Location: Chinon • Loire Valley • North of France
Alex and Aleks celebrated their marriage at Château du Rivau, a storybook castle surrounded by beautiful gardens in France’s famed Loire Valley. Their September wedding brought together French-Canadian and Venezuelan heritage in a weekend filled with meaning and charm. Planned by Castle Key Weddings, a talented wedding planner in the Loire Valley, the event unfolded with thoughtful detail—from a ribbon handfasting ceremony to literary quotes drawn from The Little Prince. Guests gathered beneath soft summer light for vows in the Loire Valley wedding château’s grassy “aisle of fairies,” where history, imagination, and heartfelt symbolism came together in one unforgettable setting.
Wedding Inspiration
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A Ceremony of Heritage and Heart
The couple’s outdoor ceremony was officiated by Alexandre’s godmother and featured a five-ribbon ritual, each colour representing a promise between the two. Guests listened to readings from The Little Prince as the pair exchanged vows under orchard trees. A live rendition of A Thousand Years played as Alex walked the aisle, followed by Can’t Take My Eyes Off You for the recessional—an upbeat close to a deeply personal ceremony. Afterward, cocktail hour unfolded in the château’s orchard, where the air carried notes of medlar, apple, and cherry blossoms. The couple later slipped away for portraits, sharing their first quiet moments alone that day.
A Celebration Planned to Perfection by Castle Key
Planner Eugénie-Mélinda of Castle Key Weddings curated a celebration that balanced cultural nuance with the château’s timeless character. Photographer Eric M of Encre Noire, one of the most talented wedding photographers in the Loire Valley, captured the event with quiet precision from the couple’s private moments in the gardens to the laughter around the dinner tables. Each image reflected warmth, movement, and the natural beauty of the Loire countryside. As night fell, candlelight illuminated the stone courtyards and sealed the weekend in memory a destination wedding that felt both personal and poetic.
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