Chateau Wedding in France - Hayley & Bradley
Well, Hayley and Bradley had it all for their Chateau Wedding in France! This is pretty much my idea of the perfect wedding to photograph- I was so excited to be involved and loved every minute. It also helped that I could speak French with the suppliers and guests- It certainly comes in handy every now and again! Now that’s enough from me, let me hand over to Hayley & Bradley to tell you a bit more about their wedding.
What words would you want to be associated with your wedding?
Chateau, South of France, Vineyard, Rustic, Rolling Countryside, 30+ Degrees and Sunny?
What was your budget?
£25K-£30K
What made your day unique?
Our day was perfect! We were the first to get married at the venue and were so pleased so many people traveled to France to celebrate with us. The bride knew the area and has always said that part of France is her spiritual home. Domaine de Rouchon is a beautiful family home, with a stunning driveway of poplar trees and each visit brings a sense of wonder and relaxation as you approach the house. This is something the bride and groom experienced on every visit and they were so pleased that their guests were able to experience that feeling with them at their wedding.
What was the vibe of your day? What was the inspiration behind the styling?
We had 100 guests, all close friends and family, and the day had a relaxed, intimate vibe to it. The marriage took place in the shaded barn. The wedding party moved to the patio for the champagne reception and the wedding breakfast took place under the marquees under the lawn. it was hot with lots of sunshine and some guests enjoyed the pool. The beautiful stone house is set against the backdrop of a river on one side and vineyards and tall green trees on the other so we chose a rustic style in keeping with the setting.
Do you have a favorite moment of your day?
One of our favorite moments was when we moved off to have our photos taken in the neighboring vineyards during dinner. It was the first time we had been alone together since the ceremony and our photographer James was fantastic and was able to capture some stunning shots as the sunset across the vineyards. As we walked back to dinner our videographer Max flew a drone above us and we have fun pictures smiling up to the sky making peace signs. As the ground was uneven the groom carried the bride piggyback style into dinner and all the guests cheered!
Do you have any advice for people planning their wedding?
We kept multiple lists and checked tasks off. We each took responsibility for a group of suppliers and would schedule a time to sit down together to review what had progressed. We chose to hire a wedding planner and are so happy we did. She was English but lived in France and spoke fluent French so she helped with talking to suppliers. She organized everything on the day, including coordinating all the suppliers and wait staff, taking away a lot of stress from us! So our advice would be:
Keep organized
communicate with each other
And if you're able to, hire a wedding planner!!
Supplier shout out:
Wedding Planner: [Your Wedding Planner](https://www.yourweddingplanner.fr/)