From the moment I laid eyes on this breathtaking Loire Valley soiree, it was an all-out love affair. A complete obsession, really. One that stems from a glorious French chateau setting, take your breath away images captured by Mademoiselle Fiona Wedding Photography and a sweet description that left me smiling from ear to ear. Oh, and the gallery? An overflow of pretty pastels. See them all right here.
From the Bride… From the moment we met 7 years ago, Romain and I have never left each other. For a long time, we’ve enjoyed every single moment without worrying about tomorrow. Last year, we decided to indulge with a weekend getaway. After a nice day by the sea, Romain invited me to dinner in a very nice restaurant. At the end of the delightful meal, the waiter left us alone with a tray of sweets in the center of which a box of chocolate was set. Even though he had planned this for weeks, panic suddenly overcame him because I refused to give in to temptation and uncover the content of the box (I’d had my fill with the dinner!). Finally, he had to take things under control and opened the box himself. While the love of my life got down on one knee, I saw something shine inside the box… This is a memorable and yet quite funny moment that we’ll always have for us.
The first step for the planning was to choose a venue: we are from Paris, but we wanted to bring our loved ones to a nice place for the weekend. Touraine is ideal, it is a beautiful region where Romain’s mother had just settled in, and where my family has sweet memories. From the moment we crossed the large gate of the Bourdaisière Domain and laid our eyes on the castle, we knew that this was the perfect place: the charm and elegance of the place perfectly matched with the idea we had in mind for this celebration. We have asked Marie-Emilie Méjan from Mon Plus Beau Jour to assist us with the planning. We were very much inspired by American vintage-chic weddings (in which I was sinking myself in on “Style Me Pretty”) while also looking for a French look and feel that would look like us too. We did not want to leave it to any specific theme, but rather go with a sober and refined decoration, to make our guests feel special. This is the reason why we chose soft colors like gray, ivory and pink, with stronger touches of brighter and warmer coral pink. Meticulous care was given for every detail: small succulents placed on the plates, scented candles presented in small brown paper pouches, big helium balloons, natural wood chairs we had brought from Paris, and various vases and pots our floral decorators had placed on the tables to provide the atmosphere we wanted.
The preparation was one of the highlights of the day. The dress that Celestina Agostino had designed was made with a stiff corset my maids of honor had learned to tie and hook up. It was an unforgettable moment mingled with laughter and tears I will always remember. Then everything happened very quickly for there were so many people we love and we wanted to embrace. Before dinner, we met in the Bride and Groom’s room to breathe a bit and enjoy a moment of intimacy in all this frenzy. Eventually, the evening started with our entry to the rhythm of “I Got a Feeling” by the Black Eyed Peas. We had only planned to pay a quick visit to each table, but we got carried away in the game and turned this moment into a completely improvised dancing show. Guests are still not over it yet! Thanks to Mademoiselle Fiona, we live every moment of this wonderful day again and again with many feelings and lots of pride: in these photos I find my husband is the most handsome man in the world … I think he finds me pretty nice too…
Wedding Photography: Mademoiselle Fiona Wedding Photography / Venue: Château de la Bourdaisière in Loire Valley, France / Wedding Planning + Design: Mon Plus Beau Jour / Wedding Cinematography: Meryl of I Loove You / Wedding Cake: Eye Candy Cakes / Wedding Website + Graphic Design: 16ar / Wedding Dress: Celestina Agostino / Bride’s Shoes: Jimmy Choo / Hair + Makeup: Lexi DeRock / Groom’s Suit: Christian Dior