: Aude Lucas
The bride designed the wedding's paper goods herself.
The dinner menus had scalloped edges outlined in blue and were finished with ribbon. The place cards were pear-shaped.
Outside the château, guests found a white favour cart beneath a blue toile awning.
Each guest received Ladurée biscuits, a classic among Paris-themed wedding favours, along with commemorative stamps illustrated with Château de Nainville-les-Roches and classic French crisps. Pink Ladurée boxes and green gift bags were arranged across the cart alongside baskets containing the crisps and smaller gifts.
More from the Day
© Aude Lucas
© Aude Lucas
© Aude LucasPhoto: Aude Lucas
The Wedding Team
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