Add This French Chateau to Your List of Dream Wedding Venues

Melissa Baran
August 4, 2019
Categories: Real Weddings, The Blog, Traditional Elegance

From Orange County to the South of France, Kristin and Cameron’s destination wedding celebration is one for the books, and their venue might just be the next one you add to your wishlist. Château de Tourreau was a charming choice and with the help of White Eden Weddings, it became the setting for layers upon layers of elegance. Don’t take my word for it, spend a moment with the imagery from Rory Wylie and the film from Matthias Guerin. You’ll soon forget that you’re a virtual guest!

How and when did you meet? What do you do for work?

We met in Orange County, CA at an Angels baseball game. Cameron had extra tickets to his dugout suite and gave them to his friend, Mike. Mike was good friends with my roommate at the time, Danielle and he invited us both to the game. I met Cameron and thanked him for the tickets. We ended up talking the rest of the night about business, politics, and life goals…you know all the romantic stuff. I thought he was incredibly handsome, but I really was attracted to his mind, first! The game cameras had panned to our dugout, so our meeting was actually broadcast on live TV! Our friend Dave recorded it for us and we still watch it and laugh.

We now own our own business together in the private investments and tax advisory space.

Tell us about the proposal -When/where/how?

Cameron loves to surprise me. We casually looked at rings in the Summer of 2018, so I thought a proposal may come in the Fall of 2018. We had talked about a trip to Napa, so I suspected a proposal would come then. But much to surprise, we were getting ready to go to one of our favorite restaurants, The Ranch, and he asked me to come check out the sunset with him while we waited for our driver to arrive.

I walked over and he looked behind him. I realized he was making sure he had space for his knee, and started internally screaming! He told me “I hope you meant forever when you said forever, because you’re my best friend and I want to spend forever with you.” He got down on one knee and I of course said yes. We got to share some champagne and soak in the moment on the couch alone before heading to dinner. My parents surprised me and met us and we got to celebrate with them! It was simple, magical, and perfect.

What date were you married? What season was this and did you choose the season or date for any particular reason?

We got married on 4th May, 2019Springtime in Provence is famous. There are even candle scents and songs made about it. We wanted to go when everything was starting to bloom and the heat of summer hadn’t kicked in yet.

How did you choose the venue and what did you love about it?

Our planners, Mylene and Geoffrey of White Eden Weddings, sent us 5 venue options when we started looking. I kept coming back to “the one with the green shutters.” Everything about Chateau de Tourreau was perfect. A big factor was the ability to rent it for the long weekend. We wanted to create a full experience for our guests to really soak in the weekend. Almost all our guests were able to stay on the property with us. The ones that couldn’t were only a 5 minute walk away at an adorable Bed and Breakfast.

I also loved that it would be a completely private venue exclusively for us and our guests!

What type of bride were you? I.e. did you know what you wanted for the day immediately or was it a longer process?

I had never really dreamed of my wedding decor, theme, etc but I knew how I wanted to feel. I had heard so many horror stories from other brides about not remembering anything because things went by so quickly. One bride even told me she didn’t eat dinner because she was so busy running around. Cameron and I knew from the beginning we wanted people to be left feeling so much joy, love, and a chance to really slow down and be present.

From there, I worked with the planners to create an unforgettable wedding weekend for guests. This included a wine tour through Chateauneuf du Pape, games of pool and basketball, and brunch. The idea that guests would never be wanting so they could just enjoy themselves and mingle with the most important people to us. The florals, music, dress, and all the details just fell into place during the process. I even asked the planners to keep some things a surprise until the day of so I could feel like I was experiencing it with all my guests for the first time! In fact, we didn’t even visit the venue until the rehearsal!

What did you enjoy most about the lead up to the wedding?

The adventure of it all. I wasn’t sure exactly how it would all look, but I knew it would be a reflection of Cameron and I as a couple. There was a lot of trust involved on Cameron and my end with the planners and vendors and also a lot of trust on the guests end to travel across the world! I think it is a lot like Cameron and my love story… the journey, the adventure, and the surprises are what make it so much fun!

What inspired the style and theme of your wedding?

Mylene and Geoffrey of White Eden Wedding really helped me create the vision. I wanted it to feel classic romantic with a modern twist. It was also important to me it felt very French, not an American wedding thrown in France. Our color choices (French blue, gold, white) was a bit unexpected in the best way.

Did you have a wedding planner? How did you find them?

I did! I can hardly put into words how thankful I was for Mylene and Geoffrey of White Eden Weddings. They were there with me every step of the way and went above and beyond on the actual wedding day! I found them by google search. I searched for a few wedding planners based in South of France that had U.S. bride experience. They were only my second interview (via Skype) but I was in love! They were a young couple that also owned business together and I knew quickly that they were perfect for the job.

I had so much fun working with them. We 100% worked through Skype and email to plan. They totally supported my vision and offered great suggestions and touches that made the day stunning. They worked so hard to make sure everything went smoothly.

How would you describe the theme of your wedding day?

The day was full of love, joy, and acceptance. Because it was such a far destination, we had a small wedding of 40 guests. They came from all over, some were married, single, older, younger, and many had very different experiences. But the one thing they all had in common was love and support for Cameron and I. By the end, all our guests were raving about how they had made thirty new friends. Love was so present for everyone, and that is something I haven’t always seen at other weddings. It made me so happy to see the people I love most spending time together.

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Were there any little styling details you’d like to tell us about? What inspired your choices with your overall personal look e.g. Dress, makeup, hair, accessories?

Because my hair and makeup vendor was local to Southern France, I didn’t meet her until my Friday night trial. My hair and makeup inspiration was Hollywood Glamour. I wanted big curls with a side sweep and fun hair barrettes for drama. Makeup was natural but glowy.

My something borrowed was my sister in law’s hair piece (it coincidentally had tiny feathers and pearls on it that matched my dress)! My something blue were my bouquet flowers, my something new was my dress, and my something old was a tiny ruby ladybug my grandmother gave to my mom was she was little. We pinned the ladybug safely in my bouquet.

Tell us about your dress and why you picked the dress you did? Did find it immediately or did you travel and search for longer?

I took a few friends and my mom to a couple bridal boutiques local in my area (Orange County, CA). I found it difficult to shop at first because I couldn’t believe I was trying on wedding dresses! It took awhile to not feel like an out of body experience. But after trying on 5 dresses or so, I quickly fell in love with the drama and glamour of the designer, Galia Lahav. I made an appointment to go to their flagship store with my mom and found “the one” pretty quickly.

We laughed that I had picked a dress with pearl straps and tiny feathers, but it we knew the Gatsby inspired dress would fit the venue beautifully.

Who did you have in your bridal party and what did it mean to you to have those people involved?

My bridal party included my best friends I’ve had since grade school, my sister in law who I consider a sister, the roommate that introduced Cameron and I, and my maid of honor, who I met in college.

Having friends fly across the world to support Cameron and I was such an honor. Some flew alone, took planes, trains, and automobiles. When I asked if they were sure, their response was always “I wouldn’t miss it.” The Chateau has an all white grand room that looks over the whole property where we all got to get ready and drink champagne together. I have incredible, very funny girlfriends that kept me laughing all day. It was impossible to be stressed!

Did you use other ways to involve friends and family in special moments during the day?

There is a chapel on the Chateau de Tourreau property that was built in 1612. The main colors inside are purple and gold and you can instantly feel the history when you walk inside. We invited all the guests to an informal prayer the morning of the wedding day. Guests shared kind words about the importance of a marriage rooted in faith and we all prayed together. When we walked outside then was a stillness and peace outside. I carried that with me throughout the day and it allowed me to be calm and present even in the flurry of getting ready and down the aisle. I had been refocused on what the day was about and what was most important.

Where did you source most of your ideas, including flowers and food?

I asked the planners for directions on florals. I wanted to keep the florals local to the Provence area. My only request was no eucalyptus!

For food, I looked up the caterer’s work on Instagram and loved their presentation. Our food at cocktail hour was whimsical and interactive. The live cooking stations (like fresh carved ham) and decadent bites (like foie gras macaroons) really made guests feel like they were in France. In addition to the traditional 3 course dinner, we thought it would be fun to offer late night bites to fuel the dancing. Mini burgers and Nutella crepes were very appreciated around 1am or so.

Most memorable moment from your wedding day?

It’s hard to pick one so I’ll name a few.

For Cameron, it was morning prayer, the moment of our first look, seeing me walk down the aisle, and dancing to Old Town Road with all of our friends.

For me, it was my mom putting on my wedding shoes but I couldn’t reach and her telling me “the last time I did this, I think they were Mary Janes.” It was my planners telling me to slow down because I was running in my dress to see Cameron for the first time for our first look. It was riding with my dad to get to the aisle and barely fitting myself, my train, my veil, my bouquet, and my dad in the back. It was my dad telling me on that drive that “He’ll always love me,” and me telling him “I’ll always be his daughter.” It was walking away from the party back to the Chateau and carrying all that love and joy from our favorite people with me. Pure magic!

Where did you go on your honeymoon and why?

Before we took off for the honeymoon, we had leftover wedding cake and champagne in the kitchen and said a tearful goodbye to Chateau de Tourreau.

The first part of the honeymoon was the Amalfi Coast. We stayed at Le Sirenuse hotel in Positano for four days. Our favorite things we did in Amalfi was a private yacht from Positano to Capri, a private wine tour and five course lunch in Raito, a couple’s massage, and laying by the pool enjoying the signature Le Sirenuse cocktail with the view. It was so nice to be relaxed, full, and somewhat off the grid!

The second half of the honeymoon we spent in Paris. We felt like we had make a stop at the most romantic city in the world! We stayed at the Shangri-La Paris and had a terrace with an Eiffel Tower view! It was incredible. Our favorite moments of Paris wandering walking the streets, our 13 course meal at Guy Savoy, and watching the Eiffel Tower at night over champagne.

We couldn’t have planned such a spectacular honeymoon without the help of Katy Hennetar of Coveted Journeys. She made unique, authentic suggestions for the area and was thoughtful about balancing exploring and relaxing. All of the drivers she coordinated were always on time, spoke English, and were incredibly professional. We are never planning another trip without her!

What is your number one piece of advice you would give to other brides?

As much as possible, let go. As for the vendors and planners, trust the professionals that you hired to do their job! I gave general direction, but their suggestions were often far more beautiful than I could have imagined or directed.

As for the wedding day, the more you plan is the more that can go wrong. The best moments were the surprises. Not planning every second of the day allowed me to be so much more at peace and present throughout the day.

I would also recommend awesome planners. They kept the process leading up to the wedding fun, they thought of details I would have never considered (like guest bathroom details… who thinks of that)? and they made sure the actual wedding day was on time so there were no weird gaps or rushing through magical moments (like a first look).

How did you find your wedding photographer, how was it working with them, in the lead up and on the day?

Rory was recommended to us by our planners. We Skyped before wedding day, and I loved that she took the time to get to know us as a couple. I feel like it allowed her to capture the moments she knew would be important to us that way.

Wedding day couldn’t have gone more beautifully. There were moments I started to feel a little pressure on time, but she assured me there was nothing to worry about. I’m so glad she did because some of my favorite shots of the day were unplanned (like the ones with my parents in the entrance before the first look or the aerial view of me walking down the stairs).

Cameron and I didn’t have much trouble being natural in front of the camera, but to loosen up family and friends, she would say “fromage!” Which is of course “cheese” in French. We still say it when we take photos and it makes us smile.

Rory captured the day, emotion, and our most treasured people perfectly. We are so thankful we found her!