Join us in reminiscing this magical midsummer celebration in Champagne, France! 

This couple got engaged in 2022, legally married in 2023, and wanted to bring their family and friends together to celebrate in the summer of 2024. This gave us time to curate an excellent group of suppliers and take time with venue selection. We provided a nice list of venues throughout France based on their preferences, which was a castle-like-chateau near or surrounded by vineyards. These venues typically are in the south of France, which was not their preferred location as it was too far. So, we suggested looking at venues in the Champagne region where they could still experience that wine and vineyard vibe, but not be too far south. They toured four of our suggested venues and settled on the gorgeous Château De Mairy in Châlons en Champagne.

This couple wanted to incorporate both their Dutch and Filipino cultures, highlight their personalities, and also honor some French elements. We strategically selected suppliers who could provide this; a caterer that could provide a variety of cuisines, musicians that could preform different genres, etc.

This multi-day wedding started on Friday, which began with the couple being welcomed at the château and brought to their gorgeous room. But before coming to the château, they enjoyed a wine tour and tasting nearby with their closest family and friends. Slowly, guests staying at the château started to arrive from all over the world, everyone was greeted with custom champagne bottles and had custom door hangers with their names. Later in the evening the welcome party began in front of the château, and guests staying off site joined, and everyone was greeted with a welcome drink. This welcome party was a French theme in honor of their destination wedding, so we had a live pianist accompanied by a French singer who preformed Chansons, and a lovely French cuisine walking dinner.

Saturday was the wedding day itself, and what perfect weather it was; not a cloud in the sky, sun shining, and a lovely warm breeze. The couple woke up in the morning greeted with champagne and breakfast in bed. They enjoyed a relaxing getting ready while the ceremony space was set up in the garden in front of the château. Their ceremony outfits were in honor of both of their cultures, with custom embroidery of Dutch canal houses and Filipino patterns by the incredible designer Francis Libiran. Guests arrived slowly and the ceremony began, it was unique and extremely personal with guests sing-a-longs, their friends officiating, and the exchange of vows. After the ceremony the guests enjoyed cocktail hour with local wines and small bites. During the cocktail hour the back of the chateau was being transformed into an epic 80 person long table for dinner. The set-up for dinner was elegant and truly grand. They enjoyed a multi-course meal, many lovely speeches were made to honor the couple, and they cut the cake to close of the dinner reception. Following dinner, of course, was the party. This venue has an incredible tent behind the château that makes the perfect place for dancing, which is exactly what they did all night!

On Sunday, the couple closed off their wedding weekend by hosting a lovely departure brunch at the château. It gave them the opportunity to thank everyone who traveled far and wide to be there, say their goodbyes, and really soak up those last moments.

Destination weddings are truly magical events, since you are bringing a group of people from around the world to a unique location. Some people arrive not knowing anyone, and by the end of the weekend they made lifelong friendships. The location of your destination wedding becomes a magical place which you can visit on anniversaries, and every time you travel there, eat the cuisine, or hear their music, you are flooded with fond memories. For our team, every time we go to France, we will think of the incredible time we had in Champagne at this wedding!